Chapter 35

When Hayden first came to Shaymin House, she felt as though she had never truly experienced luxury in her life. Never had she seen a place of such abundance, where any desire could be readily fulfilled, so long as it didn't defy the desires of the house's patron.

Mew House evoked that same feeling, elevated beyond even what she could previously imagine. Their castle was both ancient and modern, every room comfortable. It seemed that anywhere she went, there was a psychic-type servant within a few feet, responsive to her desires before she had even spoken them aloud.

On the way to the guest wing, a butler with a meowstic appeared to offer her cold water she hadn't even realized she wanted. When she first stepped into the guest wing and felt overwhelmed by its size, Ilene turned right around and took her somewhere more comfortable. 

A vertical room, three stories tall, with smaller flat sections cut directly from the cliff, and a pool of deep water at the bottom. She had to carry Eleanor up to the section meant to be her bedroom—or Liz did, anyway. Hayden's power was growing, but she didn't yet have the concentration to fly someone else around.

It wasn't just old, expensive furniture—the whole house had a kind of order and organization to it that was difficult to put into words.

Despite flying up a cliff, the actual bedroom projected softness and comfort from every surface, a floor filled with stuffed pokémon. There was no bed exactly, but plenty of blankets and cushions everywhere. Even the walls were soft pink, inviting her to try new and interesting variations of gravity, if only Liz was a little stronger.

“Float in our sleep? Could we do that?”

The kitten brushed up against her fingers, curling her long tail briefly along Hayden's wrist. “It feels like I'll… have to. It's hard to breathe in the morning sometimes.”

“Yeah.” She felt it too of course, even when the difficulty wasn't hers. When her daemon struggled, she would too. 

"It's so pink," Eleanor said. She bounced along the cushioned floor, holding her ditto in both arms. Poor Loch would probably melt into cracks in the cushions and never be seen again. "There's no way mew like this. You don't like this, do you Hayden?"

She turned almost as pink as the room, stretching out over the floating desk. "Shaymin house has a mew room for me too. The verticality is… nice. I wonder how warm that water is down there."

"You know that's not what I meant."

But being in Mew House meant that its servants didn't want her to be uncomfortable. Ilene took her by the wrist, guiding her away from the desk. She was so graceful when she flew it made Hayden want to stare. Not just because she was pretty either. Girls weren't allowed to notice.

"It is kept quite comfortable for swimming, but that would be unwise. You must be washed. I believe if you swam first, you would find the next few hours quite uncomfortable. You may already, unfortunately."

As it turned out, she did anyway. The next few hours were exactly the same kind of discomfort she felt every time she stepped into the locker room at the shrine, only much worse.

They took her up an elevator near the surface of the mountain, where real hot springs rose from cracks in the rock. Many servants waited, stripping her of her ceremonial clothing to wash in the harsh water. It didn't matter if they were all female servants, they could all still see her.

They ignored all her protests of discomfort, only slowing down when their ritual was finished, and she was floating in the center of the pool. "Please don't tell me I have to do that again. I feel raw all over."

Ilene had been there the whole time, apparently to supervise. She didn't do any of the gross ritual cleaning stuff on her own. "Unfortunately, there are occasions that require it. The first meeting with your betrothed, as you are presently experiencing. Marriage, the annual Convocation of the Houses. When you are more experienced, you might choose to perform it yourself."

Eleanor sat in the water nearby, entirely relaxed. She had a towel wrapped around herself, right where she had kept it the entire time. Hayden had not been permitted that luxury. "She's saying they don't trust a wild kitten off the street to know what she's doing. Makes some sense."

Hayden groaned, burying her face in the water again. It didn't matter how true her ignorance was, it was still embarrassing. She splashed in Eleanor's direction with one hand, not forceful enough to reach her. "Aren't you worried you're gonna turn into soup? Your daemon's already halfway there."

She shook her head once. Hayden couldn't even see Loch near her, which probably meant he was underwater. Maybe ditto didn't need to breathe. "That isn't how that works. It's relaxing, that's all. I'm a little jealous—he can spread out, get all the gunk out of his insides. But solids can't do that."

Ilene touched one hand on Hayden's shoulder, floating directly above the surface of the water. "You can stay longer if you wish, Lady Hayden. But it might be best to dress. We will not have the privacy of this spring for much longer.

She practically exploded out of the water after that, skin steaming in the cold air. But there were no towels for her, and no one offered one.

Ilene led her to a small building on the surface. She was dry by the time they reached it, ready for white cloth wraps and another dress of the same fabric. At least this one wasn't as long as the kimono, slowing her movement when she wore it.

"Now you're ready," Ilene announced, when they were finished. "You're ready to meet with young Julian in the morning. Take good care of that gown in the meantime."

"Does he have to go through all this… song and dance?" she asked, spinning in a slow circle in the dress. Despite its strange cut, it fit her perfectly without adjustment. This was no secondhand relic, but had been custom made for her. "Or is that part just for me?"

"Just you," Ilene said. "You must be clean to be offered to a new house. The young master is not trying to change his status, you are."

