(no subject)

[badass_tiger]

Title: The Two Women in Hilbert's Life
Fandom: Original/Where Shines the Sun Aslant
Characters: Background Hilbert/Solange, one-sided Ragnhild/?
Summary: For a few moments after Ragnhild finished speaking, Hilbert was struck dumb. Never in a hundred years could he have imagined the confession that had just come from Ragnhild's lips.

For a few moments after Ragnhild finished speaking, Hilbert was struck dumb. Emotions raced through him, half of which he couldn't even name. He was shocked and angry, his first instinct was to fight the person who had hurt his sister so, yet their position was such that such a thing was impossible, and he was confused. When Ragnhild began her tale, she had spoken lightly and cheerfully, but as she neared the conclusion, she became teary-eyed, and now her shoulders were hunched forward, her entire demeanour downcast. The same clash of emotion rose within him again, the desire to defend his sister fighting against the propriety he had so newly learnt in this unfamiliar land.

'Does anyone else know about your relationship?' he managed to say at last. 

'No.'

'Not even Solange?'

'Oh, no.' She gave a slight laugh, a sound it relieved Hilbert to hear. 'I thought it was a fun tease, at first, to keep a secret like this from her - we both thought so.'

'I understand. Do you mind if I summon her now so that we may confide in her?'

Ragnhild flushed and shook her head. 'As it has ended like this, I - I would rather she never know.'

'What? What do you mean?' Hilbert was bewildered by her objection. He had thought that Solange and Ragnhild were bosom friends who shared a confidence that was almost enviable. 

'Well, it - it concerns her friend, and I do not want to embarrass either of them. Solange invited her as a guest and it ... was perhaps wrong of me to ...' 

Her voice trailed away, but Hilbert was heartened to hear that their confidence was not at all diminished, and Ragnhild's reluctance was only out of respect for her sister.

'If Solange was troubled by a guest you or I had invited, would you want to know?'

'Well, of course. I was at her side when Brigitta came and upset her so.'

'Then she would feel the same way. At the very least, it is only right to consult her on the next course of action.' 

'Oh, don't think I told you all of this because I was expecting you to fight her, Hilbert.' She laughed again. 'As if you would ever fight a woman unable to defend herself! I only spoke to you - I mean, I only wanted to relieve my feelings by speaking to you.'

'I still think Solange would want to know. Will you let me call her?'

She sighed. 'Oh, alright then.'

A servant was dispatched to fetch the queen, and Solange appeared in the king's study in a few moments. Hilbert's heart skipped a beat and a smile lit up his face when she arrived. There were still days when he couldn't believe his good fortune in marrying the sweetest, loveliest creature he had ever set eyes on, her extreme graciousness in forgiving all of the sins he had committed against her and loved him back. Her golden hair was styled into many braids today, pinned with pink and white flowers, and she looked like a spirit of the season. Solange smiled when she saw him, then her eyes fell on Ragnhild sitting on the couch with reddened eyes, and she flew to her with her arms outstretched.

'Ragnhild, is everything alright?' she demanded. 'Are you well? Is Hilbert vexing you?'

Hilbert protested while Ragnhild laughed. 'I am quite well, and Hilbert hasn't done anything,' she said, slipping an arm around Solange's waist as Solange hugged her neck. 'But I have a confession to make and I fear you will be angry.'

'What? Why should I be angry?'

'Well, I - I hardly know where to begin.' Ragnhild looked up at Hilbert for help.

'Begin with the letter the queen received this morning,' he suggested.

'What letter?' Solange asked.

'The one a-about Princess Gwendolyn's e-e-engagement.' Ragnhild paused, collecting her breath. 'It - it surprised me b-because I - I - I have been - or was - in a relationship with her - the past eight months.'

'What?! Oh, forgive me,' Solange said hastily, having almost shouted into Ragnhild's ear. 'I - I can hardly believe - is this true? But it must be - you would not lie to me - not about such a thing - oh, Ragnhild, explain yourself! What are you saying? You and Gwendolyn -?'

'Yes, it is true, as difficult as it is to believe.' Ragnhild smiled weakly, apparently discouraged by Solange's shock. 'Here is a letter I brought to show Hilbert. You must know her handwriting even better than I do.' 

Solange took the letter and quickly scanned it, then blushed and handed it back, embarrassed by its contents. Hilbert had felt the same way. Gwendolyn was not the most eloquent writer, but that only made her descriptions of her yearning for Ragnhild's company all the more awkward to read. 

