• The Moon was Red and Dangerous by Gregory Alan Isakov •

"Say, Princess, can Missy speak?" Jade asked as she came out of the bathroom, rubbing her dripping hair with a rag.

The Princess was transferring plates and bowls to a low table set in front of a mattress. She giggled. "She sure does. Mew-mew is very talkative. Why? Has she spoken to you?"

Jade nodded, but hesitantly said, "I think she did. She said my name, but she was in the dark so I could only see her eyes. If it wasn't her, then our house is haunted."

She stopped in her tracks. Our house.

"That's weird," Lari concluded, without catching onto her words. "I've only ever read that familiars can speak to their bonded humans. I didn't know they could speak to someone else. Maybe she's special."

She turned to Jade jovially, adding, "or maybe you are," and winked. "Oh, by the way, I should give you a heads-up. I am very lightweight. So please excuse me beforehand. What else can I do, Citra?"

Jade watched, smiling, as the Princess joined Citra in the kitchen. The host looked happy to have them in her house, dressed in her clothes. But then, she seemed like a person who chose to be happy all the time and sought out the positive in people.

When Jade entered the kitchen, Citra was dipping pieces of chicken in batter and sliding them into bubbling oil. The scent from the mix of spices she used was filling up the entire house and Lari mentioned how that was making her hungry.

"Nothing else, Princess," Citra replied. "Why don't you sit down, or...take a tour of the house?"

"Come, Princess," Jade offered her arm and Lari took it easily.

They took a turn. As they had noticed earlier, the house was larger than theirs, the inside modestly decorated, tapestries and suncatchers hanging from the walls. Misshapen candles and lanterns sat on different surfaces, illuminating the house.

"It has a sort of strange warm friendliness about it," Jade remarked to Lari. Just like the blonde family themselves.

Citra worked in the kitchen that opened into the sitting room, the tapestries giving it a covenish look. Baby Jada was sitting near the mattress, speaking to her brother in her adorable slurried baby voice. And while Avento replied only in hmms and okays, she told him very many things.

As they were about to take a turn, Jada crawled between their legs and grabbed the hem of her namesake's skirt to lift herself to her feet. She opened her arms wide to the Queen, and the woman smiled at her innocence, picking her up.

Horizontally, the house narrowed past the living area, a passage leading to a backdoor. Lari brought a lantern with her as they entered the dark passage.

"Kaaamaaa...," the baby pointed to the door on their left. Jade laughed, congratulating her for identifying her room. The child giggled and pointed at the other door, saying, "pooo."

The Queen and the Princess walked back, freely cackling, to where Citra called them to. She had set out the dishes and a porcelain drumstick bottle of rice wine on the round table and rested some cushions against the maroon tapestry.

On the other side of the table sat was a straw mat Citra had laid out for herself.

Jade and Larimar sat down on the mattress, baby Jada still in the Queen's arms. "Oh, give her over, my Queen," Citra requested, producing her arms. "Or she'd topple everything over." The Queen assured her that it would be okay and the party began like that.

In time, the baby fell asleep in Jade's arms and Mewton Pie crawled into Lari's lap, as the three women jested to their hearts' content.

Jade revealed to Lari that Citra's partner, Mali, was an acquaintance of her. He used to work in Jahima as a woodworker's apprentice and was one of the five craftspeople anointed to carve The Ironwood Warrior's throne. At present, he had a shop of his own on Markkinat Tie and only got to meet his family once a month.

"Why don't you go live with him then?" Lari pressed. "Or do you prefer this recluse?"

Citra smiled, a little warily. "I wish we could. But we can't. And I can't tell you why."

"Oh," the Princess immediately jumped to conclusions. "Is it Arcana related?"

Citra nodded and looked sideways at her son who was still doodling. Lari only nodded, but Jade knew that the Princess wouldn't rest until she found out more about it.

Soon, Citra took the sleeping babe away to put her to bed, and Avento ran out after her. The other two women - now tipsy and blissful - were left in each other's company, engulfed in a sort of charged warmth.

Jade cleared her throat when she saw her friend reaching out for her fifth pour of the wine. The glasses on Citra's table were more like little bowls than glasses and each shot of the sake was enough to intoxicate a lightweight.

"Didn't you tell me you don't hold your alcohol well?" Jade asked the Princess, who only nodded in return and downed the bowlful anyway.

Lari leaned back and put her head on Jade's shoulder.

"P-princess, are you okay?"

Lari elicited a low hmm from the base of her throat, and adjusted her head on its current resting place. In that position, Jade could only really see the top of her head, the roots of her hair, and the swell of her nose.