Hayden ground her teeth together in frustration, but didn't argue. It made sense, even if it took away something she might have in common with this mew she was here to meet.

I still need to figure out how to make him like me.

It didn't matter how difficult the process had been until that point, didn't matter how many hoops she jumped through if the mew on the other end of the contract didn't agree.

"You know him, don't you? He was allowed to see you while he grew up, because you're…" She gestured vaguely towards her daemon. He flew with the same effortless quality that Liz did, maybe even more. She hadn't seen him land once, unless it was to be closer to Ilene. "You're one of the few people in the world who do."

She nodded. "Master Julian has been protected from all harm, to avoid the fate of other mythical children, who failed to manifest correctly. Once this mattered less, but the current rulers of our world are all quite old. In many cases, they have children already deceased, or else gone to union with their daemons in the wild. I believe your family is alike in that respect."

Poor Eleanor backed up against the wall, looking like someone had just smacked her. She was the exact thing that Julian's parents were avoiding. "What is he like?" Hayden asked. "Betrothal means… our families want us to get married. But I don't know anything about him, except that he has the same kind of daemon as me."

Ilene led her through the little building, to a dining room and kitchen with an old-fashioned wood stove. There were already pots of hot food there, waiting for them. "That does tell you something. His parents may see him for his continuity and potential power—but it also speaks to his personality. Without fail, every mew I've ever met has been clever, curious, and compassionate. You are reckless, friendly, and possessive. You rarely adhere to any kind of structure, even when it's in your best interest. You're far more likely to take risks for others than you are for yourself."

Her assessment was as vague as any street-peddler offering “foolproof” daemon tests to unsettled children, it was true. Even so, Hayden could admit to some parts of that. It was how she had become a mew in the first place, at least the bit about taking risks.

"Julian is like that?"

She nodded. "So much as his parents allowed him to be. From the moment of his birth, every factor of his life was controlled, so that he would arrive at the destination chosen for him. We were successful—but there is an impact of that life."

"You're thinking like a commoner, Hayden," Eleanor said. She was still subdued, barely looking up in her direction. "It doesn't matter how close you are. Marriage is a contract of finance and loyalty. Meet your obligations, and the rest of your life is yours."

Hers—did that mean she could still see Cody? Maybe the celebi was somewhere in the castle right now, waiting for her to find him. Or maybe he was still in the woods back in Sinnoh. 

But if she failed, she would lose the only position of strength she had with Lady Gracidea. While she was useful to the house, she would be safe, and so would the family. Why can't she be more like Gail?

"What am I supposed to do with him?" she finally asked, when she had finished the small meal. "Walk around an empty house all day?"

Ilene shrugged. "You're young enough that I believe informing you of what you aren't permitted to do would be unnecessary. If I'm wrong, I would remind you that an heir is not permitted or expected at this stage. That comes after your vows. But I do not anticipate any difficulty with either of you on this visit. In a few years time… we will see."

The difficulty for Hayden was not dying of embarrassment. Like she would ever think about that. Boys were gross, and being one most of her life only made her more confident.

The night passed in relative comfort, other than the weight of responsibility looming over her. Despite her complaints, she let Eleanor share the bedroom with her. But when morning came, she wasn't allowed to bring anyone, not servants or guards or any of her possessions, only the clothes they provided for her.

There was no long ride, just a door and Ilene to lead her there. They stepped through, past rippling space and warped time. Then they were beyond, into a comfortable sitting room. Only the view outside wasn't the sea anymore—now there was jungle, with dense trees and misty mountains.

The air was warm and humid, strange for someone who had grown up by the sea. It was also the nicest she had ever felt. Hayden smiled, shaking out her hair so she could feel it better. Liz spun around once, her soft fur rippling in the thick air. "Here we are, the Summer Palace. Master Julian is within. Know that you will be alone here, though many minds will be watching from nearby. If either of you are distressed, this meeting will end prematurely."

"I'll try not to make a fool of myself," she said. "If you're implying I would try and—what, hurt him? I don't just—" She shivered. "People would do that?"

"Not you." Ilene touched her shoulder once. "Your thoughts are known, Lady Hayden. If you were morally deficient as well as undomesticated, you would not be considered. But ancient custom requires I say so. It is… also to reassure you that you won't be harmed. We will listen for your distress as well as his. You are not in danger."

Except that if I fail, Lady Gracidea won't have any use for me, and there's no way to say what she'll do. I might just go missing and never be heard from again.

"You aren't in danger from Mew House," Ilene said, as though she had overheard her thoughts. "What happens outside these walls is another matter." She squeezed Hayden's hand once. Her grip was cold, almost metallic—but the intention was clear enough. "You will do fine, Lady Hayden. For the sake of both houses."

"If—if I do," she said. "You don't have to keep using my title. My name is just Hayden. And my friends usually call me Hadie."

Ilene retreated towards the open doorway. "Good luck then, Hadie. I will see you at sunset." She vanished through the doors. They kept swinging open behind her, revealing only an empty hallway. The jirachi had teleported away. 

Hayden was alone with another mew, and would be through the entire day.