'This is Gwendolyn's handwriting to be sure,' Solange said, 'so now I must believe you. But why did neither you nor Gwendolyn ever tell me? You say that you have been in a relationship for eight months - what, since she and her father first came here to meet Hilbert?'

'Yes, ever since then. We thought it amusing to keep it a secret from you at first.'

'Did you know, dear?' Solange said to her husband. Hilbert shook his head.

'It is news to me too,' he said.

'I would have told you eventually,' Ragnhild said. 'It was like a game, in the beginning, to meet up in secret, and she was so interesting. We taught one another things the other had never known about - I taught her to use her fists, and she taught me the language that's often on tapestries and things in the kingdoms around these mountains. Then I started to love her, and I thought she felt the same way.'

'Wait a moment!' Solange exclaimed. 'When we visited Noburg these past few months - whenever the four of us went riding or boating, Gwendolyn would always encourage Hilbert and me to go off on our own - I thought she was giving us the opportunity to be alone, but was it so that the two of you could be alone all along?'

'So it was,' Ragnhild chuckled. 'I thought it was the most wonderful fun, you and Hilbert the known lovers, Gwendolyn and I the secret ones.'

'But then - what happened? You were shocked by the news we received this morning that Gwendolyn is to be married. Did she not tell you anything?'

'No. That is why it surprised me so much. But -' Ragnhild hesitated. 'But I have not heard from Gwendolyn almost since we visited Noburg. After our return, I received a letter from her, then nothing after that. It was unusual not to hear from her at least once a month, but I thought - well, I didn't think anything of it. I still heard news of her from you, so I was assured of her safety, at least. I didn't imagine that anything was ... wrong ... between us.'

Solange fell into thoughtful silence. Hilbert watched her green eyes unseeingly reflect the fluttering of the curtain and admired the image of a queen in serious contemplation.

'I never could have imagined something like this,' she said at least. 'Least of all that Gwendolyn was capable of keeping a secret of this magnitude from me! I never saw any hint of the fact that she had a special regard for you, never suspected a thing.'

'Are you angry?' Ragnhild said. 

'Angry?' Solange pulled back from their embrace to look at her. 'Of course not. Why did you think I would be angry?'

'Because she is your friend, and I kept it a secret from you,' Ragnhild replied, but her relief was clear to see. 

'A poor sister I would be to be angry over your happiness!' Solange said, pulling her back into a hug. Ragnhild sighed and nestled her head onto her shoulder. Hilbert felt a great swell of pride and affection in his chest to look at the two women, almost polar opposites in appearance, yet appearing now as the very picture of closely bonded sisters. It made him unspeakably glad that the two most important women in his life were such good friends. 

'But this is abominable behaviour from Gwendolyn, indeed,' Solange went on. 'I can't believe she would act like this. Perhaps she tried to tell you, but her letter was lost - yet how can that be? I have never lost a letter from her, and I have had word from her since.'

'Could it be that her father discovered the relationship and hurried her into a marriage for fear of scandal?' Hilbert asked.

'That is a clever thought, dear,' Solange said approvingly and Hilbert smiled. 'Perhaps it is so. I have always taken King Owain as a man of honour who would be pained to slight anyone in this manner, but I do not know him so well, after all.' She was silent for a moment, stroking Ragnhild's hair. 'All the same, I feel that I would have detected something was wrong in Gwendolyn's letters if her father had wronged her so. Even if she offered no details, she might complain of him doing her an injustice or something like that. But what I have learned today is that I do not know Gwendolyn as well as I thought I did. It may be so after all.'

'My love, do you have counsel on what I should do? If it had been anyone else who had hurt Ragnhild, such as a soldier from our ranks or a man from Rasfura, I would have challenged them to a duel in her defence,' Hilbert said. 'But I do not think I can challenge the Princess Gwendolyn to a duel.'

'Of course not!' Solange and Ragnhild laughed together. 'But I rather agree with you, dear. I would wholeheartedly support you in the idea of fighting someone in Ragnhild's defence had it been anyone else. We cannot seek revenge on Gwendolyn or her family, yet it pains me to let the matter rest in this state.'

'Please do let it rest, Solange,' Ragnhild said beseechingly. 'I don't need anyone to take revenge on my behalf. I only wanted to confide in Hilbert so that I could seek his comfort.'

'How good you are to say so - and very unlike a warrior, I feel,' Solange said, and Ragnhild and Hilbert exchanged smiles. 'At the very least, I will seek Gwendolyn's explanation.'

