Heyo everyone!
So with the retail holiday season in full swing I've been kind of terrible at keeping up with updates, but before Christmas I wanted to post another chapter and get us to chapter 30 before the end of the year! I hope to update again once more before new years but wanted to for sure share this one with everyone^^
I wanted to take a look at the journey this time through other perspectives as well, and what they'd see with being forced into working with Gyendal, both as their former enemy and in Edward's case, as the bond he had seen Mel's interactions with to a degree as a teen! I hope you all enjoy and if this ends up being the last post in December, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
Transformations
Newly purchased parchment was laid out on the grass around a busily drawing form sitting hunched with a pen, Edward smiling as he watched the younger girls focus from where he and Stella were cleaning up the last of the lunch items from the groups break from travel.
Behind them several paces Mel was crouched, hand flat against the ground as she performed a spell to sense for anything that could be chasing them from Peliad. She had been doing it every day since they left, and her paranoia was starting to freak even him out!
"How much longer do you think it'll be before Gyendal finishes gathering those herbs for the elixir he wants to try?" Stella questioned, Edward glancing in the direction the moody dark mage had gone before shrugging.
"I'm not sure love, I'm not even completely sure what he wants the plants for in the first place. We can buy several elixir far faster than he could brew a single bottle." He pointed out, Stella smiling at him gently.
"That is true, but not the kind he wants. He wishes to try brewing something that would make our magic and presence impossible to detect by those beings chasing us."
"Hah, I'd like to see him brew something! It would probably blow up in his face, wouldn't that be a sight to see. The great vampire mage, covered in goo." Edward grinned, and next to him Stella broke into giggles.
"He'd give everyone a look of disgust and ask if we all wanted to be turned into insects for staring at him, but it would be Mel who'd laugh at him." Stella pointed out, eyes sparkling with mirth.
Edward twisted his expression into the most comically constipated one he could manage, arms crossed over his chest as he attempted to lower his voice.
"What, pray-tell is so funny Mel?" His impression set Stella off again, Edward unable to hold the face as he too broke into laughter.
"When do-..."
Stella's words died off as her face faded from cheerful into nervousness, the healer looking past him into the trees.
"Is that a person?" She murmured, half rising and looking closer as he began to turn before letting out a call. "June!"
He twisted so fast it almost hurt, facing into the forest in the direction they had been heading as forms began to take shape within the shadows of the trees in their approach of the picnicking space. June hurriedly gathered her papers before rushing towards Edward who caught her and pushed her behind him to Stella.
"Mel, we have a problem!"
He felt the dark tension in the air from her magic abruptly die and a muffled curse echoed from behind him, moments later his friend stood next to him with a staff in hand.
"Have I mentioned recently how much I hate travelling in this part of Aia?"
"Yup!" Was his cheerful response, his fingers adjusting around the grip of his sword as he fell into a defensive stance.
"Looky here, a camp fresh for the picking! And we even have a little evening entertainment with a couple of fools trying to pick a fight." The one at the lead said with a chortle, drawing a weapon casually. "Shall we give them the death they're clearly aiming for?"
Cruel grins were reflected around on many of the faces that approached, next to him Mel letting out a snarl and lunging forward with a wall of magic that slammed into the first ones to approach the camp. There were shouts of shock and pain, but all to soon her wall shattered and people flooded into the clearing, Edward rushing to meet those closest to him. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the clearing, and he felt a shield form around him, Edward changing a glance behind him to see Stella standing strong with the earth-shaking all around the pearlescent orb she and June were both safe in.
Attackers dropped randomly with random flashes of colour or exploding birthday cakes, and bit by bit the number of attackers began to dwindle. He hit a lull in approaching fighters and turned to find Mel, his heart leaping into his throat as he watched people swarm her where she stood perched on a small pile of stones. She was strong, but not that strong and slowly people were creeping towards her past her defenses.
He was just about to start towards her when thunder began to roll around the clearing, Edward turning and letting out a sigh of relief as a portal opened at the mouth of their little battlefield and Gyendal leapt out, hands crackling with lightning that he fired at the gathered attackers.
"Another mage!" The shout echoed along with loud cries of shock as a path of bodies dropped to the ground.
Mel lunged through the gap towards Gyendal, the two going back to back against the onslaught as the last few attackers focused on Stella and Edward changed targets to help their friends. It was apparent that they were desperate to win and get the haul of weaponry and items that their group had in order to sell on the black market, even to the point of foolishness.
