“Oh dear…considering the scrutiny Lord Aymeric was under for being a bastard himself, you’d think he’d do what he can to hush this up.”

“Nah. The man was too willin’ to admit he sent her to kill his own father. He’ll announce it in a few days, I’m sure.”

Aymeric had to stop himself from listening. That can’t be right, he thought. He knew she helped out Vaindreau’s every now and again with supplies. Surely, they were mistaken in what they saw.

That said, he did some math in his head, and the last they had enjoyed “quality time” together wasn’t all that long ago. But if she was truly sick, then why wouldn’t she use Captain Whitecape?

Unless she didn’t want him to know.

No, he thought, that’s absurd. Return to your office.

He walked back in and went to his office as he told himself, and tried to distract himself with work. That said, he couldn’t help but think to some certain things. She had been eating a bit more. There was a bit of weight gain around her midsection. These could all be coincidences, but if she was suffering from morning sickness…

Aymeric would have continued stewing over this had Handeloup not entered.

“How do you fare this morn, Lord Commander?”

The thought still hammering in his head, Aymeric replied, “I’m well, I think. May I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“Forgive me if it’s too personal, but… I know you have a daughter; therefore, you’ve seen pregnancy up close. When people say a woman is glowing when she is heavy with child, they don’t mean because of green skin due to morning sickness, do they?”

“Of course not. Some women do actually gain a dewy complexion when pregnant. My wife certainly did.”

“Ah, thanks heavens”, he whispered before realizing he was in his office and changing his tone, “I-I mean thank you, Ser Handeloup.”

“That said, a woman can certainly gain a green complexion from morning sickness, but that’s not what anyone means when they say she’s ‘glowing’.”

And just like that, Aymeric worried. “Ah…well then…”

“Is something bothering you, Lord Commander?”

Aymeric let out a sharp breath from his nose, and answered, “I should know better than to listen to rumors, but one can’t help it when the rumors concern loved ones. The ones that people would say of me, I could deflect with ease. When it’s about Dia…that’s where I grow concerned.”

“Is…is Dia pregnant?”

“I’m unsure. ‘Tis a rumor I overheard during my walk, so I cannot make claims to the veracity of that tale, but…it isn’t very far-fetched.”

Handeloup grimaced. “Well…what exactly was the rumor?”

“That she ran to Ser Vaindreau’s green in the face and unhappy, to say the least, and it looked as though she suffered from morning sickness.”

“Hm. Well, I would beware the veracity of a rumor coming from a man that doesn’t know what people mean when they say a pregnant woman is ‘glowing’, but if she did go to Ser Vaindreau’s earlier, it may be worth your while to check in on her. I would certainly understand if you would need me to watch over the city for a while.”

Aymeric hummed. “I would appreciate that. Pregnant or no, this certainly can’t be good. Dia’s only just recovered from her travails in the end of the universe, after all.”

Handeloup saluted and returned to the lobby, with Aymeric not far behind him.

—————

“‘Tis passing strange to be here without my elephant costume. Colder, almost”, Aymeric whispered to himself. Nonetheless, he walked to Ser Vaindreau’s Grace as though nothing were wrong. He received some gawping mouths and some cheers from the citizens he passed as he navigated his way through the Firmament. Soon, he opened the doors and entered the hospital calmly.

“Ah, Lord Aymeric. What a pleasure to see you”, Charlemend greeted. “May I presume you’re here for Dia?”

“I am. Is she all right?”

“She’s strong, Lord Aymeric. Your children will grow up to become forces to be reckoned with, I’m sure, what with your combined strengths.”

Aymeric gulped. “Er…thank you…where is she?”

“In the back room”, Charlemend answered, pointing down the direction he would need to go, “Be careful. Women in such a state can be frightening.”

“I think I can handle myself, Count de Durendaire, thank you.” The old count nodded with a smile and returned to his business. Aymeric walked to the backroom and approached the area where Dia resided when he heard the chirurgeon say, “Congratulations.”

Oh, Fury guide me, he thought. It’s true. What do I tell her? Where do we go?

The chirurgeon exited through the opening, and he saw Dia sitting slumped over, looking rather ill.

“Dia”, Aymeric said calmly, trying his best to keep his nerves back. Dia looked up and stared in shock.

