Chapter Text
Caspian quo Maristella will be the first to admit that they are something of a loner. They always have been, even as a child in the dry lands outside of Ul’dah. They had few friends and kept to themself, and when they were later among the number captured by a Garlean patrol they continued to isolate themself.
That had arguably worked out for them in the long run.
The evening before the prince’s departure for Bozja, Caspian finds themself intercepted by the man on their way back to their quarters. Zenos quite literally places himself in the middle of the corridor with the obvious intent of blocking their progress, and so Caspian has no choice but to come to an uneasy stop before the man. As the prince steps forward, looming over them, they cannot help but consider the option of turning tail and fleeing back to the relative safety of the Emperor’s doorway. They are fairly certain that Julia and Annia wouldn’t laugh at them.
They manage to hold their ground, glad that their helmet conceals the panic that they know is painted onto their face.
“P-prince Zenos. Your Highness, I mean, um–” They salute in order to calm their nerves. “Is aught amiss, sir?” They can’t imagine that the Emperor and Lady Lux have gotten themselves into trouble in the last five minutes, but stranger things have happened.
The prince stares down at them, his face set in the uncaring mask that they have come to associate with him. He would make for a beautiful statue, they think, and then internally chastise themself for such thoughts.
Zenos eventually blinks and slowly shakes his head. “Nay. I have need of your services.”
“S–” Caspian stops, wishing that the prince wasn’t so prone to obtuse speech. “I do not understand, sir.”
“You are the personal guard of Lady Lux. I will be departing for Bozja in the morn, and would like to be able to stay informed regarding her ladyship while I am away. To that end, I would like you to send me regular status reports on Lady Lux.”
They mull over his request, puzzling over the prince’s way of thinking. “Why me, sir? You could just as easily get a report directly from Lady Lux herself.”
“I am aware,” he replies slowly. “I am already planning regular correspondence with her. However, I would like a secondary source of information, and as you are one of the people closest to her I believe you best for the task.”
Zenos wouldn’t ask his father, Caspian thinks. Still, the prince’s concern feels unusually heavy-handed, especially coming from a man that they have long heard to be naught but an uncaring monster.
“Why worry so much?”
His cold expression softens ever so slightly. “Because, she would do the same for me.”
Knowing how openly fond of the prince Lady Lux has become over the last few months, Caspian has nothing to say to refute his statement. They nod.
“If that is your wish, sir, then I will write you a letter to keep you updated on Lady Lux.”
“Good.” Zenos immediately starts to turn away, but stops and looks over his shoulder at them. “You have my thanks.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Caspian watches the prince stride away, and wonders what the hells they have gotten themself into.
Prince Zenos,
As per your orders, I am writing to inform you of Lady Lux’s current status and activities. Unfortunately, I am not currently tasked with watching over her ladyship, so my report is limited. Lady Lux and Emperor Varis departed for Gyr Abania this morning. I do not know the exact details of their trip, but I believe it has something to do with meeting with the Eorzean heads of state. I suppose Lady Lux is accompanying His Radiance to keep him out of trouble…
It is not long after Zenos’ departure for Bozja that the Emperor and Lady Lux also leave the palace for some sort of official business in Gyr Abania. Caspian does not really know what the trip is for, and neither were they ordered to accompany Lady Lux. Still, they dutifully write a short letter to the prince reporting on her status as of their departure. And that is that.
Or, so they think.
When the next week’s mail shipment arrives from the territories, an envelope for Caspian is waiting among the piles.
C.q Maristella
I thank you for your compliance in reporting to me on the status of Lady Lux. Your thoroughness is also appreciated, even if you were woefully limited in your reporting abilities. I will expect another report once Lady Lux has returned from her venture in Gyr Abania. I would also like clarification regarding something from your previous report. On the matter of their trip to Gyr Abania, why would Lady Lux and my father see a need to bring along flowers?...
As ordered, a few days after the royal couple’s return from abroad, Caspian pens another missive for Prince Zenos.
… Lady Lux has been keeping herself entertained and generally out of trouble. A few days ago I accompanied her ladyship into the city proper, as she had taken an interest in seeing a park in the residential district. I must admit that I’m unsure as to why she wanted to go out, perhaps she just wanted to get some fresh air? We took the train into the city and then walked to the park. While there, we were happened upon by your great-uncle Titus. He was very cordial with Lady Lux, though it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was judging her…
The prince replies again, and though his words are polite, he does nothing to hide his disdain for the Emperor’s uncle.
As though that man has any footing to judge the character of a woman like Lady Lux.
The letter ends with another demand for continued reports on Lady Lux. This puzzles Caspian, as they are quite certain that nothing they are telling him in their reports is information that he could not personally glean from palace records or from writing to Lady Lux herself. Still, they do not wish to get on the prince’s bad side, so they continue sending him a new report every two weeks.