"Do we help them?" June came up behind Edward with wide, worried eyes and he looked to Stella who shook her head.
"I do not believe they need our help right now, and anyone who gets caught in that crossfire is going to end up hurt or worse." The healer said gravely.
They were like a force of pure chaos, moving in ways that no one should have been able to inherently predict. Yet the two of them were fighting in terrifying synchronicity, their attackers pulling back as those closest fell under the whirl of blades and magic.
"They're crazy, everyone get out of here!" One finally shrieked, throwing up their shield to block further attack as they stumbled back.
The remaining attackers began to follow suit, retreating back from Mel and Gyendal as they fled into the forests. Injured fighters who were still able to move around scrambled off the ground best as they were able before retreating back into the trees, silence falling over their group aside from the occasional moan of the injured on the ground.
They stared at one another in stunned silence, before June cleared her throat and headed towards their packs.
"We need to get our things and leave, there's no telling what they might do if they have a bigger team that stayed behind to regroup with. They'll be waiting to tend to their injured and bury their dead." The younger one said worriedly, Edward looking around at the bodies with hard swallow.
A gentle hand ran lightly over where wounds had been open, and he looked down at Stella thankfully as she made quick work of his injuries.
"...stop arguing with me and get that healed!"
Gyendal's sharp tone made Edward's gaze snap up and he watched as Gyendal wrapped an arm around Mel, stabilizing her as the two approached where he and Stella stood.
"Mel are you alright?" He demanded, pulling free of Stella's touch as the growing red stains on Mel's clothes became clear.
His friend grimaced, shifting her weight.
"Their mages weren't as strong as us, but some of their spells are nasty." Mel muttered, grumbling as Stella turned her attention to the wounds.
Pale magic glowed around them and Mel flinched slightly, leaning heavily onto the supporting arm holding her upright. Edward couldn't help but wonder what that would feel like, the light magic moving through her when she had only used darkness.
Soon Stella was finished, taking a step back as Mel yanked free of Gyendal's grip and smoothed her coat with sharp movements, gathering herself.
"We can't take breaks like this again, we're sitting ducks for the rogue groups that use the black market in Peliad to deal stolen goods quickly. We need to make for Harukana with as few stops as possible, and have constantly changing shifts of two people at a time fully armed and prepared for attack." She ordered, mood shifting into authoritative.
Mel never waited for a response and Edward watched as she strode off towards her bags, leaving the others standing silently in the casualty littered clearing. Edward exchanged a look with Stella before looking to his best friend, watching how her shoulders hunched.
She was overwhelmed, and she was scared. He knew her well enough to know what she was trying to do, take control of the situation and act for the others like she had everything together.
With a sigh he went to gather his and Stella's things, making quick work of what was left to pack. They needed something to change, anything to lighten the situation and give a bit of relief if even just for a short time.
"So you'll come with us?"
Mel glanced from Edward to the familiar standing before them as the prince earnestly questioned the young woman. She seemed to ponder for a moment before grinning.
"You did play my game, and adventuring with a group of humans seems like a fantastic way to rid myself of this boredom… so I shall join you!"
Mel couldn't help the huge sigh of relief, Yvette turning to Mel with a bright gleam in her eyes.
"Adventures never come without their threats, what are we up against?" Yvette enquired, cocking her head not unlike a bird.
"Three immortal beings that want us dead and want the information I have." Mel said with a shrug, her casual admittance of this information taking her friends aback.
Yvette's eyes widened slightly before she shrugged.
"Sounds like it shall be fun."
Mel muffled a snort at the comment before gesturing down at the entrance of the city.
"If you say so, shall we take our leave?"
Yvette nodded, falling into step with the others as June began unleashing rapid-fire questions about transformation and magic, something Yvette seemed more than happy to discuss.
"So that's one thing down, where do we go from here?" Stella brought up, slowing and looking to Mel.
She was about to suggest heading back to the cave when from beside her Gyendal spoke up, expression unusually tense.
"I believe I know our next stop, there will be a great deal of useful information there we should look through before going any further forward. It's named to be the future capital of the Darkthrop empire…" His words had Mel turning sharply to face him. "We need to go to Underfall."
The ancient magic within the tombs was so strong that Mel could smell it in the air, powerful and thick. The water moved with the slightest current that had no source, none of the dirt from their travel surviving long enough in spelled waters to muddy as they moved through.