“Oh seven hells… I mean, not that I’m not happy to see you, but…I really did not want you to find out this way.”

Aymeric simply walked next to her and took his seat.

“It’s like my father always said- ‘careful where you place your things’. Now look at me. I think I’m still glowing…”

“You are. And here, I thought you retired the Warrior of Light title”, Aymeric tried to lighten the mood with some humor.

“Ha-ha, very funny…”, Dia remarked sarcastically, “…still, I hope you’re not mad that I came here rather than go to Captain Whitecape. Last thing I wanted was for you and your men to rile up in a panic over the Lord Commander’s sickly girlfriend.”

“Nonsense. Whether you go to Captain Whitecape or here matters not. What matters is you and, er…whatever’s in there right now.”

She let out a laugh. Aymeric took one of her hands and wrapped around it with both of his.

“Listen to me. I want you to know that you will not go through this alone.”

Dia tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Tradition dictates that in such a circumstance, I am to marry you to avoid ‘shaming the family’. I will not have you undergo an eternal bonding before you are ready, however, but nor do I want you to believe that you must go through the process alone. I will be here to help you, even with the positions of leadership I find myself in now. We shall make the best we can from this, because I love you.”

He expected maybe a warm smile, or a hug or something. Instead, a look of total consternation ran over her face. “Aymeric, what in the name of the Spinner are you talking about?”

Now he was just as confused. “If you’re pregnant, then I do not want the child to go without their father.”

“Child?!” Dia exclaimed, “I’m not bloody pregnant!”

Aymeric stuttered, “Y-you’re not?!”

“No! I drank carpet cleaner!”

Now he wasn’t sure which was worse. “You…what?!”

Dia groaned. “I was trying to get a stain out of the carpet using a solution of cleaner I borrowed from Nidhana, and I put that next to my bottle of water. I went to take a swig, and next thing you know, I’m being torn apart from the inside out. Thankfully, I was quick enough to act with a quick cast of Esuna to remove the worst of it, but I also recognized that I would need help to purge the rest. I didn’t want to make you panic, so I used the hospital instead.” Dia sighed. “I mean, I know that I’ve gotten a bit of an appetite since my recovery and there’s been a bit of a belly forming, but I’ve been recovering this whole time and honestly, I’ve been called a stick my whole life so—“

“Wait, wait”, Aymeric interrupted, still completely bewildered, “So the cause of the green was not morning sickness…but a cleaning potion?”

“Yes. I don’t think you recognize the level of green I mean. I’m saying that the Twelveswood told me to tone it down, I was that green. It was an effect of the cleaning solution.”

“But the doctor said ‘congratulations’…”

“It was an in-joke”, she explained, “I asked him where I ranked in stupidest accidents today, and he said ‘Number Four. Congratulations.’”

“Wait, but-but Charlemend said our children will be strong.”

“He’s a weird old man who’s rich enough to not need to know that most people don’t use that as a compliment anymore.”

He was caught in a strange limbo between relief and utter confusion. One thing was certain, however.

“I…I need to lie down.”

“Do you want to switch?” Dia offered.

“No, no, I…I need to be away from here.”

“All right.”

He stumbled out of the backroom and did his best to compose himself before leaving Ser Vaindreau’s grace. Maelie showed up with some water to give to Dia and asked, “Is the Lord Speaker all right?”

“I’m afraid that’s a loaded question, Maelie.”

—————

Hours had passed since Aymeric and Dia met in the hospital. Once he had gotten past the embarrassment, it was easy to transition back to his normal workday.

So normal, in fact, that he barely noticed it was 5pm, and didn’t expect a knock on his door.

“Enter”, he called.

The door cracked open, and Dia poked her head through it and said coyly, “I’m willing to negotiate peace if you are, my dear.”

Aymeric chuckled. “You hardly need to negotiate anything. I’m not mad at you.”

Dia sighed with relief and entered. “I’m glad. I know you didn’t seem very well when you left.”

Aymeric pursed his lips for a moment, then said, “Pray forgive my behavior. I’m afraid that the moment caught me entirely unawares. I couldn’t tell which was worse, that there may have been a child, or that you nearly died.”

