Hello! Is anybody still here?
I know it's been so long, but it's here! It's finally done! ...and I'm so sorry I took so long. Within the over two years, this took, I got a new job, got dignosed with anxiety, wrote this and rewrote over and over, and most importantly, I way underestimated the scope of what I wanted to. I thought a short story for all the main characters of the rebellion would be nice, and boy did I shoot ever shoot myself in the foot there. Some people don't have dedicated chapters, some of it is choppier than I would like, but I didn't want to make anyone wait three years.
I hope the 32k words makes up for it. I debated on how to upload this, but I decided to do it in one go since I can't even start thinking of where to divide it. If it's hard to read, I'll chop it.
And as for the sequel, I don't have a lot done. I want to focus on my other story, and get some more solid ideas for it. I don't want to make any promises for it at the moment.
And I just wanted to give a personal shoutout to McHearth. I'm not sure if you're still here, but if you are, I just wanted to thank you for all of the steady reviews. You made it worthwhile trudging through this. I hope you enjoy it.
Kaetar
Kaetar didn't think he and his two bodyguards would be among the first to end up leaving for home first. He thought he would be watching the others leave first, and he would end up staying in Crimea until Father decided it was time to leave. It all started when Arianna arrived at the palace along with her father, who came to help Ramon as he recovered. Since their fathers were busy, Arianna and Kaetar managed to get a chance to sit alone in his borrowed room to talk about their plans for the future.
Meeting her again was a little awkward. She didn't seem to be the way he remembered her being – a little quieter, more mature, and she held her head up higher. Just as he grew as a person, she did too. For a moment though, neither one of them had nothing to say, and the silence hung heavily. The confidence she had when they first met was beginning to dissipate.
"We have to talk about this wedding," she stated, looking at Kaetar in the eyes. He simply nodded, urging her to continue. "What's expected of me? I'm not really sure if I'm ready. I know that's what is expected of us, I knew that ever since our fathers arranged our marriage. I'm excited to move to Daein, but..."
"You're getting nervous?" Kaetar asked. "I can understand that. We don't really know each other. You're moving into a stranger's home and really... we're still really young. I fought battles, but I have no idea how to be a husband or a father or any of that stuff."
She didn't say anything, and Kaetar frowned. There was no way he was getting out this marriage, not when he promised so many people that it was happening. Not when his father promised their people for years that their marriage was going to be the symbol of the repaired relationship between Crimea and Daein. The people of Crimea also deserved something to celebrate. They needed to get along, in the very least.
"I'm nervous too. I knew I was going to have to get married someday, I knew I would have to rule someday, and... I guess it always felt like it was so far away. Now, we're getting married and my father is going to start putting people under my care. I used to spend a lot of time taking books from the library and reading them in my room all day. It's going to be a big change, especially when, you know... we haven't had a chance to court each other. We have to make it work, though. It means so much to everybody else."
"Do you have any ideas?" she asked, lifting her head again.
"To make it easier on us?" Kaetar scrunched his brow, looking at anything but Arianna just in case the ceiling could give him some inspiration. "Well, I guess the wedding is only a big party. I don't think my parents will mind if we take it slow afterwards. For a while, we can just be married in name only. Everyone else can wait until we're actually ready for this."
"Yeah, I guess that's true. You wouldn't mind if I picked my own room? Brought some of my own nannies? Obviously, I would check to make sure they can move in the first place, but I prefer having some people who know me better around."
"You can do whatever you want. The castle isn't exactly crowded." Maybe he was starting to promise more than his father may be happy with, but Kaetar figured that even if Father wasn't pleased, Mother could talk him down. The goal should be to make them both comfortable, and if Arianna wanted to bring people with her, then she should be allowed to. If they wanted to build a relationship in their own time, they should be able to. He wasn't going to let the nobles rush them.
Arianna smiled, the confidence from before returning quickly.
"Let's get this party going then. Now, I was thinking, that our parents shouldn't get to plan everything..."
His mother was the first to greet them when they arrived in the afternoon on the backs of wyverns. Kaetar had no idea how she knew they were on the way or when they would arrive, but she was there nonetheless, hugging him tightly as Loiya and Joel hung around behind him. When she finally let him go, she kept her hands on his shoulders, regarding him with a soft smile that he didn't know he missed so badly.
"You've certainly grown! We're going to have get the tailor to make you some new clothes," she said in a singsong voice, her eyes scanning from head to toe. "Come inside, you need to meet Tanix." Mother grabbed him by the wrist and more or less dragged him inside before Kaetar knew what was going on. Joel and Loiya followed him inside, but at some point during the trip to his parent's bedroom, they seemingly disappeared. He simply assumed that they had their own matters to take care of, considering that they've been gone for a long time too. He didn't want to keep them, especially while he was spending time with his mother.
His parent's bedroom didn't change all that much to accommodate for the new baby – they just added a cot for his brother to sleep in near the bed, on the side that his mother slept on when both his parents were home. The edges of the cot came up to his armpits and his mother had a maroon canopy set up above it with the ends tied to the cot. Kaetar quietly moved to the cot and carefully pulled the canopy back, trying not to wake up his sleeping brother.
"Your father said that generations of royal babies slept in this cot. He said he slept in this very cot. All I know is that you slept it in and when you're ready to have children of your own, this cot will be there for them," his mother said softly, her fingers running down the fabric of the canopy.
His brother had a mop of pale hair and pale skin to match. Other than that, Kaetar could only say that he just looked like a baby. He was dressed simply too, so he didn't even look like a royal baby, just a normal baby that anybody would have. Yet, Kaetar already wanted the best for him. Kaetar gently lifted Tanix out of the cot, careful to support his head, but he woke up and began crying immediately.
"It'll be okay, Tanix," his mother cooed, taking him out of Kaetar's arms to hold him close to her chest and patting his back. Kaetar swallowed hard but he kept his eyes on what his mother was doing. Did she always know what to do, or did she learn from when he was a baby? Tanix calmed down almost instantly, and Kaetar watched as his mother set him back into the cot. "It's okay Kaetar, he'll fall asleep again. Babies cry all the time, it's what they do. Now, come along – we need to see what still fits you."
"How much work do you leave to the servants?" he asked once he was in the hallway and the door was closed.
"The servants care for him if I'm in meetings, but otherwise, I do most of the work. Some noble families leave raising the children to their servants, so they become the parents in the end. My parents did that, and I felt closer to those servants than my own parents. Even when I used to go back to my home when I was a bit younger, I spent more time with those servants. I never wanted that for you, so I only got help when I needed it."
Kaetar smiled. Maybe he had nothing to worry about when it came to his own children.
"I also have to remind you of your father's plan. Once you're settled, you'll start with interacting the military, so that within a year, you'll be in control of it. He also wants you to train further under Saira."
His shoulders sank a little bit. He remembered when Father told him, Mother just gave him a better timeline for those plans. His mother patted him on the shoulders. He didn't actually have a lot of time to prepare for that, when he considered all of the wedding planning. He was inevitably going to have to spend a lot of time in Crimea too, but he promised Arianna that he would help with the planning.
"Don't look so down! If you need more time before you're completely comfortable with your role in the military, then you'll get more time. I know you can handle all of this, even if it sounds like a lot. If your father is rushing you, then come to talk to me, and I'll talk to him some more," she said with a soft smile. "I'll show you some of the paperwork that the riders do, maybe that will help ease your worries a little bit. For now though, get some rest and get settled back in for a few dsys. It's still early in the day, so how about you go down for a nap and I'll have somebody wake you up for dinner?"
"That sounds good," Kaetar mumbled. His mother offered another hug, which he took, then he headed back to his room. The servants kept the room up, keeping the sheets on the beds fresh and soft, and the room itself was airy and dusted. Somebody also put all the books that he left out on the desk away, but somehow the bookshelf looked emptier than he remembered. He wasn't sure if it was because his father decided to reclaim some of the books, or if his memory simply failed him. Kaetar changed into something comfortable and baggy, then practically jumped into his bed to sleep.
Loiya
Once Loiya entered the castle, he went up to the bedroom he shared with Kaetar, knowing that this arrangement probably wouldn't stay for long once Kaetar got married and he was expected to share a bed with his wife. The custom armour he had was where he left it, hanging on a rack that acted in his place, but he decided to gloss over it in favour of changing into some warmer clothing. It wasn't exactly currently cold in Daein, at least it wasn't what Daein would consider to be all that cold since it wasn't winter, but he felt a little colder than usual. He chalked it up to his weight loss before fishing out a small coin purse out from under his bed. His earnings went to his family, but the purse was full of coins he found on the ground.
Loiya counted the gold inside, then attached it to his side before pulling on a travelling cloak. He took a deep breath and left the palace, walking all the way down to Nevassa on his own for the first time he could really recall.
Even though he was mostly cooped up in the castle since he was thirteen, except for the small trips to the military base, he could still knew where home was. It was on one of the smaller side streets that went off of the main street of Nevessa, nudged between two houses with a small gate that came up to the middle of his chest. Behind the gate, there were two flower beds, but he could see that his mother opted for vegetables instead.
Just as he was about to open the gate and walk inside, the front door to the house opened up and his mother walked out, holding a basket at her hip. She looked at him dead in the eyes, then screamed and ran to the gate, dropping the basket. She didn't bother to open the gate, she just leaned over it to pull him into a tight hug. Loiya was shocked, and it took him a moment to process that his mother was hugging him, even crying into his shoulder, but he hugged her back once he recovered his wits.
She pulled away and opened the gate. "You have to come inside, Loiya!" she said, ushering him inside while wiping away the tears at the same time. "I can't believe that you're here! It's not bad news, is it? We heard the prince went missing and we knew that you were with him-"
"It's fine, mom. I'm just here to visit for a couple of hours. The prince just came home and I don't think he'll mind if he knows I'm just visiting family," Loiya answered, taking a look inside the house. It looked almost exactly the same as when he left it, except just a bit quieter. He could also smell something cooking in the kitchen – bread and something else. He removed the coin purse from his belt and dropped it on the table. "Where is everybody else?"
"In the back room, I believe. I'll go fetch them. Go sit down," she said with a warm smile. Mother was thinner than he remembered, a thought that made him frown. He thought he earned enough for his family to live as they always have on his father's wages, just without him being in the picture. His job even paid a bit better than his father's job did, so she should be eating enough.
"It really is Loiya!" one of the twins shouted as they emerged. Loiya honestly couldn't tell them apart. He couldn't tell them apart when they were younger either, especially since they had a tendency to joke about who was who and he doubted that would change. They had the darker complexion like he did, something that they got from their mother, but their hair was a dark brown instead of black like his, and their hair was also straighter than his. He had to come back more often. What older brother couldn't tell their younger brothers apart?
"I thought you were joking or something," the other mumbled. "Wow."
"Why would she joke about that?" Father asked as he stepped into the room. His father was thinner too, which confused him. He didn't miss the frown from his father either. However, he made his way over to Loiya and sat down on his right side so that he could wrap his good arm around Loiya's shoulders. He couldn't recall his parents ever being so affectionate, with his mother always fretting over Rhee and Roha and his father focused on his training. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," he answered. "Everybody's coming back to Daein. I'm just here to visit before I go back to the palace. I'll be around more often too, since he has another bodyguard."
