Eirian felt strangely buoyed and heavy after her conversation with Chenzhou. It seemed they were on the same page about enough that their future promised to be somewhat smooth, and Eirian found she didn't mind the idea of raising children with him as terrifying as she had previously.
She already liked Min's children, who were well behaved(ish) and bright, and adored Brendan. Eirian's own childhood had been terribly lonely when Eric and her cousins were around, or her father was mad at his brother and refused to let her out of the manor.
Chenzhou would never do that.
Maybe that was why she was comfortable with the idea now. Chenzhou was nothing like Francis; he wouldn't raise his children the way Francis had raised Eirian. Chenzhou wanted a partner; he'd been saying it since the beginning, long before Eirian actually believed anything he said.
She made her way through the quiet hospital and to the house of healing private wing, where bodies were kept until their families came to claim them. She'd worn an extra cloak and scarf, as the area was kept extremely cold to help preserve the bodies.
The guards let her in without question. Though it wasn't expected that anyone would try to steal bodies, Chenzhou thought it sent the right message to the families that they were being guarded even in death. That the Camelia still recognized their sacrifice. It was a demonstration of how well he knew his people, as most guards volunteered for their shifts there and even took on extra shifts.
There were still a dozen bodies left to be collected from the war. Those who'd managed to survive the journey home but had died not long after from their wounds despite the effort of the healers.
Eirian made her way through the beds and the bodies wrapped tightly in white fabric and herbs. The chill and the herbs fought off the smell of decay, but there was still an air of death to the place.
Eirian shivered as she made her way to the back, where Finn, Min, and Sam's bodies lay at rest.
This was her first time visiting, though she knew Chenzhou had. Mingzhe still felt too guilty. Had actually siezed up and started to shake the one time Chenzhou had offered to go with him.
Eirian had been furious. Not at Mingzhe, but at whoever had done this to all of them. Who'd killed Finn and two good people who deserved better.
She pulled a stool over the side of Finn's bed and sat down.
His features were impossible to make out through the layers and layers of fabric and herbs. But the maids had shown his family crest on a stunning red velvet blanket with golden thread. Inlaid with rubies, it was a stunning piece that wouldn't have been out of place in the Vermeer's own collection. They'd sewn similar for Min and Sam, which Eirian and Chenzhou had decided to keep as an inheritance for their children after their funerals. Finn's sisters would be given his blanket before they left.
She straightened the edge of the blanket, careful not to touch the body itself. Any contact was forbidden, as oils from the touch of the living could damage the body despite its protections.
He looked so small in death, even though rationally she knew he was the same size he'd been in life.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to visit." Her voice was rough; it broke in places as she tried to find the words for Finn that she'd never managed to find in life. "You were right about the tunnels. Yuze and Kai Low are looking into them. I'm sure they'll find something. You were always more clever than you realized. Then anyone realized. Your family were fools to think so little of you. I'll tell your sisters to their faces when they arrive." A bit of anger leaked into her voice then. She was going to enjoy telling off at least some of the Vermeers. "I'll tell off the rest of them the next time I visit Eric." She promised. "Although you're too nice to be happy about that. Silly boy. It's hard to believe you came from a noble family." She sighed. "You're missing all the drama. Yuze and Kai Low are together, but they think no one knows. Well, Yuze thinks no one knows. Kai Low just doesn't think at all, it seems. Who knows what they think they're doing, but you'd probably enjoy the show. We're still looking for Emmy and Patrick, but I promise we'll take care of them once they return. And Brendan is…recovering. He'll live a long and happy life thanks to you and Min and Sam." She glanced at their bodies with a sad smile. "They'll be celebrated too, I promise. Chenzhou and I are going to raise their children alongside Brendan. So they'll all stay together. That's good, right? They'd have been better with you around to be their big brother, but at least they got to have you for a little while." She fell silent then and had to swallow several times before she could speak again. She changed the subject to stop herself from growing too overwhelmed. "We're getting closer to figuring out what's going on here. It's more than just the thefts from the Vault and the miasma. Well, they're connected anyway. It's probably the same person or people. At this point, it's probably half the court allied against Chenzhou." She sighed, disgusted. "We're narrowing it down, but it's difficult to find evidence. It started generations ago, so unless we find a written confession, it's unlikely we'll ever be able to prove they were responsible for the poison. But we'll be able to bring them down for what they're trying to do to Mingzhe. It's getting bad. I think Mingzhe is losing hope. I'm worried he's going to do something stupid, and it makes me want to do something impulsive and probably just as stupid to stop him. I think Chenzhou's starting to come around to it to. He did something he wasn't supposed to, but he won't tell me what. I think he's trying to help, but it's dangerous. This has turned into something much bigger and more dangerous than we ever expected." She paused and gathered her thoughts. "Eric is not having an easy time either. I introduced him to Mignzhe's sister. She'll make a good queen, but my father is still causing problems. Somehow, he's talked his way onto some oversight council, and he keeps trying to block everything Eric is trying to do. He hasn't managed anything real, but it's enough to make trouble. I wish I could help him, but I'm afraid that if I leave, something will happen. I never worried this much before I came here…although I guess it was a very different time. Almost another lifetime."
~ tbc