“Nothing to forgive. I was just worried is all.”

Aymeric stood up and stepped towards her. “Whether there is a child here or no, I still mean every word I said. Of course, if there were to ever be one, I would hope that it would be one we decide we want to have, but if the unexpected should come, I still mean it. I will not shove you aside, nor hide the child. As a bastard myself, I shall not treat them with such disrespect as I had received once upon a time.”

Dia gave him a quick kiss on his lips. “Nor would I expect you to. You’re a man of honor, and I would hope that you would be so good as to treat your own child as such.”

Aymeric smiled. Dia took a seat against his desk and said, “But for now, there is no child.”

“No, there is not.”

“Though…if there were one, of course I can only hope it lives, but I can always hope they have your hair.”

“Really?” Aymeric asked, “I would hope for yours.”

“Ooh, or those eyes of yours. They’re stellar!”

“Or your smile.”

“Or that jawline on you, Ayms.”

They both giggled for a moment before Aymeric continued, “Ah, but I can hope they’ll have your laugh.”

“And your strength.”

“Ha. Your strength, my dear.”

Dia smiled before clearing her throat. “But…that won’t happen if there’s no child.”

“Indeed. Anyways, ‘tis after five, and I would have the honor of escorting you home.”

“Funny. I was to say the same of you”, she joked. They linked arms and left the office together. As they walked though, it hit him.

Aymeric leaned back against his seat at the war table in the middle of the Congregation of Knights Most Holy. He had wondered how in Halone’s name the quality of equipment fashioned had increased exponentially, thus increasing the morale of the Temple Knights overall. Moreover, he expected the restoration of the Firmament to take a miserly length of time to complete - only to find that the ideal checkpoint drafted and proposed by Lord Francel had reached completion in the matter of a few moons. Then, there was the young miss from House Jervaint that Handeloup was speaking of, an unpolished gem with such prodigious skill that would have gone unnoticed had it not been for an unknown sponsor fashioning the tools she needed to attend their scouting event. 

“She seems to be quite a number of steps ahead of even you, my lord,” Aymeric heard Lucia tease at his opposite side.

“Indeed…”

The doors to the Congregation had opened and the three lifted their attentions upward to find a rather tall Hyuran male with hair like red wine and heterochromatic eyes the colors of night and day. When the man found that he was being stared at, he raised a brow in their direction and approached them.

“Greetings, Master Echoes,” Aymeric welcomed him with a kind smile. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

The man known as ‘Echoes’ bowed politely in the lord commander’s direction.

“Greetings, Lord Aymeric. I have come to deliver something to Ser Handeloup on behalf of my lady.”

The company was quite aware of this man’s relationship to the Warrior of Light - rather, Rayne "Echoes" Cowen was an outcast found in the middle of nowhere, fighting to survive, when Aria had run into him. Treated him with the respect that any living individual deserves to be treated, as well as cure him of mortal wounds that would have otherwise ended his life.  Thus did the man pledge his loyalties to her, allowing only her the use of his true name, and was stationed in Ishgard at her behest, working on behalf of Aria’s birthright and to ensure that Aymeric was taking care of himself. Lucia was eternally grateful.

So, they watched the respected man as he procured a pouch from his pockets, placed it on the wooden war table and slid it towards the second commander. When it reached him, Handeloup retrieved it, mildly startled by its weight, before peering inside.

“Why, this is-!” the man exclaimed, then ogled the man.

Echoes inclined his head. “My lady wishes to invest in Lady Jervaint’s talents. As such, she requests that all of her arms and weaponry needs are to be billed to House Lukos. That is, until the day she completes her training and obtains knighthood. She hopes that the amount withheld in that coinpurse is enough for the course of a moon-”

“Never you mind a moon, Master Echoes, this is enough to last half a year!” Handeloup exclaimed, then shifted to present the pouch to the lord- and first commander.

Echoes raised a brow lazily. “Is that so? Then I have utmost faith that it will be used efficiently.”

Echoes bowed once more and turned to leave, but Aymeric rushed to his feet.

“Please, wait a moment, Master Echoes!”

Stopping in his tracks, Echoes turned back to the man.

“Simply ‘Echoes’ is fine, my lord. I could not possibly accept such honorable words from the one my lady finds favor in.”