"You should show us how to use a lance one day!" one of the twins suggested, running behind his seat. His mother shooed them both off, forcing them both into the kitchen.
"Your mother is never going to let them join the military but I think it's good if they can learn to defend themselves. I thought that they should be able to make their own decision about what they wanted to do, but.. looking at you, I'm wondering if that's a good idea. You look horrible. Something happened when you and the prince ran off. You don't have to tell your mother or the twins but... I need to know," his father whispered as Loiya watched the twins set up the table for lunch. "It's because of me you had to be his bodyguard. I need to know what my mistake led to."
Loiya debated it. Quite frankly, he still couldn't quite remember the story behind the newest collection of scars. He knew how he got there, he kind of knew how he got out, but he didn't know what happened in the prison. Kaetar and Shelia sometimes wondered out loud if he was repressing those memories. He didn't really care why he couldn't remember though. "Later," he said. He didn't have to elaborate on when 'later' was, as lunch was ready and Loiya joined them at the table.
And after lunch, his brothers thought it a good idea to challenge him to a fight, so he followed them into training room. It was an addition to the house that his father had built to help him train Loiya and to provide a space for exercise during all points of the year when he used to do that. Perhaps he kept up with his exercise, but he wouldn't exercise as he did when he had both hands. It was a mostly empty room that held a couple of racks for wooden weapons, and mats made primarily from straw were placed on the floor so that it didn't hurt as much to fall. It was kept lit using a wide window but there were also torch holders on each side of the room for when it got dark. They were carefully braced to make sure that they wouldn't fall off when somebody hit the wall.
Loiya picked up a long wooden pole from the rack, which most resembled a lance, while his two brothers, picked up wooden swords that they weren't quite strong enough to wield effectively. He amused how they wanted to know how to use a lance, but went right for the swords. There were also smaller and lighter ones, so he wasn't quite sure why they sprung for the heavier ones. They also had their shirts off, since it tended to get hot while in the training room, but Loiya kept his shirt on. He didn't want to worry his family with all of his scars, but he did wish he wore a lighter shirt underneath. Father appeared in the door way.
"They asked for it, Loiya, so don't feel like you have to go too easy on them."
Or in other words, Father was hoping to get some more information on how he was holding up. The twins attacked first, swinging their weapons in opposite hands. Loiya jabbed his pole into the first twin, then spun his stick to jab it into the other, hard enough to send them both the ground. To their credit, they were quick to get back on their feet, and they took a more defensive stance. However, no matter what they tried, Loiya was able to send them to the mats every time. He did his best to try to get himself back into the shape in Crimea, even before the final battle at the Crimean palace, but sending his brothers down to the mats made him more exhausted than he would have normally been. He was showing off a little bit, adding more flair to his movements than was necessary, but he did that when he had to train with the others in the training grounds. Occasionally, when his brothers were back on the floor, he spared a glace at his father, and he could tell that Father was worried.
Loiya almost expected him to be disappointed. Concern wasn't exactly an expression that he was used to seeing on his father. When his father called him off, Loyia's initial thought was that maybe his father thought he couldn't handle it anymore, considering he already drenched his shirt with sweat, but he could smell dinner when the door was opened. The twins raced to the dinner table while Loiya put the wooden weapons away.
When dinner was over, Loiya decided that it was time to get back to the palace before it was too dark. It wasn't so much that he was worried that something would happen to him on the way back, but rather that he already spent too much away from Kaetar without telling him where he would be. He was sure that Kaetar wouldn't mind ordinarily, so long as Joel was still around, but Loiya didn't give anybody proper notice. His father decided to come with him with a torch in hand, and although Loiya didn't need an escort, he still appreciated the company. Kaetar wasn't the only person who needed time with his father.
"Is now a good time for you talk, Loiya?" his father asked when they were out of ear shot of the house. Loiya nodded, and the first thing he did was remove his shirt, not only because he was overly warm and the cooler night air felt good against skin, but to show his father the scars. His father was silent for a while, then he patted Loiya on the back and urged him forward with a gentle push. "How did all of this happen? I could see that your fighting was off and you were skinnier-"
Loiya stopped and turned around to face his father. "You guys are also skinnier than I expected."
"We kept getting conflicting news out of Crimea. Some said you were missing, others said you were fine and with the prince... we didn't know which was true. We were worried. Your mother was concerned that maybe you died thinking that you weren't as important to her as the twins were, and I... was worried that I led you to your death. All we could think was how we failed you."
At first, Loiya didn't know how to respond. He never heard his father be so emotional before, so it was difficult to digest at first. He never even thought about news returning home and what they would say about him.
"I wasn't too worried about that," Loiya mumbled. The source of a lot of his worries was his family, but not for the reasons his parents thought. "I was under a lot of pressure, but the entire time, I was worried that something would happen to the gold I was making for you. Looking back, my childhood wasn't great but I missed being with everybody more than I was upset about the twins getting more attention than me."
That lifted father's mood, though Loiya had yet to tell him that he did have a right to be worried.
"We should get going. How about you tell me how you get those new scars, and then you can tell us everything else the next time you come over."
Loiya nodded, and took the longer way back to the palace to tell his father everything he could remember. The palace loomed, even in the dark, and Loiya was reluctant to leave his father. He wanted to turn around and walk back home, but he had a job and Kaetar needed his support. His father hugged him at the palace gates.
"Remember, if you need a break, come back home for a bit. We'll take care of you. It can be difficult to deal with trauma like that on your own, even if you can't quite remember. Even if it's the middle of the night, come home when you need to."
"I will," Loiya said with a nod.
"Good. Good night then."
Loiya returned the sentiments, and passed through the gates.
Joel
Joel wasn't exactly sure where in the palace he would find his father, though at least he had some ideas. He was only twelve the last time he was in the palace itself since he was busy with training and studies, so while he was sure nothing changed significantly in the nearly eight years where he was gone, there a chance that the rooms he was thinking of weren't where he thought they were. He made sure that he looked like he knew where he was going though, which kept the servants and the milling guards out of his way.
He last remembered his father's office being on the second floor and on the left hand side near the stairs. By the time he made it up the stairs, he could see the door to his father's office open, with his father bent over his desk. For a moment, Joel hesitated. On one hand, he did miss his father and the games they used to play whenever his father wanted to test Joel's tactical ability. On the other hand, he went against what he knew he was supposed to do in order to do what he thought was best for Kaetar and disappeared for months to do it. He joined Kaetar while spitting in the face of everybody who was sent to take him home. He didn't regret any of it, but he figured his father wouldn't be happy about it.
He took a deep breath, braced his nerves, and knocked on the door to get his father's attention. His father turned his head quickly and Joel was sure that if he blinked, he would have missed the brief look of surprise on his face. He got up quickly, almost jogging his way over to Joel to bring him into a hug. The intimate contact surprised him for a moment and by the time Joel realized what was happening, his father let untangled his arms, putting his hands on his shoulders with his arms straight.
"Joel."
"Yes, father?"
"You're in a lot of trouble," he stated simply. Joel didn't expect any different. "But still, I'm proud of you for getting some practical learning done and for defending the crown, even if it defied my orders. If you're here though, I assume that the prince and the King must be home?"
Joel shook his head. "The King is still assisting with some political matters back in Crimea, but Kaetar came home to prepare for his wedding." Hopefully, Kaetar was also going to take some time to rest after being away from home for well over a year. Knowing Kaetar, he was going to fret about the wedding more than he has to, so it would be up to him and Loiya to make sure he relaxed every once and a while.
"He's a few years early," his father mumbled as he made his way back into his seat, sitting down as soon as he got to it. He looked up at Joel, who stayed at the door frame, careful not to lean on it in his father's presence. "Speaking of which, you need to get married as well and continue the lineage of the house."
Joel frowned. He had a lot of ideas for his future, but he hadn't given much thought to marriage and he wasn't quite sure where a wife would fit into his life. Would it be like his parent's marriage, where Joel seemed to the product of his parent's only interaction with each other? His father was rarely at home, only to check to see if Joel was keeping up with his training, and his mother didn't seem to care that he was gone so often. She was content with running the house in the absence of his father. Knowing his father, he probably had some ladies in mind for Joel to meet already. Kaetar's wedding would be the next big social event, so he would probably be meeting girls there.
Thrilling. Absolutely thrilling.
"Do you have any plans for dinner? Or afterwards?"
"Aren't I in trouble?" he asked with a hint of a smirk. His father caught his smirk and returned one of his own. His father used to take him out for dinner if he did well in his training or studies, out to a place in Nevassa. It was a small place, one that was easy to miss as it easily blended into all of the other buildings in Nevassa, but they served some of the best food that Joel ever had and he grew up in nobility. Sometimes, Joel wondered how his father even knew of the place, but he figured that maybe some of the troops of the military took him there once. They hadn't gone out together in the last three years, since his father started spending even more time at the palace and Joel's training turned more to be more physical.
"You are, but I'm still proud of what you've managed to do. I'll find something for you to do, something that piss you off, for a lack of a better term, but for tonight, we can celebrate a little. I know it's been a while, but how about it?"
"Of course. I can drink this time."
"How about you spend your time with the prince, and I will come and get you when it's time to leave?"
Joel merely nodded and left. Again, he found himself hoping that Kaetar's room hadn't changed locations since the last time he was there. Unlike his father's office, which he didn't spend a lot of time in even when he was in the castle, he spent a lot of time in Kaetar's room, so as long as it didn't change, then he knew the way. He knocked on the door with a single knuckle, and when Kaetar didn't respond, he decided to open the door and welcome himself inside anyway. He wanted to see if he was in the right place at all.
And he was. Kaetar was sleeping on the bed, completely oblivious to Joel's presence. Even when Joel stepped in and shook his shoulder, Kaetar didn't respond to him. They barely just got home and he was already passed out. Joel wasn't sure if he ever saw Kaetar sleeping so well, at least since they were separated, even after their victory. At least he was completely relaxed for once.
While he was in his bedroom though, Joel let himself take a look around. He was only a little surprised to see another bed in the room, along with armour that was probably Loiya's close to it. He wondered if that was what Kaetar wanted all along, or if the arrangement was forced on him. Either way, the arrangement wasn't going to last much longer now that Kaetar was engaged and was expected to wed soon. He would have to share his bed with his wife, meaning that if security was still a question while he was inside of the castle, then they needed to figure something else out.
They should just train his wife and they could defend each other.
Joel looked at Kaetar one last time as he turned over, noticing a silver flash around his neck as the little bit of light in the room hit the necklace, then left the room. He would have to find another way to entertain himself until dinner.
Joel and his father left before sunset, his father letting Queen Adalynn know where they were heading before they left. The tavern in question looked just as he remembered and even the owners looked familiar to him, even though they didn't seem to be able to recognize him at first. He was just surprised that he wasn't recognized in association with his father, since they had no problems recognizing him, but Joel decided to just take it as a compliment. It meant that he didn't stay short like Kaetar mostly did.
Thankfully, his father could leave the formalities at the palace. Everything from his mannerisms to his clothing was toned down to match the people around him, keeping business that didn't apply to most people away from most people. He wasn't sure if he could remember this side to his father. Maybe he always did something like that when they came here and Joel just didn't notice it when he was younger.