'I will concede to that if you think it wise, but I don't want to be the source of discord between our kingdoms.'

'Banish the thought,' Solange said as Hilbert shook his head. 'If anyone should fear such a thing, it should be the other party.’

They drifted onto other topics and Ragnhild soon returned to her usual merry self under Solange’s care. When Ragnhild rose to see to the day’s training, Solange excused herself as well, to tend to her duties and to write her letter. 

-

Solange’s letter to Gwendolyn was dispatched that very evening, with Solange ordering the servant not to return until he had Gwendolyn’s answer. 

‘Will your urgency not frighten her?’ Hilbert asked. 

‘It might do Gwendolyn some good to fear me,’ Solange said with a laugh, ‘but I doubt I could ever do anything to make her afraid of me.’

Some 10 days later, Hilbert entered the king’s study after a meeting with his upper council to find Solange inside, sitting on the sofa and reading a letter. Her expression was grave, but she looked up at him with a smile. 

‘Hello, dear.’ She stood up and greeted him with a kiss. When he sat down at the desk, she sat down on his lap and he wrapped an arm around her waist. 

‘News?’ he asked. 

‘Gwendolyn’s reply. Read it.’

He took the letter from her. 

My dearest Solange,

I will not pretend that I expected your letter, but after reading it, I felt quite ashamed of myself. I hope you and dear Ragnhild can find it within yourselves to someday forgive me so that we may have more wonderful holidays in the mountains together.

Of course, everything that Ragnhild told you is true. She is and always will be the most charming woman I have ever met, and I will neither regret nor forget the time I spent with her; they shall always be amongst my most treasured memories. I'm sure you don't begrudge us for keeping it a secret from you either, do you, Solange? You must know that we did so only out of fun.

Yet, another matter that is entirely the truth is the way I feel for my darling Leopold. I have told you enough about him in my previous letters (but not really enough - oh, enough can never be said about my Leopold!), and the fact of the matter is that I love him and wish for nothing more than to marry him. As for how I could have neglected to mention something so important to Ragnhild, I am ashamed to admit that it simply never crossed my mind. I am sure that if Ragnhild was in my position, she would have acted the exact same way, for none of us can help who we love, and I would forgive her for it in a heartbeat. I can only pray that the same thing does indeed happen to her someday that she will understand and forgive me.

Although my heart no longer belongs to her alone, Ragnhild remains, to me, one of the dearest creatures in the world, and I beseech you to tell her as much. As for you, my most darling friend, I know you understand my position, deep within your heart, and it is only your rightful wish to defend your sister that makes you send this letter to me. 

Tell me again that you will attend my wedding come the next spring, so that you and I, our husbands, and Ragnhild, may once again go riding together in the beautiful valleys of Noburg.

Forever yours,
Gwendolyn.

'It would appear that she was not coerced into the marriage, at least,' Hilbert said carefully, returning the letter. 

'Hilbert, save me the trouble of deciphering your words and say whatever it is you mean to say,' Solange said reproachfully.

'I don't know the Princess Gwendolyn very well and I do not wish to embarrass you by speaking ill of your friend. But,' Hilbert said, as Solange began to glare, 'the way she appealed to your sympathy and brushed aside giving any explanation for her behaviour made me ... somewhat dislike her.'

'You mean you thought her a shallow and silly girl who didn't deserve a moment of Ragnhild's attention?'

'As you say, my love,' he said meekly.

'I never loved Gwendolyn for her sense or her wit,' Solange said pensively. 'I loved her because she is unreserved in her affection, dispensing it to everyone around her without a second thought. Should not such friendly ways make her consider the feelings of the people around her? Yet I see now that she is lacking in compassion, and this deficit makes her thoughtless.' She sighed and folded the letter back into the envelope. 

'There is nothing conniving in her. She acted without malice.'

'Yes, indeed, she does not mean to be cruel. But she could have offered a personal apology to Ragnhild.' Solange leaned her head against Hilbert's shoulder. 'I am sorry that this must be the resolution, Hilbert. No good will come of seeking further explanation from her.' 

'I understand. At this point, it may be best to leave things as they are in order to preserve the ties between our kingdoms.'

'Should I show the letter to Ragnhild? I fear it will hurt her.'

He considered it a moment. 'I think it will help Ragnhild to understand the princess's true nature. She would hate for us to conceal anything from her, at any rate.'

'Very well, then. I shall speak to her.'

They were silent a moment. Hilbert was simply enjoying holding Solange, admiring her long hair and marvelling at how slight she felt in his arms, but Solange was deep in thought.

