Night and day I've waited / For the moment / When I'd see your / Face and feel you near

Numb and lost I wander / With no place to go / Just aimless / 'Till you reappear

'Till you come in view / I keep watch with / These sore eyes

Nothing's going to shake my faith / I know you're coming back real soon / To my embrace

Though time goes by so slow, / I'm never letting go / I won't give up

But that's all right, / I'll be just fine / I'm not concerned / With sands of time

If forever comes and goes / I won't pay it no mind / 'Cause the treasure of my life / Is being by your side


Go find her. You need her, Weiss. We'll hold down the fort while you're gone; it won't be too long. We'll be here when you get back. And say hi to Rubes if you see her again, will ya?

φ

The chiming of the grandfather clock woke her, though it took only a moment for her to notice the light. Her eyes screamed in objection to the sudden intrusion to the comforting darkness of sleep.

As her eyes adjusted, she yawned and looked at her mother. "Huh? Mom, wha—" She placed a hand over her mouth as she yawned. Eight, nine, ten… Eleven, twelve chimes on the clock. She'd only gone to bed at nine… Why was her mother waking her up now only a few hours later? Couldn't she have waited until morning? What was so important to wake her only a few hours after she'd gone to bed?

She winced as the soft light from the orb expanded to shine into her whole room. "We have a meeting in Sodocroa in a few hours, Weiss. Or did you forget you wanted to go with me? Would you rather me leave you here so you can sleep?" Tania's green eyes questioned her and she sighed. Right, Sodocroa… It'd be her first time there. It was both exciting and terrifying.

"How should I dress?" It was still very warm in Vobron, but it was always warm in Vobron. Her nightgown was only a sheer piece of linen and she didn't have any covers save the cooling blanket that helped keep the stuff, tropical air at least somewhat manageable.

"Well, it's late in the month, so something a little heavier would probably be better." Weiss nodded at her mother's words and went to the closet. She went to grab one of her suits when she heard a noise of disapproval from her mother. "Weiss, you're going to have to make a choice on how to present: masculine or femnine, then stick to it. Sodocroa does have clothes for those between or neither, but we'll only be for a few days. I don't think you'll be comfortable in those clothes."

Weiss frowned and racked her brain. Right, the matriarchy had strict gender roles and rules for those expressions. She didn't want to present as feminine right now, though… Would she be able to deal with all the extra layers that came with suits? Then again, it was a more temperate area in the fall, so the extra layers probably wouldn't be a bad thing. "Shoo!" She waved her hand at her mother. She could dress herself! She was twelve for the gods' sakes!

Her mother left and darkness followed. She turned her own orb on and she changed from the sheer linen to one of her suits. She tucked her hair up in a close-cropped braid and looked at her self in the mirror. She lightly tugged on the labels to straighten out the jacket then nodded. Yes, that felt looked and felt right for today… Though she would hate it if she felt more feminine tomorrow… It'd only be a few days. She doubted she'd go to the nation after this… She had little to no business there as an atheist human in a land of religious Faunus.

She extinguished the orb then went into the hallway, only to get ambushed by her mother. "Wha—?!"

A piece of cloths covered her head and was neatly tied over it. She frowned as she touched the cloth. She'd seen the photos from Sodocroa; nearly everyone wore them in some fashion or another, but not really humans. "Mom—?"

"We're dealing with Queen Maryam herself, honey. To not have one on in the castle is a great offense." Weiss nodded and gave a resigned sigh. That she hadn't known. Her mother was more versed in their ways than Weiss was. She'd studied the nation extensively, but it hadn't said anything about this. She really didn't want to wear it, but the last thing her family needed was to upset the queen of such an important nation.

"Okay." She wouldn't complain. She knew how important networking was. Her parents trusted her and she'd start her own business in a few years. She would have to pay attention to the small things like this once she struck out by herself. She'd start with her parents' contacts but would eventually build her own network. Maybe she could even afford to go to school eventually… Higher learning felt absolutely unobtainable to her right now.

Tania took Weiss' hand and they walked through the quiet town. She could hear some owls hooting in the distant rainforest, but they weren't nearby.

She smiled, though, and held her hand out as a black bird landed on it. "Lilias!" She giggled and kissed the black cockatoo's head. That earned her some gentle sounds despite the bird's sleepiness.

