The Silence Between Constellations

Edelgard stood in front of the mirror, trying to look as presentable as possible. She honestly had never expected this day to come as she was seen as a bastard by the Magisterium. She had never expected to marry in general. But she'd been engaged to marry the heir of House Blaeric which stood in stark opposition to House Vaelor in so many ways. She really had no idea what to do or what to expect from her betrothed. Would he be stuffy and have his head up his as s like so many other Great House heirs or would he be more like her friend Weiss who was genial and upbeat? Most Great House heirs tended to fall into the former category. Unfortunately, so many in the Magisterium saw marriage as little more than breeding contracts and she doubted this arrangement would be any different. A knock on the door made her sigh. Hubert. She left the mirror and opened the door. He wore his usual black, trimmed with white and gold. She smoothed her blouse one more time which earned a faint smile from him. "You look fine, Lady Edelgard. I promise." "There aresomany wrinkles in this…" Unfortunately, wrinkle removal wasn't something Lunebinding could do. Plus, it wasn't exactly a good skill to invest in. It was seen as beneath her to do her own clothing when it came to washing them. The Bound did it all for them; Great House heirs didn't need to do anything themselves at least when it came to menial labor. She was seen as a bastard by the Magisterium and got plenty of gossip but she didn't care; her father, Juliane the rest of the Vaelor women, and her siblings loved her which was what mattered to her. Well. Helga, Magda. and Gete didn't love her, but only her father loved those two-faced bitches. "Let's go." Hubert smiled at her and she gave a reluctant nod as she wrapped her arms around his. They left her room behind and headed toward the grand ball room where people twirled and whirled to the orchestra that played rousing tunes. The happy music clanged against her frayed anxiety. Pretty much everyone bather was here to have a good time. If there was one thing Great Houses loved, it was frivolous parties. She frankly tired of the stupid, meaningless reasons to celebrate when there were far better things she could be doing like helping the Bound or trying to get orders like the Obsidian Oath outlawed. Unwoven. What a disgusting concept. But with her being a bastard, she only had so much leverage unfortunately. The herald blared her trumpet and announced their arrival. The music died down. People stared. Edelgard swallowed hard but put a smile on her face. She hated all of this so much. All of the glamor,the smiles. the warmth… All of it was fake and she knew it. She was a bastard in their eyes and few actually cared about her. Hubert did, of course, as did Weiss, but her best friend was on a prolonged assignment to Elodria to help the Emberfang Legion order its documents. She had her family and that was it. The people here were here to play politics above all else. Few were interested in her or her marriage. She desperately missed Weiss, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Hubert guided her down the staircase and to an elevated seating area. Two distinct sets had been set up with two chairs bridging the areas. One area for House Vaelor and one for House Blaeric. In one of the chairs sat a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. His hair was mostly slicked back with the bottom wrapped in a ribbon. It was nowhere near as long as hers, but decently long for a male in a Great House; most had very short hair. Once at her chair, Hubert bowed gracefully and allowed her to sit, then he stood behind her. He was her ever-faithful steward. She could sometimes be socially reckless. so his presence was a reminder to her that she needed to not be so rash and impulsive. Not that it always worked. She put one knee over the other, then placed her hands on top of her knees. This was her first time ever meeting Dimitri. Of course, she knew all about House Blaeric and their nepotistic military practices. No doubt Dimitri had undergone a lot of military training, but she sincerely doubted whatever rank he held he had earned. Especially if he was magically powerful. She didn't doubt it, though, as House Blaeric would be the type to send any Unwoven children to the Obsidian Oath to cover up the embarrassment of non-mage children in such a magically powerful family. Her fiance glanced at her and, she held his gaze steadily. His blue eyes were unreadable as was his expression. She scowled a bit, but then realised House Vaelor were the unusual ones. A lot of Great Houses schooled their heirs to be relatively emotionless at least in public. House Schnee was no different in a lot of regards. Weiss, Winter, and the rest of the siblings were polite in public without being too close to others. The only reason Edelgard was so close to Weiss was because House Vaelor and House Schnee had been allied for generations. Edelgard’s paternal grandmother had married into House Schnee, making her too closely related to Weiss for a marriage contract despite the fact they got on so well. A Lunebinder and Liminal Mage would make for a powerful alliance, but they didn’t want such close family members having children. He extended a hand to her with a smile—it didn't reach his eyes, though. No Great House heir ever had a real smile at events like this. Everything was cold when it came to Great Houses playing politics. "Good evening, Lady Vaelor. Would