Adventurer who knows that the best lie is built around a grain of truth.
Kallixenia's time on the road alone is uneventful, as it often is when one is nearly eight feet of god-touched muscle and isn't escorting someone who looks eminently ransomable.
The silence of her long trip is broken only by the occasional polite conversation with a shopkeep or innkeeper, and the sudden appearances of ghostly lights bearing short transmissions from her wife.
"Capital in sight. Pray for me, my love. (Do not actually, I am fine.)"
Kallixenia smiles softly, and brushes the light with her fingertips. "You're better than fine." She replies. "Your father won't stand a chance."
And then the light winks out of existence, having served its purpose. She sighs and focuses back on the road, wishing that she could offer more support.
Wishing that she had more of her wife than these short correspondences.
She had considered, briefly, whether or not she would prefer to have Lunaeris with her to offer support while she attempts to renegotiate the terms of her paladinhood. The thought of doing it alone is daunting, for sure, and she's supposed to ask for more things, but-
Well, Lunaeris can be... aggressive, when she takes issue with something. Kallixenia doesn't have high hopes, but she just might be able to make it through this if she's careful. Explains her reasoning, that she doesn't want to stop serving the gods, she just wants to change how.
She's almost certain that Lunaeris' assistance in the matter would result in not only her immediate fall from grace, but also the incineration of several irreplaceable religious texts and a great deal of structural damage to one of the oldest monasteries in the land. Best to handle it on her own, even if she's a little mopey about her absence.
The Princess arrives at her destination days before Kallixenia does, and while her messages definitely convey that she isn't having fun she seems to be otherwise fine.
Kallixenia is also fine, mostly, as she enters the mountain range she calls home. Just one more short stop at an inn, one that's built to comfortably accommodate people her size for once, before she's arrived.
She's pretty sure she's settled on the best way to ask for what she wants as she comes up on the small outpost at the base of the climb to the Seventh Monastery. She just has to... work her way up to actually doing it.
"Welcome back, Ser Kallixenia." The stablehand greets her, as she lodges her steed. "Or do I call you Princess Kallixenia now? You've sure had an eventful trip!"
"Don't call me Princess, please." Kallixenia replies, bashful. "I'm still the same knight I've always been."
"Hah, sounds like you. I got made a Princess, I'd be off living a life of luxury. Guess that's why you're the paladin, right?"
"Haha... yeah..." She chuckles uneasily.
"Ahh, but you're not here to yap with me. You've got important business, I'm sure." The stablehand says, moving past Kallixenia to take her horse by the lead. "You're here to see me though, right girl? Yeaaah, let's get you some treats-"
Kallixenia steps out, her steed taken care of. There is of course a road for travellers on horseback, but it's long, and winding, and her horse has been worked hard enough. Paladins have a more direct path.
She spreads her wings and takes to the sky. It's been too long since she felt the cold mountain wind through her feathers like this, she's missed it. She rises and rises, wings beating as she spirals upward through the air until she can glide gently down to the landing platform at the monastery.
It takes mere moments for her to be swarmed and bear hugged by her battle-sisters.
"Kallixenia!"
"Kallixenia's back!"
"Ow." She grunts. "Athis. My ribs."
After so much time away, being The Giant, she'd forgotten how forcefully her fellow paladins could hug. Thank the gods Lunaeris is as small as she is, or her bones would be dust by now.
Athis releases her crushing embrace and claps her on the back.
"We've been reading your letters!" She says.
"Yeah!" Says Pherusa, opting to shake her hand excitedly rather than squish her again. "Everyone will be so happy to see you're back!"
"Achaia's back too, you can tell us all about elf princess things!" Says Nephele.
Right, Lunaeris had told her that she had picked up a letter at the Adventurer's Guild (after some convincing from Ryse that it wasn't the type of organization to rat out it's members), that Achaia had become close with another of her sisters after the wedding. They're sure to have a lot to talk about, but first-
"It's nice to see you all, but I have to speak with High Cleric Dione right away if that's alright." She says, and her sisters nod and give her space.
"We'll catch up over dinner! Meat pies tonight!"
Ooh, she loves meat pie days! Hopefully Dione doesn't throw her out right away.
Or, rather, at all.
She makes her way to the High Cleric's chambers, being encircled by excited sisters a few more times along the way. She's gathered a bit of a fandom in her time away it seems, it's rather exciting for someone to get caught up in a prophecy and become a princess. She certainly hadn't seen it coming when she was sent out.