"Honestly, Weiss. She doesn't need to go everywhere with you." Tania sighed. Weiss shook her head. She was Lilias' flock now! The red-tailed black cockatoo had been abandoned following an injury. She knew the bird would be fine for a few days…but she loved her so much. Although it would mean switching up her diet for a few days. She absolutely would not leave her best friend behind!

They made their way to the teleport hall. They startled the stationmaster awake and asked to be sent to Sodocroa. "Why would you want to go visit a bunch of filthy animals?" the man asked. Weiss bristled and Tania squeezed her hand.

"I'm a historian, Mister Zeigler. My job is to seek truth to illuminate where darkness reigns," Tania replied coolly. The man blanched but nodded.

"One trip to Sodocroa." He took Tania's other hand and, within a moment, they were in a different building. The architecture changed from the rough, hand-hewn wood to a delicate style, a trim of faux gold ringing the room. Wow… Weiss had been to places with beautiful architecture before, but teleport halls were usually not this fancy. And they weren't even in a castle or anything yet… How crazy. How wealthy was this nation to have trim and wallpaper so fancy? It was crazy.

A human stood there, but the man turned to kiss her. "I'll see you later in the week, honey." Weiss grimaced and turned away. Gross. Adults could be so gross. She really didn't get how people could want to do that.

Tania squeezed Weiss' hand and led her out. She blinked as she stepped into bright afternoon light. Timezones and traveling were so hard sometimes. If it were midnight in Vobron, the it was two in the afternoon here in Sodocroa. She'd relatively memorised important time conversions… Still… She wanted to be asleep rather than here right now… She was so tired. "What time is the meeting?"

"In about two hours. And I know, sweetie; I know. Time changes are rough, but if you end up traveling as much as your father and I do, you'll get used to it." She kissed Weiss' head. The little girl nodded. She'd never get used to this. She did plan to follow in their footsteps, but she would never get used to traveling like this. At least it wasn't as humid as in Vobron. She sure didn't like the cold though… She was glad she'd worn something heavier because it was considerably chillier here than at home.

Her mother led her out of the teleportation hall and she froze. She placed Lilias on her shoulder. No. There was no way… There couldn't be anyway that right!

"Mama, Mama!" She tugged on her mother's hand. Tania looked down.

"What is it, Weiss?"

"They're somewhere here! They're somewhere nearby!" She'd never felt it so clearly before. She knew they lay somewhere to the northwest of Vobron, but that covered a lot of areas. So many kingdoms, theocracies, democracies, city-states, and more… It covered so much area. But it was so strong and clear!

"Who, honey?"

"One of my errant soul bonds! It's that way!" She pointed with her free hand, squeezing her mother's. Would she let her go seek it? Ever since she'd made it to Order Ten of soul flowering, she'd felt them… Two errant soul bonds she couldn't place. One of them ever felt on the move but one always stayed put. And this was the one that stayed put! Maybe she could find the person today! "Can I go look for them?" she pleaded. She needed to find them… She was so close!

"Maybe if it weren't Sodocroa… You don't really know the language or customs, sweetie. I can trust you alone in Whela or other places, but not here." Weiss looked down and Tania hugged her. "I'll tell you what: we'll look after the meeting. For now, we need to go to the castle and we'll go meet Queen Maryam. Does that sound like a compromise?"

"Okay." That was really the best she could hope for at the moment. Sodocroa was a pretty scary place. She'd read traveler's tales that talked about how strict the matriarchy was. It was extremely easy to get kicked out. And she really couldn't risk getting her mother tossed out… Any black mark from royalty would reflect negatively on her mother and severely impact her ability to conduct business anywhere.

She blinked when a horse-drawn carriage pulled up. A man with a bushy tail got out and opened the door for them. He spoke in a language she really didn't understand. However, Tania replied fluidly and ushered Weiss into the carriage. This really was going to be an annoying few days… She only knew some basics of the Sodocroan language. She could ask basic things but that was it. Her father didn't want her to know the language, mainly because it'd be so easy to get kicked out. He was fine with Faunus, but almost everyone in the world knew how trigger happy the matriarchy was to toss outsiders, well, out.

Weiss did manage to catch a few things from the conversation between her mother and the coachman. Something schedules, books, nobles… It was so hard to understand anything. She probably wouldn't be working here after she struck ot on her own but…

She gripped her suit over her heart. She needed to find whoever was on the other end of this. Some part of her felt empty and lost, like a part of her was missing. She'd never been able to articulate it until reaching Order Ten. Now she knew there were two people that she somehow knew but couldn't connect with.

