“I already told you I can do the cooking,” he said, kissing her shoulder. “I’m not the best cook in the world, but I’m pretty confident I can at least feed us both...”
“No, I want to get better at it,” Tessandra protested.
He sighed. As much as he wanted to encourage her, he was a bit worried it would eventually hurt her. She was quite stubborn at times...
“You really don’t have to, I don’t care what we eat...”
“I care!” Tessandra insisted. “What will I do when we decide to have kids, Sab? I can’t just feed them fish beignets every day, or rely on you for every meal! I hate that I can’t do a single house chore right! My mother always asked my sister instead of me because I sucked at every single thing! ...I don’t want to be just a useless woman who can only swing a sword around and open her big mouth. I want to be a good mother, like Cessi. I’m tired of your sisters’ remarks and I hate feeling like I’m making no progress at all. I could spend an hour in the training pit and get a hundred times better at sword fighting than I would in a full month of trying to cook! And that’s exactly what I’ve done! Your sisters have tried to show me a dozen times and I can’t get one thing right!”
She angrily freed herself from his grip, walked up to the wall, and punched it. Sabael ran after her without a hesitation and grabbed her wrists, putting himself between her and the wall before she could do it again.
“Move,” she said. “I need to vent on something and I don’t want it to be you.”
“You don’t need to vent, Tessa, you need to get to the bottom of the issue. ...This isn’t about my sisters, is it? It’s about your mother.”
She frowned even more. So that’s what it was. She was going in circles and feeling ashamed, jealous of her cousin, her sister, and his sisters because of a few remarks. There was nothing Tessandra hated more than being powerless. Sabael gently caressed her wrists with his thumbs, trying to calm her down.
“...You should ask her.”
“What?”
“Your mom,” he said. “Ask her to teach you how to cook. She knows you better. You should stop trying to learn my sisters’ way, you should learn from your own mother. You’ve only gone home twice and not for long, Tessandra. Go and spend time with your family instead of trying to please mine. I’m sure your mother would be more than willing to teach you if you ask her, but you’re both too stubborn to take the first step. So go and ask her. Perhaps she never asked you because she didn’t think you were even interested in it.”
Tessandra remained quiet for a long minute, thinking. From what he had seen, the one time he had accompanied her home, he had probably hit the nail on the head. Tessandra was incredibly like her mother in terms of personality, yet he was sure that if she asked, her mother would actually help her in any way she could. Being a loudmouth didn’t mean she was always honest or forthcoming about her own wants. After a while, when she was calmer, he moved his hands from her wrists back to her waist, but Tessandra barely reacted to it.
“...You really think she would?” she muttered, her voice so shy like a child.
He smiled.
“I’m sure. If it was your daughter asking you to teach her how to wield a sword, would you help her out?”
She nodded.
“Of course I would.”
“Then I’m sure Lady Missandra will help you with cooking too. So just go.”
“You mean... now?”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “If you borrow Dran or Cece, you could even be in the Dragon Empire shortly after nightfall. I can cover your morning shift, and I’m pretty sure no one will complain about you taking a day or two off to go home, you deserve it. I’ll let Cessilia know, if you’re worried.”
Tessandra hesitated. Obviously, she didn’t mind going home, and the dragon ride would be a breeze. She was only uncertain because it was so sudden, but there was no way her parents wouldn’t welcome her; her father had even asked her to visit more often multiple times. Sabael chuckled, and put a quick kiss on her lips.
“Come on, I’ll help you pack. Just consider it a little overdue vacation.”
“You don’t want to come?”
“No, my love, we can’t both suddenly go, one of us has to keep working. Plus, you need this alone time with your mom. I would have loved to visit them, but this is something you must do for you.”
“...Why do I have a feeling you’re pushing me out?” she pouted.
“Well, maybe I’m really tired of fish beignets,” he chuckled.
She slapped his shoulder, but he only laughed it off, and they both moved to gather a few of her things into a bag. She really didn’t need much to go home, her parents’ house still had her bedroom ready for her to visit anytime. He could feel Tessandra was still nervous while grabbing her few personal belongings, but he tried to comfort her.
“This will do you some good,” he insisted. “You know it’s not just about the cooking.”
She nodded, a bit more determined. This wasn’t the first time Tessandra had voiced her insecurities nor mentioned having children. Her cousin having her first baby had definitely triggered something in her mind, but for some reason, they had never really talked about it seriously, and she was always dodging the subject when he tried to scratch past the surface. He knew something was holding her back, and after a while, it had become clear it wasn’t something she could resolve here in the Eastern Kingdom. He didn’t need to pry too much into her relationship with her mother. He knew she could sort it out by herself, she only needed that small push.
They walked out of their house, and Tessandra glanced up at the sky. It was a perfect, clear night for a ride. She turned back to him, visibly nervous.
“I won’t be gone long,” she said. “I don’t want to let those idiot guards get relaxed just because I’m not around.”
“I don’t doubt that for a single second,” he smiled. “I’ll try to keep them in tight ranks until you come back, so just take the time you need, alright?”
She nodded, and he stepped forward, putting a quick kiss on her forehead.
“It’s going to be alright,” he whispered. “...I can be the one to improve my cooking if needed.”
She grimaced.
“No, I’ll do it. Alright... I’ll really come back soon.”
“Go.”
They exchanged another quick kiss, and Tessandra turned around, walking toward the south, past the bridge, where she’d probably call out Dran. Indeed, a few minutes later, he saw the dragon’s silhouette leaving the Capital’s sky.
Sabael sighed, and massaged his neck. At least now, he’d be a bit more free to do what the King had asked him to help with, without Tessandra prying into it... but first, he needed to go to the family house and have a serious talk with his sisters.