Joel went for the ale with his meat stew, while his father had a glass of wine. Joel liked ale, not necessarily because he liked the taste the best, but because it was too cheap of a drink for a noble to be seen with in a formal setting. He was drinking out of spite, and that was enough for him. His father gave him a strange look, which made Joel chug it down even more.
"Joel... have you been happy with your life?" his father asked suddenly in the middle of their dinner, just as somebody came back with another glass of ale. His father's was a little flushed, and Joel could imagine that his own face was just as red. His face did feel a bit warm.
"Why are you asking?" It seemed sudden, and from the way he was acting when Joel went to his office earlier that day, his father seemed to be more interested in controlling his life again. Joel understood why he did it, even though he would prefer to make his own decisions from now on, nobility customs be damned. He just didn't know what he wanted to do with that sort of power. He made his own decisions when it came to Kaetar, but those decisions seemed small when he had the rest of his life to consider.
"I just realized I never thought to ask before. You are my only child, so naturally you're the heir of everything I have, and I'm trying to prepare you for this. I've never thought of want you wanted."
"For a time, what I want was in line with what you wanted. You wanted a son capable in every way, I just wanted to spend time with my friend. At least in doing what you wanted, I could find more ways to spend time with him."
"But what about now?" his father pressed.
"I don't know. I only just got back."
His father frowned, taking a sip of his wine. Then he shrugged and smiled into his glass. "Then you'll get some time to yourself to figure that out. After your punishment, of course."
"You know that won't make me happy, right?"
"Don't push your luck, Joel."
"How about a wager, then? We play chess as soon as we get home, unless there's a board here, and if I win then I get a week off. No punishments, either. Just a week off."
Maybe he was making a mistake. Even if he was completely sober, he could only beat his father less than half the time. It was a winning rate that was much improved from when he was younger when he didn't win at all, but he was still facing odds that didn't exactly favour him. That was the fun part of a bet though. It wasn't any fun if there wasn't any risk.
"And if I win, you not only get the punished, but you also have to clean and organize my office. Ever since Adrien left, I have let my organization slide a bit," he said with a shrug. "How about it, Joel? Are you going to show me what you've learned?" He held his hand out. Joel held up his glass instead.
"It's a deal." They clinked their glasses together, and Joel downed the whole thing
The chess match happened later that night even though it was kind of a blur the next day. He could remember that neither one of them had time to really sober up. Joel could also remember that he had more to drink than his father did, and may have stumbled one too many times on the way back. Kaetar was also there, watching mostly in silence, but he was ultimately the one who could remember how the game went.
"The important part was that you won, right?" Kaetar asked as Joel nursed his headache the next day. He was the one fetching drinks for him to help ease his headache. It was working too.
He just didn't think he had that much to drink but clearly he had to watch himself next time, because it wasn't something he cared to repeat. He was spending the first morning of his time off rolled up in blankets in a guest room, though Kaetar made it sound like he was free to move in if he wanted to. He supposed he could switch between living in the estate or living at the palace where his job was.
"I don't remember getting this hungover at Toha."
"You had only a glass or two back then. You smelled like alcohol last night, so I think you had more to drink than you realize. That happened to Arum once too. He only realized he was drunk when he got up."
"How did I win then?" he mumbled as he covered his eyes with the blanket.
Kaetar hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I think your father went easy on you. He didn't exactly play in the way I thought my father's tactician would. There were opportunities there for him to beat you and he didn't take them. I'm not sure if he didn't see them or if he was just too drunk too..."
"It's not like him to go easy on me though. He's never gone easy on me." He was then struck with his father's question from last night. Was he happy? Joel wasn't quite sure anymore. Maybe just... content. He had a feeling that it would get better though. His life wasn't just studies and training anymore. All of that led somewhere, right at Kaetar's side.
Joel would just have to remember to give him a real answer.
Mike
Mike was the second to leave, after Kaetar and his two bodyguards. It was hard for him and Makken to stay in one spot for long in the first place, but when they won, there was no greater goal keeping him there. If the rebellion stayed in one place, then he had a reason to stay, despite his itch to go out and fly around until he could barely recognize where he was anymore. He knew he had to return for Kaetar's wedding, but he wasn't going to stay there for six months until it happened.
Really, the bigger question was why he didn't leave earlier. He should have been the first to go, but he supposed that maybe, he just felt like he needed permission to leave, and he got that permission when Kaetar left.
It wasn't like they had a destination in mind or anywhere that they had to go, but he missed wandering around until they found something interesting. It was the life he was meant to have, and the life he was in the middle of before he was found by the rebellion.
Well, he supposed there were a couple of places he had to visit. He knew he had to go to Daein at some point for the new armour for him and Makken, along with some better camping supplies. Mike couldn't think of anything else he really wanted with his wish from King Adrien – their lives were simple, so he and Makken just didn't need much. He had no real desire to change his life either, so they only really needed supplies and armour that didn't look they were discarded before they took it for themselves. Most of the time, their supplies were actually just something that they just found and touched up to become usable. He was looking forward to having something that would actually fit him and Makken for once.
He spent most of the night before giving his goodbyes, goodbyes he was sure that weren't final in the least considering his wanderings, and then prepared Makken to leave in the morning. When he got the saddle on Makken, and what little possessions they had were packed and ready to go, Vaughn approached them. Mike jumped. He thought that Vaughn had left a little while ago, when most of the Daeins either went home or were busy dropping other people off before they went home themselves. His wyvern was gone, so he was surprised to see Vaughn standing in front him, his shoulders sagging.
Makken perked up, stomping his way over to Vaughn and rubbing his head against the man's chest. Vaughn chuckled, gently pushing him away.
"Sorry bud, I don't got any treats for you," he said. Makken blinked, then lowered his head, resting it between his arms. "Anyway, I heard you that were leaving."
"Yup! There's no reason to really stick around anymore and all," Mike offered with a shrug. "It's hard to sit in one place, you know? Or maybe you don't, considering your job and all. Kinda need to stay near the king, right?"
"I mean, I understand wanting to fly sometimes. If I didn't, I wouldn't hang around with wyverns so often," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you and Makken are welcomed to swing by the training grounds anytime. I think you can find it, it's kind just outside of Nevassa. Just in case you or Makken need anything. Something like a big juicy, cow, right?" he asked, patting Makken between the horns. Makken perked up a little when he heard the word 'cow', rolling his eyes upward to stare at Vaughn.
"Thanks! I might just take you up on your offer sometime! I gotta go to Daein to get some armour from King Adrien, so I'll be the area in the near future at least," Mike said with a clap of his hands. "Why are you still here though? Your wyvern left already, no?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I sent her home with somebody else. I have more to do here since Adrien's sticking around for longer, but I know she'll be looked after properly at the base. I taught them all well, but I kinda do miss her already."
Mike only nodded. He wasn't going to pry, since it was probably confidential and he didn't really need to know any of that. He was only a little bit curious, considering that Vaughn just seemed... off compared how he knew him to be in Daein. He could tell that something was hanging over his head, weighing down his shoulders, and that it was something that only just started to bother him. He just didn't think he could get Vaughn to open up about it though. At the end of the day, they really didn't know each other that well. They didn't have that kind of relationship, despite how much Mike really did admire Vaughn.
"Anyway, you should get going. I didn't want to keep you!" Vaughn said, quickly walking away with an enthusiastic wave. That felt a bit more like the Vaughn he knew. When he disappeared, Mike found himself waiting for a little bit, just in case somebody else would show up, but when nobody came, he climbed up on the saddle. Makken stood up on all fours, then took to the air.
Mike patted him. "Go wherever the wind takes you, buddy!"
Gus and Meagan
Meagan and Gus didn't have a big place prior to joining the rebellion or even finding themselves at Toha when the rebellion was there. It was mostly a single room, and while it was cozy enough for two people, it wasn't big enough to really raise a child. Part of the original reason why they decided to travel around was to see if there was a bigger place to move to, even if there wasn't much sign or hope of their family expanding naturally. They did consider adoption before, and even in light of Meagan's pregnancy, it was something that they were still talking about. They were never adopted at the orphanage, they just grew too old to stay in it, so giving a child a chance they never had was still on their mind.
Gus was a little reluctant to leave their small home though. It was small, sure, but it was really where they started their married life together. It was where their lives really started. A small home in a small village that accepted them. They made that space their own, no matter how small it was.
He was outside of the tents that were set up just outside of the palace gates, enjoying the slight breeze as he contemplated their living situation. He didn't notice Meagan coming up from behind him until she hooked her arms around his shoulders and lowered herself to a sitting position, resting her head on her arms. "Do you have any ideas for names?" she asked, whispering into his ear.
He smiled, patting the spot beside him. She barely let go of him, shifting from sitting behind him to sitting beside him. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'm fine with whatever name you settle on," Gus said gently. "I was thinking more about what state our home is in than names to be honest."
"Damon said he would look after it... but I get it. We don't have a lot of room."
"It's too bad. I kind of want to stay."
Meagan was silent for a moment, then sat up straighter. "Couldn't we just expand? We have time before the baby comes, and we haven't used our favour from King Adrien yet. It doesn't have to be much right now, but we could just make a room for her for when she gets older. For now, she can sleep with us and whatnot."
"What is he going to do?" If it was up to him and Meagan to make room in the end, regardless of how King Adrien assisted them, then that was going to be a problem. Neither one of them was handy in that regard. He was sure they could figure it out eventually, but not in time for the baby to arrive.
"I dunno, that's his job to figure it out. Either way though, if you want to make more memories there, then we'll figure something out. We always do. We can ask the rest of the villagers what they think. If it's important to you, we'll stay."
Gus simply nodded, before something else occurred to him. "Wait, her?"
Meagan shrugged. "That's what the other women said. You know all of those civilians that we travelled with? Apparently, you can tell what your baby will be if you swing a charm over an open palm. It swung in a circle or something, so they all swear I'm carrying a girl. I'm not sure how much of that I believe, but I guess they've rubbed off on me."
He wasn't sure if he believed in any of that stuff, but somehow, a daughter sounded right to him. Of course, he didn't really care if they ended up with a son or daughter. Gus only wanted their child to be healthy, and he knew Meagan was of the same mindset.
Meagan kissed him on the cheek, bringing his attention back to reality. He studied her face for a moment, then stood up, pulling Gus up to his feet as she did so.
"Come, let's go talk to King Adrien and see what can be done."
Everything came to together, despite Gus' skepticism. King Adrien's solution was to give them the funds to hire people to make the renovations for them. Once they came back to the home that they started their lives in, they hired people in a bigger village to make changes they wanted. Their neighbour and house sitter, Damon, was more than willing to let them stay at his house while their house was being worked on.
Gus thought it would be harder. His whole life was hard. He was orphaned at a young age, and before he and Meagan fell in love, it was apparent that he wasn't wanted. It was a similar story for Meagan and he knew it because they grew up in that orphanage. It took him a long time to feel like he belonged somewhere, and even though he felt that belonging in the rebellion, and he could see that they belonged with how excited the villagers were for their return, but he still couldn't believe it.
Damon didn't have an extra bed, so he opted to sleep in a different room while Meagan and Gus slept in his bed. Meagan was falling asleep at his side, while he stared at the ceiling as he turned several thoughts over in his mind. Sometimes, he just had to contemplate his life, how his life end in a neighbour's house with their first home being expanded on at no expense or trouble to them, and with a whole village celebrating their return from their long travels.