you like to dance?" The smile remained and his tone was polite. However, it was clearly just carefully rehearsed scripts.Her frown remained etched on her face. "Would Iliketo? Not in theslightest. But will I due to social obligation? Yes." She sighed. He raised an eyebrow. Honesty like this was rare at social functions. But it would be a good test to see if he could handle her. She was seen as socially reckless by most; she saw it as valuing authenticity instead of the meaningless drivel, politicking, and backstabbing that the Great Houses loved to indulge in at these hollow parties. If they were to be married, he wouldhaveto get used to how she acted. She wasnotgoing to bend over and allow herself to be censored or intimidated by him. She knew her place, yen if others didn't treat her like it. His polite smile lessened as he looked at her. "You're just as bold as I've heard about." He didn't give away much more than that. Yes, she was quite bold; she had to be in order to get people to listen to her. Monogamous pairs all thought she was a bastard and tried to put her in her perceived place. She wouldn't bend the knee to them, though; she was every bit as legitimate as they were. "Still, we ought to dance." She sighed and took his gloved hand. "I suppose we should." She didn't want to, but there wasn't much choice. Marriages were often little more than breeding contracts. She knew some Great House marriages were formed in love. Most weren't, though, and this one was no different. As they took their place on the floor, Dimitri took the lead position and she fell to follow. However, she inclined her head to look at him. He towered over her. It was more than a little intimidating,but Tobias, her older brother. was about as tall as Dimitri was. She loved Tobias with everything that she was and hoped Dimitri would at least treat her respectfully. "Hey." He looked down at her and blinked. "Yes, Lady Vaelor? "His tone remained calm and polite. "Donotexpect me to rollover and be a submissive wife. Despite how the Magisterium may see me, Iama full member of House Vaelor. I'm treated just as well as Tobias and Silvester are. I'm just sagsaying upfront I'm not going to be quiet and agree with you on everything. If I want to speak my mind, I will. I want to be yourequal, not some pretty bauble that sits around. Is that clear?" Her purple eyes bored into his blue ones. Despite her vehemence, he didn't flinch. His expression and body language remained unreadable. "As crystal." Histone didn't give anything away either. Her annoyance spiked. but she didn't show it… "And if youdareraise a hand to me, wewillincite war with House Blaeric.” It had been generations since the last war between the Great Houses, but her familywould notallow her to be harmed. His expression turned appalled. "I wouldneverraise my hand against somebody likethat.I know we may never feel for each other as my fathers do, but I wouldneverharm another in such a way." His whole body tensed against hers, his grip tightening as well. His tone held nothing but disgust. Well, that was a genuine response if she had ever experienced one. Unfortunately, she had heard horror stories of young women being treated in such a way, so she wanted to make sure he knew she-and her house-wouldn't stand for it. She nodded. "Good. Glad we have that mutual understanding. Now, would you like to discuss something a little lighter? "They were supposed to be getting to know each other rather than be at each other's throats. She just wanted him to know any behavior like that would causemajorissues should he want to pursue that line of action. "Well, what do you do? Are you idle or do you have a job?" He raised his arm and she twirled under it, keeping rhythm with the orchestra. "Tobias, my eldest brother, takes care of most of House Vaelor's day-to-day workings. What I do depends. I travel a lot. I'm sure you know of House Vaelor's reputation for diplomacy and helping with the fields and such. Those duties fall to the younger children while the elders run the house itself." Being nine of eleven definitely did have its perks, though being born of a consort didn't often. But she was used to being treated as lesser by this point. Honestly, her arrangement to Dimitri had been a shock since it was usually only the children born to the legal wife that got married to other Great Houses. Her ilk may only be married in the Arcanum, may be the Arcane Order if they were magically powerful enough. Usually not the Magisterium, though. He nodded. "Quite aware, though I never knew how it all functioned. I've heard rumors about House Vaelor, but I'm uncertain how many are true." He was treading carefully and she could tell. It would be one thing if they were meeting casually at a party; it was another when they would be wed in a few months. Dealing with a future spouse and pissing her off would be unwise…especially after she had just threatened inter-House war. Nytheris had been peaceful for a few centuries while one of its neighbors, Uln Dareth, warred with itself after a mass slave uprising. "Yes, the oldest or the children of the legal wife handle most domestic matters while the consort children do most of the diplomatic work. What other rumors have you heard?" Gossip was unfortunately rife about House Vaelor. Its non-standard way of living attracted all sorts of negative thoughts. "I've heard you deal with Void Worshipers and are prone to listening to it." Her hackles raised, but she didn't lash out. He was only repeating what