'Now that I have had some time to think on the matter, I am not so surprised that Gwendolyn would do something like this after all. She loves the society of others, and she loves to flatter herself, which, in combination, are two dangerous traits indeed. Perhaps I have always had the notion that she would amuse herself with a lover and forget about them as soon as another appeared, but I am sorry - exceedingly sorry - that her chosen object should be my sister.'

'Indeed, no one could have foreseen this incident. I never had any idea that Ragnhild would be attracted to a woman like Princess Gwendolyn.' He paused. 'I don't think I have ever seen her in love, to tell the truth. Ever since we left Rasfura, Ragnhild has had many suitors, but she refuses anyone who is not as strong as her, and there are very few soldiers half as strong as my sister.'

Solange laughed. 'How I love hearing you speak so warmly about your sister,' she said. A tender emotion filled Hilbert's heart at her words and he hugged her even more tightly. There was a time when she would have not have so much as allowed herself to think the thought, and a time even more recently when she would not be able to say such a thing aloud. 

'I can say similar things about my wife, if you would like,' he said innocently.

'Don't be ridiculous! We must return to work.' Regrettable, Solange stood up, but she kissed him on the cheek. 'Later, dear.'

-

Solange spoke to Ragnhild privately in order to share her letter. Hilbert didn't know what they spoke about, but Ragnhild came to see him in high spirits.

'Brother, allow me to congratulate you once again on your most excellent choice of a wife,' she said happily. 'She is the most wonderful girl in the world, and I would envy you were she not now also my sister.'

'Your approval is appreciated,' Hilbert said warmly, glad to see Ragnhild so cheered. 'There is no one more attentive or thoughtful, regardless of whose plight is placed before her. She never ignores a person in need of her care, even if she despised them.'

'As she once despised you?' Ragnhild teased.

'Precisely.' But it brought Hilbert no bitterness to think back on the beginning of their relationship. No matter what princess had been placed before him at that time, he would have married them regardless; it was only to his greatest fortune that that princess should be Princess Solange, whose heart was so gentle as to be able to accept anyone who tried to please her. (1) 

(1. At least, that is what Hilbert thinks. The fact of the matter is that Solange's disposition so coincidentally suits Hilbert's that it is inevitable they should fall in love; in other worlds, they fall in love naturally regardless of the surrounding circumstances. As for Solange, though she may have dreamt of beautiful silver-tongued princes in her youth, it would not at all suit her to be married to one. She would soon tire of their clever ways. Hilbert's straightforward ways mixed with his shyness is precisely the sort of character to be her match as an adult and a queen.)

'Do you think me silly for what happened?' Ragnhild said, suddenly serious. 

'Of course not.'

'Then I'm glad you're my brother, too.'

Hilbert gave her a tender look, affection and gladness filling him up to the brim. Since coming to Fleuyan, he had had many opportunities to reflect on his good fortune. The family with which he had come to surround himself with, he thought, were the pinnacle of his happy circumstances. 

'Would you like to know what Solange said to me?'

'Naturally.'

'I apologised for tainting her relationship with her dearest friend, for a distance between them must now be inevitable, and she said, "Though Gwendolyn is my friend, you are my sister".' Ragnhild beamed and Hilbert couldn't restrain a chuckle. 

'She is very kind.'

'Yes, very kind, don't you think, considering the fact that I am only her sister because you forced her hand?'

'Quite.'

'But Solange has always treated me very well, from the very beginning of our relationship. When I first met her, I thought it was out of affection for you, because she was jealous when she saw me, thinking I was an old flame of yours, and then she scolded you for exerting yourself, which only a loving spouse would do. Yet she would not profess to liking you one bit, and she acted so sweetly entirely because it is within her nature to do so to everyone. What a very clever thing you did by coming here to marry her,' Ragnhild concluded with great satisfaction.

'I did not come here to marry her,' Hilbert said, 'but I agree with you on every other point. I only hope that the day you meet someone equally suited to you will come soon.'

'I would prefer someone less hard-headed than my sister, if at all possible,' she said with a laugh. 'But thank you.'

Afterwards, Hilbert thought that Ragnhild became more attached to Solange than ever, and Solange more possessive - like a mother whose child had been hurt in a fall, and resolved to hold onto her hand more firmly so that she would not do so again. It was perhaps fitting, seeing as Hilbert was the only family and parental figure Ragnhild had ever had. He was happy to admit to being grateful for Solange's presence in supporting Ragnhild, and so he loved each of them all the more.