And as far as the villagers knew, they were just house hunting. They had no idea that the two of them decided to get themselves involved in the rebellion.
"Go to sleep," Meagan mumbled when she realized he was still awake.
"I will, I will... I'm just in awe."
"We were due for good news," Meagan stated. "The universe gave us a rotten hand for a long time. It's about time we got a good hand. Look forward to it, and be in awe in the morning."
"Fine, fine."
He tucked himself under the covers fully, and fell asleep.
Nicholas and Arum
"Thanks again, Arum," Nicholas said as he and Arum walked side-by-side on a simple, dirt road in Begnion. Daein wyvern riders dropped them close to Sienne, and from there, they travelled for a few days until the city was not even visible. Arum came alone to help Nicholas find his parents again, something that Nicholas thought was odd initially, until he remembered that Elli was probably in Daein, preparing to move in with one of the current riders. At least, that was what he heard from Darius in their last couple of nights together as a group. Arum offered to be the one to take him, so Nicholas wasn't going to refuse.
Arum didn't have to help him at all. In fact, he seemed rather reluctant at first when Nicholas found out that they actually knew his parents, but Nicholas was just glad that somebody was guiding him.
"I wanted to see your parents again anyway. They saved my life, and even though life treated me terribly for a long time, I'm glad to be alive," he stated simply, then he looked away, his eyes watching his feet. "And I always wanted to live."
"Well, life is certainly looking up for you," Nicholas said, a smile on his lips. "You're going to Daein, right? I'll probably see you there, then!"
Arum's head picked up. He frowned, studying Nicholas for a while. "You're not going to live with your parents?"
"I want to see them and visit them. I want them to be part of my life again if I can, but I also spent a lot of time in Daein. I don't think I can quite part with it entirely," Nicholas answered. His wish from King Adrien was also to have a place in Daein, but since he also wanted the freedom to come and go as he pleased, the king decided to just let him stay in the palace until something came up for him.
Arum didn't comment on it, and stayed quiet for most of the night.
The next day however, Arum announced that there was something he wanted to check out before they could visit his parents. He had no idea where the announcement came from, but nonetheless, they packed up their things and Arum continued to lead Nicholas around. There wasn't a lot to see – they seemed to be following a river with long grass growing beside it. Eventually, they came across an abandoned house, surrounded by long grass as well, though only up to the rotting fence.
Arum walked up to the house, his hands curled into fists. Nicholas followed him, uneasy with the sudden tension in the air. Arum practically tore the small gate away from the rest of the fence, not that it would be difficult with soft, mold infested wood, but Arum met no resistance. The wood that was used to build the house was in similar condition, as the roof seemed to be starting to collapse inward and the door was falling off of its hinges. Though the grass didn't dare to go near the house itself, animals didn't seem to care, as there were parts of the door missing as well, small holes in the corners that mice could fit through. The windows were caked in layers in dust, enough that Nicholas couldn't see through it.
"What is this place?"
"My childhood home. I see that nobody's touched it since I quite literally cut her out of my life," Arum hissed. "Maybe they think it's haunted – I wouldn't put it past her to stick around just to bother me."
Arum's tone was similar to the tone he used the night he punched Rylar. Spiteful and angry, but also broken and cracked, sometimes like he was close to tears. Nicholas wasn't sure what he was more bothered by – the chance of the house collapsing while he and Arum were close or even inside of it, or that Arum would do something impulsive because he couldn't reign in his emotions.
"And that's why it has to go."
Nicholas wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't even quite sure what Arum meant or even wanted. He watched as Arum ripped the the door of its hinges the rest of the way, then began snapping pieces of wood from it, throwing it into a pile in the house. Nicholas wouldn't be surprised if Arum could do that even with wood that was still in good condition.
"Do you have a fire tome?"
"What is burning the house going to accomplish? Not to mention, we could risk setting a lot more than just the house on fire. You've seen the grass here."
Arum stopped for a moment. He was facing Nicholas' general direction, but his grey eyes were focused on the remains of the door. His nails were digging into the wood.
"It's the last thing that remains of my mother. I feel like if I get rid of it, then I might be able keep her out of my damn head all the time. There won't be any physical reminders of her. Even if I live in Daein, this house is reminding everybody of her! There's a nearby village that doesn't know I even existed so as far as they are concerned, she was well liked and didn't deserve what she got! The woman Aletta was staying with in Toha must have found her body, but I wonder if she would care so much if she knew what kind of woman she really was."
"Arum, calm down and focus!" Nicholas said, snapping his fingers in front of his face. Arum's attention snapped to him. "I don't like this idea one bit, but I can help. I don't have a tome, but I can summon a small flame. You just need the right kindling, something that's dry and isn't rotting. I guess if we have a bucket, then we could just use water from the river to dampen the surroundings too so we don't end up burning everything else." He couldn't believe that he was saying any of it. He stepped inside of the house, the tension from earlier sitting heavily on his shoulders. The entire house was musty, everything was covered in dust which made him sneeze, and there were dishes waiting beside a basin, waiting to be washed.
It was like stepping into the fort that the Greil Mercenaries used to live in. It just looked life could have continued, if not for nature. However, he could tell that the fort had positive memories within its wall, and that's why it was so sad that it was abandoned, but he couldn't say the same for Arum's childhood home. He based it all on how the spirits inside seemed to be acting. Nicholas would have to be careful when he used magic.
While Arum was busy with ripping the house apart, gathering broken furniture and doors, Nicholas busied himself with going to the river, filling the surprisingly intact basin he found with water, and dumping it on the grass surrounding the house. Once he felt like everything was damp enough where a fire capable of ravaging the field wouldn't be very likely, he joined Arum back inside the house to summon a small flame and brought it to the kindling. They both left once the fire caught, but it took some time for the fire to reach a point where they could see if it from the outside. Arum watched for a bit, then they both left before somebody could catch them in what was obviously a deliberate act.
"How long did you plan this for? Since before the rebellion was over?"
Arum nodded. "Shortly after you asked one of us to take you home. I didn't want to do it at first, but then I gave it some thought and realized I only had one last chance to tie up some loose ends. That's why I offered to be the one to take you here, even though I joined the rebellion for a chance to get out of Begnion. I'm glad that Elli fine with the idea of following the Daeins home alone... I'm not sure if I would have done it if she was here." He then looked Nicholas in the eye. "This is just between us."
"I just hope it helps. I'm still not comfortable with the fact that it had to happen at all, let alone that I was the one to spark the flame," Nicholas said with a frown.
"I heard the rebellion burnt down a church," Arum mumbled.
"I wasn't there for that! Syrin and Darius were the ones who did it," Nicholas countered with a huff. "I was the one who had to go back to find Kaetar, Ema, and Loiya since Darius and Syrin couldn't go back to Melior when they still smelled like smoke."
Arum made something akin to a snort. Nicholas wasn't sure what he thought was so funny, but he couldn't help to smile. He seemed a little bit better already.
It took a week longer for them to reach a village that seemed to have about three main roads. While Nicholas couldn't have been expected to find the village familiar, and he knew this, he still found himself disappointed. He supposed he felt like maybe he should have felt his family in the village, but there was nothing there. All he could do was continue to follow Arum around.
He was actually impressed with Arum's ability to observe and memorize things. Nicholas saw signs of it when Arum could master Astra only after seeing it twice and trying it out on his own a couple of times, but it was still fascinating to watch Arum navigate to a town he must have only been in a couple of times at most. He was even able to get to the village from Sienne, and he wasn't sure if Arum ever done a trip like that. He just seemed to know where he was relative to where he had to be. It would have been nice to have that skill during his own wanderings.
"They're just around this corner," Arum pointed out. They where in one of the main streets, that ran north and south, turning to a small side street that seemed to just handle the overflow from the street they were on and the other street that ran west and east. The house Arum pointed out was very modest – one floor by the looks of it, with a thick curtain for a door, and squished between similar houses on either sides. The only thing that Nicholas could tell that separated the house from the others was that both their property and their house seemed to go back further.
Nicholas, for the first time in a long time, had nothing to say. His parents were on the other side and he was hesitating to bring himself to pull the curtain aside. Arum nudged him forward with an encouraging nod, so he slowly pulled the curtain to the side. "Hello?"
"Coming!" a female voice called out. It wasn't a voice he recognized, and for a moment, he looked back at Arum, who merely shrugged. A girl, who looked to be in her early teens, answered him. She had green eyes, and long, dirty blonde hair that came down to the middle of her back in long curls. She seemed to recognize pretty quickly that he wasn't injured, but nonetheless, she let them inside.
"Sit there, and I'll get my parents. They're just harvesting herbs in the back," she said quietly.
The house was as Nicholas figured, deeper than the neighbouring homes. There were three beds on the left hand side of the room, separated by curtains, with chairs on the opposite wall. On the far wall, there were two doors and a kitchen area. Arum and Nicholas sat on the chairs.
"Sorry, I had no idea you didn't know who she was. She was really small when I met her, can't say I thought much of her," Arum said with a shrug.
"Huh?" he asked, though he didn't have much to say before his parents walked into the room. They looked almost exactly as he remembered. His father had short, brown hair and blue eyes, while Nicholas took after his mother, sharing the blonde hair that she kept in a bun and the green eyes. They only had more wrinkles than he last remembered, and both of them put on a little bit more weight in their older ears. For a moment, both parties froze as they studied each other. Nicholas was the first one to get up and embrace his mother and father in a tight hug, with his father patting him on the back. There were no words, but he felt like there wasn't anything to say. The hug said it all.
"Mother? Father? What's going on?"
His mother was the first one to break away from the hug. "Tessa, this is Nicholas. He's your older brother. We got separated in a fire when he was only ten. This is our first time seeing him in about... fourteen years? We told you about him a few times, remember?"
A sister! That was what Arum was talking about earlier when he apologized. He never imagined that his parents would have more children. She only stared at him, clearly not sure what to make of him. He would have to stay longer than he thought then, at least until both of them got used to the idea that they weren't single children anymore.
"How did you find us?" Father asked.
"Arum brought me here. Long story short, we met up and when I learned he was a former patient, he promised to bring me here," Nicholas stated. He would eventually tell them everything, he decided, but not was not the time. Arum had been sitting in the chair the entire time, but it was the first time that his parents seemed to notice that he was there. Father was the first to make contact with him, holding out a hand for him to shake. Arum's smile was small, but definitely there. His shoulders were slack, and while he couldn't meet Tessa in the eyes for long, he could face his mother.
Maybe burning that house really did help him. Either that, or his mother made it to Arum's list of 'Alright Women', perhaps for her role in his recovery. He wondered if Mother helped him and Elli in other ways. They had been children at the time, so it was hard for Nicholas to imagine that they would just push Arum and Elli back into the world without some preparation. Arum mentioned that he was bedridden for most of the time, but maybe Elli learned a thing or two from them.
"I didn't recognize you at first! You got a lot bigger than I imagined you ever would!" Father announced, patting Arum on the shoulders. "Is there any left over pain from all of that? You're lucky you're even alive."
"The scar hurts a little if I do too much, but it doesn't affect my life too much anymore," Arum answered with a shrug.
"And how is Elli doing? Did you two part ways?" Mother asked with a frown. Arum shook his head, opening his mouth to speak before setting his eyes on his sister. He had to look away, his eyes focused on the floor. "She's in Daein right now, or at least on her way. When I'm done here, I'm going there to join her."
