Chapter 34

Hayden clambered into the carriage, taking the only available seat opposite its sole occupant. She posed as best as she remembered, keeping her hands in her lap and eyes down. 

She couldn't avoid seeing what was right in front of her, no matter how afraid she felt. The woman wore a gown very similar to her own, except that it fit far better, and there was much more to show. Hayden knew on paper that the woman must be old, though there was no sign of it in person. Her skin was radiant, her hair bright pink, and her eyes alert.

She was also staring, silent. She remained silent until Ilene shut the doors, clambered up into the driver's seat, and whipped the animals once to start them moving. Only with a city rolling past the window outside did she say anything.

"You're the wild kitten everyone has been talking about. Spontaneous apotheosis."

Her daemon eyed Liz from a comfortable cushion. Hayden couldn't tell the difference, but Liz could. She smelled a female daemon. That was strange, though not in a way that was polite to talk about. Did that mean this woman had suffered what Hayden did? Or maybe her daemon had to be the one to change.

"You're permitted to speak," she said, laughing quietly. "If I wanted a new vase, I would've gone to a glassblower. I can already see you're far less graceful than anything I've had commissioned. But perhaps, more authentic."

"People call me wild," she said. "Sometimes it's an insult, sometimes it's a compliment. The shaymin without people seemed to like me."

The lady laughed again, a little louder this time. "I admit, we were skeptical about your authenticity at first. Word of the Shaymin House blob reached us before the apparent miracle of your discovery. To the ignorant, that might look like a tantalizing opportunity—a fine young lady properly trained, who could copy the daemon we were looking for. I have to ask anyway—are you lying to me?"

When she spoke, incredible pressure crashed down on Hayden, pinning her to her seat. It was a mental attack like nothing she had ever felt, making it hard to concentrate, hard to form words. She gasped, barely even able to breathe.

Even without understanding these powers, she knew this woman would see every thought she had. If she manipulated the truth in any small way, the mew would know. It was a good thing she wasn't lying. She gathered her strength, hands tightening around the mew in her lap.

On her own, she would not be strong enough to resist, even if she wanted to say something true. With Liz helping her, she could speak. "I'm the girl I look like," Hayden said. Every word was a deliberate struggle, carefully chosen. "I'm not a fine noble lady, I'm barely trained. My parents are tailors in Sunyshore. Liz and I like… to be all kinds of things. But this is how we really look underneath."

The pressure eased, like a stack of sandbags had instantly vanished from her body. Just like that, she could breathe. "You are Hayden Gracidea now. And I am Lady Moonstone. But you can call me Gail, when we are together in private. Formality is a performance for the ones outside." 

She pulled the curtains closed. "Your family called you… what? Do you have a nickname?"

"Hadie," she admitted, blushing. "But not all of them. There were a lot, and I didn't let them all use it."

"I hope you will let me use it," the woman said, settling something into the space between them. A tray, with a teacup and several small snacks. It stopped in midair, then floated there as though mounted to something. "If you marry my son, we will spend a great deal of time together. I'll be the one training you to replace me. A century or two with you as my apprentice will go quicker with a shorter name."

"Hadie," she repeated. "Sure, La—Gail." She took the offered glass, and sipped. Of course it was nicer than anything she would have at home. It was better than anything served to her at Shaymin House either—less of an earth taste, more like fruit instead. She would need to get the name of the blend.

She was only dimly aware of another interaction in the background. Liz lifted out of her lap, and flew over to approach the woman's daemon. They sized each other up in the air, culminating in Liz trying to pounce on her tail.

The bigger pokémon caught her first, then lifted her up against her will, carrying her back to the cushion. The interaction took only moments, but produced an even greater feeling of smallness and submission in Hayden. A conflict like that decided obedience between people, whether they were nobles, tutors, or children.

"You are afraid," Gail said, a few minutes later. "This isn't a golden opportunity for you. You barely knew my house existed."

Hayden nodded, wiping away moisture with one arm. "I don't know what any of this noble stuff means. I don't really want to get married."

The woman laughed. "Of course you don't, kitten. You're thirteen. You have time to grow up—time to discover what it means, and to find a way to be happy in your new position. Don't let it all weigh on you now."

Hayden set her empty cup down. "Liz and I will be ready if that's what happens. We did hard things before; we can do them again."

The woman sipped her tea, watching Hayden in silence for a time. Her daemon kept Liz trapped, brushing her coat with a daemon-sized brush hidden by the cushion. 

"What do you want, Hadie? If I had a pact to release you from all constraints, what would you wish? Wealth? Luxury? A home for yourself, perhaps. Mansions and castles…"

That same powerful attention was on Hayden. As before, they would know if she tried to lie. At least she wasn't crushing the air from Hayden's lungs this time.

"Nah. I would be able to take my friends and go out there—" She touched one hand on the wall of the carriage. "Far away from where people live. There are… pokémon. I know how dangerous everyone says they are, but they're all wrong. They're not dangerous, they're helpful. I would love to learn from them."