…Today His Radiance and Lady Lux celebrated the anniversary of their first meeting. I accompanied them as guard when they went on an outing. They rode in a carriage, briefly going out into the countryside. Lady Lux thought it was lovely. She picked little white flowers and put them in her hair, and convinced the Emperor to let her put one in his as well. Then we returned to the city, where they took in dinner at a restaurant on the southside. The Emperor was so generous as to make sure that I also received a plate of food. I was touched by his unexpected kindness, though I am quite certain that Lady Lux likely had a hand in the order, as His Radiance has no way of knowing that I am fond of fish. They were both quite happy, and it warmed my heart to see…
Caspian expects to be chided for including such trivialities in their reports, but the prince does not seem to be bothered by them. Instead they appear as curiosities to the man, and he picks up on the details in his next letter.
… I have never been greatly fond of eating fish myself. The delicate little bones are off putting, and I dislike the way a fish tends to stare at you when they are freshly caught. Not that I have ever gone fishing, but I have seen the worrisome things at the markets in Ala Mhigo. …You mentioned enjoying the process of fishing, but I have difficulty understanding why this is the case. Though I enjoy a hunt as much as the next man, how can you enjoy just sitting there for hours waiting for your prey to stumble across your line and be foolish enough to take the bait? It seems a poor use of time to me. Would spearfishing not be a better alternative?...
They quickly come to look forward to receiving a reply from Zenos. For a man with his hands so stained in blood, there is something charming to his borderline naivety when it comes to how ‘normal’ people think and feel and enjoy the trivialities of their lives. Though he plainly views the world through a weary, disinterested lens, the nearly childlike inquisitiveness of some of his questions makes Caspian think that there might be some hope for growth from the prince.
It isn’t their business to do so, of course, but they still decide to make it their unofficial duty to help the prince understand people who are not his enemy.
… I am certain that spearfishing might be a more exciting alternative to traditional fishing with a rod. However, I must admit that I don’t usually go fishing with the intent of actually catching a fish to eat. It’s a bonus if I do, of course, but for me the process of fishing is more a meditative experience than anything else. There is pleasure in the quiet time between the casts, where there is time to think and simply enjoy being alive. I find myself refreshed on a spiritual level after a few bells of fishing, even if I did not succeed in making a catch. I believe that it’s okay to do things, simple stupid things, just for the pleasure of them. They give flavor to life, and help fill in the long droll spaces of time where nothing of interest happens.
In his next reply, Zenos seems to have an understanding and appreciation of meditation, though his interests of course had trended toward being interested in its usage of amplifying his own power in combat. Caspian thinks this is the end of their conversation on fishing, but two letters later the prince spends several paragraphs detailing various potential fishing spots he had located while on his routine patrols in Bozja.
… There is a place to the south where one of the streams slows and idles its way through through a shallow locale full of reeds and overgrowth. Waterbirds thrive there, carefully stepping through the dark muck and plucking fish out of the water. I sat and watched the little feathered hunters practice their craft for some time. It was… relaxing, though I often found myself distracted out of mindless reverie to ponder the mechanics of the birds’ eyes, and how they can calculate the precise angle of attack, and so forth. Rufus enjoyed himself, though, so it was not a total loss on the relaxation front…
Caspian does not know what to make of the prince’s enthusiasm. Being wary of his ire, they opt to do nothing to discourage his interest, and instead faithfully respond to each of his letters. Neither do they stop when Lady Lux finds out about the letter writing–they just try to be a bit more discreet when it comes to reading the prince’s letters while on duty.
This continues for six months.
… Lady Lux commented yesterday on how much your handwriting has improved, so I suppose that our letters have served a greater purpose than simply keeping you up to date on her activities…
The world at large has a fairly set opinion of the crown prince of Garlemald. Zenos yae Galvus is viewed as being cold and indifferent to the lives of those around him. And while that is true to some great extent–he has never really had the emotional energy to care about others–it is no longer the universal truth in his life that it once was. Zenos knows why this is the case.
His father’s life was not the only one changed by meeting the Warrior of Light.
He had done his best to resist her influence, of course. He was the crown prince of Garlemald, and she was just some savage from Eorzea that his father was bedding. Zenos’ opinion of the woman began to change after the first time they faced each other in combat and she came out victorious. His defeat had left a brief bitter taste in his mouth, but it had also been an unexpected delight. For the first time in any of his recollections, here was a person that Zenos found that he felt an affinity for. An equal on the battlefield who was also an unusually kind and caring soul.
No, not an equal. Zenos knows that, knows that Lady Lux is superior to him even in that aspect. He does not truly remember their fight against Shinryu, just scattered bits and pieces, but he has seen the video footage recorded by the vessels closest to the scene. He has seen his own mangled form collapse to the rooftop. He has seen Lady Lux stand over his body. And he has seen the impossibly massive burst of aether that she fired from her gunblade.
Zenos knows, in a quiet sort of way, that he should have died on that rooftop. It was something written in the fates for him. But the Warrior of Light defied that fate, stood before it and denied it with such absolute certainty that Zenos cannot help but wonder if he was wrong. If he has always been wrong.