"He was a former patient?" Tessa asked Father, pointing to Arum. Nicholas felt bad for her. It was a reunion for everybody except for her, since she was born too late or was too small to remember. No wonder she was lost in the conversation. He was surprised she stayed in the room for so long.
"He was under our care for a long time, between being malnourished and critically injured. We weren't sure if he was going to pull through at first," Mother answered. She folded her hands against her chest, the smile on her face falling. "Tessa, how about you take Nicholas to get some rest in our guest room? The one we usually reserve for critical patients for now while we prepare something better. Arum, I insist you stay the night – have some dinner and get some sleep before you start your trek to Daein."
Tessa nodded. She led him through one of the doors, and when they were alone, Tessa turned to him. "You're going to stay for a while, right? Mom and dad seem happier than usual." Nicholas frowned.
"Are they not happy?"
Tessa turned around again, motioning or him to follow her. They went down the hall, which was behind to door, which contained three other doors. She opened the one on the left, which led to a small room that had a bed, a window, a bedside table, and a chair all crammed together.
"They're... exhausted," she answered. It took her a long time to come up with word she used, and even then, she didn't seem quite sure of herself. "It might do them some good if you stayed for a while. Anyway, this is your room for now, unless somebody else needs it. I don't know what my – our parents will do in that case." She looked at her feet, letting out a long sigh.
Nicholas offered a smile. "We have time to get used to this. I'll be around for a while," he offered. She nodded, holding her head back up. "Now, let's go back to the main room, shall we?"
Elli
Elli tried to keep her expectations of Daein humble. Daein was never meant to be the solution to all of the problems that Arum and Elli had, nor was it meant to make them feel better about their past. It was a place where they could finally just be themselves, a place where they didn't feel burdened by memories anymore. At the end of the day, Daein was just a place.
Yet, she couldn't help but to feel excited. Daein was just a place, but it was their place now. They finally had a place, one stable location to stay at. Ever since they started travelling together, Arum and Elli never had a space they could call their own, nothing they could personalize and come back to after a long day. How could she not be excited to have a place she could finally call home, and be part of a family in that home?
The wyvern riders dropped her off outside of the palace, where Kaetar was waiting for her with two soldiers behind him. It was a prior arrangement – Elli could spend a night at the palace so that she and Gander, if she recalled his name correctly, could meet up and get acquainted before she moved into his home. Elli was able to pack everything she owned into one bag, so she secured it to herself and jumped off. The wyvern riders bowed in Kaetar's presence, then left.
Kaetar was dressed in a cloak, wearing slightly fancier clothing than she was used to seeing him wear, though it was a bit too big for him, so she doubted he was wearing his own clothing. In addition to the new clothing, he was also wearing a golden circlet, which he seemed to be trying to ignore. Upon closer inspection, she could see that two soldiers standing behind him were in fact Joel and Loiya, almost unrecognizable on the virtue of just wearing simple black armour. They didn't even resemble the other soldiers in their respective classes, at least from what she saw from the Daeins in Crimea. Regardless, their presence and Kaetar's clothing actually made him look vaguely royal. Sometimes, she forget he was royalty.
"Are you excited, Elli?" he asked, holding his hand up in greeting.
She merely nodded.
"And what about Arum?" Kaetar mumbled. "He's in Begnion, right? Is he travelling to Daein on foot?"
"I assume he is. I think he had something to take care of in Begnion, which might be why he agreed to take Nicholas around even though he hates it in Begnion. He probably wanted to be alone for a bit," she mumbled. Of course, Arum didn't tell her any of that, but she could tell when something was on his mind and when he preferred to be alone to think on it. Hopefully, he would tell her everything when he finally came home – assuming he could find home on his own. He was good with navigation, but he never stepped foot in Daein. "I suppose I'll have to keep an eye out for him."
"Some of the soldiers know what he looks like, so I'll have them notify me if they see him. Anyway, Gander's inside the palace in a meeting right now and he said he hasn't been home often because my father is gone, but I can show you where you're staying for tonight."
"Is it fine to take my swords inside with me?" she asked, gesturing to the swords she always kept on her hips. Ever since Arum taught her, she always kept two at her side. If Arum couldn't be there, then the swords would make her feel safe, regardless of where she was.
"The guards should be fine with it as long as we're with him," Joel mumbled. "Besides, all of three us can vouch for you."
The palace on the inside didn't resemble the one at Crimea. The walls were greyer, there were a lot of weapons that were used as decoration but she was sure they could still kill somebody, and portraits of warriors were sprinkled along painted portraits of past rulers. The halls also seemed to just be a bit chillier, though she wondered if it was just the fact that Daein was just on the cooler side or if it was the decorations that made her wish she had something to cover her arms with.
Kaetar showed her to the guest bedroom. It was the biggest room she ever had to herself, with a bed large enough for two in the middle. There was a balcony, a vanity, a giant closet, and a chest that she was sure she could crawl inside at the foot of the bed. She tossed her bag on top of the chest but opted to keep the swords at her side. "Are you sure that this room is just for me?"
Kaetar nodded. "It's just one of the standard guest rooms, but if you're not comfortable with it, I can talk to a servant. Their rooms are smaller, and they're shared, so somebody probably has a spare bed in their room somewhere."
"No, this is fine," she mumbled. She would rather be alone in a big room than be in a smaller room with somebody she didn't know. She imagined that it would just be awkward to share a room with a total stranger, and she didn't want anybody trying to talk to her either. Kaetar didn't look quite convinced, but he didn't press the issue further. Kaetar proceeded to show her the dining room, the courtyards, and looped back inside to present her with his baby brother. Elli never held a baby before, but once the baby settled into her arms, she was reluctant to hand him back to Kaetar.
After that, Kaetar insisted on getting her some tailored clothing, so they were back in the street with Loiya and Joel.
"I don't really need professionally tailored clothing, though," Elli mumbled. She and Arum made and maintained their own clothing, and both of them could sew, which helped when one of them wasn't feeling well enough to repair their own clothing. The material to do it all with were sometimes a gift from thankful villagers, or they could buy it cheap from people who had too much or in the wrong colour.
"Kaetar needs to be measured for a bunch of new formal clothing, and I think he wants somebody to suffer with him," Joel said with a smirk.
"They're a welcome gift," Kaetar mumbled. "Daein can get pretty cold sometimes, so its worthwhile getting something warm just in case."
Elli supposed that made sense. She simply listened as Kaetar and Joel continued to bicker with each other, while Loiya seemed to be the one who focused on why they were in the middle of Nevessa in the first place. She decided to just follow him.
The home was a bit bigger than she expected. It wasn't the size of the palace or how big she imagined a noble's home to be, but it was still fairly large. It had a second floor balcony and four bedrooms. By the time she arrived early in the morning after dinner with Gander, two beds already occupied one of the bedrooms, the one she was expected to share with Arum. There were chests at the end of each bed for their clothing, along with a table at the back window and couple of chairs, and some shelving above their beds and along at the end of the room, near the table and chairs. She picked a side of the room, the right side, and spent the next couple of hours cleaning the dust, setting up what items she brought, and set aside some room for the clothing that Kaetar had her measured for.
Although Kaetar insisted that she just needed warm clothes, she was also presented with designs for what seemed to be a ballgown as well. She wasn't sure if Kaetar asked for one or if the tailors felt like she needed one, but she didn't ask. Arum was probably going to be subjected to Kaetar's welcoming gifts as well. He wasn't going to enjoy being measured, even if it was another guy doing it for him.
When she finished, she joined the children and a servant downstairs in the kitchen, who were all gathered around a table. The children were sitting at the table eating while the servant was cleaning up around the kitchen. Gander warned her that the servants would continue to come around the house, helping with the kids until she settled in and could get a feel for what rhythm the servants were trying to get the children into.
She hadn't met the children she was meant to look after when Gander took her home early in the morning since they were still asleep, but when she stepped into the room, Elli finally felt like she was home, even if the kids gave her looks of curiosity. They looked to be brothers, with similar wavy, rose coloured hair. They differed only in height and eye colour – the taller one had dark blue eyes, and the other one had lighter blue eyes that almost looked silver.
"Are you Elli?" the taller one asked. "Dad said Elli and Arum was coming to be our big sister and brother."
"Yeah, I'm Elli," she answered with a smile.
"Introduce yourself, boys," the servant said, patting them on the shoulder.
"I'm Luca!" the older one responded. "And my brother is Alec."
When the boys were distracted again by their food, the servant came around. "We're glad you're here. We like those boys but they're ah... energetic. Not all of us have what it takes to keep up with them. But you're a warrior, I hear, so I suspect you'll do just fine."
Gander said something like that. Nobody said they were bad kids, they were just a handful, which just sounded like kids being kids to her. She and Arum babysat kids sometimes when she and Arum were looking for odd jobs, and Luca and Alec didn't seem to be out of the ordinary to her. She was confident she could handle them.
"I've also heard that you a man was supposed to be on his way too. Should we stay until he arrives?" the servant whispered to her when the brothers were busy conversing among themselves.
"No thank you, I should be fine once I know their routine."
"Okay. I will write it down for you, but it begins like this..."
Rylar and Ema
Rylar nearly swore once again as he struggled to keep up with Ema. It was getting easier to move through the thick Gallian forests, but he still couldn't move through it as fast as Ema could. Each step was made without hesitation and her tail helped her balance when she made the more precarious jumps across streams and ditches. She was also wearing a pink, tight jumpsuit that he couldn't recall seeing her wearing, which made it less likely that her clothing was going to get caught on something. Rylar had to be more cautious, careful to make sure he wasn't going to make a misstep that would cause him to taste dirt.
"Ema! You're going too damn fast again."
Ema stopped suddenly, her tail swaying slowly behind her. He caught up but Ema didn't continue on her trip, choosing to just look forward in thought instead. She kicked her feet, then finally turned him.
"Actually, maybe you should stop here. We're getting close to Taelug, and I don't think you want to bother with a lot of super traditional laguz."
Rylar frowned. He wasn't sure how he would react if anybody acted like he heard they would. His father and the rest of Grann did a good job of protecting him from people who would have treated him differently. At least his brand wasn't very visible, but it wasn't like that mattered to laguz who could sniff him out. All he could imagine was that it would be pretty terrible in the end, but he couldn't force himself to dwell on it.
"You don't have to worry about my mother being like that though, otherwise, I wouldn't have forced you to come here. She was the one who gave Father a chance, even if nobody else would." She frowned at that.
"She'll smell like me though, wouldn't she? All the other laguz would notice."
"I don't know why you're so bothered by this now when we're basically there," Ema said with a frown. She patted his shoulder. "You don't have to worry about my mother though. It's tough to get under her skin and I still honestly think she would love to see you. You'll be here if I leave and come back with her, right?"
"Where would I go?" he asked with a shrug. "I don't know my way around Gallia."
She smiled. "Stay tight." She dashed away. Unsure of what to really do, Rylar found a fallen log nearby and sat on it, setting his bow and quiver down beside him. He waited with his arms crossed, his left leg bouncing. It felt like forever when Ema finally returned, with another cat laguz trailing behind her.