Aymeric flinched, startled by the man’s fervent fealty to his beloved. “Th-then, Echoes, please tell me - do you happen to know if Aria is returned to the city?”

Echoes smiled. “Indeed, my lord. However, she urged me not to bring the matter up as she was sure you and yours would be rather occupied at this moment.”

“Do you know where she is at this moment?”

“Yes. She is currently entertaining the children within the Firmament. She will most likely remain there until the sun sets.”

Aymeric shifted his gaze towards Lucia and the woman sighed heavily.

“You do not have an appointment important enough that it cannot wait until the 'morrow,” she answered.

Aymeric’s eyes beamed. “Wonderful! Then, let us pay our dear warrior a visit, shall we?”

The lord commander turned towards Echoes expectantly and the man bowed once more.

“Very good, my lord. Now, if you would.”

The three commanders followed the man out of the Congregation and through the Brume. Eyes followed them, curious to why the renowned Ser Aymeric was strolling about and even Thomelin, the gatekeeper of the Firmament, was startled by the esteemed personage entering. The sight of Echoes did well to keep him from panicking, allowing a rather smooth entry.

Aymeric’s eyes widened. He had heard the New Nest had been completed, but he hadn’t imagined just how beautiful its designs were. As he followed Echoes, he couldn't help but gawk at every building, every staircase and railing that he could, committing it all to memory. Every now and then, he would spy the excited expressions of the inhabitants and the cheers that marked both happiness and hope. The fruit of all their labor - by the Fury, it was all falling to place.

“Here we are, Rolanberry Field,” Echoes announced.

Aymeric, Lucia and Handeloup admired the artistry of the estate. The walls were built on such evenly cut stone and the structure wastes no space on the plot it rested on. Even through the closed doors, the company could hear laughs of glee and delight emanating from it and it made their hearts feel so full.

“Ah, Master Echoes is back,” a voice called out.

The group turned and found a small Elezen girl carrying bolts of cloth in an assortment of colors, as well as find a wicker basket hanging from her arm besides. Upon further inspection, Aymeric and Lucia recognized the small girl to be Maelie, the child that had been tossed off the roof of the Vault during the dreadful day the Brothers of True Faith had held poor citizens hostage within its walls.

“Oh, and so is Ser Aymeric and Ser Lucia!” the girl exclaimed, becoming panicked and yet excitable.

Echoes didn’t hesitate to step towards the girl and stretch his arms out to gather half that the girl was carrying. Maelie smiled wide, grateful for the help.

“Do not be alarmed, Miss Maelie. They are also here to see the lady.”

“Oh!” Maelie turned towards the lord commander and quickly stepped towards him. “Then you’re just in time! Lady Aria is inside and teaching us arts and crafts!”

Aymeric’s smile grew all the fonder. “Is she now? Would you bring us to her? We do not wish to interrupt the class - we simply wish to welcome her home.”

“In that case, we should hurry! We ran out of materials, so Lady Aria had given us coin to purchase more. Everyone’s waiting!”

The girl bounced in her heel and rushed inside the building. Aymeric turned to Echoes and the Hyur male only gave a satisfied grin before he followed the small girl inside. The others mirrored his movements.

The moment the four entered, there was a sudden quiet that was quite opposite of what they had originally heard. That was, until they heard Maelie’s voice echoing against the walls and the subsequent bellows of gratitude from other children at the sight of her haul. There was the sound of rummaging, of children dividing the materials between themselves and when they had crossed the hall into the room they were residing in, they found children gathered before the Warrior of light, watching intently as the woman held an embroidery hoop in her hands, along with a needle and thread.

“Be careful as you stitch the patterns, everyone,” Aria reminded them. “It will not do for you to harm yourselves while practicing. If you are not confident, we have thimbles to protect your fingers.”

“Miss Aria, can you show me how to do this pattern again?” a small boy asked of her.

“Oh, Peyraquile, of course. You do it like this.”

The boy named Peyraquile, as well as two others - a girl wearing a blue winter coat and a boy wearing a grey urban coat - leaned in. Everyone, even children that hadn’t asked the question, watched as the woman weaved the needle in and out of the cloth that Peyraquile presented to her - slow enough for them to pay careful attention, but not as slow as to make them dreadfully bored. When she was finished, she turned back to the child.

