Part 2
The guards were curious at a rusalki emerging from the lake next to Castle Ashe, and decided to take a closer look. None of the Princesses said they were expecting anyone, and the Captain of the Guard confirmed he didn't recognise her, so they moved to stop her.
"Excuse me Miss?" One asked, approaching her and talking gently. As timid as rusalki look, they're still powerful enough to drown a grown man by themselves, so he didn't want to antagonise her for no reason.
"I need to see Princess Verka Ashe." Mira answered in rusalki. "Please, I need to see the Princess."
"Hmmm." The guard said. "Can you understand me?" He asked. She looked at him with a confused look. "Of course."
"Verka Ashe! Verka Ashe! Verka Ashe!" Mira said, repeating Verka's name over and over.
"Hey Boris, you think maybe?" The other guard asked.
"Yeah no shit. Stay with her, I'll go talk to the Crown Princess." Boris said, making a motion with his hands telling Mira to stay, before running off.
"Uhhh..." The other guard said, looking at Mira. "Nathan." He said, pointing at himself. To his relief, Mira seemed to understand.
"Mira." She replied, also pointing at herself.
---
Boris found Verka after a few minutes in the library. She was reading a book, but glanced up when she heard the soft clinks from his armour.
"Yes Guardsman, how can I help you?" Verka asked.
"Excuse me Your Highness, but there's a rusalki at the lake. She only seems to speak rusalki, but she just kept saying your name over and over." Boris said, bowing before speaking.
Verka put down her book. This was a nice change of pace, she supposed. Ever since Rebecca's death, she'd been too busy helping out Connor to really have any of her usual intrigues, and this could prove a nice diversion for a few hours. Standing up, she gestured to Boris.
"Well, lead the way."
"Right, of course." Boris replies, waiting for Verka to start walking before leading her out of the library.
Verka wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived at the lake shore, but she certainly wasn't expecting a teenage rusalki playing cat's cradle with one of the guards. She cleared her throat, and simply smiled as she watched the guard panic for a few seconds, before calming him down.
"Relax Nathan. You're not in any trouble." Verka said, smirking. "Now then, who's our guest?"
"Through some guesswork, I've gathered her name is Mira and she needs your help." Nathan answered, while Mira hid behind him and looked at Verka with a guarded expression.
Verka nodded, and turned her attention to the young rusalki. "Mira? I'm Crown Princess Verka Ashe." Verka said in rusalki, causing Mira to perk up instantly.
"You're Verka?" Mira asked cautiously.
"Yes, that's me." Verka replied, crouching down a bit to be eye level with Mira. "So, why are you here?"
"I need to tell you something." Mira said after a pause, looking away. "B-but it needs to be in private."
"I know for a fact none of the guards know rusalki, Mira. It's safe to say it here." Verka said, placing a hand on Mira's shoulder and smiling gently.
Mira leaned in close and whispered in Verka's ear. "It's about Princess Valmaris."
Verka's face changed immediately, and she looked stern. "Did she do something to you?" She asked. Seeing Mira look fearful at the question told her all she needed to know. "I understand. Come with me."
Verka motioned for Nathan and Boris to get closer, and she whispered to them both.
"Nathan, talk to the Captain of the Guard. Quadruple the guard outside my quarters. I also want the elven ambassador summoned to my quarters immediately. Arrest him if he resists. Understand?" Verka said. "Make sure to speak to the Guard Captain, get an arrest warrant."
"By your orders, Princess." Nathan said, saluting Verka before taking off in a run.
"Boris, bring my Father to my private library, I'll be waiting there with Mira." Verka said, turning to Nathan.
"Right away your highness." Boris said, before rushing off as well.
"Now as for you." Verka said to Mira, smiling gently. "Come along inside the castle with me. There's nowhere safer in all of the Empire."
Mira was still afraid, but Verka felt trustworthy despite her ridiculous accent when speaking in Rusalki. Following her inside the castle, she saw both guards and staff move out of her way and bow as they passed. Soon enough they reached a door with eight guards standing outside, two of them armed with what Mira identified as Dwarven shotguns.
"Princess, we've posted guards on your balcony as well." One of the guards said, saluting Verka.
"Good work. Don't let anybody in except my Father. When and if the Elven Ambassador arrives, let me know." Verka said, opening the door to her quarters. It was decidedly opulent, filled with comfortable furniture in the room they stood in. The walls were lined with books, and a few were left piled on a table next to the chair Verka had been sitting in earlier.
"Mira, I'll ask that you wait to tell your story until my Father arrives. He's quite old but I think you'll still recognise him on sight." Verka said as she gestured at the couches.
Mira didn't say anything, but she was thrilled. To meet the Moonfall Prince in person was a rare honour most rusalki never have the chance to experience. As Mira sat and waited, she observed Verka going around and casting spells at each window, before drawing the curtains. Eventually, she decided to speak up.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Wall to wall paranoia is what keeps me safe, Mira." Verka replied, briefly glancing around. Before she could continue, the door creaked open and Prince Heather entered, supported by a cane and his attendant.
"So what's this about, Verka?" Heather asked as he slowly walked to an armchair. "Thank you Valerie, you may leave."
"A diplomatic disaster in the making, I'm afraid." Verka answered.
"Your Highness, it is an honour." Mira said, standing up in order to bow to Prince Heather.
"Oh please, I'm too old for that shit." Heather replied in perfect unaccented Rusalki. "So Mira tell me, why have you made such a journey from the North to visit us?"
Heather didn't say anything immediately, but took notice of the fearful look Mira gave him, as if she'd be punished for saying what she did. He gestured at Mira for her to come closer. She did so and knelt down in front of him.
"Was it about someone you ate?" He asked gently. She nodded, so he continued. "Were they already dead when you found them?" She nodded again, and he sighed. "Of course. Let me guess, a ranger?"
"How did you know?" Mira asked, causing Heather to chuckle.
"The surface races always get so uptight about corpse disposal, Mira. You're a female rusalki so I connected the dots about what comes naturally to you. So what happened?"
"T-there was a dead man floating in a lake." Mira said, stuttering slightly. "I hadn't eaten in days and I was hungry. I don't know how he died, looked like he had drowned."
"They saw you with him and assumed it was your doing, is that it?" Heather asked, his voice stern. Mira nodded, so he continued. "What happened next?"
Verka's face contorted into a look of rage as Mira described her arrest and imprisonment. Recalling that horrid cell made her shiver even now. She explained how she was on the verge of death, when someone rescued her from the elves, and brought her a fresh meal. She left out the description of Xellma and called her a human, just as she had asked.
"A human?" Heather asked.
"Yes." Mira lied, hoping they wouldn't keep asking questions. "Spoke perfect rusalki, told me to come down here and tell Princess Verka what happened."
Verka and Heather however, weren't fooled in the slightest. Verka came over to Mira and crouched slightly, looking the short teenager directly in the eyes before speaking.
"It was a demon, wasn't it? Black horns, short temper, blonde hair?" Verka asked.
"Then you know why she asked me to lie." Mira said, looking down. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Verka advised, briefly placing a hand on Mira's shoulder. "You did the right thing, considering the circumstances. Yes, I know Xellma far too well."
"I told you it was really her." Heather said. "I know my wife anywhere."
"It's just too fantastical!" Verka countered, turning to argue with Heather.
"Bold words from a fairy tale!" Heather shot back with a guffaw. "Let's just pretend whatever we want, hmmm?"
"What's going to happen now?" Mira asked, but there was a knock at the door, followed by shouting.
"Hold that thought, Mira." Verka said, smiling evilly. "Seems the good Ambassador had to be brought here by force."