Her attention fell to the device on her wrist. Even the teibas specialists couldn't connect her to the people on the other ends. It was so strange… How did she she have soul bonds with people she'd never met before? She really didn't understand… Nobody, not even the leading experts on soul bonds, had any answers for her. It was a bizarre quirk of the system that seemed to completely contradict everything they knew about how the soul functioned. One quack had suggested soul necromancy, but there was no way. Nobody in their right mind would try to go against Melanthios. Even those Rose family wouldn't do that and they were considered insane by the larger magic world.

Lilias hopped into her lap and she smiled a bit. The bird cooed softly as Weiss petted her head. "Hey, Lilias, I had that weird dream again," she whispered. She didn't want to disturb her mother, but she didn't want to simply sit there either.

"Which one?" That…was an entirely fair question. She had a lot of weird, recurring dreams. She really didn't get why her mind drifted so much when she slept. Why couldn't she have 'normal' dreams like everybody else? Why were these recurrent dreams so intrusive?

"One of the ones with the blonde again… She told me something, but I can't remember what." One of the most prominent figures in her dreams was that blonde with the purple eyes. She permeated at least a quarter of Weiss' recurrent dreams… Sometimes they were in two different houses, sometimes they were out in forests, sometimes she saw children… Then there was the dark-skinned man that rarely left the blonde's side. And that redhead with the green eyes… Why were they all so prominent when she slept? She didn't understand.

The carriage lurched to a stop and Tania squeezed Weiss' hand. "We're here, honey." Weiss blinked and nodded.

Wait… The bond… It felt even closer now… They wouldn't have to go look in the city; the person was right in the castle! She wanted so badly to follow the bond, the mysterious bond that had plagued her for two years at this point! She was so near yet so far! "Mama, they're here…" She pointed in the general direction she felt them in. It felt set quite far back in the castle… Would they be able to sense it too?

Tania frowned as she disembarked the carriage. "Unless this person approaches us, we won't be able to find them." She looked at a woman in robes approaching out the front gate. "We can't wander the castle. We'll be escorted everywhere."

"But…" She needed to find them! She was so close! It felt so imperative… She couldn't explain why. All she knew was that she had to find them… Her very soul resonated with a need to find them. Yet when she was so close, a culture stopped her. She couldn't believe this… And asking the queen to search the castle likely wouldn't go over too well… The woman notoriously ran a tight ship. If there was one thing she knew about Sodocroa, it was to not cross Queen Maryam. That was a one-way tick to disbarment. "Okay." She had no other recourse. She was stuck. Hopefully, she'd be called by the queen herself one day in the future… Maybe she'd be allowed to find her mystery bond one day then…

So far, the day had been a relatively uneventful one for Blake. Wake at five thirty, breakfast by six thirty, lessons promptly at seven thirty. It had been relatively the same for the past year or two.

However, her lessons ended early about one thirty for something exciting! She was going to meet her eagle. She was still too young to go hawking with it; she didn't have the strength to carry a three and a half kilogram bird out on long hunts. Plus, the bird was only about two years old; she had proving and conditioning to do before Blake could go hawking with her. She would be flown on her first hunting season this year, but the royal falconer would do it. Blake would get her chance to fly her in a few years once she grew more and the eagle had her full set of skills intact.

She waited patiently outside of the royal mews. Naliaka, her raven, stood in wait and watch in a nearby tree. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait too long and the royal falconer approached. A massive, beautiful golden eagle stood on her gloved fist and Blake couldn't help but fidget a little. She was so excited! Her own Sanctified eagle… The first hunt was always a rite of passage for a prince or princess!

However, a light tap on her head made her look up. "A princess does not fidget."

"Yes, Father." She stilled herself, ears flattening against the cloth of her veil. She really ought to have known better by now. It was just so hard to contain her excitement. She wouldn't be of age for another seven years, but the rite of the first hunt felt so close despite it being another three years off. She wouldn't miss that for the world… So many members of the royal family came back from their Peregrinations simply for the rite. Nobody in their right mind would miss the first hunt with their eagle.

"Hold out your arm like I taught you." The royal falconer smiled and Blake nodded. The eagle stepped up delicately onto Blake's fist. She was definitely very heavy… Holding her even on horseback would be a massive challenge for Blake currently. But she had three more years until she had to worry about that, and probably four more years until she went on her Peregrination.