Her hair was a lighter brown than Ema's was, but she kept it chin length and slightly wavy. She a simple pink tunic, cut at the knees and tied with a white sash around her waist. She was a bit taller as well. When she laid her golden eyes on Rylar, she gave him a small but warm smile, one that instantly eased all of Rylar's worries. Did his own mom have a smile like that? Maybe that's what dad liked about her. Duma never really did talk about how they met and what they loved about each other. Unless he tried to find her family, or resorted to Chibuike, he wouldn't really ever get to know her better.
Would they accept him though? He shook the thought out of his head.
"Even if my kitten hadn't told me anything, I would have known that you're Duma's child as well. You look a lot like him. What's your name? Ema didn't tell me."
"My name is Rylar," he answered as the laguz sat down on the log beside him. He resisted the urge to move away, but even if he did want to, Ema sat down on his other side, keeping him stuck between her and her mom. "I thought you would have been mad that dad found somebody else."
"I never stopped loving him, that's true. I didn't find somebody else, but I'm not mad that Duma did. If I couldn't give him the happiness he was looking for, then he should move on to somebody who can. He just wanted to be happy... how can I fault anybody for that?" Rylar wouldn't have believed her, if it wasn't for the thoughtful look on her face, the way her focus was turned to the sky, and the way that only the tip of her tail moved. She managed to keep the smile as well. Some people were hard to break – he knew Zeke, so he knew that fact better than anybody.
Suddenly, Ema stood up and removed a small pouch from the a satchel attached to her belt. Rylar frowned – he had one just like it. "At any rate, Mother, while we're all here together, I wanted to spread my half of Father's ashes." She extended the hand that held the pouch of ashes out to her mother, offering it her to her mouth.
"You hold that, Ema," she said, jumping to her feet. "I know a good spot. Are you coming, Rylar?"
He merely nodded, following her through the bush with Ema closely behind him, forcing him into a pace he wasn't sure he could quite keep up with. However, it didn't take long for her to reach her location, a small clearing in the middle of the woods, where the grass became longer and flowers bloomed. Ema's mother walked to the centre and invited both of them inside the clearing. The grass tickled his shins.
"This was where Duma and I used to spend time together. We spent most of our time here for obvious reasons. I have nothing but fond memories here."
"This is perfect, mother," Ema answered, cracking a sad smile. She hesitated while opening the small satchel, but once she did, she turned the bag over, letting his dad's ashes fall to the ground. Most of it was caught by a breeze, letting his dad's ashes sprinkle the ground. It made his throat ache and the tears well up in his eyes before they ran down his cheeks. Ema's mom put an arm around his shoulders. He still couldn't understand why she was so nice to him but she let him try to comfort him.
For a while, the only thing Rylar heard his own sobbing, even though he was trying to keep it to a minimum.
"I wish he got to treat me like his daughter. I didn't know that knowing him was something I should have been more grateful for."
"There's nothing we can do about that now," Rylar mumbled when he calmed down enough to talk. He was still wiping tears from his eyes but at least his voice was steady.
"No, the best we can do is keep in touch."
"Just letting you know though, you can't just suddenly come to Grann. You have to let Stefan know first, somehow. Your presence, even if you don't mean any harm, will freak a lot of the other Branded out." Rylar was lucky that he didn't experience any of the horror stories that he heard from some of the other residents since he grew up in Grann, but he knew better than to push his luck regarding Ema. Even if she had Stefan's backing, it would be hard for most of the Branded to even look her way.
That was more or less the treatment Darius got. The only reason he was treated at all was because Syrin was with him, and because Zeke was willing to let Darius rest at his place. He was one of the few who either didn't outright hate the laguz or wasn't afraid of them.
Ema let a sigh but nodded. "I understand. I have to admit, even I listened to the other laguz more closely than I should have when it came to the Branded. Syrin had to show me how stupid it all was. So, I get it if there are people who don't want anything to do with the laguz."
"I was worried that something like that would happen when you decided to become a warrior for Gallia," her mother mumbled. "At any rate, I know that if you just live your lives to your fullest, then Duma would be happy." She beamed a smile at them.
Rylar managed to crack a smile back at her.
"What are you going to do for tonight, though? Are you just going to return to the desert right away?" Ema asked suddenly. Rylar did plan on just going home but the forest was more exhausting to travel through than he thought. He also had to consider how long it would take him to travel to Grann on foot. He did have to go back to Crimea or head for Daein to attend one of Kaetar's wedding ceremonies, even if he didn't really want to go to the wedding. He wasn't even sure if Kaetar wanted to go but regardless, he felt obligated to go.
Should he head back to Crimea then? Would there be any wyverns to take him home?
"There's a beorc village south of here, on the other side of the forest. He should be able to rest there while you two figure out where he needs to go. Do you know which one I'm taking about, Ema?" her mother asked.
"I think so," Ema mumbled to herself.
"Maybe I should take you both there. It's been a while since I've had a good run. How about it, Ema?"
"And what about me? I can't keep up with a cat in the forest."
"You can ride on my back," the other cat responded, transforming suddenly. He blinked, looking to Ema for an answer, before deciding to climb up on her mother's back. It was surprisingly comfortable on her back, and he even got a nod from Ema in cat form. He had to lean forward to wrap his hands around her shoulders to keep himself in place as mother and daughter charged.
Their speed and ability to weave between trees at that speed made him wonder why Ema made him walk the entire time. It took a long time for them to get from Crimea to Gallia, and it took an additional couple of days to walk navigate through the forests and into the heart of Gallia. They could have made their trip considerably shorter if Ema gave him a ride. Although, it wasn't like he didn't like talking to Ema the entire time. They wouldn't get a lot of time together once he got home, after all.
When they were close to the beorc village, both of the laguz stopped. Ema transformed, and once Rylar had his feet back on the ground, her mother transformed back too.
"I'm going to leave all of this to you too now. Rylar, you're welcome to come visit again, just let Ema know first so we can sneak out."
"I'll do just that," he said with a nod. Her mother smiled, then dashed off.
"I told you she wouldn't care," Ema said with a smirk.
"Shut up," he mumbled, sticking his tongue out.
Zeke and Aletta
"I still can't believe we're going back on our own," Aletta said with a sigh. Darius and Chifee were kind enough to take them the border of Begnion and Grann, where the grass thinned and slowly transitioned into sand and rock. Zeke didn't blame Darius for not going in any deeper, even if Chifee was curious about it – he practically fell out of the sky the last time he went to the desert, not to mention he and Syrin caught the same illness that plagued the rest of the community. His memories of Grann were probably not too fond and while Zeke found that to be unfortunate, he couldn't blame Darius if maybe he wanted to wait before visiting Grann again. Hopefully, they would come back to get them for Kaetar's wedding though.
He and Aletta knew their way around, and could handle the desert just fine. It didn't matter if Darius and Chifee didn't take them to the city in the centre. Aletta grew up in the desert, and Zeke spent the best years of his life in it, as it was the first place he could call home. If they really wanted to, they could access one of the underground tunnels and use those too once they got closer, but Zeke preferred the sun even if he had to keep his cloak on to keep his skin from getting toasted. Aletta wasn't complaining either, so he assumed everything was fine for a while.
"Well, Stefan is still trying to talk the king about trade or something, everybody who knew Ike wants to talk to Syrin, and Rylar's is apparently going to Gallia. They'll catch up in no time! ...Why the long face, though?" Aletta was frowning, standing completely still in the desert when they had been walking side by side. They still had quite the ways to go before the reached the centre of the country. Zeke was out of the country enough, often travelling with Stefan to seek out more Branded, to know that their rooms were still theirs, albeit with more dust and sand than usual. He didn't know how sand always got into his room when he wasn't home, but somehow, it always found a way.
"How do you know if somebody loves you?" she asked quietly. "I'm starting to think I just made up something in my head. You know, thinking that feelings are there when they're not." Aletta hung her head, keeping her hands busy by grasping the straps of the pack she carried on her back.
Zeke blinked. He wasn't sure where that came from, but it was clear to him that she was bothered by it.
"Maybe you're the one who is starting to like to somebody?" Zeke asked with a shrug. "Maybe you saw something that wasn't there, but maybe it made you realize you want something like that. You might be falling in love with the idea of love, maybe?" He wasn't sure if he was making her feel better, but it was what came into his head and he didn't really think about what he was saying before the words feel out of his mouth. He wondered if she was inspired by Gus and Meagan's relationship, or perhaps by the way Arum and Elli seemed to deny being anything other than friends all the time. Personally, Zeke didn't care what they defined their relationship as, but people like Darius cared a bit more than he did. Aletta was probably at the age where love and romance, at least the idea of love or romance, were appealing to her.
Though, it wasn't like Zeke had much experience when it came to the matters of the heart. He just wasn't very interested in it at the moment, and he was perfectly content with just spending his days doing nothing of important. He only had what he saw from others, and he could only hope that it was enough to make her feel a bit better. "I don't think I'm the best one to talk to about these sorts of things anyway," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"No! You're fine!" she mumbled, straightening herself out. "Even if you aren't the best person to ask about something like that, it's still calming to hear you talk sometimes. You're just so positive about everything... it's hard not to feel better with you around." She gave him a small smile. "You're also the only one who is around right now."
"We can change that! We should try to make it home soon so we aren't out here without a lot of shelter for longer than we have to be. I dunno about you, but I'm looking forward to going home and taking a nap beside the window in the middle of the afternoon," he said happily, beginning to walk again. He was sure that Aletta would follow him if he started to walk without her.
"That's what you missed after all this time? And you spent so much time in bed with all of those broken bones already!" She had to run to catch up with him.
"What can I say?" he asked with a dramatic shrug. "I'm a cat, almost certain of it anyway! Lazing about and taking naps in warm places is what we do."
"Rylar likes to sleep long hours too." Aletta was smiling even more now. Whatever was bothering her earlier was behind her, at least for now.
"Yeah, it was too bad that marching always meant we had to get up early. He was never awake enough."
"I never thought that getting up early was so bad."
"You're a bird though. They always start singing when the sun rises, at least outside of the desert they do."
"I suppose. I've never been good at singing, though."
Zeke missed having conversations like that. He liked casual conversation, it always made him feel relaxed and naturally, the conversations themselves were never a source of stress. They kept the light conversation going the rest of the way.
He woke up early in the morning. Zeke would have liked to sleep for longer, but he knew he had some tough questions to answer and he would rather get all of the hard stuff out of the way first. He heard some of the questions when he and Aletta first arrived, but he insisted that they would talk the next day when they had some rest. Now the sun was up and he had to face this first day back in Grann. When the hard part was over, he could get comfortable in his window sill again. Life wouldn't be exactly normal again given everything that happened, but he was sure life could go back to something that was close to normal again.
For once, he wasn't quite so sure how things would turn out. He was sure that everything would turn out well eventually, but when it came death, things tended to get worse before it got better. It didn't help that their country was so small and young, and that Duma left behind a lot of children who looked up to him. Zeke didn't know if he was the best person to share the news – maybe people would rather hear from Stefan or from Rylar, but Zeke didn't know when either one of them was due to return. Between him and Aletta, he was the best for it, considering how anxious she looked the night before when the others first brought up the questions.
He took a deep breath, settled his hood over his head, and walked into the desert morning. It was a little chilly still, since the sun hadn't been up for long, and there weren't a lot of people milling about. They greeted him when he passed though, expressing how happy they were to see his return and Zeke greeted them in return.