As they began to approach the entrance to Underfall, the darkness began to permeate the atmosphere of the tunnels, and out of the corner of her eye she saw June fall back to take hold of Stella's arm nervously. They paused in the doorway, carefully exiting into the shadowy forest, careful steps led by Gyendal who guided them through paths with familiarity.
They hadn't even got out of eyesight of the tunnels when all of a sudden Gyendal froze, a string of curses uttered under his breath as in the distance they watched a darkling exit the city and head further into the forest. The ex-vampire began to slowly back away, before wheeling and near running back in the direction they had just come from.
"What the-" Yvette's startled exclamation was cut short as the rest of them quickly followed, Gyendal not slowing until they were all back in the Tombs and heading out of view of the entrance.
"What are you doing?! You aren't seriously trying to back out of this now, especially after being the one to take us here in the first place." Mel's voice was biting, her arms crossed over her chest.
"You sound like a fool to even voice such idiocy." Gyendal snapped back. "No, my concerns are a tad bigger. I cannot go in there looking like myself, the darklings will know instantly and will assume that this means the prophecy is about to begin. They will start preparations and fully reveal us, Mordred will learn of it almost instantly."
She hissed out a sigh through gritted teeth, mind racing for a solution. She hadn't considered how deeply Gyendal had been involved could compromise them, and alone they'd be running blind.
"We'll have to return to the village and regroup, learn as much as we can about Underfall." Mel said, thinking out loud. "How are we going to figure this out…"
The smirk on Gyendal's face was unnerving, and he leaned up casually against the tomb wall.
"No need to do anything, just observe."
Mel couldn't help the wave of suspicion as magic coiled up around Gyendal.
"What are you- WHA!"
She wasn't exactly proud of her uncoordinated fall back from Gyendal, as his features began to shimmer and change. Before her very eyes she watched him get younger, features changing enough lose what made him distinctly Gyendal, the resemblance one more of extended relatives. His usual tunic and cloak vanished, to be replaced with the clothing of a traveler native to Peliad, and within moments an entirely new person stood before them.
Open-mouthed silence gave way to loud chatter as the others questioned what had just happened, unnerved by the sudden transformation. For a moment Mel stared at the individual before her, searching for familiarity before finally making and holding eye-contact.
For a moment she just stared, then the tension that had started at the start of his change began to ease and she gave him a half nod that was returned. His eyes were the same, the deep green and guarded emotion that they always were, he couldn't change the essence of who he was.
"Brilliant plan, did you think up a name with the identity change?" Mel asked dryly, gesturing to him. "Gyendal isn't exactly a common name in our time, even amongst the undead."
"You make a valid point." He conceded, pondering for a moment before a wicked grin slowly crawled across his features. "Seeing as I'm playing the part of a Peliad loner of questionable skills, I think that a simple nickname might fit best. You may all call me Spook."
The others shrugged before nodding, but Mel just stopped. She thought about the small ghost companion waiting for them at home, before slowly giving Gyendal a once over.
Then she burst into laughter.
"Whatever could be the issue?" Gyendal, or rather, Spook, asked grandly.
His tone only made her laugh harder, the idea of the proud and powerful mage taking the name of an overdramatic ghost servant that acted not unlike a child was far too comical a situation.
He slyly winked at her before straightening away from the wall and gesturing mockingly back towards the entrance to the Underfall woods.
"If you would be so kind as to take the lead, it would be significantly more convenient if you were the figurehead of our current little group. Makes it far easier to throw you to the darklings should something go wrong." Gyendal commented, Mel snorting and flipping him off before striding in the direction of the entrance.
As they walked she pulled off her jacket, pausing her steps to stash it within her bag and withdraw the green vest she had gotten so long ago. It had been so large when she had received it that the vest finally fit perfectly, and would allow her to blend in far better than a jacket that practically announced from rooftops her identity.
The monsters that lurked along the edges of the treeline made her hair stand on end, even with all she had seen living in Ged'ahre there was something not right that moved within the forests here. Quickly they reached the stairs into the city, passing through the barrier that kept forest dwellers out to step into the city that bustled with life. Darklings and various other undead beings milled about, chatting with one another and staring openly at Mel's party.
"We'll have to break into the cathedral, it's locked until the coming of the chosen one for the prophecy." Gyendal warned all of them, "Some of us will need to stay outside as to not alert the darklings that someone has gotten inside. Once we're within the temple we'll be able to portal into one of the hidden corners of the city to meet up with someone else."
