fic: Certainly Fond Of You (5)
Jun. 12th, 2019 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Certainly Fond Of You (5)
Series: Ace Attorney
Character/pairing: Rayfa (Nahyuta/Ema)
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4k
Summary: Nahyuta and Ema's relationship as seen from the outside.
Author's note:
Aa6 spoilers abound. Part of this series.
For OblivionIsAtHand.
A guard stood by the door of the healer's office. Thick curtains separated her and the woman who was her mother. The clack, clack, clack of Nahyuta--her brother's--beads as he bowed his head in prayer, and the faint breathing of Queen Amara were the only sound. His mouth moved wordlessly as he recited a sutra. She knew it, though no one could memorize sutras and holy script like Nahyuta.
Rayfa dug her nails into her palm so hard that her hand burned. It felt far more than half a day's time. In truth, it felt more like a thousand years had passed in minute's time.
In the span of one day, she had found out that Ga'ran was not her mother, nor Inga her father, that her true father was Dhurke, the murderer, then that Dhurke was no murderer and the woman she thought was her mother had been preying upon them all along.
She'd learned that Nahyuta Sahdmadhi was her brother, and had been guarding her all along, that lawyers were not evil, as she had always been taught, and just how fragile the veil between life and death could be as her mother fell to the floor, and with red staining her side, and the man on trial--her father--had been dead all along.
She had done hundreds of Divination seances. But it had never affected her this personally.
She wouldn't cry. She would have to be queen now, and Queens didn't cry. Her lower lip trembled. She'd barely been able to even meet her true father before.
Now, Inga was gone, and she did not know what to feel about that. Was he a traitor as they said? Was the Founder's Orb meant for her in the end? For he surely would've known that he could not summon, even if he found such a treasured artifact.
Rayfa got up. She couldn't say something as vulgar as that she would go to the royal bathroom and dip her hands in the marble sink to splash her face with cold water. Or some cold, mountain air. Anything to clear her mind.
Rayfa cleared her throat. "I must...attend to something. Something very important. I will be back shortly."
"Take a guard with you when you do. Queen Ga'ran may still have some loyal subjects left who have not found out the news yet," Nahyuta said.
"Fine," she said. She nodded to the guard. "Find another to replace you--you are to come with me."
I must act like a queen, I must act like a queen. Focusing on this mantra was easier than accepting everything that had happened today.
"Wait until I return," Rayfa commanded. The guard obeyed, his only acknowledgment a grunt.
She stepped out onto the balcony, and took deep breaths. Mount Poni Poni rose up magnificently in the distance, its majestic, snow covered peaks had watched and guarded over them for thousands and thousands of years. If only, like the people of legends, she could climb them now, and receive some divine guidance.
The guard behind her cleared his throat.
"Your Benevolence , you could be vulnerable to attack there--"
The gray-clad guard reached out for her, then drew back, realizing his station. "Princess."
She clenched her fists, which shuddered with swirling emotions. The bells at her sleeves
She ducked back inside, no calmer or wiser than before.
As she started back down the hall, she caught sight of that foreign woman who Nahyuta had brought. She slipped into the room, as if someone like her belonged there.
Rayfa grimaced at the sight of her brazen action. No surprise, given that it was her That detective was always by his side, in cases and out. She even dared to complain about being subjected to his sutras, as if it wasn't a gift to be read sutras by the most talented monk and prosecutor within the land.
Rayfa couldn't see why he heaped praise upon such a sharp-tongued woman, who didn't even appreciate the written word of the Holy Mother.
The door was already open a crack. She heard voices--and leaned in closer to better hear.
"Your Benevolence--" The guard said.
"That's enough," she said under her breath. "I won't walk in on them."
But she would listen and look in, like a stranger at the door.
The foreign woman swept her long brown hair back, and gave Nahyuta a pointed look.
"Look, I didn't want to interrupt, but it also felt wrong to not interrupt. Did you eat?" The foreign detective thrust out the bag towards him, and blushed. "I always have some on hand."
"Stay," he said softly. There was such pain and exhaustion in his voice. And truly, Rayfa felt that same ache.
The foreign woman sat down next to him, and after a few moments, she held out her hand. "I'm sorry. I don't have anything to say to make it better in this kind of situation. But I also can't just leave you to take this alone, either."
"The storm is over. But oh, there is wreckage to be mended," he said.
"If you want it. If you want to be alone then I'll go. I just--had to check on you. It kept grating at my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep until I just checked on you."
He took her hand and brought it to his mouth and gently kissed the back of her palm. Rayfa blushed, and glanced away at such an intimate gesture. She still could hardly believe he would pick a foreign unbeliever, but even Rayfa in her most stubborn times had to admit the woman brought more smiles to Nahyuta's face than she had seen in all the time she had known him.
(Even though she knew him only as a competent prosecutor and monk, and not as her brother who had been protecting her all this time.)
