"Okay. See you."

He opens a portal in the air and steps through it.

"Mom," Lyrame says again, hugging her mother more tightly. "Mom, mom--mommy--"

And this was important too, that she had apparently been gone for--how long? Far, far too long. Her little girl was a woman now, and it hurt, badly, that she hadn't gotten to see it happen.

Still. What's important is--

"I'm here," she murmurs. "Sh, sh, I'm here, it's okay..."

"We missed you so much," Alemar says, voice cracking. Mirelle hugs both of them, wishing that she could just make it better as she had wished for the magic to heal their scrapes and bruises when they had come begging her to kiss it better as small children.

"I love you so much," Lyrame says, and Mirelle gives her a little extra squeeze.

"I know. I love you too, so much. What happened?"

"It's been a little more than ten years. I'm twenty, Alle's nineteen, and Sissy's fifteen."

Mirelle bows her head. That's really not unexpected, considering. But--

"That's not what I meant."

"Let me fill you in on the background first?" her firstborn pleads.

"...Alright."

So Lyrame tells her a decade plus of happenings, including Elcisse's talent and scholarship.

"And now?" her mother asks.

...She sighs.

"So. I started going to work really early in the mornings because the east gardens at sunrise are glorious. And then one day I saw a super rich guy lounging on the grass, and I dumped a bunch of flower petals on him, and he thought that was great, and we talked, and we got along...

And then Dad's business partner ran off with all the money and left him holding all the debts. And. Some of the creditors were...urgently demanding.

We. We didn't have a choice." Her hand goes to the spot on her sleeve under which her mark rests. Her mother realizes what the meaning of the gesture, combined with her words must be, and hisses angrily.

"When I--went up--I saw him there. I gave him a pleading look, and he nodded, and he bought me. And--when the scribe asked whose mark to put--"

"The Imperial star," her mother whispers, horrified.

"Mom, I'm okay."

"Like hell. This is the Emperor we're talking about."

"I know but he likes me--he said this morning he's in love with me--he brought you back, Mom, to make me happy."

"He said he loves you."

"In, you know, a the-Emperorish way--he hasn't hurt me and I don't think he's likely to--but he hasn't freed me, either. And I don't think he's likely to."

Her mother purses her lips disapprovingly.

"But he brought you back, Mom. More than ten years you were dead. Dead, Mom. We grieved. And now you're back."

"I punched him," Alemar offers, "When Liri brought him 'round without telling us who he was, and he didn't hurt me over it."

"You did what?" Mirelle asks Lyrame.

"...In my defense, it's not like I could meaningfully have introduced him with the whole truth."

"I suppose," Mirelle sighs. "Still."

The three of them cuddle and catch up on more trivial things for a long time.

(After a few hours, they might see a winged figure in the distance, out over the ocean, flying.)

Yeah, they definitely see that.

"...So the next question is how do we break this to Dad and Sissy," Lyrame sighs.

"And, to some extent, all the neighbors--anyone who knew Mom was dead--" Alemar points out.

"Yeah," Lyrame sighs. "...Dad and Sissy don't know who--he brought me to visit, yesterday, they know he's the guy I met in the gardens, but--I was careful to keep the mark hidden."

Mirelle nods. "I have to admit, this isn't the kind of problem I've ever given thought to solving before."

"No kidding," Alemar snorts.

"I don't know, between the fact that I was hugging him a lot and you didn't suffer horribly for punching him, maybe that's--enough to be going on. Given the givens. We can worry about the neighbors later," Lyrame says.

"...Maybe," Mirelle says.

"This is kind of a mess. A glorious, absolutely-worth-it mess, but still a mess," Lyrame sighs.

"No kidding," Alemar snorts. "Do you know if he's coming back anytime soon to talk about this with, or should we just start heading home?"

"I dunno. We could probably wait at least a little while longer."

The distant figure circles closer.

"He'll probably be here soonish," she judges, noting the rate of approach.

"Might as well wait, then," Alemar agrees.

He sees how they're looking at him and glides in for a landing, letting his wings fade as soon as his feet touch the ground.

"Hi."

"Hi! We were wondering if you had any suggestions for not letting the neighbors know our family has the Emperor's attention. Or, you know, ending up with hundreds of bereaved citizens throwing themselves over the palace walls."

"I would really prefer not to have hundreds of bereaved citizens throwing themselves over the palace walls," he agrees. "Unfortunately I'm not sure I have any clever ideas for preventing that."

"Maybe we could move somewhere people don't know she used to be dead," Alemar suggests.

"Sure, if that works for you."

"Well. It did suddenly get a lot more convenient to do things that require money."

He laughs.

"Maybe that'll work. Moving takes time, though..."

"Is this a problem I can solve by being the Emperor at it?"

"I'm honestly not sure."

"Been a while since I extended the island," he suggests, smiling.

She beams and gets up from the Momhug to throw her arms around him.

He giggles and scoops her up and spins her around and puts her down again and kisses her forehead.

"Eastern edge, maybe? North of the gardens? Right over there—" he points to the north end of the garden, where the edge of the island starts to curve inward but could perhaps be made to curve outward instead. "Anything in particular you want in a house?"

"That is probably a conversation Dad and Sissy should be in on."

"Guess it's time to go admit I'm the Emperor, then."

A tall flower grows from the ground next to him, depositing a shirt in his outstretched hand before withering and crumbling away like it was never there. He puts on the shirt.

"I guess. Maybe I should say it."