There was tension in Claire's house that night between Rue and Ruenis. The two brothers hardly looked at each other, even when they all sat down for dinner that night.
"What has gotten into you boys?" Claire asked, noticing this. "Is something wrong?"
Rue shot a glare at Ruenis, which Ruenis returned. Neither spoke.
"Oh come now, you're being childish," Claire chided. "What's the matter?"
Ruenis sighed. "Claire," he said slowly, looking at his plate.
"Yes?" Claire asked, hoping to get him to look at her when he spoke to her.
Look at her he did, his eyes full of an adoration and affection that startled her. "I realize this is…somewhat sudden," he told her, "but I…" He hesitated. Rue prayed he'd see reason and abandon the idea, but when Ruenis took another breath and continued, it was clear that he'd made up his mind. "I realize I haven't been part of this world for very long," he said, "and that I've known you for only a matter of months. But, as I've told you in part, I was given memories and knowledge such that I would function as an adult in society…and though my father was thorough in his own mind, none of what he left me could have prepared me to meet one such as you."
Claire blinked. "I…um…"
"You knew nothing of me but that I was created to bring about the end of the world, yet you welcomed me here," Ruenis continued. "You've given me a home and a place in the world, the likes of which I could never have imagined. You are kind and generous beyond words. You are also strong, wise…beautiful…" Claire blushed. "So, though it may be sudden, I…would like to ask for your hand in marriage."
And there it was. It had actually been said. Rue could hardly believe it. He stared at Claire, wondering what her reaction could possibly be. Most people in this situation would laugh, but Claire was very kind-hearted, and she wouldn't want to hurt Ruenis's feelings. But surely she wouldn't accept - that would be insane!
…Right?
"Ruenis, I…" It was Claire who hesitated now.
Seconds passed, each one doubling Rue's panic. Why didn't she just say no? It wasn't that hard…
"I'm…very touched by your words," she said at last, and to Rue's alarm, she smiled at Ruenis. "I think you give me too much credit, but…if you're sure, then yes. I will marry you."
Rue's jaw hit the floor. This was impossible. This was ridiculous! This was…! "I'm going to bed," he said abruptly, standing up.
"Rue…"
Rue and Claire's eyes met. She almost seemed to be apologizing, but for the first time in his life, Rue didn't care. He turned his back on them both and went to bed without another word.
~o~
After Ruenis finished cleaning up after dinner, he went outside and joined Claire on the porch again. She'd grown very fond of just staring at the sky at night before going to bed, and she was there again tonight, looking as though she were trying to divine some hidden meaning in the stars.
He stood beside her. "Thank you," he said softly.
Claire glanced at him. "You're welcome," was all she said in return.
Ruenis hesitated, then asked, "I'm grateful for your help, but…why are you willing to go through with this? I know you'd rather I just tell my brother the truth…why are you going along with my plan?"
She closed her eyes and smiled. "It's not my place to tell either of you what to do," she said. "I trust you to know what to do when the time is right."
Ruenis flushed at her implied meaning - that she expected him to call the wedding off before it actually happened. "Claire…I know I said I was going to do this to keep my brother here, but…make no mistake: I meant everything I said tonight," he confessed to her.
Claire opened her eyes and looked at him, her smile taking on an odd manner. "Yes," she said softly, "I know."
"I would have liked to court you first," Ruenis went on, unable to stop now. "I hope we can still do this in a reasonable manner…"
Claire chuckled. "Have you noticed you start using bigger words when you get nervous?" she asked, almost teasingly.
"I…" Ruenis's blush deepened. No, he hadn't noticed that, actually…and suddenly, his admiration for the woman before him deepened into something more personal - a feeling that she understood him better than anyone else.
He couldn't say that, though. Instead he said, "You'll help make sure Rue stays until it's done, won't you?"
"Yes, I'll make sure he doesn't run off," Claire reassured him, still smiling.
"Thank you." And that was all he could say.
~o~
"How big is the maze, anyway?"