They glanced around at the darklings that wandered through the streets before gathering a bit closer together.
"I'll stay outside, being in a place built off the worship of dark magic would make me feel sick from the lack of light or neutral balance." Stella explained. "June should stay with me also, we don't know what that sort of magic could do to her as a magician."
June looked over indignantly, hands on hips.
"Wait a second! But I-"
"No buts June, I'm not letting you go into a place that's built off ancient magic that could do goddess knows what to you! Gyen- Spook and Mel have dark magic within them, Edward is void of magic, and Yvette isn't a teenager in our care." Stella's tone was stern, and Mel turned to raise a brow at her usually softer spoken friend.
June's bottom lip pushed out and the younger magician crossed her arms over her chest with a pout, and Mel had to muffle a laugh. Stella didn't put her foot down a lot, but when she did no one pushed it. The group started forward once more, following Gyendal's quiet directions
"This is like walking through a nightmare." Edward muttered, before letting out a yelp as a ghost phased clear through him. "What in Aia's name?!"
"You got in its way." Mel pointed out casually, trying to muffle a snicker as Edward turned faintly green.
"That was quite possibly the worst sensation I have ever felt in my life, I do not want to exist any longer." Edward finally said, monotone as he stared down at his midsection.
"I do believe this has quickly become my favourite place on Eldiron." Gyendal commented, looking pointedly between Edward and the ghost.
"Dusty, full of creepy things with no grasp of how to interact with normal humans, and outdated in every possible way. Sounds like it was made for you." Mel quipped, smirking as she strolled deeper into the city.
"Interesting statement coming from one who always proclaimed preference to my way of life as opposed to that of the humans. At least I have the excuse of being undead and removed from society, what excuse do you have?" Gyendal shot back without pause, Yvette bursting into laughter behind them.
Her lips twitched, and she found some of the dull tiredness lift as she considered the best way to phrase her next sarcastic response. As they navigated the winding streets sarcastic jabs were tossed back and forth, earning them laughter and the occasional teasing comment from the others until Gyendal suddenly slowed as they came up to a large stone building.
"We're here."
Mel stilled, the humourous environment of their group fading rapidly as they looked up at the cathedral. Even just from first glance Mel could tell that the large double doors in front of her were solid oak and incredibly heavy. She could feel the sealed away magic within, dark and very inhuman, yet somehow not hostile. She exchanged a look with Gyendal who gestured with his head towards the door, his new fringe from his Spook form swinging in front of his eyes.
Carefully she turned back, approaching the door and resting her hands on the handles as she closed her eyes. Her magic bled through her hands into the door, sweeping through the wood until the cold metal of the lock made itself known. She felt a rush of satisfaction as she navigated her magic like the lockpicks she had mastered as a child, the familiar click of a lock coming undone echoing out to their little group.
"That's the sound of an open welcome if I do say so myself." She announced, pulling one of the doors open enough to slip inside.
Gyendal and Yvette followed her in, Edward looking to Stella who smiled fondly and nodded, the prince grinning and following the others inside as the door carefully was closed behind them.
The darkness of the cathedral was only disturbed by the weak light coming in stained glass windows high on the wall, no one human or otherwise would be able to look in and see them with how high they were on the wall. Mel looked around warily as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, taking in the arches and symbols engraved into the walls. She carefully began to walk along the wall line, fingers brushing over the cold stone as she studied everything around her. As she walked, she caught sight of a familiar-looking symbol carved into the stone, stopping and turning to study it closer before letting out a sound of recognition.
"Guys, one of the symbols that the lady has tattooed is carved into the walls. This place must have been built during Mordred's time on Aia, while the darklings still spoke their own language." She pointed, turning to look at the others.
"Yes, it was built about the time that the fates wove the darkthrop prophecy into Aia's timeline and the oracle delivered it, many years before Mordred's death. The books in the library will be a mix of english and the language of the darklings." Gyendal explained.
"This whole place feels like it's holding its breath, it's eerily still and silent." Edward said, unusually subdued. "I keep feeling like all it'll take is one wrong move and we'll awaken something dark just by being here."
Mel shrugged as she headed towards the stairs at the far side of the chamber that led up towards a slightly raised level and a doorway.
"Undoubtedly, this place is full of unnatural enchantments" Yvette said with a grin. "It's fascinating."