"Thank you for supporting me, and always being by my side, Detective Skye. Truly, I could not have withstood this without you beside me."
The female detective stared down at where his and her hand met, and finally sighed. "Listen, I wanted to say this for a long time, and maybe this isn't the place, but here goes--I hated that woman from the first time I saw her and it took everything I had not to just cuss her out. She was horrible and I can't wait for her to pay for what she did to all of you."
"I am gladdened that you only said this now, and not when saying such a thing could've gotten you killed."
"Trust me, biting my tongue about this was hard. I had a bad feeling about her from the beginning."
"Yes..."
Silence fell then. The female detective shifted, seemingly uncomfortable with the lull.
"Hey, um, listen... I know this is bad timing, and I'm sorry to bring it up now of all times, but I can't exactly change the date. I mean, on the ticket. I don't have enough money on hand to ditch it and buy another one. My flight leaves tomorrow, or I wouldn't be bringing this up at all."
"I must stay within Khura'in. The country--and Her Benevolence, Princess Rayfa--needs me."
The woman let out a sigh. "I figured, I just...didn't want it to end like that," she said.
"That promise I made then was not a lie, but a sincere, deepest hope. That I wanted to be with you. The location did not matter, only the fact that you were there with me did."
"Even though a part of me knew it was never going to happen, I really loved the idea of traveling the world with you and solving cases. Guess it was too good to be true."
He said nothing.
The female detective glanced towards him.
"So that's it? I'm just going back and you're staying? We'll say we'll keep in touch but between the time difference and how difficult international calls can be, we'll just fall out of touch? One day you'll be nothing but a bittersweet memory of what I could've had if I didn't have such bad luck in life? That's a pretty crappy ending. If it was a movie, I'd ask for my money back."
"I cannot leave, not right after Queen Ga'ran was dethroned," Nahyuta said softly.
She glanced away. "No, I shouldn't have asked. You're in a horrible state right now. I'm sorry."
She brushed her thumb over the back of his palm. "I wish I had enough money to delay my flight. I just didn't want it....us...to end on a bad note. The last thing I want to do now is leave you alone to deal with this all, but neither of us knew it'd be like that when the tickets were booked, I guess. I certainly didn't know I'd be taking part in a revolution when I first met you, that was for sure."
Nahyuta let out a soft breath. "I had a feeling that you would return alone, and we would be parted, if I lived at all. Yet I selfishly wanted you by my side in that moment, when I was forced to prosecute my own father. I had some hope that you could uncover a clue that could flip the case, save everyone, even him."
She squeezed his hand tight. "Look, it's over. Don't go guilting about the past. I'm fine; that impostor didn't hurt me. And...it's kind of nice that you trusted me so much when you were dealing with...that."
"No...this can be fixed. I will pay to secure a later flight. It is no trouble. How much longer can you stay here...with me?"
"Well, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth is still in Khura'in right now, so I can ask him for a leave of absence outside of what I was already cleared for. He'd definitely understand and surely give me a week or two to help settle things over here. Still...it's just delaying the inevitable. Usually in this situation someone would say 'we'll Skype' or 'we'll call'...but with the distance, it'd just be a lie we tell ourselves to make it better, wouldn't it?"
Nahyuta didn't reply.
She glanced away. "I shouldn't bring this up now. I'm sorry. I'm always putting my foot in my mouth and saying too much."
"No...I like your forthrightness. I cannot offer many kind words at the moment. I feel as if everything within myself has been drained dry. There is nothing but a husk."
"Of course. You've been through so much. I didn't even want to bring it up but...I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye and...figuring this--us out."
He nodded.
"We will find a way. If I can survive Ga'ran, I will survive this. And find a way to you, too..."
"I just wish I had your optimism. Which is pretty pathetic, because you've got one hell of a pessimistic streak. If you're the optimist between us, then we'll be pretty bleak."
He smiled, but only slightly. The weight upon him was still so heavy.
"I....I know I have no right to ask this, but I wish you to stay by my side."
The female detective let out a long breath. "I'll stay as many weeks as I can get off. Then, I don't know. It's terra incognita. I've never faced something like this before. ....Hell, I've never felt like this before."
Nahyuta slightly tilted his head. "Then you focused solely on your studies as well?"
"Nah, I dated people. I just never was too serious. Some even hurt when we broke up, but it was nothing like this. I never would've left L.A. for anybody else but you. Hell, I would've laughed in their face if they even suggested such a thing. But when it came to you...it was different."
Then it was merely the sound of prayer beads clacking, the crunching of Detective Skye's sweets. Once again, Rayfa felt like an outsider in her own family.
Who even was her own family? Would Queen Amara join Dhurke, her true father, in the twilight realm? So many times, Nayna had comforted her when Ga'ran said something harsh, or treated her coldly. But Nayna was never truly there.
