Now, It's Finley's Turn

That night, I cried.

The strange thing is, I wasn’t even sad. It came upon me while I was relishing the cool air outside as Marie prepared for bed. The light of a bonfire at the festival site marked nighttime festivities, and the joyous voices of inebriated Bridd citizens carried all the way up to the terrace in the palace. Tears welled up in my eyes without my control.

Overwhelmed. I think that’s what I was. It was simply too much in too short a period of time. The shock of the knight shouting my own words out in triumph, followed immediately by a confession of love and an existential questioning of my very being, tore my mind asunder.

The late-night breeze made the tears feel frigid as they slowly descended down my face. But I couldn’t reach up to wipe them away. Something about feeling their presence was liberating, as if emotions I hadn’t been able to release for years were leaking out through the tiny ducts at the corners of my eyes.

Cathartic. That’s the word.

I intended to ask Marie a few questions that I had had earlier — about magic, the King’s relationship with Andraste, and perhaps about the “get owned” incident — but after the day’s events, I was too worn out. Making a silent promise to myself, I vowed that before the end of the festival, I’d really sit down with her.

I will get to it. Really. For sure. Maybe I’d even tell her the truth about my other life.

Hey. I said maybe. Don’t count on it.

~~~~~~

Beneath the banner marking the entry to the festival, I waited. Diana and Finley were arguing. It wasn’t fair, Diana argued, that Finley got to have a whole day with me, while yesterday, she had had to share an hour or two at the start.

While I might have been otherwise amused, Diana’s question from yesterday still rattled through my skull. “Do you like men and women?” No. I said I wasn’t gay. Stop asking, Memory-Diana.

“Actually, what you said was, ‘I don’t know,’ if we’re being scrupulous.”

How does a knight like you even know a word that big?

“Because I’m just a figment of your imagination.”

Oh, yeah. True.

The end of the twins’ argument roused me from my daydreaming. It seemed, as I understood it, that Diana was just gonna have to eat it. “It balances out you being able to go first,” Finley said.

Thus, it was decided that I would depart immediately from the entrance with Finley. Like yesterday, Marie and Margot would tail us to ensure my safety, a cadre of knights would clear our path forward, and this time, Diana would get a chance to keep Sir Robert company. His bushy eyebrows and moustache gave off an intimidating aura, but his relaxed posture indicated that perhaps he, too, was beginning to enjoy himself. Enough to take off his helmet, at least. I wonder what Finley said to him?

Finley offered his arm to me. I hesitated. Carefully, I took his arm. I just want help in case I fall. Plus, Diana did it yesterday, so it’s only fair. He guided me to a section of the festival I hadn’t been to before: an alleyway entirely covered in flowers. Arches adorned with bright pastel blossoms marked the entrance, and every stall beyond it was stuffed with more flowers than I could possibly name (which was a lot).

“I thought you might like to experience this first,” Finley smiled as he pointed to the flower alley.

“You thought correctly. This is beautiful.” It left me breathless.

Flowers were something I really did enjoy. For my online branding, I had made the conscious decision to incorporate two kinds into the channel’s design: alstroemerias and sakura blossoms. The two plants wreathed my “about me” graphics and any promotional material I used. When I took that first look out the window after appearing in this world (if you can remember back that far), it was the garden of flowers outside that had helped calm me down.

We strolled through the alley of stalls, and I relished in the sweet smell of spring. Then, Finley stopped. He led us to a stall that had — oh my God, alstroemerias. Nothing but alstroemerias.

“Excuse me, sir, could we?” Finley politely approached the vendor.

The man behind the counter was weathered, wrinkles worn into the corners of his eyes from smiling for many, many years. “Of cours- Ah! Prince Finley!” He bowed in his seat. “Please, take whatever you wish, free of charge.”

Damn, they really do love this guy.

