Settling In

A breathless runner appeared at the end of the medical wing. ‘Commander Riye. The eastern rampart had some—’

Riye was already turning. ‘I’ll handle it.’

Ohhh so cool…

Another voice followed almost immediately calling Pan’s name. Something about supplies and a late-shift patient whose fever wasn’t breaking on the western wing.

‘Go deal with that.’ Riye told Pan.

Pan pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘I am not directly under your command.’

‘You’re under the castle. Move.’ Riye said flatly.

Pan scowled. ‘I hate it when you say it like that.’

He followed anyway. Both of them turned back to me at the same time.

‘We’ll walk you first,’ Pan said.

‘Absolutely not. I will. Just me.’ Riye spat.

I raised both hands. ‘I’m good. Truly. Go do your jobs.’

Both of them hesitated. It was almost funny how similar they looked in that moment. Both reluctant, protective and annoyed at themselves for being pulled elsewhere.

‘I’m not alone,’ I added as I nodded toward Mede. ‘I’ll take him.’

Mede puffed his chest proudly. Riye scoffed. Pan smirked, as if proud of Mede.

They both leaned in too close at same time.

Riye looked like he wanted to say something important, something he’d been carrying all evening. Like maybe our interrupted conversation from earlier? Pan looked like he was debating one more forehead kiss, consequences be damned.

I didn’t give either of them the chance.

‘Goodnight! Go? Both of you.’ I said as I backed off.

I turned and scurried down the corridor before any of them shows me who’s the stronger and better male of the other.

Yep nope nope nope.

I felt their gazes linger behind me.

Mede followed. His wingbeats was gentle against the stoned lobby. A few turns in, he swooped ahead, circled back and landed neatly in my open arms that I lifted without thinking. It felt automatic now.

We walked in silence for a bit. The palace quieting as night settled in.

‘Did this feel like how you walked Raiona back home before?’ I asked softly.

He couldn’t answer, obviously. But he tilted his head, studied my face with those bright, knowing eyes. Sad, maybe. Or remembering.

‘Sorry… You must’ve preferred her to have the same memories. What you get is me instead…’

He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn’t squawk. It was weird to see a bird deep in thought but that’s what he was. He stayed on my arms but his mind was elsewhere. I let him.

Soon, my door came into view.

Mede hopped down from my arms immediately, landing on the floor with a neat little clack of talons. He walked with cute pitter-patter sounds beside me until we reached the front of my room.

I reached for the handle. It opened before my fingers touched it. The door swung inward smoothly.

‘Oh,’ I breathed.

For a heartbeat, unease fluttered in my chest. I remembered the mist lifting when I asked it. The bath warming. The way the palace itself seemed to listen when I spoke.

Right. So I really am Raiona, huh.

I stepped forward slowly, expecting something else to move on its own. Nothing did. Just the quiet welcome of my room.

‘Mede…In.’

He stared at me with bright wide red eyes. Flames flickered on his feathers in visible confusion.

‘You’re allowed. Come on.’ I added, already backing inside.

‘Quickly. Before I change my mind.’

The phoenix vanished. One second he was there, stunned. The next, he shot past me in a blur of feathers and heat, sprinting across the room so fast he looked less like a majestic mythical creature and more like a very determined roadrunner.

I flinched in surprise from his sudden ungrateful movement, but I eventually ended up laughing at him.

‘Wow. You didn’t even pretend to be cool about it.’ I said as I closing the door behind us.

Mede skidded to a stop near the far side of the room. His flaming feathers puffed and dimmed to glowing embers. He turned around slowly, clearly trying to regain some dignity.

Cute…

I stayed where I was for a moment after closing the door. The room didn’t make a sound. No creaks. No echoes.

‘Okay. Let’s see what you’ve got.’ I murmured.

I started with the obvious. 

To my left, a door slid open at the lightest touch, revealing a walk-in closet that was excessive. Shelves curved along the walls, filled with neatly folded garments, fabrics ranging from practical to ceremonial. Some with sizes clearly smaller than mine. Raiona’s. Dresses, cloaks, things with layers I didn’t understand yet. Everything was arranged with personal care.

I backed out slowly.

‘We’ll negotiate tomorrow.’ I told the clothes.

The next door led to the earlier “waterless” washroom.

There was a massive tub carved from stone, a separate enclosed shower with unfamiliar fixtures, shelves lined with bottles that smelled faintly of herbs and flowers even from where I stood. I was overwhelmed.

‘Absolutely not tonight. I’ve already peaked.’

I closed the door before it could intimidate me further.

The main room opened up into familiar comfort. Bed, seating, low tables, soft lighting. Nothing moved on its own this time, which I appreciated. I walked toward the balcony doors and pushed them open. Cool night air brushed my face.

Below, the palace grounds stretched out in layered stone and shadow. A little farther away, I spotted two familiar figures. Riye and Pan.

They stood on the ground level. They stood close but not crowding each other. They were talking. Pan gestured with his hands, animated as ever. Riye listened with arms crossed. His posture was relaxed, so it was probably a safe enough topic. At one point, Pan laughed, and Riye actually smiled.

It’s a relief not to see them performing some sort of stunt to make me laugh. They were just there. Existing. 

I leaned lightly against the railing and watched them longer than I meant to.

Pan’s doubts about Riye flickered through my mind. I exhaled and stepped back inside.

I wandered toward a bookshelf near the sitting area. The spines were worn, titles embossed in scripts I couldn’t read yet. I pulled one free and flipped it open.

Nothing. Well. Words, probably. Just not words for me.

‘Rude,’ I muttered, sliding it back.

My gaze drifted to a low cabinet near the wall. On top sat small objects. Raiona’s things.

I picked one up. A thin strip of fabric, edges frayed. Another, a little metal piece shaped like heart. I turned them over in my hands, feeling a strange familiarity that didn’t come with memory.

I turned around and saw a small shelf with the journals. It was stacked neatly.

‘Woah… so everything was indeed taken care of and preserved for my return…’

I carried one of the journals to the bed and opened it carefully.

The writing wasn’t mine. Except… it was.

Back on earth, I told myself I just didn’t want my handwriting to look like a doctor’s scrawl, so I made it a point to make my penmanship more legible. 

I never realized it when I was reading the ones Celphi kept. Now, I could see the similarity in the way the words flowed. The spacing. The slight pressure in certain strokes. This was my old handwriting.

My eyes snagged on a single letter before I even realized why. The R. Curved the same way I wrote it now. A soft loop, an unnecessary flourish at the end. I’d always done it deliberately.

I stared at it for a long moment, then let out a quiet breath.

I flipped a few more pages, not really reading, just letting the familiarity wash over me. The margins were full of small notes. Tiny corrections. Little marks that felt impatient.

There was no urgency in me to devour it all. Not tonight.

‘I’ll have time,’ I told the journal softly.

I closed it gently and slowly doze off.

I turned down the bed and slipped beneath the covers before I fully passed out. The mattress felt welcoming. Mede hopped up a moment later, circling once before curling neatly at the foot of the bed.

He sighed a soft huff of heat and went still.

‘Goodnight,’ I whispered.

In what felt like forever, my thoughts didn’t race ahead or spiral backward. I slept deeply.