Chapter 41

Life in Mew House was as different from the Shaymin of Sinnoh as those shaymins were from her parents. Maybe the differences came from the region, since shaymin and eevee alike had strict views about how she should be raised, and rigid structure imposed on how she spent her time. In one, that meant sweeping floors, while in the other it represented endless hours spent in a shrine, or else memorizing the purpose of each fork on a formal table, or how to check the accounting numbers given in the family's books.

Neither the eevee nor the shaymin could keep total control of her and keep her from wandering occasionally. But those moments of escape—into the alleys of Sunyshore, or out into the forest to visit the wild shaymin—were cherished exceptions.

Whatever the reason, Mew House became an instant, dramatic departure. Her first full day had no formal summons, no schedule, and no orders. She went to the kitchen when she was hungry, and wandered the mansion when she wasn't.

That didn't mean she was suddenly without responsibilities, of course. Her success represented an opportunity she would definitely not waste. News of the Eldest's decision would probably reach Constantine before any letters or contracts from him.

Before they sent that message, there was time to include something from her along with the dense legal sprawl. Her hand shook while she wrote some of it, filling the page with obvious lies and political maneuvering. So, she levitated the pen instead, and that helped.

"Mother,

When you read this, your spies and informants will already have shared the good news. I will confirm what you may've heard, and what Mew House will send with this letter.

My betrothal to Master Julian is official. The family requests my hand in marriage and my fidelity in bearing Julian mew heirs to the household. You can imagine how thrilled I am at this opportunity. Many young women of much better breeding or higher standing would sacrifice anything to have what Liz and I have received.

I'm told this means much closer ties between Mew House and our own—through me, they'll soon be bound together in adoption and blood. I'm sure this will mean significant opportunities for the family. I am grateful one as lowly as myself may serve such a useful end.

Lord Moonstone demands my presence here until spring, so I will not have the opportunity to see you again in our home for many months. I know I am entitled to nothing, so instead I beg only that those I love be cared for in my absence.

My detachment of Shaymin House guards will remain to protect me during this time. With your permission, Eleanor would like to remain with me as my handmaid. Her knowledge and experience would make it easier for me to protect family interests.

In all things I am obedient to Shaymin House. Steward Ilene tells me I will next see you at the Sacred Convocation of the Spring Equinox unless you elect to visit me sooner.

With Love,

Hayden and Ahuiliztli of House Shaymin

She shoved the finished pages over the desk towards Ilene for the third or fourth time. Even sitting on her legs, she couldn't quite suppress her nervous energy. "How about that one?"

The jirachi squinted over her letter, flipping from one sheet to another. She gestured at it a few times, as though brushing dust away from the pages. When she did, whole words vanished completely, replaced with new ones in a perfect imitation of her own handwriting.

Hayden couldn't see what changed from across the table, but she also didn't care. If she could trust anyone at all to write a better, more official-sounding letter, it was the steward of the most important house in the world.

"I believe this will suffice," she said, after a few last seconds examining it. "Of course, there are obvious signs that its author is ignorant to the ways of the great houses. But part of me believes she would reject the letter outright if it was otherwise. You will not become another kitten after a few nights with us and a few sips of Ambrosia."

Hayden nodded gratefully. She started floating up out of her seat, then caught herself, and floated back down. "Would it be okay if I wrote to… someone else?"

She glanced nervously away from her desk, over to where Eleanor and Loch played with the many stuffed toys they had found waiting for them here. "I’m not… convinced my letters always made it through."

Ilene folded her first letter into a neat envelope, then sealed it shut with wax. She shaped the molten pink stuff with her powers, somehow forming an intricate seal without a stamp. "There is almost nothing you cannot do now, Lady Hayden. There are some courses you should avoid, but few I can prevent. Who would you wish to inform?"

"My… family." She landed on her feet, without settling any weight on them. After her meeting with the Eldest, she felt decreasingly inclined to bother with gravity anymore. After a few hours floating on her own, even the much-reduced powers of a human mind were strong enough.

"My real family, my eevee family. They’re… tailors, in the city of Sunyshore." Even Lady Gracidea respected this creature—many others feared her. Hayden’s feelings had already transformed to something else, trust. “I want to help them somehow. I’m not sure Lady Gracidea will take very good care of them.”

Ilene acted as though she had said nothing else. She went through the motions of sealing the envelope, then settled fresh paper in front of Hayden and replaced the pen.

"If you’d like to write more, Hayden—feel free. I can bring you more paper if this is insufficient." But she barely even heard those words, because the girl spoke directly into her mind at almost the same moment. “If your common family live in Shaymin territory, they are a liability that could be turned against you. Have you considered relocating them?”

She took the pen, spinning it between her fingers. But Hayden’s best acting couldn’t come anywhere close to Ilene’s. She still made eye-contact even with telepathy, and kept glancing back to be sure that Ilene was listening.

“They own a shop in Sunyshore. They’ve been building it for a really long time—way longer than I’ve been alive. And I guess now it’s a little souvenir shop too—everyone wants to see where the ‘miracle boy’ came from.”

She didn’t mention the statue, but with telepathy she didn’t exactly have to. Images crossed as easily as words.

If Hayden’s past was news to Ilene, she concealed that as effectively as every other moment. Hayden’s cheeks still felt warm in her embarrassment, along with a handful of newer reactions.

But the ears were brand new, still startling her every time they moved. They tilted backward, then pressed almost flat, vanishing into her hair. Except they were still there, warm, and delicate against pink hair. Just like Liz’s, only bigger.