"T-thats not comforting at all!" Edward sqwaked, Gyendal snorting at his reaction.
She ignored them as she entered the library cautiously, wandering through the isle to explore the shelves. There wouldn't be much she'd be able to read, but maybe someone had stashed an item amongst the old volumes. As she searched amongst the shelves she found herself pausing in front of a strange book, it glowed slightly with magic that wasn't dark like the rest and had nothing on the spine. It even lacked a volume numeral, and after a moment she reached up to grab hold.
The magic that washed through her was gentle and warm, yet it didn't fight her own magic. She stared down at the novel, the front cover bearing gold etchings that moved and twirled across the forest green fabric. Slowly she pulled open the cover, watching as the page shimmered before black script began to appear. An elegant drawing of a tree began to form across the pages, names forming branches off that vanished onto other pages and for a moment Mel stared in wonderment before a single last name jumped off the page in front of her.
Darkthrop.
"Gyendal! Come look at this!" Mel called without a second thought, staring down at the pages as the tree continued to unfurl.
She felt him come up behind her, and a hand settled lightly on her upper arm as he peered over her shoulder at the book in her hands.
"It's my family tree, starting with Mordred and stretching through all his descendants." She breathed, flipping through page after page as the tree continued to form.
The ink spread across the page like blooming petals as she flipped faster through pages.
"Wait, stop." Gyendal reached out his hand, lightly catching her wrist before she could continue flipping. "That's your name."
He was right, on the tree her given name shimmered in blue, Mel Fairbairn. She hadn't seen her full name in a very long time. She studied the tree that reached down to her, the dull black ink of the names of her close ancestors seeming to almost suck the light into the page. As she read down she came to a stop at her parents, connecting where the Darkthrop line linked to her
"My mom was a Darkthrop." She realized out loud, Gyendal making a sound of agreement. "She knew all along who she was, she had to of. That would explain her over the top fear of the tower, and why she was so afraid of that dream."
"Dream?" Gyendal questioned, Mel waving him off absently.
"I can explain later, point is that now I know some of why my parents acted the way they did. This is a record of my history and something I can actually trace back for answers."
As she studied the names written down on the page in front of her Gyendal pointed to the page, Mel following the direction to the other name attached to their parents.
"Rayina Fairbairn, your sister?"
Mel nodded. He knew of her family, but she had never really shared names or stories about her childhood, the pain of her loss tainting even the happy memories.
"Yes, she was my older sister. I suppose that answers the question on if I ever had any other siblings, she's the only other descendant of my parents." She commented, "My sister had always wondered if why mother was so sad and secretive about her life before having us, and why she was so protective was because we had once had an older sibling that died. She got the idea from a story that a traveller told."
"Hold the book still, I believe there is some of the magic dust scattered on the page. Reyina's name is glinting slightly with it." Gyendal said, reaching out a finger as Mel looked closer to see he was right.
The moment he made contact with the page, to brush away the yellow-gold shimmer, the book in her hand gave a jolt. Mel let out a gasp as the once-finished page began to shine once more and a final name scrawled across the paper as if written by an invisible hand, an ancient symbol for the infinite appearing next to her place on the tree while one more name appeared on the page.
"Your name!" Mel's mouth hung open in shock as she stared.
Written in dark red ink, the same looping cursive as everything else on the page, was the name Gyendal Ravenfoot.
"How-" Gyendal muttered, his finger ghosting across the surface of the page before coming to a stop under the infinite symbol.
She could practically feel him reach the same realization as her as she looked over to him.
"Fate. Fatebonds are infinite, they never break even in death. You're on that page because you're bonded to me, this book considers you to be of the family." Mel stated as she looked back down at the way the infinite symbol linked their names together.
For a long moment they were silent, Mel glancing at Gyendal out of the corner of her eye to see him intently studying his name.
"Mel, I found something." Yvette's voice suddenly echoed from the main chamber and Mel gave herself a mental shake, sidestepping away from Gyendal and out into the aisle as she closed the book in her hand.
"I'm keeping this, let's go see what she found."
She slipped the book carefully into her bag, this new revelation clinging stubbornly to the forefront of her thoughts as she tried to clear her mind to deal with whatever Yvette had found.
"This has been written with a mix of runes and common, but it talks about a Darkthrop prophecy so I figured it would be relevant to what we're doing." Yvette pointed to a long inscription on the wall next to the doorway into the library that had been split into verses.