"Like the ancestors of your clan?" Gail prompted. "They accepted you?"

"Not… looking like this." She closed her eyes, focusing on the familiar change. Practice had made the transition come more naturally now. Her chest got bigger, and green replaced pink in her hair. Liz changed far more, turning small and helpless.

"They want me to visit like this. I'm a… sapling. I think they like teaching."

Gail laughed again. She reached across the table, taking one of Hayden's hands in hers. "That is a perfect shaymin. You could've remained with your adopted family. If you kept that form long enough, you would forget you had ever been anything else."

Hayden gasped. "I don't want that! It's nice to be new things. If we got stuck as just one, it would be as bad as settling. Worse."

The mew released Hayden's hand, and floated one of the many snack-cakes into the air in front of her. She nibbled on it for a time, while the city rumbled along past them. "I hope you can share this joy with my son. Creating him was… an effort of some difficulty. We were successful, but the result was a kitten who does not understand the value of his flexibility. I do not believe he is even capable of transformation."

Hayden changed back—or Liz did. The desire came from her daemon, and she complied without resistance. The pokémon had never been with another mew before. She expressed it as a deep, aching loneliness. 

She knows what it's like, Hayden realized. This woman was one of the most powerful in the entire world. Her family's decisions were life and death for millions of people in two regions. But aside from all that power, she was also a mew.

Hayden started crying again. She fought it, wiping away the moisture as soon as she felt it on her face. She would smear her makeup if she wasn't careful. "My tutor—didn't want me to change. Told me that being a common pokémon was unbecoming."

"Maybe during a diplomatic meeting. During a religious ritual, or the visit of the gurus. Otherwise…" She reached over, patting Hayden's shoulder with one hand. "The world is more wonderful than you can imagine. Humanity is beset by dangers, and always on the verge of extinction. But for every terror, you'll find joy somewhere else. For every evil, there is kindness. If my household accepts your betrothal contract, and you become my daughter in law—you will be tasked with protecting all that. Under the Eldest's direction, you will help lead the world. Do you want that?"

Hayden looked back. "I'm not a leader, but maybe I could help one."

"Maybe," Gail agreed. "I find myself believing that you may be exactly the kind of girl Julian needs to meet. Wild, awkward, clumsy, ignorant—but real. He lives in a palace of glass, surrounded by perfect reflections. I wonder what he'll think of you."

Of course, meeting Julian's parents wasn't even the hardest part. She would have to impress the kid she was supposed to marry one day.

They arrived in the palace in short order. Gail waved her goodbyes to Hayden. "We will speak again after your time with my son. I won't tell you what to do, but I will warn you. Julian is a precious child, who arose only at the end of much effort. We love him more than anything in the world. You will not cause any harm to come to him."

"I won't," she promised. "I can play nice." She vanished, leaving Hayden alone in the carriage. 

For a few seconds, until Ilene opened the side door for her, and took her hand to escort her out. "Lady Hayden. As you're still here, I will assume the lady of the house has approved your meeting."

Liz landed on her shoulder, and they stumbled out. There was no sign of Gail.

They stood before a huge stone castle, rising from cliffs that dwarfed any structure she had ever seen. The outer walls alone enclosed a space larger than her entire town, with dozens of buildings large and small and thousands of people bustling between them.

She squeezed Ilene's hand for support, relaxing a little. "I guess I shouldn’t believe everything I'm told. I heard you had a secret palace for the heir, where only other legendaries could go. This looks like…" 

It was so big she had to incline her neck to look up at all of it. There were many balconies placed along its heights—she could probably fly through the whole place without ever needing to climb steps.

"The Summer Palace is quite real," Ilene said. "You will go tomorrow morning, when you are prepared. You must be washed and purified before you're allowed to meet him. It will take several hours, but we should finish before sundown. And of course, we will fit you for your gown, in case any alterations are required. I imagine Young Master Julian is very eager to meet you."

The castle grounds were so big they had several of their own roads. The carriage without horses to pull it stopped on one of those, and its occupants poured out. Eleanor was among the first. She noticed Hayden, then practically sprinted in their direction.

Hayden let go of Ilene's hand, waiting for her on the road. "I assume my handmaid gets to come with me. Since the heir isn't… restricted to just seeing legendaries anymore." 

"She may assist you in these next few hours," Ilene said, eyeing Eleanor skeptically. "But not join you. This first meeting does not permit other guests of any kind. By ancient law, the two of you will be entirely alone."

Alone, in a palace, with the most powerful boy in the world—who was also a legendary his entire life, and trained by the best teachers. 

On a ship with common sailors, Hayden felt no fear. But now—now there was reason. Julian wasn't the one to be worried—she should be.

"Will you be coming too?" she finally asked. "To these… ritual things?"

Ilene nodded. "I must see they are completed. Come, we will begin. It will take many hours."

"Oh, good. Maybe you can answer some of my questions while I do it."