“This is more reason for serious consideration. Your enemies will not need to perform careful research to discover your weaknesses. Your loved ones broadcast it. This situation requires serious intervention—more than I could provide. I suggest we speak to Lady Moonstone immediately. I am often given cause to admire her shrewdness even when resolving delicate matters.”

Hayden took the pen and started scribbling. She wasn’t really watching the words, or paying enough attention to stop the ink from bleeding from the tip of her pen. Even the pens were fancy in Mew House.

Evidently her act wasn’t that convincing. Eleanor rose from her place amid the toys, scattering half a dozen of them. Her appearance changed as she moved, her hair graying and her eyes somehow getting—wider?

"Is my mistress in distress?" she asked, almost matching Ilene’s emotionless tone. This wasn’t some shallow parody—Hayden felt the struggle behind every word. Suddenly there was pressure there, barely contained.

"I’m fine," she lied, unconvincing. "I didn’t know you could do espurr."

"Neither did we," Eleanor said. She caught Loch off the ground, then settled the little cat on her shoulder. "Apparently they’re a popular choice for servants of Mew House. We would match you better this way."

Hayden had a sudden vision of what it might be like to play along with that game, becoming Eleanor’s twin and joining the mew house serving staff until someone noticed her missing. From that perspective, who knew what interesting things she might learn about how the house really operated?

She banished the idea before she could start to consider it, and maybe get herself into trouble. "It would be more interesting if you copied me. Maybe as a mew you and Loch could visit the young master with me. Then you’d see why I…" She trailed off awkwardly, ringing her hands together.

Technically speaking, she had no idea what requirements the family made for visitors. For all she knew, even a ditto copying her would be kept away from the heir. Betrothal didn’t mean she could decide who got to meet him.

"You think the lady of the house could help?" she finally managed to ask. But with Eleanor a psychic type, she followed Hayden’s eyes, glancing between them.

Just looking like one of them didn’t give her the power to break the connection between two legendary pokémon and overhear, thankfully.

"Much better than I could. I have no doubt I could deliver your letter to its intended recipients. But this contact would only serve to highlight their vulnerability to those who might use it against you. Your letter would be a clarion call to your weakness. If possible, I suggest you refrain.

She floated towards Eleanor, close enough to brush up against her arm. "I’ve already written to them from Shaymin House before."

"You weren’t betrothed to the heir of the Johto Mews until yesterday. Many likely assumed you were another pretender, possibly even your ‘handmaid’ in a new guise. Her failure to settle correctly was already known. This was what I suspected until we met. If you are wise, you will react while you can."

Wise? Hayden didn’t feel wise, she felt like a kid! One who was even more likely to drown than when she swam in Julian’s pool. But she nodded along anyway.

"I will arrange a meeting. I believe the mistress enjoyed her last encounter. She will expect you to come to her with questions about her son. No one would suspect you have other motives."

Ilene bowed, then vanished, taking the finished letter with her.

For a few seconds Eleanor stood still, staring at the empty place. Was she waiting for Ilene to pop back? "How long have you two been doing that? Talking when I’m not around?"

"Uh…" Hayden glanced down at the kitten in her lap, then tucked her away into her shirt. She could hide the daemon’s reaction, but not her own. Those stupid ears again! How was anyone supposed to hide things as a cat? "A lot. I thought it was normal."

Eleanor pulled over the other chair, then slumped in. She relaxed her body as well as her posture, stretching back out again. Her hair turned purple, and flowed down her back in that damp, increasingly familiar mess. "I don’t think anything is normal with you. Weren’t you a pokémon last night?"

She blushed even brighter if that were possible. “I think so. These stupid ears didn’t just appear from nowhere." She reached up into her hair, forcing them to open again. "Liz could teach you. It’s pretty easy once you get the trick."

"Won’t work unless we’re psychic types. Probably worth picking up while we’re here if we’re gonna be your handmaid. Would be nice to talk without people listening in."

Eleanor squeezed in closer, onto the same chair Hayden was using. That wasn’t hard to do when she could push Hayden up and sideways and not have to lift her weight.

"You seem calmer than I expected for a girl who just got betrothed against her will. What happened to that whole conversation about not liking boys?"

If her “handmaid” was going to make her uncomfortable, two could play at that game! Liz focused on her and Loch, lifting them free of gravity as smoothly as Hayden. The ditto bunched up into a ball almost instantly, a near sphere of goo hovering beside his human.

Eleanor’s hair clung to her back, stubbornly defiant of the change. She caught the table, tightening her grip. "What was that again?"

"You don’t like boys," Eleanor repeated, stubborn. "So how are you going to give one an heir? Probably more than one—read the fine print. Has to be a boy."

Hayden shrunk down abruptly, so sudden that all four of them dropped out of the air. Her fur turned brown; her ears got so big they could no longer vanish into her hair. She pulled both legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them.

"I’m not thinking about that right now, and you can’t make me. There’s plenty of good parts."

Eleanor landed with a wet smack. She stretched a little too much on impact, bending slightly backwards in ways that Hayden couldn’t exactly explain. Even so, she recovered surprisingly quickly, settling Hayden into her lap. That came easier when she’d given up a foot of height.

"Guess he’s about that age, huh? So maybe the heir won’t be worried about picking out how many eggs you’ll have together yet. Don’t forget what this means."

"I didn’t." She closed her eyes, squeezing up tighter. "I’ve met worse boys before."