"Damnit, how did I miss this?" Mel muttered to herself, stepping closer to study the common script.
It talked about the prophecy she already knew at first, using the orbs to raise a dark empire and the dark magic that ran through her veins. Then the topic began to shift, and Mel stilled as she read the next verse.
"Uh… does anyone know if the heir to this empire supposed to be immortal or join the ranks of the undead? Because it says here that she will reign eternally over her empire, watching the rise and fall of kingdoms through the ages."
"Wait really?" Edward seemed startled and excited all at once as he came over to read the inscription, whistling low under his breath. "You'd make a terrible immortal queen, you'd get too fed up with the politics."
"True." Gyendal spoke up from her side, making Mel jump slightly. "However we have slightly bigger concerns at this moment. The runes speak about the presence of the chosen within this temple being capable of awakening the ancient forces of darkness, creatures that came into existence beyond the veil between life and death."
Mel blanched, looking around her and then down at the stairs on either side of the wider room of the temple that descended into the dark basement below.
"You know, I think now would be a really great time to leave." Mel announced abruptly, turning to Gyendal who nodded and flicked a hand.
The woven leather and metal bracelets he wore as Spook clicked with the sudden movement, a portal forming in front of them as everyone hurried through into a hidden corner of the Underfall city. As the portal closed behind them and they set off to meet up with the others Mel glanced across the strange city layout to where the temples spires towered over everything, shuddering entities and immortality, every single thing she learned about this prophecy sounded like being saddled with an eternal curse of boredom and unpleasant living.
Not to mention there was that little matter of what had happened in her book of the family records. Gyendal's name was fixed quite permanently on that magic page, and she might not know where the book came from specifically, but was more than aware it wasn't any magic a mortal could wield.
"Must Spook remain in this alternate form for much longer? Every time I shift or use any part of my abilities his features shift within the magic veil my consciousness has to enter and it's disturbing to see two faces on one person." Yvette muttered, shooting an irritable look at Gyendal.
Mel glanced over at the others, they all looked so unfamiliar to her, garbed in clothing found on Eldiron.
"Just wait until we get to the Inn, then Gyendal and I can change clothes and he can get rid of the disguise. We just needed to fly under the radar long enough for me to check for traces of those beings into the city, without risk of them recognizing either of us. Now that we know the city's empty we're fine, we just can't change in public." She explained distractedly, glancing around at the different buildings they were walking by.
They rounded the corner onto another main street and started towards where the Inn stood at the far end, but before they could get partway down Mel felt a hand catch her arm. She turned sharply to see Edward gesturing towards one of the shops that sported a sign about fine quills.
"Before we go to the inn we should stop and pick up one of these for the writer! He promised us information, might as well deal with that while we're already in town." He pointed out.
Mel nodded in agreement, Edward grinning and striding towards the door, stepping inside as Mel slipped in behind the others and glanced around at the ornate quills perched on stands around the tables. The feathers were vibrant in colour, incandescent in the light and for a moment a flash of irritation washed through Mel. What was it with damn rich people and their inability to use a simple quill like everyone else? No one needed to pay their weight in coin to write with delicate shiny feathers.
Edward and Stella had wandered off to admire a table in shades of purple, and Mel began to examine some of the quills closest to her, reaching out to pick up a random green one.
"Ahem."
Mel turned at the pointed clearing of a throat to see the shopkeeper standing a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest.
"Perhaps you should put that down. We have a strict policy around broken goods that they must be purchased by whoever broke them, I'd hate for you to end up in such debt."
She looked down at the quill in hand before shaking her head and reaching to the pocket on her belt to withdraw her coin purse.
"Actually I wasn't just looking, I want to purchase this. How much are you wanting for it?"
The man sniffed, giving her a dismissive once-over.
"Nothing you could afford, now why don't you place the quill back where it belongs and take your leave."
Mel's eyes narrowed slightly, and she flipped open the flap on her pouch with a slight bit more force than necessary to reveal with gold coins within, showing them to the shopkeeper.
"I can afford it, now how much?" She asked pointedly, already fed up with the pompous man.
Outrage flitted across the mans features and he drew himself up to full height, pointing an accusing finger at Mel and the money.
"I know exactly what that is young lady, and you can take your dirty money out of my establishment! I do not service your kind here, this is a place for the well off, selling the finest quills in Eldiron, it is not for street runners and other rabble." The shopkeeper snapped, startled gasps indicating to Mel that the shopkeeper had successfully drawn the attention of her friends and the other customers in the shop.