“Does that help, my dear?” she asked.

Peyraquile nodded quickly and took the hoop back. “Yes, it does! Thank you, Miss Aria!”

The three children nodded and retreated back to their spot. In that time, three gentlemen wearing red anemos long sleeves and craftsman’s pants stepped to Aymeric’s side from the other direction as they peered into the room.

“My lady, we finished the outer frame of the structure as you have instructed. Do you have the time to inspect it before we move on to the next step?”

“Ah, Rasequin, of course-”

Aria stopped mid-sentence when she followed the direction of the voice and found not only the caretakers present, but the lord speaker of Ishgard in accompaniment of the first and second commander standing by. The sight gave her slight surprise before she sighed and stood to her feet.

“I will be with you a moment, Rasequin, Gontrandoix, Pehainel. In the meantime, please prepare the materials for the next step of construction. Rayne, do you mind watching after the children for a moment?” she asked.

Echoes nodded. “As you wish, my lady.”

Aria shifted her head, motioning for the remaining three individuals to follow and she led them into the kitchen. She quickly prepared Ishgardian tea for them and set delicate teacups before them on the table.

“Please, help yourselves,” she urged.

They did just so as Aria sat at the table with them, watching the three fondly as she propped her head up with her arm, leaning against it ever so slightly.

“I assume you have no qualms with my investment in Lady Jervaint?” she questioned.

Handeloup bellowed in laughter. “Nay, my lady, none at all! Rather, we were rather bewildered on how you manage to continuously surprise us. The lord commander the most!”

Aria shifted her gaze to Aymeric and the man looked horrified hearing that his second commander sold him out almost immediately. Fighting back the burning behind his pink-dusted cheeks, he cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly at the warrior.

“Indeed. You have given so much to Ishgard already, Ia. Such things-”

Aria raised a hand to interrupt.

“Ishgard is also my home, Aym. I will have none of that. Not only is it the duty of a citizen in this beautiful nation to aid where needed, I wish to make use of my talents and knowledge as such. Plus, ‘tis not as if I am spoiling them, as you can see with the fine gentlemen you met earlier.”

“Are they perchance the caretakers of this place, my lady?” Lucia asked.

Aria nodded. “Indeed. They asked for my assistance in creating a playground of sorts for the children. I taught them how to perform basic woodwork and smithing techniques so that they could fare on their own. They only ask of me to check on their work because one cannot be too careful.”

“And the children?” Aymeric asked. “They requested they teach you embroidery?”

Aria chuckled softly at that, a playful and entertained smile stretched upon her lips. “Nay, my dear. They requested to be taught ways they can contribute to the Restoration effort. They came together beforehand and some of them decided that selling custom handkerchiefs as staples of Ishgardian artistry to be exported would be a good idea. Who am I to deny them such ambitions when they are so eager to learn?”

Handeloup hummed, markedly impressed as he leaned back on his seat and crossed his arms.

“What a splendid idea, my lady. And you say they came up with the idea of their own accord?”

Aria nodded. “Indeed.” Aria stood on her feet and offered a curt bow towards the three. “Now, pardon me for my rudeness, but I shall return soon. I mean to inspect the work the fine caretakers have done so they may continue on their project. Ah, but feel free to stay as long as you like. Rayne?”

At the call of his name, Echoes had stepped from around the corner and into the room to join them. He bowed respectively towards Aria before she departed to do as she said she would. It was then that Handeloup found courage to ask what they were all thinking.

“Speak true, Master Echoes, how is it that Lady Aria is so motivated to complete such large tasks?”

Aymeric leaned in where he sat, eager to learn the answer, as well. Echoes pondered over the question, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he had done so.

“Well, if it is my lady, I would assume she is viewing all of this as a game.”

Lucia raised a brow skeptically. “A game?”

Echoes nodded his head. “Yes, Ser Lucia. Recently, Lord Stryder had caught wind of dissenters looking to stain Lord Aymeric’s good name as lord speaker of Ishgard. When my lady heard of this, she was quite furious, you see. So, she challenged the noble houses that were against Lord Aymeric - that if certain requisites were not met within a given time, she will not interfere with any further attempt they would have if they were to put a motion forward to have him step down.”