Every single person within her life had been a lie. Queen Ga'ran, Inga, Nahyuta, and even her beloved Nayna. How many times had she wished, and prayed to the Holy Mother that Nayna could be her mother, instead of Ga'ran? All that time, she never could have imagined how close she was to that truth.
She left, the guard a step behind, back to the one place she had always found comfort. The guard waited behind as she stepped into the room, which might as well have been a mausoleum.
It was empty, now. The wide poster-bed that she had climbed up into, and waited for him. She could not even look the bust commissioned of him in the eye. She'd never be able to hear Inga's voice again, unless he was spirit-channeled. And even then, what would he tell her? Every kind word was actually a game of wills between him and her mo--Ga'ran? Everything he'd said was a lie to manipulate her as well, just as mo--Ga'ran had?
Numbness didn't dispel the ache. So much had happened. She could barely withstand it. I will be queen. I must be strong. I will be queen. I must not cry. As if she too held prayer beads within her grasp, Rayfa repeated the words over and over in her mind.
The guard threw the door open with such force, Rayfa whirled around.
"Your Benevolence! Her Mercifulness, Queen Amara has finally awoken!"
*
From her vantage at the doorway, Rayfa took in the scenes. Nahyuta and his foreign woman had been in the chairs beside the bed. However, at some point Nahyuta had rose up to be by Queen Amara's side. The foreign woman still sat there. Rayfa couldn't see her expression from here.
Nayna had been more of a mother than Queen Ga'ran ever had to Rayfa. Nayna had wiped away every tear, comforted her when Queen Ga'ran had only given scorn and coldness. Queen Amara was more youthful, with the appearance almost like a goddess where Nayna had been humble and plain.
However, the smile was the same.
I will accustom to them, for I am to be Queen, Rayfa thought to herself.
Nahyuta bowed his head. "Mother..."
Queen Amara reached out to touch Nahyuta's cheek. "Look at you. You've grown up so much. I thought I would not see you until another life."
Rayfa stood at the edge of the room. She bit her lip as it trembled. Was there even room there for her? What would she even say to this woman who she had known all her life, yet only just met?
"Um, I should go..." the foreign woman said. She moved to rise from her chair.
"You're the woman Yuty brought from overseas, aren't you?"
"Um, yes?"
"Yes, yes, I remember you from the garden."
The foreign woman clutched her cheek in shock.
"Oh! That was you? I didn't even realize. I was in a pretty bad mood that day. I...probably was pretty rude. Um, sorry about that. Maybe uh, forget anything bad I said?"
"Very few people have recognized me for decades... And rudeness is no matter. My dear Rayfa has taught me everything there is to know about rudeness."
Rayfa flushed at this. Had it been any other, she would've surely hit them with her bells, or her staff. But it was Queen Amara--the legend, near divinity, and...her true mother.
Queen Amara turned towards Nahyuta, and began to speak in Khura'inese.
Meeting her future mother-in-law like this probably came as something of a shock. Ah, but I am still very alive, and just in time for your wedding, isn't that right, Nahyuta?
The foreign woman's brow furrowed a minute. She softly spoke one of the words aloud, though accented. "Matha...wait, Mother-in-law? And wasn't that other word you mentioned wedding?"
Queen Amara chuckled. "Oho, you found yourself a smart one, Yuty."
"I've been teaching her how to speak Khura'inese.. However, I never imagined she would pick up languages so fast. Though I should've known. It is her, after all."
He closed his eyes in a serene, yet proud smile. Nahyuta's detective, however, huffed and rolled her eyes.
"He certainly doesn't make it easy. This is definitely the hardest language I've taken on. Still, I liked learning it with him a lot. He always took time after cases to help me understand things."
I like her, Queen Amara said.
"Uh, thanks," the woman said.
"Really, understanding things like 'mother-in-law' and 'I like her' so easily...what kind of things have you been teaching her, Yuty?"
"Many things," he said.
However, their moment of merriment shifted as Nahyuta gazed upon Amara--their mother--in concern.
"Mother, you're quite lively after such a...hard time. Are you feeling better from your wound?" Nahyuta said.
"Whatever medicine they gave me has made the pain go away some. And it's been many so very many years since I could tease you, Yuty. I have to catch up."
"Yes...."
The female detective leaned in. "She probably doesn't..."
Nahyuta shook his head.
The female detective flinched. "Oh..."
Rayfa sat at the back, an outsider in her own family. Even this foreign woman knew her place more than her. What would she even say to this woman who had for years, gone under the name Nayna? Who she had ordered around and kept as a nursemaid to answer her every question?
"So the guards found you at last," Queen Amara said.
Unlike Nayna's comforting presence, Queen Amara was like something out of a legend. She couldn't simply command her, any longer. And Ga'ran wasn't her mother. Yet she saw only the faintest edges of Nayna in this woman.
