Suspicious Mindelan Activities

Nealan of Queenscove couldn’t bring himself to lay down as he slid under cool sheets. He sat in bed, frowning at the mantle across from him and his wife. Yukimi no Daiomoru, now of Queenscove, was turned away from him, peacefully asleep under the covers. Neal absently scratched his chest as a new suspicion frolicked through his mind. It was turning into one of those nights.

Neal finally settled his head on his pillow and rolled over to embrace his wife. After a few moments, when all seemed settled, he finally broke the silence, “Yuki?”

Yuki turned her head ever so slightly, “Hm?”

“Something’s bothering me.”

“Mm-hmm.” She kept her eyes closed.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Neal frowned at the back of her head, “Stop that. Yuki, I’m serious.”
He felt her body let out a deep breath as if she resisted the urge to sigh. Yuki turned her body in his arms so that she was laid on her back. Her face remained Yamani calm, but her eyes were heavy. She asked him quietly, “Yes, darling?”

“Has Kel sent you any letters?”

Yuki looked at him, blinked slowly and smiled politely, “No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am.” She told him, “Now may we go back to sleep?”

He ignored her last statement, “But I don’t understand.”

She decided to close her eyes anyway. “What don’t you understand?”

Neal let go of Yuki and sat up again, unable to feel any sort of satisfaction. “She always sends letters in the summer. She always takes time to visit Lalasa so she should be in Corus right now.”

“This bothers you?” Yuki turned back over.

“Yes.” He told her restlessly, running his fingers through already messy hair. “Summer’s almost over and she hasn’t sent one letter.”

“She sends letters throughout the year, every year. She’s just able to send the most in the summer.” Yuki told him groggily. “Maybe she’s not in the capital this summer.”

“But why?”

“You are a knight as well. You should understand.”

“Exactly my point. Do you think something bad happened?” He froze. “Maybe she’s hurt! Maybe worse!”

“If something that bad had happened we would have both heard about it yesterdays ago.”

“But Yuki” He got out of bed and began to pace, “What if—“

Yuki sat up, raising a small hand to silence him. She asked him gently, “What if she is simply busy elsewhere?”

Neal stopped his pacing and looked at his wife through a gap in his fingers. He seemed to be stuck in that position for a moment before he let out a huge sigh and threw his hands up in surrender. “You’re right. You’re right.”

Yuki put her hand down and nodded. Admitting defeat was one of the things he reserved only for her. His resigned attitude meant that he was finally calming down. At last, Neal flopped onto his back into bed with a hand over his eyes. He took a deep breath and asked, “Well, if she’s not at the palace then what you think she’s been doing all this time?”

Deciding not to lay down just in case he got all wound up again, Yuki folded her hands on her lap. “This isn’t the first year she hasn’t sent letters is it?”

“Of course not.” He frowned, thinking back a couple years ago. “There was that summer before last.”

“What was she doing then?”

“Well.” He thought about it. “She was busy all summer helping… out…”

In realization, Neal took his hand away from his face as his eyes got as wide as scrying mirrors. Suddenly, he grinned so wide and wickedly that Yuki actually furrowed her eyebrows in the slightest manner as she watched his face morph.
“Darling?”

Neal snapped out of whatever thoughts he’d had, returning back to his somewhat normal self. He rolled over, took his wife’s hand and kissed them from fingertips to wrist.

“Have I ever told you that whenever I’m in your presence my anxieties just flee? Nay, they vanish into thin air in the presence of your light and—“

“Darling?”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad I helped, but if we’re done my light really wants to sleep.”

“Of course, of course. Anything for the sun of my days.” Feeling much better, Neal laid down, wrapping his arms around Yuki as she slipped back under the sheets and into blissful sleep. He’d explain his epiphany to her tomorrow.

The next morning, before he did anything else, Neal sat down with a quill, a pot of ink and a sheet of paper. His wicked grin returned as he began putting ink to paper.

Dear Cousin Dom,
I hope that your time off from the Own is proving restful. I realized that it’s the first time you’ve taken any sort of leave in years after all.

Please give Kel my regards.

I would like the have a word with you both the next time I see you.

Ever loving,
Meathead