Lucia jumped to her feet, almost slamming her fist to the table. “That is-!”

“Just as you feel, Ser Lucia,” Echoes answered with an incline of his head. “Unfortunately for them, they only see House Lukos as a middle-ranked noble house with nary a connection to the upper echelons because of their prolonged absence from the country. Moreover, my lady issued the challenge with Lord Stryder as the intermediary - therefore they are unawares that it was actually the Warrior of Light, with all the support of the four High Houses and the Mercantile association of the Jeweled Crozier, not to mention the entire realm besides, that they have challenged.  So, she has rather taken her time ensuring that the lords would, for lack of a better way of putting it, ‘stew in their mistakes’, as Ser Estinien would say.”

Aymeric, Lucia and Handeloup stared at the man as if he had grown a second before the lord commander pressed his hand against his face and released a helpless laugh.

“Boosting our economy, putting down opposition in a way that maintains their honor as a noble house, raising the status of her own and rebuilding the city-state to a level above its former glory … and she perceives it as a game.”

Echoes smiled pleasantly at the sight of the three’s exhaustion and Aymeric was then reminded of the character of the woman that he had fallen in love with. Benevolent as Halone herself and as punishing as the Fury when angered. As astute as the most knowledgeable of academics…

Upon arrival to the Congregation, he was immediately greeted by Handeloup. “Good morning, Lord Aymeric.”

“Good morning, Ser Handeloup. Pray, tell me of our morning.”

“You have three guests awaiting you claiming they all have appointments with you.”

“Mognifeau, Lariaie, and Chifunaud, I presume?”

“Most likely, my lord. I can’t say I know the faces of any of those characters. Afterwards, your assistant in the House of Lords sent by a stack of paperwork to file before your next meeting, where she also mentioned your presence being required for more appointments, though I suspect she would know better than I.”

“Thank you, Handeloup.”

“Oh, and the quarterly budget has been drafted for your review and approval, and you and I are due to talk promotions for the year.”

“Of course. Come by once you have a moment and we can discuss these matters.”

Handeloup saluted and stepped away while Aymeric continued onto his office. Mognifeau, Lariaie, and Chifunaud were absolutely the last trio of people he wished to discuss anything with, but he had little choice. Not when he relies so heavily on them for training strategies. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad, but they all love the sounds of their voice so, especially when they decide to bicker in the middle of an official meeting, forcing him to play mediator in whatever silly dispute they come up with during a meeting with the highest of command.

“Good morning, Lord Commander!” The trio greeted.

Just get through this one meeting, and you’ll be fine, he thought.

What could have been contained within a half-bell became an hour and a half long, which is why he always blocked out two hours for that particular group and rushed them out of the office as politely as he could. From there, he started in on the pile given by his assistant Blisaie, including budget reviews for the whole of the city-state, farm reports for food supply, and far more exciting material that continued until his next appointment, barely having made any headway in the work he started.

He used the aetheryte from the Forgotten Knight to The Last Vigil and ran up the stairs to his office where three people waited outside with his assistant.

“Good morning, my lord”, Blisaie greeted, “You have 3 appointments, one with the leader of the Ishgardian botanists, one with the leader of House Manseauguel, and one with Lord Francel.”

“Good morning, everyone”, Aymeric greeted, “I believe my first appointment was with you, Lord Francel. Please, follow me.” Aymeric opened his door and allowed him passage and Francel took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. In his arms were papers with all sorts of information not only on the Firmament Restoration efforts itself, but with the popularity of Empyreum with the adventurers, many of whom helped rebuild the Firmament in the first place.

Ranging from the pleasant meeting kept nice and tidy with Lord Francel to being yelled at by an angry farmer from the Sea of Clouds settlement for lacking tools, all in all, he used his time accordingly, with just enough to make it the House of Lords session comfortably when Lord Charlemend entered. “Good day, Lord Speaker.”

“Good day. I’m afraid I haven’t long to chat before session.”

“Not to worry, this won’t take long at all. In short, Ser Vaindreau’s Grace is in critically short supply, and I would like your support to ensure a prompt and plentiful shipment of supplies. While Mistress Sito has been quite helpful in procuring smaller supplies, much more vital equipment is wearing and needs to be replenished.”