"Come now, or have you forgotten your Nayna already? Both of you, now."
Queen Amara opened her arms. Nahyuta bowed his head and tears fell down his cheeks. He brushed them away with his now-ungloved hand. A black dragon tattoo coiled across his palm.
Rayfa dared to come closer, until she too was embraced by those arms. Though she tried to fight it--queens don't cry, you're a queen now!--tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I am so very gladdened that both my children are safe, and that I can finally make a proper introduction. I have missed you so very much, Yuty. And Rayfa, my dear Rayfa, you were always so close and yet so far away from me...."
The foreign woman glanced away. "Yeah, uhm I'm going to go get some food. I'm pretty famished. It'd just be awkward for me to be here, anyways."
Queen Amara glanced up to Nahyuta's detective.
"Please do not feel as if this country is unwelcoming to you. I wish nothing more than for you to find beauty in Khura'in, and for it to make you as happy as you have made my dear Yuty," Queen Amara said.
"Mother, this is no excuse. She grows rather...grumpy when she doesn't get enough food," Nahyuta said softly.
"Ah, go nourish yourself then."
"Yeah, uh. Feel better."
When the door closed behind the foreign woman, Queen Amara looked about the room.
"Was Ga'ran harmed? Where is she?"
Nahyuta's green eyes filled with an untold ache. "Mother..."
Rayfa glanced away. "I can only hope so," she muttered.
"There is much still to tell you," Nahyuta said. "So much has happened in a small amount of time."
The guard spat out Ga'ran? The traitor will be jailed eternally, until hell comes to claim her!
"So that is it then." Queen Amara closed her eyes. "What Dhurke said then, it was true. I loved my sister dearly, and yet I never stopped loving Dhurke. In the end, I was resigned to my fate. Do you understand?"
Nahyuta nodded. "Yes...some truths are hard to accept. And the sheer weight of them causes a deep sadness, and a resignation to one'scourse of life."
The door opened a crack. The female detective had her arms full of a few bags on her of that food she was always munching on.
"Look, I'm not trying to interrupt or anything. But as far as I see it, everyone feels better when they eat some of these. And you know me, I just can't leave well enough alone. So, um, here. Enough for everyone," she said.
Nahyuta gave her a tender smile. "Detective Skye...thank you. We still have much to discuss."
The female detective blushed a little and glanced away. "It can wait until the morning. You're probably totally exhausted at this point. Just...don't overwork yourself and pull an all nighter. Not tonight. That's all I ask. All right?"
"Trust me, the only plans after this will be sleep. ...Thank you...Detective Skye."
"Yeah, um, see you. If you need me for anything, then--you know my number. It doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night, I'll be there if you call," she said.
"I always need you," he said softly.
The female detective blushed more deeply at this. She stood a moment, obviously unnerved by the presence of Nahyuta's family in such an intimate moment.
"Yeah-I didn't want to interrupt. I just--well, we'll talk later. See you then," she said suddenly, and left without another word.
Queen Amara smiled. "I'm glad you have someone to keep you warm at night, Yuty."
Nahyuta's cheeks colored at this. "Mother...not in front of Rayfa," he said.
Rayfa tensed, and drew back. "I am no child, I will be Queen. No subject is off-limits any longer. I decree it!"
"You heard it yourself from the future Queen herself," Queen Amara said, with a faint lilt in her voice.
But Nahyuta did not smile.
"Mother...father, he--" Nahyuta broke off, unable to say the words.
"Yes, I know. I have known all along. The truth is, he is closer to me than ever before. I can call him forth at any moment. How horrible that it took death to reunite us, but in Khura'in, death is not final. Even though it is bittersweet, I take peace in that knowledge. Do you wish me to summon him back for you now? It would bring closure to this terrible tragedy we have been living through for so long."
Nahyuta quickly shook his head. "No, you're much too weak after the injury--and....everyone is exhausted."
Queen Amara reached out to pat him gently upon the head.
"Yuty, don't feel guilty. Dhurke knew the sacrifice you made. For Rayfa, for me, even for him...I know he never stopped loving you."
Nahyuta closed his eyes. "M-mother...."
"You asked about my happiness, and the truth is I have you and Rayfa near to me after such a long time away. And soon, I will bring Dhurke back to me. And even through the pain of knowing what my sister did, I cannot help but feel a little flicker of spring at this."
She stroked his hair, so close to her own shade. "It will heal in time. Now....Come back, Rayfa, my dear. You must not isolate yourself as Queen. Yuty and I will always be here to support and guide you. Your people will adore you, for they can already sense the strength in you. You will be a wonderful Queen."
Rayfa's lower lip trembled. So much had happened, so much responsibility was now thrust upon her shoulders. But she wasn't alone. She had a brother, a mother, and even a father who still loved her through death. She said those words she had longed to say to Nayna--Queen Amara for so long:
"Mother."