To think of the Warrior of Light brings a strange warmth to his chest. Thinking of her–of Lady Lux–makes him safe and protected and cared for in a fashion that he had long since thought beyond his own capacity or concern. It is a feeling that he initially had no name for, but now knows as ‘Mother’.
Zenos has never felt affection before, but he knows now that he feels it most certainly when interacting with Lady Lux. He feels the reassuring warmth of her spirit, and his own soul warms in kind.
She is unique, though. The rest of the world is still a boring bog of existence, and holds no interest for him.
Well, almost no interest.
… Preparations for the wedding continue apace. The court tailor has been working on the attire for both Lady Lux and your father. I am supposed to see him for a fitting appointment for my dress uniform, but I admit that I have been avoiding it. Lord Cataegis is a proper enough man, but I always feel like he is a touch more aggressive with me than his position warrants. I am unsure why, but suspect it has something to do with me being a Duskwight. As though that is something I can control!…
Exchanging letters with Lady Lux’s guard had been a simple, straightforward thing at first. It was logical enough to Zenos–the shy centurion was one of the people in closest contact with Lady Lux, and so who better to ask for regular updates on her status and activities? He supposes it is a bit prying, but the knowledge that comes with their letters gives Zenos a peace of mind he had not previously been in need of. It is a strange thing, to care about someone else.
Stranger still is the eventual realization that he enjoys reading the letters that are sent to him by the centurion. Additionally, over the last few months he has ceased to think of them by that simple title, and instead by their name.
Caspian.
…The summer months in Bozja are far rainier than I have experienced elsewhere in the world, aside from perhaps the rainy season in Othard. There are times when I look out from the castrum ramparts and think myself on an island instead of a fortress. A far cry from the arid months in Gyr Abania or the early snows of home. You might enjoy it–with so much extra water about, there are surely many seasonal ponds to explore and scour for fish…
Unbeknownst to anyone, Zenos keeps a locked box in his private quarters here in Bozja. Late in the day, after Rufus has been tended to and the evening watch has been given their orders, he returns to his quarters, seats himself at his desk, and opens the heavy wooden box. The smell of paper and ink meet his nose, along with the soft subtle scent of lavender. Just the smell alone of those flowers is enough to calm the prince’s nerves after his long day.
He retrieves the topmost letter, delivered only the day before. He has read it twice now, but does not believe that there is any harm in reading it a third time.
… Lady Lux was invited to Doma, to participate in the celebrations they were holding for the anniversary of their liberation from the Empire. I accompanied her on her journey, of course. (As you might know, her ladyship’s first visit to Othard was when she and I first met, and Emperor Varis first assigned me to be her personal guard.) We ventured to Castrum Fluminis, but were not greeted by anyone from Doma. Quite rude, honestly. What is the point of inviting someone so important, only to snub their arrival? My Lady was quite gracious about it, but I could still tell that she was unhappy about the reception. She spoke with the tribunus that you left in charge at the base, a Lord Brutus I think. This was the first time she was able to speak with him–when we visited Doma previously he made himself rather conspicuously absent. I can’t say I cared for the fellow–a beady eyed little Hyur who struck me as somewhat zealous in his appreciation of you. Fortunately we did not stay there long, and Lady Lux decided not to grace the Domans with her attendance. Instead we visited a small coastal village called Isari. It is a rather unremarkable place, but Lady Lux showed kindness to them on her first visit, and paid them a follow up this time…
….I suppose it is a funny thing, some kind of cosmic irony, that I enjoy fishing but become terribly ill when riding on a boat. Even the [antinausea] medicines produced by the Empire do anything to help me! Perhaps you can have Aulus look into that matter for me, ha ha. Still, I do well enough swimming, and it can be quite pleasant to stand barefoot in the shallows on a hot day while fishing. I don’t recommend sitting in the shallows, though. Damp carbonweave chafes horribly, especially on the skin in more delicate areas…
Zenos pulls out his letter writing supplies and lays them out in a neat row before him on the desk. He considers the letter before him and muses over his response. In only a few weeks he will be venturing back to Garlemald to attend the wedding of his father and Lady Lux. Afterwards he will remain in Garlemald for approximately two weeks while they go on their honeymoon. Zenos has promised himself to the solemn task of guarding the throne while the Emperor is away, but in truth he doubts anyone would be so bold as to make a try for it. Zenos is fairly certain that Caspian is aware of all of this, so repeating such information in a letter would be a waste of both of their time.
He glances at the letter again. There is little merit in speaking of Doma. It is no longer a Garlean territory, and so it holds little importance for him aside from the knowledge that one of his legion’s cohorts is still stationed there. He cannot even pull up a mental image of the tribunus that they mention in their letter. Zenos decides that it is of no value to discuss, and instead focuses on a more pleasant topic–if uncontrolled seasickness could be considered such.
Caspian…