Her teeth gritted tightly as the man reached down to snatch the quill off her open hand and return it to the table before shooing her towards the door with a little hand movement, the movement filled with disdain. Old resentments boiled up within her as she stood immobile in the middle of the shop, childhood memories playing a mirror to what was taking place at that moment.
The Ravenfoot coat had become more than just a link to her bond, it had also become a shield against class prejudice when it came to general interaction and living. It seemed that all it took was a change of clothes to reduce her once more.
"Why are you still standing-..."
Mocking laughter sounded from behind the shopkeeper who trailed off and turned to see the tall form of Spook leaning up against a table, posture casual.
"Is there something you find funny?" The shopkeeper asked in thinly hidden disgust.
"Just your misplaced sense of pride, as if these quills are worth their price. If these are the finest in all Eldiron I have several concerns about the quality of wares the nation provides." He said, beginning to saunter through the display tables.
The shopkeepers face flushed in anger, and he puffed his chest out slightly.
"People come from all over Eldiron to my shop for their quills, even the empress has sent servants to purchase from me for her office! You hardly understand what makes something quality, just look at you. Street trash as well no doubt."
He clearly expected his words to take the fight out of Gyendal, but instead the dark mage only grinned, the expression truly wicked when sported by his Spook form.
"Certainly says a lot about the deprived state of this empire, imagine spending money to travel just for one of these trinkets." He picked up one of the more expensive pens and glanced it over before dropping it back down onto the table.
The shopkeeper let out a strangled sound of protest, rushing towards the table to check on the fallen pen as Gyendal changed course and crossed the room directly to stand at Mel's side. After ensuring his pen was unharmed the shopkeeper wheeled on them, expression thunderous.
"How dare you come into my place of business and demean my life work with such ignorant views! You are disturbing customers and sullying the very atmosphere of my shop with your presences. I'll not have such trash insulting my wares, get out!" The shopkeeper was flushed, hands waving about as he advanced on them. "I'll remove you by force if I need to."
"No need, I believe we're done here." Gyendal said, reaching over to drape an arm across her shoulders and turn the both of them towards the door as they exited the shop and onto the street.
Moments later the others had rejoined them, the quill forgotten in the fight.
"How could he talk to you like that?! I've never seen such a display by a businessman before!" Edward gasped, indignant. "I should go back in there and give him a piece of my mind! He has no idea who he was talking to."
Mel barked out a hard laugh.
"You're a prince Edward, of course you wouldn't have seen that before. Even with your care for others you never descended far enough below your rank to see these types of things." She snapped.
"Humans are so petty and shallow, throwing away money for the sake of image and self-made superiority." Gyendal commented with a snort.
"You don't even know the half of it." Mel agreed irritably, "That man was unbelievable, disgust is normal but to refuse money? Even in Harburg people weren't that stupid, they hardly treated 'lowlife' with respect but they didn't stop people from purchasing based on ego."
"No doubt he's searching for a cleansing scroll to save his shop from our 'poor people miasma' even as we speak." He added, mockery clear in his tone.
Mel snickered at that. "He must be positively beside himself over you touching that pen, street urchin existence might spread to others."
Gyendal smirked wickedly, reaching into his pocket.
"Indeed. Wouldn't it be a shame if in his hysteria over that one pen… he never noticed the one that went missing?"
Mel looked over at him to see him withdraw a different quill from his pocket, waving it between two fingers before handing it to Mel
"So that's what that whole display was about!" She exclaimed as she accepted the pen, grinning widely. "That's fantastic, I never even noticed."
"No, the display was to make his life difficult for acting like such a fool with you." Gyendal corrected offhandedly, "The pen is simply a side bonus."
Mel snached the quill from his hand and examined it, thoroughly amused by the sly theft from the shop.
"Please tell me we aren't actually keeping the vengeance pen." Edward said with a sigh, clearly already knowing the answer.
"Of course we won't." Mel said simply, "We'll give it to the writer in exchange for information."
"So we're peddling stolen goods now?! That's worse!" Edward sqwawked, Mel waving him off.
"Stella can you come with me? Yvette, why don't you and June go get us a few rooms at the Inn and we'll meet you there." Mel directed, Stella nodding in agreement to her request.