Series: Ace Attorney
Character/pairing: Rayfa (Nahyuta/Ema)
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4k
Summary: Nahyuta and Ema's relationship as seen from the outside.
Author's note:
Aa6 spoilers abound. Part of this series.
For OblivionIsAtHand.
A guard stood by the door of the healer's office. Thick curtains separated her and the woman who was her mother. The clack, clack, clack of Nahyuta--her brother's--beads as he bowed his head in prayer, and the faint breathing of Queen Amara were the only sound. His mouth moved wordlessly as he recited a sutra. She knew it, though no one could memorize sutras and holy script like Nahyuta.
Rayfa dug her nails into her palm so hard that her hand burned. It felt far more than half a day's time. In truth, it felt more like a thousand years had passed in minute's time.
In the span of one day, she had found out that Ga'ran was not her mother, nor Inga her father, that her true father was Dhurke, the murderer, then that Dhurke was no murderer and the woman she thought was her mother had been preying upon them all along.
She'd learned that Nahyuta Sahdmadhi was her brother, and had been guarding her all along, that lawyers were not evil, as she had always been taught, and just how fragile the veil between life and death could be as her mother fell to the floor, and with red staining her side, and the man on trial--her father--had been dead all along.
She had done hundreds of Divination seances. But it had never affected her this personally.
She wouldn't cry. She would have to be queen now, and Queens didn't cry. Her lower lip trembled. She'd barely been able to even meet her true father before.
Now, Inga was gone, and she did not know what to feel about that. Was he a traitor as they said? Was the Founder's Orb meant for her in the end? For he surely would've known that he could not summon, even if he found such a treasured artifact.
Rayfa got up. She couldn't say something as vulgar as that she would go to the royal bathroom and dip her hands in the marble sink to splash her face with cold water. Or some cold, mountain air. Anything to clear her mind.
Rayfa cleared her throat. "I must...attend to something. Something very important. I will be back shortly."
"Take a guard with you when you do. Queen Ga'ran may still have some loyal subjects left who have not found out the news yet," Nahyuta said.
"Fine," she said. She nodded to the guard. "Find another to replace you--you are to come with me."
I must act like a queen, I must act like a queen. Focusing on this mantra was easier than accepting everything that had happened today.
"Wait until I return," Rayfa commanded. The guard obeyed, his only acknowledgment a grunt.
She stepped out onto the balcony, and took deep breaths. Mount Poni Poni rose up magnificently in the distance, its majestic, snow covered peaks had watched and guarded over them for thousands and thousands of years. If only, like the people of legends, she could climb them now, and receive some divine guidance.
The guard behind her cleared his throat.
"Your Benevolence , you could be vulnerable to attack there--"
The gray-clad guard reached out for her, then drew back, realizing his station. "Princess."
She clenched her fists, which shuddered with swirling emotions. The bells at her sleeves
She ducked back inside, no calmer or wiser than before.
As she started back down the hall, she caught sight of that foreign woman who Nahyuta had brought. She slipped into the room, as if someone like her belonged there.
Rayfa grimaced at the sight of her brazen action. No surprise, given that it was her That detective was always by his side, in cases and out. She even dared to complain about being subjected to his sutras, as if it wasn't a gift to be read sutras by the most talented monk and prosecutor within the land.
Rayfa couldn't see why he heaped praise upon such a sharp-tongued woman, who didn't even appreciate the written word of the Holy Mother.
The door was already open a crack. She heard voices--and leaned in closer to better hear.
"Your Benevolence--" The guard said.
"That's enough," she said under her breath. "I won't walk in on them."
But she would listen and look in, like a stranger at the door.
The foreign woman swept her long brown hair back, and gave Nahyuta a pointed look.
"Look, I didn't want to interrupt, but it also felt wrong to not interrupt. Did you eat?" The foreign detective thrust out the bag towards him, and blushed. "I always have some on hand."
"Stay," he said softly. There was such pain and exhaustion in his voice. And truly, Rayfa felt that same ache.
The foreign woman sat down next to him, and after a few moments, she held out her hand. "I'm sorry. I don't have anything to say to make it better in this kind of situation. But I also can't just leave you to take this alone, either."
"The storm is over. But oh, there is wreckage to be mended," he said.
"If you want it. If you want to be alone then I'll go. I just--had to check on you. It kept grating at my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep until I just checked on you."
He took her hand and brought it to his mouth and gently kissed the back of her palm. Rayfa blushed, and glanced away at such an intimate gesture. She still could hardly believe he would pick a foreign unbeliever, but even Rayfa in her most stubborn times had to admit the woman brought more smiles to Nahyuta's face than she had seen in all the time she had known him.
(Even though she knew him only as a competent prosecutor and monk, and not as her brother who had been protecting her all this time.)
