Chapter 47. Sir Floppington Witnessed Everything and Is Legally Scandalized

Chapter 47: 47. Sir Floppington Witnessed Everything and Is Legally Scandalized

Alicia laughed, then slid an arm around Laura’s shoulders and pulled her in, and somehow all three of us ended up in an untidy heap on the grass, with Sir Floppington wedged in the middle looking mildly scandalized.

Nobody spoke for a long time.

Laura’s hair tickled my chin. And Alicia’s braid was in my face.

I held both of them as carefully as I could, mindful of every bruise, and thought it was the safest I’d ever felt.

I waited for the panel to pop up... I knew it would. It always did, with some smug little notification about bond stability or trust levels or whatever mechanical nonsense it wanted to remind me of.

But to my surprise...

It didn’t.

The air stayed clear, with no blue glow and no bracketed text.

For once, the system simply left us alone, and I closed my eyes and thanked it silently... with a respect I’d never expected to feel for a glowing menu.

’Good call,’ I thought. ’This one wasn’t for you.’

"There’s one rule we need to discuss, though," Alicia murmured into Laura’s shoulder, in a tone that suggested she’d been saving it. "I want to say it out loud while we’re all here..."

"Anyone can stop, anytime..."

"No explanation required, no guilt, and no consequences." Alicia smiled. "If any of us wants out, or wants a pause, or just needs a day to think... we say so, and it’s done."

"That includes you," Laura said.

"It includes everyone."

Laura’s hand found mine in the grass.

"I know," she said. "That’s why I’m still here."

We stayed on that hill until the sun started sliding toward the rooftops and the market noise faded into the clink of closing stalls.

Nobody wanted to be the first to move.

...

A knight in a gray cloak was waiting at the gate of the Order when we got back.

He wasn’t a knight I knew, and from the way he held himself, he wasn’t enjoying the job.

He was standing stiffly beside the guard post with a folded piece of paper in his fist, and the second he saw us coming, he came to attention so hard that his boots squeaked on the cobbles.

"Sir Ravenshield? Lady Ainzfield? Lady Lapisfield?"

"That’s all of us," said Alicia, who had been holding Sir Floppington for the last ten minutes and had refused to give him... I mean her back.

"A message from Lady Sanford, sir." He thrust the paper at me. "She said to give it to you personally and not to read it... and that if I read it she’d know."

"Did you read it, though?" I frowned.

He flinched. "N-no, sir! I’m a little afraid of her, sir!"

"Nahhh~! I’m just messing with ya." I laughed and gave his shoulder a pat on the shoulder. "And that’s probably the correct response."

I took the paper and unfolded it. It was written in thick black charcoal in enormous blocky letters that covered the whole page, and I could practically hear her voice booming off the paper.

’ROLAND. TOMORROW MORNING.’

’TRAINING YARD, EAST SIDE. SUNRISE.’

’LIGHT TRAINING ONLY; HALLIS AND THE HEALER MADE ME PROMISE.’

’BRING YOUR GIRLFRIENDS IF YOU WANT; I DON’T CARE, BUT BE ON TIME.’

’IF YOU’RE LATE, I’LL THROW YOU IN THE POND.’

’-SHARON.’

I read it twice and handed it to Laura.

She scanned it, and a long tired breath came out of her. "This is exactly how she writes..."

"She once sent me a reprimand in the middle of a battle by tying a note to an arrow."

"Yikes... Did it hit you, though?"

"It hit the shield next to me, but I still got the message."

"I like her," said Alicia, reading over Laura’s shoulder with great enjoyment. "She wrote ’girlfriends.’" ’And she didn’t even hesitate."

"I’m going to be sick," Laura said calmly.

"You’re blushing again."

"I’m fine!"

"You’re a very deep, fine red."

"I am... fine," Laura said, and tucked the note into her belt with a vicious little tug.

...

We went up the stairs to the dormitory together, and there was a short, comfortable argument at my door about who was staying, which ended when Alicia pointed out that Mistress Orla would be back in the morning and would take it personally if she found anybody in my bed.

Laura admitted that this was true. She stayed long enough to check my bandages and re-wrap the one on my arm, her hands sure and gentle, and she left with a quick kiss and a muttered warning about going to sleep before midnight.