“Dia has been helping you procure supplies?”

“Not just procure, my lord. She creates them seemingly out of thin air. She’s been a boon to Ser Vaindreau’s Grace, but even Dia cannot provide what we need here.”

It did, in fact, take long. So long that Aymeric had to sprint to make it on time, doing everything in his power to keep everything organized on his person while Charlemend simply waltzed in casually to take his seat about five minutes late to session. After debating a measure to increase airship routes to Radz-at-Han, agreeing that it would be up to Vrtra in the end to review their proposal, and introducing a sudden and Durendaire-backed measure to fund increased medical supplies, the measures was tabled until the next scheduled session. Aymeric dismissed the meeting, releasing all the lords to go back to their business while Aymeric had a meeting he had long waited for in the Congregation.

“Oh, Lord Speaker!” One of the lords representing the Jeweled Crozier appeared and asked, “Might I have a moment of your time?”

“Oh, well…”

“Ah, I’m glad we found you, Lord Speaker!” Another lord walked towards him with his son, who worked in the House of Commons as an assistant to the Commons Speaker.

“Lord Speaker!”

“Lord Speaker!”

“Ser Aym- Lord Speaker!”

Thus did crowds of expectant people come up to him who all desperately needed his attention for some matter or another, and who was he to refuse? He created this system in the first place, he thought, so he should take care of what would be needed of his fellows in the House of Lords and Commons. After herding all of them to his office and tending to each one individually, the swarm seemed to slowly fade and eventually, he had a moment for himself.

Lunch time.

There was an extra spring in his step as he walked back to the Congregation for the far more pleasant part of his day. Just as he entered, however, he noticed that the one he would be dining with was nowhere to be found in the lobby. She did have a tendency to let herself into his office every now and again, so he walked towards it and opened his door.

He showed himself his own empty office.

Aymeric walked back out to the lobby and approached Handeloup. “Ser Handeloup”, he called.

“Lord Aymeric”, he saluted.

“Pray, did Dia come by at all?”

“Yes, my lord. She arrived when you were scheduled to have lunch three hours ago.”

“Three hours?!” Aymeric gasped as he fumbled for his pocket chronometer to confirm what his commander just told him, and to his credit, he was correct. He read 3:00 PM.

Halone save me, I stood her up, he thought.

“She would have waited for longer, I bet, but Mistress Hilda requested her aid for something related to the Skysteel Manufactory, and believing you had more important things to take care of, went off to do just that”, Handeloup explained.

The way he phrased that last bit made Aymeric raise an eyebrow in suspicion. “Is that supposition or did she say that?”

“That you had more important things to worry about? Yes, that is what she said.”

Aymeric, doing his best to keep his self-hatred contained, asked firmly, “What were her exact words?”

Handeloup took a moment to think and remember exactly what was said, then answered, “Mistress Hilda approached her and asked for her aid. After that, Dia contemplated, then told her, ‘I may as well. I’m sure Aymeric has more important things to worry about than me.’”

His heart sank. Not only did he stand her up, he hurt her too. After thanking Handeloup, Aymeric slunk back into his office and fell back into his chair as though he weighed a tonze. After a deep and centering breath, he did what he could to place that aside and focus on some work when a knock came at the door.

“Enter.”

It creaked open and Handeloup entered. “Forgive me, my lord. I know that I just broke some sad news to you, but…we still need to review the budget. ‘Tis still a necessary duty to perform.”

After a breath in and out of his nose, Aymeric replied calmly, “Agreed. Present it to me, if you would.”

Handeloup pulled out the stacks of paper and placed them on his desk, then sat across from him to begin the review. Before the Ilsabard Contingent was formed, this was performed by Lucia and not Handeloup, but shortages where they are, Handeloup graciously agreed to take on her role while she’s away. They spent the hour buried deep in numbers and debates over where certain things could be cut or expanded, only to spend another hour debating performance reviews and who deserves what position if there should even be a vacancy. Once it was done, Handeloup stood up and saluted to leave.