"Thank you for supporting me, and always being by my side, Detective Skye. Truly, I could not have withstood this without you beside me."
The female detective stared down at where his and her hand met, and finally sighed. "Listen, I wanted to say this for a long time, and maybe this isn't the place, but here goes--I hated that woman from the first time I saw her and it took everything I had not to just cuss her out. She was horrible and I can't wait for her to pay for what she did to all of you."
"I am gladdened that you only said this now, and not when saying such a thing could've gotten you killed."
"Trust me, biting my tongue about this was hard. I had a bad feeling about her from the beginning."
"Yes..."
Silence fell then. The female detective shifted, seemingly uncomfortable with the lull.
"Hey, um, listen... I know this is bad timing, and I'm sorry to bring it up now of all times, but I can't exactly change the date. I mean, on the ticket. I don't have enough money on hand to ditch it and buy another one. My flight leaves tomorrow, or I wouldn't be bringing this up at all."
"I must stay within Khura'in. The country--and Her Benevolence, Princess Rayfa--needs me."
The woman let out a sigh. "I figured, I just...didn't want it to end like that," she said.
"That promise I made then was not a lie, but a sincere, deepest hope. That I wanted to be with you. The location did not matter, only the fact that you were there with me did."
"Even though a part of me knew it was never going to happen, I really loved the idea of traveling the world with you and solving cases. Guess it was too good to be true."
He said nothing.
The female detective glanced towards him.
"So that's it? I'm just going back and you're staying? We'll say we'll keep in touch but between the time difference and how difficult international calls can be, we'll just fall out of touch? One day you'll be nothing but a bittersweet memory of what I could've had if I didn't have such bad luck in life? That's a pretty crappy ending. If it was a movie, I'd ask for my money back."
"I cannot leave, not right after Queen Ga'ran was dethroned," Nahyuta said softly.
She glanced away. "No, I shouldn't have asked. You're in a horrible state right now. I'm sorry."
She brushed her thumb over the back of his palm. "I wish I had enough money to delay my flight. I just didn't want it....us...to end on a bad note. The last thing I want to do now is leave you alone to deal with this all, but neither of us knew it'd be like that when the tickets were booked, I guess. I certainly didn't know I'd be taking part in a revolution when I first met you, that was for sure."
Nahyuta let out a soft breath. "I had a feeling that you would return alone, and we would be parted, if I lived at all. Yet I selfishly wanted you by my side in that moment, when I was forced to prosecute my own father. I had some hope that you could uncover a clue that could flip the case, save everyone, even him."
She squeezed his hand tight. "Look, it's over. Don't go guilting about the past. I'm fine; that impostor didn't hurt me. And...it's kind of nice that you trusted me so much when you were dealing with...that."
"No...this can be fixed. I will pay to secure a later flight. It is no trouble. How much longer can you stay here...with me?"
"Well, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth is still in Khura'in right now, so I can ask him for a leave of absence outside of what I was already cleared for. He'd definitely understand and surely give me a week or two to help settle things over here. Still...it's just delaying the inevitable. Usually in this situation someone would say 'we'll Skype' or 'we'll call'...but with the distance, it'd just be a lie we tell ourselves to make it better, wouldn't it?"
Nahyuta didn't reply.
She glanced away. "I shouldn't bring this up now. I'm sorry. I'm always putting my foot in my mouth and saying too much."
"No...I like your forthrightness. I cannot offer many kind words at the moment. I feel as if everything within myself has been drained dry. There is nothing but a husk."
"Of course. You've been through so much. I didn't even want to bring it up but...I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye and...figuring this--us out."
He nodded.
"We will find a way. If I can survive Ga'ran, I will survive this. And find a way to you, too..."
"I just wish I had your optimism. Which is pretty pathetic, because you've got one hell of a pessimistic streak. If you're the optimist between us, then we'll be pretty bleak."
He smiled, but only slightly. The weight upon him was still so heavy.
"I....I know I have no right to ask this, but I wish you to stay by my side."
The female detective let out a long breath. "I'll stay as many weeks as I can get off. Then, I don't know. It's terra incognita. I've never faced something like this before. ....Hell, I've never felt like this before."
Nahyuta slightly tilted his head. "Then you focused solely on your studies as well?"
"Nah, I dated people. I just never was too serious. Some even hurt when we broke up, but it was nothing like this. I never would've left L.A. for anybody else but you. Hell, I would've laughed in their face if they even suggested such a thing. But when it came to you...it was different."
Then it was merely the sound of prayer beads clacking, the crunching of Detective Skye's sweets. Once again, Rayfa felt like an outsider in her own family.
Who even was her own family? Would Queen Amara join Dhurke, her true father, in the twilight realm? So many times, Nayna had comforted her when Ga'ran said something harsh, or treated her coldly. But Nayna was never truly there.