he'd heard. It was hard to not be offended sometimes,though. "We do deal with Void Worshipers; that much is true. But my family still worships the Arcanum Lords." She had dealt with Void Worshipers on more than one occasion. "Not all orders are like the Phantom Brigade, the Unshackled Chorus, or the Hungering Veil, though. There are less extreme sects like the Silent Veil and the Eclipse Walkers. I don't think every faction of Void Worshipers needs to be stamped out." He looked aghast and she could hardly blame him. This sort of thinking was borderline heresy. Void worship was banned in Nytheris, but it didn't stop people from doing it. People could and would find their way to Void worship even if it was seen as traitorous to the Magisterium. He gave her a terse look. "That's borderline heresy! You could get—” "Executed? In House Vaelor's case, His and Her Majesty look they have somebody help with the less extreme factions. I've also the other way. They know they can't fully get rid of Void worshipers, so done a little bit of work with the Veilbound Order of the Twilight Weave, also known as the Brannen sect." She looked at Dimitri. "Those you call heretics are all people too. They have wants and needs, families and friends. There are reasons people join even the most extreme factions." Dimitri was silent for a while, his moves fluid though it was clear it was only his years of training that kept him going, "Well, what doyoudo, Lord Blaeric?" It was only fair in her mind. He had asked her, so she didn't see why she couldn't ask in return. If they were going to be equals, she needed to be able to ask him things. "I'm a general in training under my fathers to help the Emberfang Legion against the Phantom Brigade.” Ah, so she was right about the nepotism. The Phantom Brigade was a danger to Nytheris, no doubt, but she understood why he hated Void worshipers so much now. This would with marginalised, illegal groups that struggled on the fringes and definitely be an interesting arrangement. Someone who actively worked someone who fought against those same groups, seeking their destruction. They would no doubt clash quite a bit with how at odds their ideologies were. “I see. I will admit I'm not one much for combat or fighting. There is a time and a place for it, though. The Phantom Brigade is one of those times in my opinion. Idobelive it is self-defense on Nytheris' part and that the Emberfang are in the right. But those are stillpeopleyou’re killing. They have and hopes and dreams, friends and family.”S he doubted her little speech would get through to Dimitri, unfortunately. He had been taught all Void worshipers were evil like most Nytheri had been... or, at least those that knew about Void worshippers. There was no room for nuance as far as most Nytheri were concerned. "Well, if we're to be wed, you'll need to understand combat and military strategy if you want to be my equal. House Blaeric expects that even of its women. My sisters have been trained as I have, though for orders other than the Emberfang Legion. My youngest sister will head strategy for those despots in the Obsidian Oath one day." It took every ounce of self-control for Edelgard to not slap Dimitri and cause a scene. She had to remember most Great Houses thought that way. House Vaelor was the odd one out. All life was sacred in House Vaelor's eyes, from the smallest seed to the mightiest oak tree to the lowest of Bound and Unwoven.Alllife had value as far as House Vaelor was concerned. "That goes against what House Vaelor believes in. Do you know why we of all people were arranged to be married?" She still hadn't gotten a straight answer from her father. He would have needed to approve it in the end. This was so unusual the children of House Vaelor's consorts rarely married into other Great Houses. Therehadto be a reason her father had agreed to-his. But why… She still didn't know. He frowned. "Blackmail." She stared. "What?" "Your father was blackmailed into accepting. From what I heard, your mother gave up family secrets...unwillingly by an associate of my family’s. You’re an impressive Lunebinder, Lady Vaelor, and one of my father wanted that to strengthen House Blaeric for generations to come. Edelgard frowned at that. Blackmail, kidnapping, and torture of an innocent woman? "I expected better of House Blaeric." It had a reputation for protecting Nytheris, not harming its citizens. It was highly regarded across the whole country for its code of honor. She never would have expected a Lord of House Blaeric to act ike that. Then she remembered. "House Morvayne." It was known for its ruthless, underhanded tactics… and it was the house one of Dimitri's fathers originated from. It was known for its ruthlessness and use of any means necessary. If someone from House Morvayne wanted something, they would use whatever means they could to obtain it. Even if it meant capturing and torturing people. Apparently some habits didn't die easily. Nothing good ever came from Morvayne was a common saying among Great Houses. Few wanted anything to do with them ,but they forced their way into Great House politics and issues like this. She knew Lunebinding wasn't the most common form of magic, so it made sense that House Blaeric would want to add House Vaelor to its own heritage. Add in House Morvayne’s tenacity to get what it wanted... No wonder her mother had ended up a victim in this case. "What are your thoughts on how this was handled?" A subtle character test wouldn't be remiss here in her