She nervously raps on Dione's door, before letting herself in and kneeling.
"Ah!" Exclaims the High Cleric. "Ser Kallixenia, I wasn't expecting you. Or should I say Princess Kallixenia? Forgive me if I don't kneel, the old knees aren't what they used to be."
"I could never ask you to kneel to me, High Cleric Dione." Kallixenia says, wondering how many times she'll have this exchange during her visit. "I am but one of your humble knights."
The old cleric hums and interlaces her fingers. "Most of my humble knights don't abscond with their charges," she says, "though I know you well enough to presume that wasn't your idea. Where is Princess Lunaeris?"
"Visiting her father. She arrived at the castle a few days ago, to my knowledge."
"Hmm. Good, good, he was quite upset. Get up, child- you don't need to kneel all day." She tuts. "Why aren't you with her?"
Kallixenia gets to her feet and swallows. This is it. She just has to say what she's planned to say.
"Well, you see High Cleric, I was... Me and my charge were both wondering, about, um."
She gives a slight cough as the High Cleric watches her over her desk.
"Has anyone ever... taken a second oath?"
"A second oath?" High Cleric Dione asks.
"Yes ma'am."
Kallixenia gets anxious when she lies. Paladins aren't supposed to lie, especially not to the High Cleric. But half truths are, you know, they're half true. She does want to take a second oath, just... not in addition to her existing one.
"Hmm. A second oath..." Dione mumbles, leaning back in her chair. "I can't say I've ever heard of such a thing. Especially not involving one on the Path of the Bulwark such as yourself. You've already bound your life itself to your duty, you want more?"
"Well, you see, the thing is-" Kallixenia starts, scratching the back of her neck. "The life binding is all well and good, but-"
"But?"
"-but I worry it might not be... what we want, for this exact, particular scenario." She says, and nervously waits for the cleric's response.
"Kallixenia, you swore an oath." Says Dione, frowning. "You swore your life-"
"I swore my life to Lunaeris, once as her knight and again as her wife. I did not do so frivolously. Trust that when I ask about this I am only asking to better serve her."
Oh gods, she didn't mean to sound so mad when she said that.
The High Cleric sighs and opens her hands.
"Of course, Ser Kallixenia." She says. "I would never doubt that your heart is true. Explain it to me."
Okay, good, that's the first step done. She's got her foot in the door.
"Lunaeris is... she's not averse to danger. Has adventuring aspirations." Kallixenia says, hating that she has to phrase it like her wife is a foolish child. "Having my life bound to her is- Well, it's more suited to preventing assassinations. Did so, quite effectively. Were she content to remain and carry out her royal duties, It's possible it would serve us perfectly."
Again, half-truths. Unlikely things are possible.
"...She should remain and carry out her royal duties." Says High Cleric Dione. "Is-"
"Of course, of course. But she's- headstrong."
Cutting someone off before they can ask you something that you would have to lie about also isn't lying, really, if you think about it.
"My worry is that if she goes off and gets herself into trouble again, will taking her wounds as my own be enough? She'll be briefly spared, but remain in danger. No castle full of other guards to intervene once I give my life for her. Wouldn't it only serve to kill us both? That can't be what the gods intended with their gift to me. There must be a way that I can continue to keep her safe, to uphold my duty to her."
"Hmmmm..." Dione hums, furrowing her wrinkled brow. "I can't deny that your concerns make sense. But as long as you can keep her from wandering off again-"
"I know, but- very, very willful. That's why, I thought perhaps a second one? Just in case?"
"Hmmmmmmmmm........."
Kallixenia holds her breath in anticipation.
"Well, that doesn't change that I've never heard of such a thing." Says the High Cleric.
"Ah."
"However, seeing as you only have her best interests in mind, and the two of you were entangled with that prophecy... perhaps the gods themselves may guide you, where I cannot." She says, shrugging. "Once you've settled in, I suggest you sequester yourself and spend your time in meditation. I'm sure an answer will become clear to you."
Kallixenia nods.
"Thank you, High Cleric. I'll do that."
That's... something, at least? High Cleric Dione isn't mad at her, which- Sure she doesn't know the exact details, but, does she need to? Maybe this is just between her and the gods.
And the gods would... probably have already done something, if they were upset with her.
...Right?