Alicia lingered at the door.

"I’ll see you in the morning," she said with a wink. "I love youuuu~!"

"Goodnight."

"Don’t get into trouble."

"I’ll try."

"That means no."

Alicia then came back rushing at me just to give a hug and lots of good night kisses on my whole face. "Goodnight, smooches, for my boyfriend~!"

"Okay... this is nice now."

She grinned, and she was gone.

A minute later, as I was setting Sir Floppington on the desk, I noticed a scrap of paper that had been slipped under the door.

It was a drawing, done in pen, of a small crooked rabbit with a ribbon on its ear and a speech bubble that said, "Sir Floppington reporting for duty."

Underneath, in Alicia’s neat handwriting, she’d written, ’Take good care of him.’ He’s all we’ve got.’

I laughed so hard that I had to sit on the bed. And now it’s a male...

I took a long time getting ready for sleep.

There’s something strange about being safe after a long stretch of danger, because your body keeps waiting for the next blow, and it takes a while to understand that it isn’t coming.

I blew out the lamp, lay on my back, and watched the faint glow of the barrier through the shutters.

The panel came up at the edge of my vision.

[STATUS: RECOVERING]

[Rest Efficiency: Good]

[Lust: 100%]

[Emotional Stability: Elevated]

[Partner Satisfaction: High]

[Jealousy Levels Among Partners: Surprisingly Low]

I stared at it.

’Where the fuck do you even get this information?’ I asked it.

[Information is gathered from the class mechanism.] Please do not ask follow-up questions that will make this uncomfortable.]

’I wasn’t going to.’

[You were thinking about it.]

I put my pillow over my face and fell asleep like that, which is not something I’d recommend, but it worked.

...

Sunrise in the training yard felt like walking into a different war.

I’d arrived early, which Laura said was a first, and the east side of the grounds was almost empty.

The sky was the color of weak tea, and a thin mist lay along the ground in patches. A few knights were jogging around the edge of the field in the gray light, and a line of wooden dummies stood at attention along the far wall, looking tired of being hit.

Sharon was already waiting in the center, with her giant sword planted in the dirt in front of her and both hands resting on the pommel.

She wore the same plain training clothes as always, and her orange hair was tied high, and she looked as awake and cheerful as a woman who’d been up for hours and had eaten a horse for breakfast.

"You’re early," she said. "What a good start of the day!"

"I was told the pond is cold."

"It’s very cold." She grinned. "And deep as well! I’ve been told it’s a good place to think!"

Alicia and Laura had come with me, in plain training clothes, and they’d taken positions on a low bench at the edge of the field with a thermos of tea between them.

Laura looked a little nervous. Alicia looked like a person settling in for a show.

"So," Sharon said, and gave me a long once-over, "Orla says you’ve got two cracked ribs and a bad arm."

"I wouldn’t call it a bad arm now... It’s more of a fair arm that’s going through a hard time."

"Good attitude indeed! You’ll fight with your right hand only!"

’You’ll keep your Aether low, and I mean low! No flashy shields, no light sheets, none of that!"

"I want to see what you can do with nothing but your head and your feet." She jerked her chin at my belt. "And I’ll hit you wherever I want except the ribs!"

"I’m not going to break the hero before the Council finishes calling him one."

"That’s... uh... very considerate." I gulped.

"I’m a considerate woman!"

"Is that what you call it?"

"Draw your sword."

I did.

The Kingsteel sword came out of its scabbard with a whisper that sounded like silk being dragged over glass.

It was lighter than anything I’d ever held, but it didn’t feel flimsy. It felt like a part of my arm that had been waiting for me to remember it.

The pale blade caught the early light and gave off a faint, steady hum.

Sharon watched me hold it. "Feel the balance?"

"It’s weird. It feels like it wants to move before I do."

"Don’t let it... It’s a good blade, and good blades are like good horses!"

’If you don’t tell them who’s boss, they take you wherever they want." She lifted her own enormous sword out of the dirt and rested it on one shoulder. "We’ll start slow."

"I’ll swing, and you read it!" Sharon smiled widely. "Use your instinct, but don’t use your power."

"Understand?"

"Read it, don’t power it. Alright, bet."

"Good!" She takes a deep breath and releases it right away. "GOOO!"