There, Aymeric sat back and pondered for a moment. Albeit, a short moment, because what he pondered was, “Should he take his work home?” and what he answered rather quickly was “Yes.” He gathered what he needed, and made the trek back home. It was still a blizzard outside, which made him glad he decided on the manor, because of all the places he would rather be snowed into, the last place was the Congregation. Hood up, he huddled into himself as he rushed home to escape the cold.

He approached the manor and opened the door to enter as quickly as possible. Once the door was closed, his steward Angelbert came by to greet him before moving out of his way so he could change. Up the stairs, he removed his pauldrons and everything down to his smallclothes and put on a blue sweater and some black slacks with slippers. If we was going to keep working in his home, he would do so in comfort.

It hit him once he finished, however. Dia was nowhere to be seen, neither in his room, nor in the parlor on his way upstairs. He climbed back down and approached Angelbert, who was placing a cup of tea and a plate of food down on his table, and asked him, “Angelbert, has Dia come home?”

“Yes, my lord, but I’m afraid I’m not able to tell you where in the manor she’s gone. My most sincere apologies.”

“Naught to forgive, Angelbert. Thank you.” The elderly steward bowed and left the room, leaving Aymeric to sit alone. Yes, the work needed to be done. Yes, the people needed him. Yes, he knew all this. But he sat back, and told himself, “If I should seek re-election, I can only hope someone will be kind enough as to toss me into a sanitarium.”

It was then that he felt two gentle hands lay on his shoulders and start rubbing them with a green magical healing glow. “I’ll make sure the Conjurers take great care of you”, Dia said softly into his ear.

Doing the exact opposite of what she expected him to do, he stood up and stared back at her in shock. “Dia!”

“Hi”, she greeted with a smile, leaning into the back of the settee.

“Please, forgive this fool for skipping our lunch time. I was careless in the Vault and completely lost track of time, and-and… ‘Tis easy for me to get carried away in my work, but—“

“Relax, my darling, relax”, she approached him and placed her hands once again with a green healing glow. “For whatever reason, I fell in love with one of the busiest people I know, and with that, I accepted that there would be times where work needs to come first. I helped dismantle the old, so I let you focus on the new. For the good of all of Ishgard.”

Aymeric bowed his head. “I don’t want you to ever believe that I think you beneath my work. You’re just as important to me as anything I do in that office, in the Vault, anywhere. Mayhap more.”

“Mayhap?”

“Every now and again, I wonder why I go to such lengths, and how I could possibly go on. Then I think of you. The sacrifices you’ve made, the time we spend together. It reminds me that if you can boldly face the end of creation, even at the cost of your life, I can- and must- continue to put forth my best effort. As you said, we dismantled the old. As I once told you, I owe it to my people to see this change to its very end. I can only hope that when my time is through, you will still be there, and I will find my rest with you. Though I sought change with no thought of reward to myself initially, when I ultimately give up the seat of Lord Speaker, I would take great pleasure in sharing a changed Ishgard with the most important person in my life. I cannot do that if I continue to shirk my responsibility to you. You’re not deserving of that.”

Dia pounced him. Holding her close, he sunk into the settee while she continued to kiss him. Soon, she pulled away and reassured him, “You’ve shirked nothing. Not yet. Here, I had thought that I had been shirking my own responsibility to you. I’ve been going off on adventure after adventure, sometimes having left for days at a time with no contact, and here I thought you deserved better.”

Aymeric laughed. “I never thought that for a second.”

“So we’re in agreement. We’re worrywarts.”

“We’re worrywarts.”

She gave him a quick kiss and said, “And I would be happy to share this improved Ishgard with you, and so many other days.” Dia stood up and went behind the settee again, preparing the same healing rub on his shoulders. “Now, if I should catch you worrying further, I shall simply have to massage you deeper until I completely incapacitate you.”

“Mmm, how cruel of you”, Aymeric remarked facetiously.

“There is one thing for which I won’t forgive you, though.”

That made him tense up. “What would that be?”

“Did you not eat lunch at all then? Just because you missed our weekly lunch?”

Suddenly, his hunger hit him hard. “Ah…well…”

“Eat, damn you. I even made sure Angelbert brought you dinner here in case you would be working yourself to death.” She stopped massaging to let him grab his plate. “Let me grab my dinner from the kitchen, and I’ll join you.”