Every single person within her life had been a lie. Queen Ga'ran, Inga, Nahyuta, and even her beloved Nayna. How many times had she wished, and prayed to the Holy Mother that Nayna could be her mother, instead of Ga'ran? All that time, she never could have imagined how close she was to that truth.
She left, the guard a step behind, back to the one place she had always found comfort. The guard waited behind as she stepped into the room, which might as well have been a mausoleum.
It was empty, now. The wide poster-bed that she had climbed up into, and waited for him. She could not even look the bust commissioned of him in the eye. She'd never be able to hear Inga's voice again, unless he was spirit-channeled. And even then, what would he tell her? Every kind word was actually a game of wills between him and her mo--Ga'ran? Everything he'd said was a lie to manipulate her as well, just as mo--Ga'ran had?
Numbness didn't dispel the ache. So much had happened. She could barely withstand it. I will be queen. I must be strong. I will be queen. I must not cry. As if she too held prayer beads within her grasp, Rayfa repeated the words over and over in her mind.
The guard threw the door open with such force, Rayfa whirled around.
"Your Benevolence! Her Mercifulness, Queen Amara has finally awoken!"
*
From her vantage at the doorway, Rayfa took in the scenes. Nahyuta and his foreign woman had been in the chairs beside the bed. However, at some point Nahyuta had rose up to be by Queen Amara's side. The foreign woman still sat there. Rayfa couldn't see her expression from here.
Nayna had been more of a mother than Queen Ga'ran ever had to Rayfa. Nayna had wiped away every tear, comforted her when Queen Ga'ran had only given scorn and coldness. Queen Amara was more youthful, with the appearance almost like a goddess where Nayna had been humble and plain.
However, the smile was the same.
I will accustom to them, for I am to be Queen, Rayfa thought to herself.
Nahyuta bowed his head. "Mother..."
Queen Amara reached out to touch Nahyuta's cheek. "Look at you. You've grown up so much. I thought I would not see you until another life."
Rayfa stood at the edge of the room. She bit her lip as it trembled. Was there even room there for her? What would she even say to this woman who she had known all her life, yet only just met?
"Um, I should go..." the foreign woman said. She moved to rise from her chair.
"You're the woman Yuty brought from overseas, aren't you?"
"Um, yes?"
"Yes, yes, I remember you from the garden."
The foreign woman clutched her cheek in shock.
"Oh! That was you? I didn't even realize. I was in a pretty bad mood that day. I...probably was pretty rude. Um, sorry about that. Maybe uh, forget anything bad I said?"
"Very few people have recognized me for decades... And rudeness is no matter. My dear Rayfa has taught me everything there is to know about rudeness."
Rayfa flushed at this. Had it been any other, she would've surely hit them with her bells, or her staff. But it was Queen Amara--the legend, near divinity, and...her true mother.
Queen Amara turned towards Nahyuta, and began to speak in Khura'inese.
Meeting her future mother-in-law like this probably came as something of a shock. Ah, but I am still very alive, and just in time for your wedding, isn't that right, Nahyuta?
The foreign woman's brow furrowed a minute. She softly spoke one of the words aloud, though accented. "Matha...wait, Mother-in-law? And wasn't that other word you mentioned wedding?"
Queen Amara chuckled. "Oho, you found yourself a smart one, Yuty."
"I've been teaching her how to speak Khura'inese.. However, I never imagined she would pick up languages so fast. Though I should've known. It is her, after all."
He closed his eyes in a serene, yet proud smile. Nahyuta's detective, however, huffed and rolled her eyes.
"He certainly doesn't make it easy. This is definitely the hardest language I've taken on. Still, I liked learning it with him a lot. He always took time after cases to help me understand things."
I like her, Queen Amara said.
"Uh, thanks," the woman said.
"Really, understanding things like 'mother-in-law' and 'I like her' so easily...what kind of things have you been teaching her, Yuty?"
"Many things," he said.
However, their moment of merriment shifted as Nahyuta gazed upon Amara--their mother--in concern.
"Mother, you're quite lively after such a...hard time. Are you feeling better from your wound?" Nahyuta said.
"Whatever medicine they gave me has made the pain go away some. And it's been many so very many years since I could tease you, Yuty. I have to catch up."
"Yes...."
The female detective leaned in. "She probably doesn't..."
Nahyuta shook his head.
The female detective flinched. "Oh..."
Rayfa sat at the back, an outsider in her own family. Even this foreign woman knew her place more than her. What would she even say to this woman who had for years, gone under the name Nayna? Who she had ordered around and kept as a nursemaid to answer her every question?
"So the guards found you at last," Queen Amara said.
Unlike Nayna's comforting presence, Queen Amara was like something out of a legend. She couldn't simply command her, any longer. And Ga'ran wasn't her mother. Yet she saw only the faintest edges of Nayna in this woman.