The city square was where everybody went to talk, even though there wasn't much to see there. It was mostly where the main roads crossed, and where some of the residential buildings were located. There was also a building that Stefan and the other Branded that helped lead the country used to discuss what the current events of the country, and they also had a board that they would use for notices. The board was the place that people would often go to talk and gossip, so that was Zeke's destination. He knew that whatever he said there would spread.
It didn't take long for people to gather either, or at least people seemed to gather faster than he expected once they seemed to realize that he was around. When he decided that enough people showed up, he climbed up onto the notice board itself, happy to find that he could still balance as well as he could prior to all of his broken bones. It wasn't very thick, so there wasn't a lot to balance on, but he wanted everybody to hear him so he managed.
Zeke just talked. About how the rebellion went, about Duma, about the whereabouts of Rylar and Stefan, and about how Syrin was expected to join them. He glossed over his own injuries as much as he could, not because he was bothered by them, just that he didn't think it was important to discuss at the moment. The audience was silent until he finished, which was when they started mumbling, looking down on their feet until the crowd dissipated, probably to go figure out their feelings or to mourn in peace.
And when he was finished, he stayed silent too, choosing to sit down in front of the notice board instead of on top of it. He only stayed because he felt like he should, that he should be to comfort people if they needed it. Nobody looked at him, though, and he was aware that he could slip away without anybody noticing. Zeke didn't particularly mind, he knew that they weren't thinking of him when they were trying to digest everything he said.
He couldn't help but to feel exhausted though. When he sure that he wasn't needed, Zeke slipped away, heading back to his room. He needed a nap, he decided.
Aletta was pleased to be in her own bed again after being away from for so long, and slept well into the afternoon for the first time in a long time, long before she even set out with everybody else. Zeke's lodgings weren't so far away, just down the street from her small room, which felt even smaller when she considered what the world was like outside of the desert. She didn't mind though, as much as she loved the outdoors and the feeling of freedom. No matter how small the space was, it was home and it was hers.
She woke up, dressed herself in a plain tunic and some baggy pants, a far cry from her usual attire. She didn't even bother to pull her hair back, which she did in the mornings for a long time. Somehow, changing it up felt like she was truly home, even if it was different from her typical routine. Mostly though, she dressed in a way that wasn't her usual self because she had no intentions of going outside for a while.
Aletta didn't want to handle the questions on her own, especially when still had thoughts of her own that kept bouncing around in her head. Maybe she imagined something from Rylar, but then why did her thoughts go there? Did she even feel anything from particular for Rylar, or was just what Zeke said? And did those kind of thoughts appear at the palace of all places? Was it the chance of dying? That was the case for the entire rebellion though. Every battle was a possibility of death.
Oh well, it wasn't like she was in a rush. Aletta had a long time to figure out her feelings thanks to her mixed heritage.
She didn't know how long she spent in her room, dusting the sand and dust out of her room, and then sitting at her vanity for a break when Zeke suddenly jumped into her window, landing on the floor with a loud thump. She yelped in surprise. Her bedroom wasn't on the ground level and even though there were a lot of people in the desert who could make that climb, nobody ever did. "Ready for the day?" he asked.
"Are you? And should you be doing that sort of climbing?" Normally, she wouldn't be worried about how Zeke got up to her window. He climbed that sort of distance before to get up to the best basking spots, but she couldn't helped but to be worried about his leg, even if he was walking around fine just after the rebellion ended. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but still, he got hurt pretty bad.
Zeke shrugged. "It's all fine! It's a little bit sore right now, but I think that's normal. Anyway, how are you feeling now?"
"Tired, I guess," she mumbled. Tired and confused, but she wasn't going to tell Zeke about her feelings again. Not that he wasn't helpful, she just didn't want to burden him with them again when she needed to figure them out. It wasn't Zeke's job to figure them out for her.
"I get that! I just had a nap myself. Who knew that talking could be exhausting?"
"Well..."
"The subject matter, yeah," Zeke mumbled. "Anyway, I came by to say that I talked to everybody, or at least I talked to enough people to get the word out, so you're free to leave if you want, just in case you were worried about that."
She could feel the pressure in her face, so she tried her best to push it all back. She didn't want to start crying in front of Zeke. "How did they take it?"
"We'll find out soon enough. Nobody really talked to me about it. I made it here without anybody trying to stop me too and that would have been impossible yesterday," he said, sitting down on her bed. "It's probably going to be messy until Stefan and Rylar come back. I don't think they'll want to start anything official until everybody is here."
"You're the most optimistic and positive person here though," Aletta said, whirling around in her chair to face him. "If there's anybody that they should be able to talk to..."
"I don't think that's what anybody wants right now," Zeke mumbled with an unusual sag in his shoulders. "Maybe sooner or later, but not now. I know when to shut up and give people their space. They aren't mad or upset with me, they just need time to process it. We've had a long time to come to terms with it. The rest of Grann... well, it hasn't even been a day yet. Just give them time."
Aletta frowned. While she didn't quite know what to expect from her return, being in a different phase of grieving process wasn't one of those ideas bouncing around in her head. She thought of being in the centre of a crowd, talking about her story. She thought that maybe there would be some sort of celebration for their return, and after some sort of ceremony for Duma. It wasn't like those things were out of the picture, they just going to happen anytime soon.
Zeke was right. Again. She had come to terms with the loss, so she downplayed everybody else's feeling in her mind.
Zeke merely offered a smile and slight cock of his head. "You're young. It's fine if you didn't get it at first. I'm just older and better travelled."
"How do you always know what I'm thinking?"
"Like I said, I'm older and better travelled." His smile grew broader. "Besides, you young ones are rather expressive."
"You say young ones like you're an elder or something," she mumbled, making him laugh again. "You're like... what? Just over a century?"
"About there! I feel like I'm an old spirit living in a young body sometimes."
"I guess that makes sense. You were abandoned in your early life, weren't you?" At least Aletta could say that wasn't her. Her father might have given her up, but it was out of love. He wanted her to be surrounded by her own kind, people who support and grow with her like he couldn't. Stefan would always remind her of that, but her father had said as such in a letter as well, one that she kept in a safe place in her room. "And you grew up alone until Stefan found you. Yet... you're not mad about any of that."
"There's not much to be upset about."
"Yeah, I see how you're an old man now."
He laughed, and it made her feel lighter.
"How about instead of going out, we just stay in here for a while?" Aletta offered. As much as she missed some of the other people in the village, she understood that they needed time, but she didn't need to watch or think about her words around Zeke. She would rather spend time with him. She stood up and riffled briefly through her belongings, and pulled out a deck of cards. She didn't have much, but it was better than nothing.
"Sounds good to me," Zeke answered happily.
Misha
Once Misha felt sufficiently rested, which was a few days after she and Ema shared their goodbyes with Misha vowing to visit her in Gallia at some point and after she spoke to King Adrien about inviting some more people to Kaetar's wedding, she decided it was about time for her leave too. It wasn't like she had to travel far or anything to get home – she was basically back at home, even with an open invitation to join the military again and to have her rank returned. She made a promise though, and she had to go fulfill it.
Because Wishblade wasn't hers.
She cleaned it, polished it, and wrapped it up carefully in some cloth, before strapping it her back along with her other supplies that she would need for the road, and arming herself with a steel lance just in case things got dirty. Misha doubted she would see trouble, but she knew it was best to be prepared anyway. With a general idea of where to find the village again thanks to the help of Chibuike, who seemed oddly cooperative, she was off.
Misha didn't even have to walk, really. Darius and Chifee were offering rides to everybody, especially if they lived outside of Crimea, and she was sure Mike would have given her a ride if she caught him in time, but he was quick to leave as soon as he seemed to realize that he could. She decided she could use the walk to sort of her thoughts out and decide what she wanted to do with her life now that the rebellion was over and she was still unaffiliated with the military.
For one, now that she didn't have more pressing matters on the mind, she couldn't help but to think of Cameron again. She couldn't fathom how he changed so much, and Misha was still confused as to how she should feel about the whole situation.
She also wasn't sure if she wanted to rejoin the military. It was nice while she was there, and she still wanted to help people and do the right thing, but she realized she could help people outside of it too. She could help people and have a change of pace. She realized she liked travelling, she liked being in a smaller group, she liked training with people who were stronger and more talented than she was, and it was beginning to feel like maybe the military part of her life was over.
Misha wasn't even sure should would be welcomed back. It was King Ramon's invitation, with Arkit echoing his support, but it wasn't like any of the soldiers came up to tell her that they wanted her to come back. She got a few nods of acknowledgement when she saw them, exchanged some pleasantries with those who had nothing against, and little else. She certainly didn't care about anybody else's opinion when she decided to follow Kaetar onto the boat, but it wouldn't be pleasant to work with people that probably hated her.
She did kill a lot of fellow Crimeans.
Seeing her family more often would be nice too. Somehow, she could never find time to leave to do so and obviously never found the time during the rebellion. Her family was the last thing she thought of when she made camp in a secluded spot for the first night and dozed off.
It took her well over two weeks to make it to Andrew's village. She took her time, since was rarely alone to enjoy the sights anyway, and she didn't have much of a schedule to adhere to. All she had to be concerned about was making sure that she made it Kaetar's wedding.
It was dark when she arrived, and she wasn't sure she would find anybody outside when she walked by Andrew's home. She was surprised to see Andrew though, leaning against the wooden fence and looking up to the sky. Misha called out his name, and he turned his head into her direction slowly. For a moment, neither one of them said anything. They simply looked at each other. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but Misha found herself trying to decipher the thoughtful look on his face.
She joined him, sitting on the fence, but not before she removing Wishblade from her back and gently leaned it against the fence pole.
"I heard you won," Andrew said softly. News certainly travelled fast, but she supposed there was good reason for it. It was what the rebellion was trying to do, after all. She also did waste a lot of time meandering, so people with more purpose would have travelled further and faster than she did to spread the news.
"Were you waiting?" she asked with a smirk. Andrew rubbed the back of his neck.
"Kind of. I knew you'd come by at some point, since you have the lance and my mom is looking forward to the wedding. But... it's also nice to just sort my thoughts at night. It's crowded in the house sometimes," he said with a shrug. "Do you have any plans now? Now that it's all over?"
Misha frowned. "No, not particularly. I think I might just travel for a bit because there are people I want to see first, and figure things out from there."
"Aren't you going to go back to the military?"
"I'm not sure if I want to, or if I would be welcomed if I did go back. I know Arkit would have my back, but I feel like he would be the only one," she answered with a shrug. "I did what I think was right, and I won't ever regret that, but I think it ruined any chance I had in a military career. I don't think I'm upset though."
"Well, you're always welcomed here until you figure yourself out. Being out here let me figure out what I really wanted... I think I'm going to stay here. I didn't join the rebellion like you did, but I still left when Arkit gave us the option. I'm not a traitor, but I'm a quitter, as far as everybody else is concerned," Andrew mumbled, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear as he contemplated the moon. "I'm fine though. I don't want to be that position again. Life might be a bit boring here sometimes, but I think it's what best."
"I might take you up on your offer," Misha answered. She had a home to go back to, but she didn't want to face it yet. She killed Cameron, and they left for the military together. They spent their childhood together. Misha couldn't face her parents yet, and she couldn't face his family either. She would have to go home one day, but that day wasn't going to be anytime soon. "I could use somewhere nice to stay once I'm done visiting people."