Finley turned him down like a true leader. “I can’t have my citizens going unfed, now, can I? Treat me as any other, if you please.”

“As you wish. What is it you’d like, then, Regular Citizen Finley?” The vendor chuckled.

“If you could find your finest and freshest bunch, I would very much like to give it to the lovely lady here.” The prince gestured to me.

“An excellent idea. What better way to celebrate tighinn an latha, after all!” Then, as he riffled through his stock, he added, “My husband has always adored these.”

Husband? This old guy is gay? I thought, shocked.

He sighed contentedly. “He’s the reason I only sell these, now,” he laughed. “It’s all he wants to grow!”

Finley smiled. “Your husband has good taste.”

Hey now, Elisabeth. Let’s not be prejudiced. Anyone can be gay.

“Even you,” my imaginary Diana taunted.

Go away, it’s not your turn today.

Finley paid the man a hefty chunk of coin, and as we walked away, he looked through the bouquet. Picking out a single flower, he turned to me.

“I think this would look wonderful in your hair,” he offered.

Oh. Um, that’s flattering. Oh gosh. I turned my eyes away, suddenly shy. “Where do you think?”

“May I?” He held the blossom towards my face. I nodded.

With great care and precision, he gingerly nestled the flower through my golden waves and stepped back. “I was right.”

I started to reach to pull out my phone to take a look at myself, but then remembered I was in a world without electricity. Or pockets in dresses, apparently. Guess I’ll take his word for it.

We continued onwards. At the end of the alley, there was a gazebo completely covered in flowers, with a long line of people in pairs snaking away from it. A couple would walk up into it, kiss, then embrace, and bow to a little statue in the middle.

It took me a second to realize that most of the couples in line were made up of two people of the same gender.

As nonchalantly as possible, I asked, “Finley, what is that at the end there?”

“Ah, the Altar of Aine! It’s an Andrastian tradition at the festival.”

That didn’t really explain it, my guy. “What’s Aine?”

Finley elaborated, “A legendary figure associated with love of all kinds. It’s said that when you kiss under its protection, your conjoinment is blessed everlasting. The Altar sees a lot of traffic during the festival, of course,” he chuckled.

“What do you mean ‘of course’?” I asked.

He nodded. “Ah, right, it is your first time. While tighinn an latha is absolutely a celebration of the dawn of spring, it’s also a celebration of the dawn of love. Specifically, love of the sheorsach.”

That’s the word Diana said yesterday, isn’t it? Does it mean gay?

“Diana mentioned that yesterday, I think. She told me she liked me because she was… that,” I confessed.

Finley groaned. “That impatient sister of mine. Always has to make the first move.”

I pressed on, “Are there many, um, sheorsach-type people in the Empire?”

Gazing out at the festival around us, Finley, much like his sister had yesterday, casually delivered a bombshell. “Of course. It’s a natural part of being human, is it not? Many people in the Empire feel this way. Both Diana and I are da-sheorsach, too.”

Wait, you are? What? “You like… men?”

“Mhm. Women, too, of course. It’s simply who I am.” He looked back at me. “Do you not have that in the Kingdom?”

I… I don’t know. In my old life, yeah, there were people like that, but I wasn’t one of them. I think. I frowned and returned my thoughts to the kingdom I was now heiress of. From my experience with the Deighsel family betrothment debacle, the Lumineuse Kingdom has really strict gender roles. Very strict and very annoying.

I answered simply, the same way I had to Diana, “I’ve never met any.”

“So you’ve never really thought about it, then, I take it.”

If I can help it, I actively try to avoid it, actually.

My silence told him all he needed to know.

“Well, while we’re introducing you to all the wonderful things the Empire has to offer,” Finley poked, “why don’t we go take a look at the magic demonstration?”

My ears perked up immediately, and I enthusiastically nodded, eliciting a laugh from the prince. The next moment, my hand was in his, as he gently led me away, the alstroemeria in my hair softly bouncing as we walked. Long after he let go, the warmth of his skin lingered on mine.