"Come now, or have you forgotten your Nayna already? Both of you, now."
Queen Amara opened her arms. Nahyuta bowed his head and tears fell down his cheeks. He brushed them away with his now-ungloved hand. A black dragon tattoo coiled across his palm.
Rayfa dared to come closer, until she too was embraced by those arms. Though she tried to fight it--queens don't cry, you're a queen now!--tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I am so very gladdened that both my children are safe, and that I can finally make a proper introduction. I have missed you so very much, Yuty. And Rayfa, my dear Rayfa, you were always so close and yet so far away from me...."
The foreign woman glanced away. "Yeah, uhm I'm going to go get some food. I'm pretty famished. It'd just be awkward for me to be here, anyways."
Queen Amara glanced up to Nahyuta's detective.
"Please do not feel as if this country is unwelcoming to you. I wish nothing more than for you to find beauty in Khura'in, and for it to make you as happy as you have made my dear Yuty," Queen Amara said.
"Mother, this is no excuse. She grows rather...grumpy when she doesn't get enough food," Nahyuta said softly.
"Ah, go nourish yourself then."
"Yeah, uh. Feel better."
When the door closed behind the foreign woman, Queen Amara looked about the room.
"Was Ga'ran harmed? Where is she?"
Nahyuta's green eyes filled with an untold ache. "Mother..."
Rayfa glanced away. "I can only hope so," she muttered.
"There is much still to tell you," Nahyuta said. "So much has happened in a small amount of time."
The guard spat out Ga'ran? The traitor will be jailed eternally, until hell comes to claim her!
"So that is it then." Queen Amara closed her eyes. "What Dhurke said then, it was true. I loved my sister dearly, and yet I never stopped loving Dhurke. In the end, I was resigned to my fate. Do you understand?"
Nahyuta nodded. "Yes...some truths are hard to accept. And the sheer weight of them causes a deep sadness, and a resignation to one'scourse of life."
The door opened a crack. The female detective had her arms full of a few bags on her of that food she was always munching on.
"Look, I'm not trying to interrupt or anything. But as far as I see it, everyone feels better when they eat some of these. And you know me, I just can't leave well enough alone. So, um, here. Enough for everyone," she said.
Nahyuta gave her a tender smile. "Detective Skye...thank you. We still have much to discuss."
The female detective blushed a little and glanced away. "It can wait until the morning. You're probably totally exhausted at this point. Just...don't overwork yourself and pull an all nighter. Not tonight. That's all I ask. All right?"
"Trust me, the only plans after this will be sleep. ...Thank you...Detective Skye."
"Yeah, um, see you. If you need me for anything, then--you know my number. It doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night, I'll be there if you call," she said.
"I always need you," he said softly.
The female detective blushed more deeply at this. She stood a moment, obviously unnerved by the presence of Nahyuta's family in such an intimate moment.
"Yeah-I didn't want to interrupt. I just--well, we'll talk later. See you then," she said suddenly, and left without another word.
Queen Amara smiled. "I'm glad you have someone to keep you warm at night, Yuty."
Nahyuta's cheeks colored at this. "Mother...not in front of Rayfa," he said.
Rayfa tensed, and drew back. "I am no child, I will be Queen. No subject is off-limits any longer. I decree it!"
"You heard it yourself from the future Queen herself," Queen Amara said, with a faint lilt in her voice.
But Nahyuta did not smile.
"Mother...father, he--" Nahyuta broke off, unable to say the words.
"Yes, I know. I have known all along. The truth is, he is closer to me than ever before. I can call him forth at any moment. How horrible that it took death to reunite us, but in Khura'in, death is not final. Even though it is bittersweet, I take peace in that knowledge. Do you wish me to summon him back for you now? It would bring closure to this terrible tragedy we have been living through for so long."
Nahyuta quickly shook his head. "No, you're much too weak after the injury--and....everyone is exhausted."
Queen Amara reached out to pat him gently upon the head.
"Yuty, don't feel guilty. Dhurke knew the sacrifice you made. For Rayfa, for me, even for him...I know he never stopped loving you."
Nahyuta closed his eyes. "M-mother...."
"You asked about my happiness, and the truth is I have you and Rayfa near to me after such a long time away. And soon, I will bring Dhurke back to me. And even through the pain of knowing what my sister did, I cannot help but feel a little flicker of spring at this."
She stroked his hair, so close to her own shade. "It will heal in time. Now....Come back, Rayfa, my dear. You must not isolate yourself as Queen. Yuty and I will always be here to support and guide you. Your people will adore you, for they can already sense the strength in you. You will be a wonderful Queen."
Rayfa's lower lip trembled. So much had happened, so much responsibility was now thrust upon her shoulders. But she wasn't alone. She had a brother, a mother, and even a father who still loved her through death. She said those words she had longed to say to Nayna--Queen Amara for so long:
"Mother."