The royal falconer took the eagle back and placed her on a weathering perch. "I'd suggest coming out here everyday for at least half an hour to start to get to know her language. We won't be working with her late in the day after your lessons, so it'll be perfect." The woman smiled and Blake gave a muted nod. A princess did not show too much emotion. Her father had drilled that into her head from her youngest years. "Her name is Kalena."

She offered a dip of her head to the bird. "My name is Blake. It's nice to meet you, Kalena." The eagle gave some indeterminate noises. She'd understand in due time. She'd learned her horse's language and Naliaka's language. It'd only be a matter of time. "Father, will it be acceptable for me to spend time with her like suggested?" Her tone was completely passive. She did need to learn the eagle's language but…

"Oh hush; you don't need to ask a man's opinon on the matter. Ask your mother, Your Highness." The falconer rolled her eyes. She could practically feel her father's seething, but she didn't say anything. That would ear her quite the tongue lashing if she did. If only her mother was the leader of the relationship like she was entitled to. But her father was so controlling. He'd easily taken over almost everything her mother was supposed to do except care for the children.

"Yes, ma'am." But she knew where it'd lead. She'd have to ask her father in the end. Sp she looked up at him and got the most imperceptible nod. At least he wouldn't stop her from doing this… Then again, it was too important to stop her from bonding with her eagle. Queen Maryam would have had him skinned alive should she know he tried to stop her from it. She was a very intolerant person to deviations from what she saw as good for the kingdom.

The falconer started to run her through some basic things she could do while away from Kalena. She wouldn't be a full-fledged falconer by any means, but having some basic skills would be important. The main things were to build upper-body strength and work on the falconer's knot. A Sanctified eagle was a powerful animal that could easily wrestle with wolves due to its advanced Seraphic abilities. Most golden eagles wouldn't be able to take a wolf. But even a small female like hers would be able to without much trouble. If she bated Wrong, Blake's arm could easily be pulled out of its socket if she didn't have the correct upper-body strength. As a ten-year-old, she definitely did not have the needed strength.

However, the sound of the falconer grew distant as she felt it for the first time.

The person on the other end of the soul bond.

She'd only been aware of it for a few months. She'd hit Echelon Ten a few months ago and had felt the two errant soul bonds. She hadn't told anybody else about it, though. They would think her insane. Nobody could have soul bonds with people they didn't know.

Yet she did.

And she had to find who was on the end of the stronger of the bonds. She couldn't explain why, really, but the compulsion was strong. A piece of her felt missing without this person. She needed them. She might only be ten, but she knew she needed them in her life.

She did force herself to focus on the falconer as she talked. But it was hard. She wanted to forego the meeting but she couldn't. A Donati bonded with their eagle for life. Missing out on such information would mark her as an absolute pariah in the family. She was already looked down on by Queen Maryam for not wanting to control the weather; she really couldn't risk upsetting the queen further.

And abandoning her first session with her eagle would be a good way to do that. She really couldn't risk the queen's ire any further, lest she be thrown out. It would take some cajoling to do that but even so…

Eventually, though, she felt the bond not too far away. It was within a stone's throw of the castle. She couldn't hold it in anymore. "Naliaka!" She held her gloved up and the raven landed on it.

With her free hand, she picked up her skirts and started running.

"Blake!"

"Your Highness?!"

She ignored the calls from her father and the falconer. She had to find them! She really shouldn't have abandoned Kalena, but this was more important! She had to complete her soul!

She flew past guards and servants, ignoring their reactions. She couldn't wait! She absolutely could not!

Unfortunately, by time she reached a window at the front of the castle, there was nobody there. All she could see was a horse-drawn carriage pulling away.

Her shoulders dropped. She could feel the person in the castle, but they had moved away. She couldn't believe this… She was so close and yet so far. She really didn't know the castle well enough to try to find where the person was. And she wouldn't get time to try to find them.

She could already hear her father stomping up after her. She winced a little bit as his hand gripped her shoulder hard. "What has gotten into you, Blake? You've been acting unreasonable all day! I think you need to go meditate to get all of this under control."

"Yes, Father." Her ears flattened and she sighed. This was always her punishment whenever she showed emotion. She was in for a long session of at least two hours, perhaps three…