Klaus, Mint, Belle, and Duke were walking through the outskirts of Ephlesia City; already, everything was still and silent and dead. Mint's search for Belle and Duke had actually taken a little time, so it was just past noon.
"I mean, I don't want to be stuck in there when night falls," Duke went on.
"Oh, grow up, you big baby," Mint sneered.
"Actually, I'm with Duke," Belle said.
Mint gave a start. Belle was usually as tough as Mint, and was especially free with her verbal abuse of Duke; her agreeing with him on this matter was the biggest surprise yet.
"What is with you?" Mint asked. "Are you getting too old for treasure hunting?"
She expected to get a rise out of Belle. Instead, Belle just shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but anyone in their right mind would want to get as far away from this place as possible at the best of times," she said.
Mint stopped. "Seriously?" she asked. "You're not even going to get on my case about calling you old? You're really that freaked out by this place?"
"How are you not?" Belle demanded, a bit of life coming to her now. "I always knew you were a nutcase, but how can you not be bothered by the fact that this place is full of spirits that are going to burst out of the ground any minute and eat our souls?"
Mint laughed. "Spirits that are going to eat our souls?" she repeated. "Is that really what this place feels like to you?"
"Yes!" Belle exclaimed. She turned to Klaus, who had stopped to allow the exchange. "Tell her, Doc. This place is bad news!"
"I feel the same way," Klaus confirmed, nodding, but before Mint could say anything, he added, "but I also know that this feeling is caused by a magic spell. Knowing doesn't do much to counter it, but it helps fight it a little."
"Are you sure?" asked Duke, who was almost literally shaking in his boots at this point.
"Yes!" Mint said impatiently. "Now come on! The longer we talk, the longer we'll be here." Not that that was a bad thing in her book, exactly, but she hoped it would spur her companions back into motion.
It did.
Once inside, Klaus took out his lantern, and Mint, Belle, and Duke conjured up different forms of werelight. Belle was a magician of sorts, but she worked without anything to channel her magic like Mint's Dual Halos. Duke technically wasn't a magician, but he had been born with a unique power: the ability to copy the mindset and abilities of any other person - even if that person was fictional. He was also an avid reader of fantasy novels, which made his power that much more potent and useful. Currently, he was channeling the essence of a warrior-mage from one of his most recent reads - the character himself lived on the boundary of Light and Darkness, forever doomed to be torn between the two, trying to find his own identity on a series of breathtaking adventures. Duke didn't have to deal with the Light/Dark split, though - he only copied the character's powers. He could be choosy like that.
"Alright," Klaus said, taking the lead. "We take the first left, but remember that this is the last time we'll be able to trust anything about what we see - from then on, we'll have to move carefully to stay on the path."
"Got it," Mint said, working hard to resist the urge to jump for joy. Finally, finally, it was happening. She was going to get a [relic] of her very own and conquer the world!
~o~
Maya didn't have time to sent a letter to Claire's cabin, since the cabin was so out of the way from even the nearest town or village. Unfortunately, for the same reason, she couldn't be sure enough of where exactly it was to teleport herself there, either. So, though it would be difficult, she would have to make some of the trek on foot.
She teleported herself to the nearest settlement, then immediately started walking. The cabin was a few days away, but she had no choice. She was dealing with something far beyond her ability to understand or control, and only one who knew Valen could give her answers.
~o~
The ruins were eerily quiet on the inside, same as the outside - not even the footsteps of the group attempting to breach it echoed off the walls. This was more than just unsettlingly strange, though; now, they knew it was actually a clue that the walls weren't what they seemed to be.
Klaus was very careful with every step he took, making sure to stay on a perfectly elliptical path regardless of what the walls suggested. At first, Mint, Belle, and Duke were hesitant to follow him when he started walking towards walls at an angle, but when he passed through them as though they weren't there - which they weren't - the others got used to it and started completely ignoring what their eyes told them.
After what seemed like an hour, Klaus stopped.