"It's been two nights since you've been away from home, Princess," Jade suddenly started. "What do you miss from back there?"

Larimar shifted to sit up and looked at her. In the light and shadows, the Princess looked ethereal.

"And, please don't tell me that you're enjoying this so you don't miss anything," Jade added. "There must be something. Or someone?"

Lari plucked a cushion from beside her to cradle in her lap. She looked fairly drunk, a flush visible on her cheeks. She had taken off the cardigan Citra had given her so the sake must have done its job.

She cocked her head in one direction and sighed. "I miss Mother," she said, as a matter-of-fact. "And, Professor Carnel. And I miss the library and the garden and the training yard - they were nice. Oh, and I miss Agata, I guess."

"Who's Agata?" Jade wanted to know everything.

"She's my... well, one of my handmaidens. She was appointed at the castle when she was ten if I'm not wrong. We practically grew up together, but I've been unable to befriend her. I get a feeling that she doesn't think we should be friends. She takes her job too seriously, I suppose."

She paused for a moment and started again. "Mother even proposed that she was educated by the Professor, alongside me. But the woman who brought her to the castle - I'm sure she wasn't her mother - said that she'd have no use for it if she was to be my handmaiden."

It must be the alcohol talking, Jade thought. She nodded, absorbing the flurry of information.

When she was done speaking, the intoxicated Princess slid her hand through the Queen's arm and replaced her head on the pad of her shoulder.

"This isn't uncomfortable, right?" Lari asked and Jade, who was not a big enthusiast of physical affection, smiled.

"Not in the slightest, Princess."

"Who taught you how to fight?" Lari asked, gripping Jade's arm even closer to her chest.

Jade felt flutters everywhere in her body. So overwhelming that she didn't hear Lari's question at all.

"Oh, I-" she stuttered when the Princess repeated her question. The embarrassment was gone. This stutter was only because of the lack of memories.

She couldn't remember when she learned to fight, or who taught her. With the memories of her mother gone, so was almost every memory of her growing up. Only her muscles remembered how to throw a fist, how to kick, how to swing a sword. Like a swimmer never forgets.

Jade could have avoided answering the question, of course. But here was a woman who, if she wanted, could have been worse than the Devil, could have thrown tantrums left, right, and center, and maybe even get her father to behead her. But all Lari had to offer were her smiles and friendship. Denying her anything never seemed to be an option for Jade.

"My brother and I... We started learning combat arts together when we were very young."

"So you had a swordmaster too?"

"Yes, of course."

By the time Citra came back out, Lari was cozily slumped against the redhead's side, cradling both a cushion and the latter's arm in her lap. Jade looked up and smiled. "I think the Princess has dozed off. Do you mind if I..."

"Of course, Your Highness, please stay," Citra beamed at the suggestion. "I can go to the shed and see if there's another mattress or something."

"I was going to say that I'll walk back to the house but if you insist, I'm sure the Princess would be more comfortable with me around."

Citra nodded her head at the suggestion, pursing her lips but failing to hide her smirk.

"What happened? What are you smiling about, Citra?" Jade assumed an authoritative tone.

"I'm just...glad you two are getting along so well. Maybe the prophecy will manifest now."

The Queen's brows crinkled under the curly shadows of her baby hair. "Prophecy? Wha- what prophecy?"

Citra returned the expression. "The Sun, Moon, and Devil prophecy, Your Highness."

"What...about it?"

The host was now even more dazzled. "It's about the two of you," she said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

The Queen snorted. "What? You're kidding, right?"

"No, it is. Right? I mean, if you think about it.

"When the dark nights may fall,
Two will come to save them all.
Sol and Luna will join hands,
To the Devil's fault, they make amends.

"You're the Sun. Or someone who represents Sol. And Princess Larimar represents Luna. Your patron Arcanas? And, the Emperor stands for the Devil. Isn't it obvious?"

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Lari opened her eyes soon. There was no mattress under her. She woke in water, laying on her back with her hands neatly tucked under one another over her belly. For a moment, she was anxious, looking on both sides for Jade, but the Queen was nowhere in sight.

The Princess realized she wasn't drifting, the water wasn't carrying her away. She was just there, her surroundings aglow with the glittery liquid of the Moon's realm.

"I think she's awake now," Lari heard the sultry voice of her bonded Arcana.

"Wakey, wakey, little Princess." Luna's playful countenance had returned.

Lari stood up, the water falling from her hair, shoulders, arms, back, and calves. "But I didn't..." she started to say something to the Moon but stopped in shock.