She moved to start off towards the writers house before pausing as a weight over her shoulders restrained her movements. She glanced over to her shoulder, registering fully for the first time that Gyendal's arm was still draped around her shoulders.
For a moment she stared at where his arm curved to rest casually off her shoulder, absently considering how quickly she and Gyendal had slipped back into a comfortable pattern, enough so that it took her this long to realize just how close proximity they were. Then with a slightly uncomfortable cough she pulled free, starting off quickly down the street with quill in hand.
Edward watched Stella and Mel heading down the street, talking intently as they moved out of earshot. Gyendal started after them, but before the other man could get far Edward quickly stepped in front of him, cutting his path off.
"What-"
"I know what you're doing, and you're not getting away with it." Edward snapped.
Gyendal stared at him blankly, the expression an infuriating one to see. Mel was his best friend, and he'd be damned if he stood by and watched her get hurt because of Gyendal once more.
"You haven't changed and come to accept humans, you barely even hide how you feel about our kind. If not for Mordred betraying you, you never would have bothered to stick around with us! We all see what you're doing, and none of us are falling for it." Edward crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the older mage. "You cannot fix what you did to Mel that easily, playing a character to get close to her, it's no better than putting a finger bandage over a stab wound. We won't let you get away with it."
The silence that followed Edward's declaration was loaded, and for a moment he thought he had won. Then like a switch was flipped the calm and neutral expression Gyendal wore as Spook was gone, replaced with narrowed eyes and a dark look that made him flinch ever so slightly.
"I might find your determination to protect Mel enduring, if it was not me you were trying to interfere with."
Edward stared at Gyendal as the mage took a slight step forward, and he found himself reminded that Gyendal's transformation to human had not changed much. He may not have the inhuman power of the vampires, but he was still every bit a predator, something that was almost more unnerving when it came from a fellow human.
"You have no idea what I am doing, prince. If I had wanted to hurt her, or destroy her plans I would have done so when it was only the two of us. It is not a crime to simply coexist with my bond, no ulterior motive is required for that." His tone dropped then, the dark mage speaking softly. "I would advise you not to interfere with matters you do not understand. Those who threaten me do not win."
Edward might have found some angry retort, had Stella's cheerful call of his name not broken the stand off. He looked over to see his fiance jog over with Mel, smiling softly at him as the violet haired woman reached his side and looped an arm through his.
"Well those are pleasant expressions to come back to, what happened?" Mel's exasperation was evident in her tone as she looked warily between the two males, clearly having picked up on the residual tension.
He turned to look at Gyendal, preparing to fire back a retort to anything the other might say when he saw it, eyes widening slightly.
"Everything is fine. Shockingly enough I can occupy the same space with your companions without it turning to bloodshed. Now, if you'll excuse me." He said curtly, stalking past everyone as he headed deeper into the city and away from the Inn.
Mel stared at Edward for a moment before turning to face the direction Gyendal had gone.
"Sure, totally fine. And I'm the queen of Thais." She muttered, before taking off after him.
Edward watched her go, realization unfolding slowly.
"Sweetheart, what's going on?" Stella questioned, sounding slightly suspicious.
"I think we're starting to get a glimpse of what this would have been like had Mel and Gyendal not fought on opposite sides at the beginning." He answered absently, leaning over to kiss her cheek lightly.
"You mean the companionship between them?"
He was silent for a moment, thinking about the look he had seen just barely flash across Gyendal's expression at the concern in Mel's question. It had been clouded, hidden under layers of emotion and complexity, but he knew that look.
"That, and more. There's a connection I don't think that either of them are really aware of yet."
He had seen that look in the mirror in his own eyes when it came to Stella, and in her eyes when she looked at him.
"Can we trust that it will protect her though?" Stella posed the same question that was on Edward's mind and he shrugged.
"I suppose we'll simply have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, we may not stand a chance against Gyendal in combat, but if he hurts her again he won't have the opportunity to do so a third time." He stated calmly, determination in him.
Gyendal was not weak, but even he was not invulnerable. Mel was family, nothing else mattered. Next to him Stella nodded, eyes narrowed slightly. They wouldn't let her get hurt again. All they could hope for now is that the connection between them and Gyendal's realization of Mordred's actions would prevent everything from coming apart once more. The look he had seen briefly flit through Gyendal's expression was one Edward could tell hadn't even been registered by the dark mage, but it's roots ran deep.
Only question now was, what would it become?