opinion. He pursed his lips together, no doubt sensing what she was doing. Quiet fell between them, him leading her the entire time. "It was handled in a sub-optimal way," came his concession. Well, that was one way to put it. She got the sense he aligned far more with House Blaeric than Morvayne which was good. She absolutely would raise a ruckus if he shared House Morvayne’s sense of morality. Then again, based on his strong reaction to what she'd said earlier about him abusing her... House Morvayne would doanythingincluding hurting others. If he reacted that strongly. hopefully it spoke volumes about his character. Or so she hoped. "And I doubt there were any apologies to Anselma." To the outside observer, Edelgard knew her lack of concern for the woman who had carried and birthed her probably seemed cold and callous. She had had no contact with her since around eight years old. Anselma had left because she got too jealous of House Vaelor's other women. It wasn't healthy for anybody, so Anselma left of her own volition. It had hurt at the time but it was so far removed at this point that it barely made her flinch. With the love the other ad or women 1bar Helga I had given her, it had made the transition far easier. He shook his head. "Father Cassian doesn't apologise." He tried to hide it, but she could sense anger and bitterness buried there. Most would miss it, but she didn't. She had traveled a lot and worked with many marginalised people. They tried to hide their anger at the system, but it was difficult with how hurt they were by the Magisterium. She didn't agree with the persecution of all Void worshipers. Factions like the Phantom Brigade did need to be stamped out due to the dangers they posed in general. But ones like the Veilbound Order and the Silent Veil didn't go out of their way to harm others. House Vaelor was one of the few outsiders Void worshipers trusted to give them voice outside of their own people. She had no idea if she could change Dimitri's mind or not. Patience. She was definitely getting ahead of herself. "Of course he doesn't. House Morvayne doesn't apologise for anything.” She shook her head. Nothing good ever came from Morvayne as far as the other Great Houses were concerned. Dimitri was only half Morvayne, though, and had been raised in House Blaeric. She hoped and prayed to Selyra that Blaeric's reputation for protection and morality won out against Morvayne's ruthlessness. "If you see your mother again, send her my apologies." His tone and expression were genuine. Well, that did give her hope he valued House Blaeric's morals over House Morvayne’s. She gave a mirthless smile. "I haven't seen her since I was a kid." Her father had made it clear Anselma was welcome back in House Vaelor to visit Eldelgard, but she had opted to cut ties. Anselma simply hadn't been good at sharing Ionius and was prone to jealousy which wasn't healthy for anyone. For everyone's sakes, it had just been easier for Anselma to fully cut ties. Edelgard barely missed her now that it had been so long. The woman had notdeserved to be captured and tortured, though. Torture was abhorrent and should never have been allowed, let alone used. Why Nytheris still allowed it, she didn’t understand. At least it wasn’t like Uln Dareth that allowed slavery.. Disgusting. "I'm sorry, though I've never known a mother's love for obvious reasons." He looked away. "Would you like some refreshments?" She could see he was trying to get away from the topic. "I am a bit parched," she admitted. He nodded and spun with her off to the side. He didn't drop her hand. She looked at him, eyebrow cocked. His cheeks flushed as he hurriedly dropped her hand. "My apologies. Lady Vaelor. Would you like me to escort you to the refreshment table?" He bowed and offered his hand in a courtly manner. She had to suppress her annoyance. He was doing as he had been taught. "I suppose." She placed her hand in his and he offered her a brilliant but fake smile. She hated all of this proffering and posturing. Why did people have to be so fake in public? They were supposed to be getting to know each other, but it was hard when all eyes were on them and there were lines they shouldn't cross. All of this was maddening to her when House Vaelor valued authenticity above all else. They walked to the refreshment table where numerous types of food and sweets along with drinks were laid out for people to take as they wished. A large section had various fruit wines that made her cringe. She needed to keep her wits about her around Dimitri. Not that she thought he would do anything to her, but she needed to learn as much about him as she could. "Would you like something to drink?" He motioned to the various wines. "Not of that variety." She squeezed his hand and went over to a small fountain that had blackberries and raspberries floating in it. She grabbed a glass and filled it with punch. Dimitri dropped her hand and flagged down a servant who brought some sort of wine. Apparently, he didn't have the same misgivings she did. All she hoped was he didn't have a propensity for over imbibing. She would have to watch him closely to make sure he didn't. Shewouldbreak things off if she thought he would overindulge, blackmail and social consequences be damned. "Well, you don't have to if you don't want to. I could ersonally stand to loosen up a little, though. Father as she picked up a glass and filled it with punch from theAlcyon paid good money for tonight's wines." He smiled at her fountain. She