A tall, hooded figure was in front of her. Their heavily bejeweled hand ghosted on the edge of the hood, twisting the fabric anxiously. Lari noticed the intricate silver rings, the chains, and the wristlets resting on their smooth, delicate skin, striking against their tan.

"Yes, I know," Luna said, taking Lari's arm and leading her to the stranger. "You didn't do the ritual but you're still here. I... well, it was urgent. She wanted to speak to you."

She held a hand out to the other being and waited for them to start the conversation.

"I hope my apologies would be accepted." A sonorous voice rose from behind the veneer of the scarf. "You see, High Princess, it was urgent."

Lari still looked on with a frown on her face, unable to recognize who she was.

"Cixi, the headwrap!" Luna indicated.

"Right. My apologies."

The fabric came off rather dramatically, unveiling the face of an upright cow, the Arcane's pointy ears pierced with several gold and silver rings. Her nose was pierced too, both on one side and through the septum.

The Empress.

"It's your mother, child," Cixi started, inhibiting further interruptions, and as if on cue, an ominous thunder rumbled in the distance. Without letting the sky-tearing sound faze her, she glided forward and took Lari's hands in hers.

The girl noticed the beautiful tone of her skin, the round, white tops of her nails, the motherly warmth radiating from her - a sort of captivating aura.

"I know you can't go back home now," the Empress said, her scarf swinging from her grasp. "And I've told your mother this several times. But, love, you know how Vivian can get sometimes. She begged me relentlessly to find out if you were okay, so I thought I'd reach out to Luna. Now I can't tell her how I met you, or she'd want to come along."

"Is she alright?" Lari cut her off mid-speech. The brown-eyed entity halted in her word spree, and pursed her lips together, as if in disappointment.

Just when the earthling was about to apologize, she said, "physically? Yes, love, she's not ill. She did refuse to eat initially, but your handmaiden convinced her. But she's terribly sad, and heartbroken. And from that, she won't recover until she sees you again."

Another lightning tore through the roof of the realm, the thunder following suit. It made Luna visibly shiver.

"Is there anything that you can give me that I can take to her?" Cixi asked Lari. "So she's somewhat at peace, you know."

Lari immediately knew what it'd be. She dipped her hand into the pocket of her dress. "This," she said, holding up the bundle of resins. "She'll know it's mine."

The Empress pulled it from her hands and held on to it.

"Okay, love," she said, cupping the side of Lari's face with one hand, and a jolt of overwhelming peace passed through the earthling's mien.

"Thank you," the Arcana continued. "I'll get going then. Take care of yourself, darling, and of your friend too. And I'll look out for your mother." With that, she turned around and glided away.

When Luna looked back, her protégé's eyes were filled to the brim with water, and her nostrils were flaring. "Oh, Larimar," the feline Arcane moved towards her and patted her hair. "You miss your mother, don't you?"

Lari sobbed and nodded wordlessly.

"I wish I could tell you that you can go back home," Luna continued. "But you play center stage in the coming events, and-"

"What events?" The Princess cried. "What center stage? You are so vague. Why don't you tell me everything with clarity so I can be prepared?"

"If I say it, it would not happen, and it's high time it happens."

Another baleful thunder roared, making Luna shudder again. "I'll teach you everything that may come in handy, and you will not be unprepared. I promise. But I can't tell you - at least, not now - what will happen."

Lari rolled her eyes. "So do you have a lesson for me now? Or did I learn it already?"

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When she opened her eyes, this time on earthside, Jade was sitting right beside her, her legs crossed, with a small bowl in her hand. The Queen produced the bowl in front of her and raised her chin to indicate to her to drink it.

"What is this?" Lari asked, regarding the liquid in it carefully.

"Warm water with honey," Jade replied. "A family specialty for dealing with a hangover." She watched as Lari downed it in one go. When the latter noticed, she raised her eyebrows in a wordless question.

"Were you having a bad dream, Princess? You were crying in your sleep." The Queen inquired.

Lari put a hand into the pocket of her peasant dress - it was empty. She knew she couldn't tell Jade about what happened in the Moon's realm, so she chose to quietly nod.

"Jade," she called out as her friend sighed. "Let's go home. I'll make breakfast."

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A/n:

• Cixi is pronounced "tzu-shi". It's the name of a very powerful Empress Dowager from China, who is said to have "revolutionized China". Some of her modernizing accomplishments included banning foot-binding, reforming the legal code and the education system, and outlawing certain barbaric punishments.
[Source: https://asiasociety.org/texas/empress-impact-china-was-significant]

• Baby Jada says "Kaaamaa..." while pointing to her room because in the language that I chose for Kalkans and Jahimans - Finnish - the word for room is 'Kamari'

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