"What's the matter, old man?" Belle asked.
Klaus turned to his companions. "Around here is where explorers started making notes of roadblocks," he told them. "Some were more specific than others about what they found, but some of them also completely contradicted each other, so we need to be especially careful from here on out, ready for anything."
"Piece of cake," Mint said dismissively.
Belle and Duke were silent, a slight hardening of their expressions the only sign that they were prepared to spring into action at any moment.
"Then let's go," Klaus said, and they resumed walking.
A minute later, the first sound echoed through the building: The screech of some sort of creature, and one that sounded unfriendly to say the least.
The four explorers froze.
"Klaus…get behind us," Mint said softly.
Klaus obliged, just as the skeleton of a tremendous flying beast came swooping down at them from behind a fake wall.
~o~
Rue and Claire were walking to the nearest town, an awkward silence stretching between them. Most of the time, Claire and the brothers kept to themselves out in the wilderness, but if Claire and Ruenis were going to get married, they had to make arrangements with civilization. Claire had talked Rue into helping her prepare…and though Rue had consented, he didn't like it.
"Claire," he said at last, "I don't think-"
"I know this seems strange," Claire said, "but it's our choice."
"I don't understand, though," Rue said.
"There is no understanding," Claire told him. "Not from the outside, at least. Someday you'll understand, when you find the one you want to marry."
Again, Elena's face flashed before Rue's eyes. "This is so sudden, though," he argued pleadingly. "Don't you think you're taking things a bit too fast?"
Claire sighed, not looking at him. "No," she said, and that was all.
Something seemed off to Rue, but before he could figure out what to say, a new voice broke in:
"Rue!"
Rue and Claire stopped short. Running towards them, an ancient Book tucked under her arm, was Mint's younger sister, Maya.
"Maya?" Rue exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Rue!" Maya called again, running up to him. "I didn't realize you would be back here." She looked around. "Where is M…my dear sister?"
"She's still in Avalon," Rue told her. "I had to come home for…something." He glanced at Claire. "And now I have to stay here for a wedding."
"A wedding?" Maya asked, her own predicament momentarily forgotten. "Who's getting married?"
"Claire and Ruenis," Rue answered.
Maya glanced at Claire. "Where is Ruenis?" she asked.
"Back home," Rue answered. Claire said nothing.
Maya shook her head. "I would offer my congratulations, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to postpone your plans," she said. "Something of great urgency has come up, and I need the help of a Doll of Valen who has kept his memories as such."
Rue blinked. "What?" he asked, thrown for a loop. "Why? What's going on?"
Maya looked at him for a long minute. "You may not have your memories," she finally said slowly, "but you do know Valen - and my sister, for that matter." She sighed, then took out an envelope that glowed with a silvery light and a leather-bound tome. "Here," she said, holding both out to Rue. "This is what's going on."
Rue took the letter and book. Unsure what to do, he started by opening the letter and taking out the note. As he read it, his eyes grew wider and wider, and he took a step back in shock. "This isn't…?" he could barely manage, glancing at Maya.
Maya nodded solemnly.
"Mint?" Rue exclaimed.
"Yes," Maya confirmed, nodding again.
Rue opened the book and glanced through it. He didn't have to read very thoroughly to get the rest of the story. "Oh my…" It was as though his whole world had been turned upside down, and everything he'd thought he once knew had suddenly been proven a lie.
"What is it, Rue?" Claire asked, speaking at last.
Rue could only hold out the letter and book to her. She took two minutes to read as much as she needed to, her eyes perfect circles of shock by the time she was done.
"I was hoping Ruenis could help me figure out what to do," Maya said at last.
Rue nodded and turned around. "Come on," he said, "I'll take you to him."
"We'll take you to him," Claire corrected. Rue glanced at her and nodded again.
"Thank you," Maya said, having to fight the urge to collapse with relief - not having to handle this on her own anymore was a tremendous comfort. If only the handling of it itself could prove to be half so simple…