sniffed it cautiously. It was supposed to be clean of alcohol, but that didn't mean people wouldn't spike it to 'help' other guests loosen up. A small taste revealed it to be unspoiled, so she drank half of it before putting her glass under it to refill. It was incredibly refreshing ad midst the heat of all the bodies and summer. He took a sip from his goblet while she sipped at her unch. Someone had used magic to significantly cool the temperature which really made it feel extra refreshing. "I know House Vaelor generally specialises in Lunebinding, but are you devout to Selyra?" Dimitri asked. He swirled his wine around in his goblet and she searched his face. She didn't detect any ill intentions there. He seemed to just be trying to make conversation with her on a topic that hopefully wouldn't spark high emotion. She mirrored his motion, swirling her punch. "I'm not particularly devout to any of the Arcanum Lords. House Vaelor doesn't demand its members to worship if they don't want to." She shrugged. Some of her siblings and mothers were truly devout. Religion wasn't something that interested her. "I don't worship the Void, though, if you're wondering." His lips formed a thin line. She had essentially read his thoughts which made her smile faintly. "I would suggest talking to Her Highness, Princess Penny, or Her Excellency if you want to speak to Selyra adherents," she suggested. "I know Her Highness, though not well. Have you met Her Highness?" She shook her head. "No. House Vaelor is too….out of sorts for House Polen dina to want to deal with directly most of the time. They depend on us to work with the less extreme sects of Void worshipers, but they rarely talk to us directly. It's mostly done through messengers and emissaries in clandestine ways." It was so frustrating to everyone in House Vaelor. Edelgard especially hated it. The king and queen were hypocrites in her mind. They hated Void worshipers like most Nytheri then turned around and openly denounced them, then turned around and used the so-called bastard children of House Vaelor to sneak around and keep the peace between less extreme sects. "I see. It's hard for me to conceive of that as His and Her Excellency depend on House Blaeric so much. We're one of Nytheris' most important military families." He shifted a bit under her gaze which had hardened. She was more than aware of House Blaeric's reputation. "Do you attend any chapel or cathedral regularly?" He took a sip from his goblet. He was definitely floundering. Maybe the alcohol had loosened him up a little too much. "Well, not every Great House is Blaeric." She took a sip from her punch. It was hard to hold any sort of meaningful conversation when they were dancing around things so much. She wanted deep conversation, not…this.She hated how polite and distant Great Houses were with each other. She took another sip from her glass. "Do you enjoy it, this stupid dance of distance, fake politeness, and inauthenticity?" She wasn't usually at events such as this due to being away so much. She hated whenever she was forced into these events since everything was dead and decrepit beneath the sparkles and glamor. His eyebrows raised and he looked at her. "Is that what you think of this all, of Great House culture?" A genuine question without judgement. It definitely surprised her" She looked down at her glass, swirling the punch inside,before nodding. "I've seen how Great Houses treat those they consider lesser. From the Bound and Unwoven to those suffering mental and physical ailments… All of this—" She motioned. "—comes at the expense of those people. We are all people, human and Faunus alike. We all return to the planet where the worms feed on us and we all bleed scarlet. The Magisterium is built on the backs of those seen as unequal, though Xyphos and the Echoed Plane makes us all the same in the end. "That's because theyare. Magic makes us better than them. It's a gift from the Arcanum Lords. Why shouldn't we use it to better ourselves?" Edelgard sighed heavily. "What?" She swirled her punch and sipped again. "Typical Great House rhetoric. Always disappointing to hear the lack of nuance in your worldview." She wasn't sure if he would change or if they'd be at each other's throats over fundamental differences in worldview. She hoped the latter wouldn't be the case. He did seem nice enough, though very much a product of his environment. Great Houses really did have a way of making good people believe truly vile things. Dimitri's expression turned neutral to the point even she couldn't read him. She was learning a lot about him whether he liked it or not. "Would you like a cake or something?" he asked politely. His tone was a lot more careful and controlled. He was pulling back and being distant. She had struck a spot for him apparently. It wasn't her fault that he was narrow-minded bigot that only served to reinforce awful systems that oppressed people. She shook her head and sipped her punch. "No thank you." There was a time and a place for everything and continuing to push here would do no good. "I wish you a good evening, then. Good evening, Lady Vaelor." He gave a polite dip of his head and left. Well, that was a dismissal if she'd ever heard one. So she went to find Hubert and spent the rest of the night with him as best she could. Dimitri spent time close to her, but never spoke to her again. They hadn't much choice to be close together with the seating arrangements, but neither spoke to the other again for the rest of the night.