But Andrew's family? She liked his family, his family and home felt safe. Misha didn't have the history with Andrew that she had with Cameron, but she already felt like she knew him her entire life, and unlike Cameron, he didn't abandon his morals.
"And I could use a place for tonight," she added quickly, when she realized she still didn't the village very well. She didn't want to try and find the inn at this hour, especially when Andrew was already offering.
"Then we should head inside. It's late, and somebody will probably start looking for me," Andrew said with a sigh as he bounced himself off of the fence. Misha straightened up, grabbed Wishblade, and headed inside.
Bri and the Greil Mercenaries
Bri let out the breath she was holding before knocking on the door. It had been several days since that meeting, but Bri only recently managed to get an audience with King Ramon. It wasn't as though her matter was more important than making sure Crimea was back on track politically, so her audience was postponed until some of those matters were settled. By her side was Pops, the only person who wanted to go and was helpful at the same time. Most of their mercenaries didn't seem to trust their ability to speak competently in front of the king and Warren wanted to go, but Bri thought better of that.
She trusted Warren in a battle, but not in this situation.
King Adrien answered the door, motioning for her to follow him inside. King Ramon was sitting in a large arm chair. Another gentleman she didn't recognize was lounging on a long couch, though he looked ready to fall asleep at anytime. Pops sat in the most immediate seat he could find, which was at a round table that was off to the side from where King Ramon was sitting. The Daein King such the door behind them. Bri felt a little awkward standing when her king was sitting, so she opted to sit down as well in a seat to the right of Pops. Ramon got up and joined them at the last seat of the table, holding some documents in his hands.
"Would you like to sit as well, Adrien?" King Ramon asked. King Adrien merely shook his head and just stayed by the door. Her king looked to her, then took a deep breath. "You are from the new generation of the Greil Mercenaries, right?"
"Yes," she answered simply, not sure of what else she could add.
"And you are wondering if you could purchase the fort that Greil Mercenaries used to occupy?" he asked, placing the documents down for her to see. They all looked lengthy, written in small, curvy handwriting. She couldn't make out what it said at a glance, so she took the pile and read through them, thankful that everybody gave her time to do so. Her heart pounded against her chest. She couldn't quite understand all of the words, but she was sure she understood the documents as a whole correctly. She handed them over to Pops.
"Is this all documentation to turn the property back over to us? You're just giving it away?" she asked as Pops scanned through the documents.
"You need to sign the bottom of them, and I still need to place my seal on them, but yes, I am handing it over to you. The fort will stay within the Greil Mercenaries family, so the documentation will apply to your grandchildren and so on. I will leave it you to find contractors but I can help pay for their work if you seek them out – thankfully, the rebellion wasn't too destructive, so funding is available."
They deserve to have the repairs paid for. The fort would have been maintained if they didn't have to go into hiding. Even if they were brave enough to be out of the shadows, it would have still been illegal to go inside. It wasn't their fault. Still, she didn't quite understand why it was so easy for him to change whatever his father and Eero had done.
"You're quick to help us," Pops mumbled.
King Ramon hesitated for a moment, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. He looked her dead in the eyes. "I think the return of the Greil Mercenaries will help unite Crimea. I doubt the citizens will trust me for a long time and they are right to do that... I wasn't a good king. The citizens need somebody to trust though, somebody to have pride in, and I think the Greil Mercenaries are what the people need. We just have to be careful."
She wasn't so sure about it at first. They had a lot to prove too, and she wasn't sure what the general population thought of them since they spent so much time in hiding. They only had a few odd jobs and a big rescue that few people knew of under their belts. Aside from the rescue and causing general unrest to the Crimean soldiers, the Greil Mercenaries had done nothing worth celebrating for a long time.
But it that wasn't something that couldn't change. The whole point of joining Saira on her mission to distract the soldiers was to change.
"It's a deal then," she said with a nod. Bri felt her pride ache a little bit, but she would rather have the repairs begin as soon as possible. She had no idea how the building was holding up, but she supposed she could always just ask Syrin.
"Great. I'll have you sign the bottom of those documents then, and I'll be keeping them with me. I'll have somebody transcribe the documents and send you those copies." She barely listened as she put ink to paper, scribbling out of her name, adding her title as the leader of the Greil Mercenaries at the end. "The property is now yours," he said with a smile.
"Would you mind if we operated out of Melior until our fort is functional?" Pops asked.
"That will be fine," the king answered. "Now, is there anything else I can do for you while you're here?"
"No, that will be all," Bri answered. She wondered if she needed to bow in his presence, but he didn't seem to care. He said nothing on the matter, just wished them well, while the lump on the long couch mumbled something and waved his hand. It caught the king's attention, so Pops and Bri ducked out, giving King Adrien a nod on the way out.
"We have to go tell Syrin!" Bri announced, once she was out of earshot of the king. Pops chuckled and didn't even bother to follow as she ran to Syrin's room. She didn't even knock, but thankfully Syrin wasn't busy. He was sitting at one of the chairs in his room, with a book resting on his lap, since he needed his single hand to turn the pages. He looked up briefly, but his attention stayed on her.
"The fort is ours again. King Ramon is also taking responsibility for all the repairs."
It was probably the only time she saw something resembling a smile on his face, though it wasn't like they knew each other for long.
"I want to leave shortly to scout out the area and see if there's anything we can salvage. I just wanted to let you know."
"I'll be in Grann, if you need some advice," Syrin stated with a shrug. "I'm not going to do any work for you or help you run your company, at least not without proper compensation, but I can offer a little advice if you write to me."
Bri smiled. "Really?"
"The company was important to Ike and Greil. Both of them likened the company to being part of a family," Syrin mumbled, that near smile from before disappearing from his features. "Even when we left Tellius, Ike was always wondering how the mercenary company was doing at home. I don't mind offering advice every now and again if that family lives on."
"I appreciate the offer. I'll probably take you up on that. I'll see you later then, hopefully," Bri said with a nod before leaving and closing the door behind her.
The trip to the fort wasn't as long as she expected. They got a ride on a wagon, which took them most of the way, so they only had to walk for a couple of hours before the fort was visible. Pops opted to stay in Melior, and while he didn't state why, Bri had a couple of ideas. Regardless, she was glad that he didn't have to walk the distance to get to the fort. She would have to remember to get a wagon that would take them the entire way when it was time to move in.
Bri tried to keep the excitement to a minimum the entire way – while it was a joyous occasion, she knew that the fort itself was in a sorry state. It would be hard to look at, but they needed to see what sort of repairs had to be done. Once the fort was in view though, Warren let out a loud shout and ran. Tyan booked it after him, shouting after Warren. In almost no time, Tyan caught up with him and even surpassed him.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" Shelia asked.
"Just let them burn some energy," Adam said with a shrug.
"I suppose," she mumbled as she followed followed them, though at a slower pace than Warren and Tyan. The terrible state of the building and the overwhelming musty smell didn't stop the two from exploring it. She saw them zipping around out several rooms and back into other ones, though they seemed to be keeping their hands off of the items, at least, but it wasn't like she could see what thy were doing in the rooms. Bri was a bit more apprehensive about exploring though. She thought she would be more excited to see the fruits of her efforts, but she couldn't help but to be saddened by it all.
The roof was caving in, there was a strange collection of mold gathering on several surface, and several personal affects were set out like they expected to come back, but they only ended up collecting dust. She wondered if anything belonged to Pops, or if something was left behind by her own family.
"Are you alright?" Shelia asked, standing outside of the door.
"Aren't you going to come in?"
"No, I imagine I would enjoy it more when the repairs are done," Shelia mumbled slowly. "I'm fine out here, really. I just wanted to take a trip with everybody, so I'm good. What about you? Are you going to be alright?"
Bri sighed, leaving the fort to go join her outside. She filled her lungs with clean air, though the deep breathes didn't do much to help her calm down. "I just thought I would be more excited, but when I think about the fact that I should have grown up here with a big family, it just... it's just really upsetting that somebody just took it all away," she said, trying to do her best to control her voice. She was strong and stoic for so long.
Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Everything will be fine, Bri. It's okay to be upset. These people were your family, it's alright to mourn now that everything is settled," she whispered into her ear. Bri let herself relax, and let the tears soak into Shelia's shirt. Shelia let Bri cling to her for as long as she needed, and eventually Bri calmed down enough to let her group's healer go. It was just in time, as Warren and Tyan came out to report their findings and to take her through. They were more detailed than she thought they would be, considering how excited they were. She didn't think they were taking mental notes, yet they could point out the weakest points of the fort, the points that needed to be fixed first. They found an old map, the one that Syrin must have used, dishes that could be used if cleaned, and many of the wooden chairs could survive some roughhousing from Warren and Tyan, so those were good as well.
The only problem was the mold.
Everything felt manageable though. There was a list of what needed to be done, which was compiled by Adam since Bri was more focused on what Tyan and Warren were saying, and soon that would be made into a list of people who could fix those problems. The memories that the halls must have held still got to her, but she was looking forward to making new memories too.
Zara
Zara was bored. She knew that she couldn't just punch and kick until she got what she wanted, that still still in meetings were sometimes the only tool she could use. She sat while the rest of the leaders tried to wade through the aftermath, and she felt like there wasn't much for her to say. Even Tibarn seemed mostly quiet, but maybe that was because he was the leaving the monarchy and thus, if Serenes was going to act, then she was going to be the one in charge. He was there as a formality at this point, nothing more.
Physically, there wasn't much to fix. Ramon said something about a fort and a village destroyed by Eero's troops during the rebellion. The concern was mostly about relationships, she came to realize. Eero more or less stated that the reason behind his actions was due to the lack of a relationship between them and the branded. There was also the relationships between each of the countries, which had seemed peaceful, but from Zara's understanding, it was mostly them staying out of each other's business.
The current direction of the conversation just seemed too formal. A contract that they all signed to recognize Grann as a partner was nice and all, but that didn't mean that the citizens had to care. Why would they care? They would just continue their lives because the branded lived in a different country. If she wanted the laguz and the beorc to learn from each other, then they needed to be in contact with each other. She figured it was much the same for the branded as well, except that was a relationship that would take longer to heal.
"Zara, you've been quiet. What's on your mind?" Kurthnaga asked.
"That a contract won't make people respect the branded all of a sudden. Heck, not even the laguz and beorc are all that close to each other. We can have the formalities, but there needs to be action behind that too," she said, folding her arms behind her head. "We need to involve our people too, or nothing will change."
"Ha! I like the sound of those words, Zara," Skrimir said with a smile. "What would you suggest, though?"
"Adrien hired laguz, right?" She looked to Adrien, who was nodding. "That's a good start. If there are some laguz that start living in the beorc public, then more laguz will probably join them. I think Gallia already has some beorc villages but I know for a fact that there aren't many people in Serenes. I doubt there are many beorc living outside of the port towns in Goldoa either. We should encourage the laguz and the beorc to live together."
Stefan took a deep breath, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Most of my people wouldn't be ready for something like this. I can only really imagine that those who joined the rebellion would be up for something like that. Either way, letting a laguz into Grann is currently a bad idea. Letting a beorc into Grann isn't even that great of an idea, unless they have a branded child themselves."
"That's fine," Zara said with a shrug. "I can understand if the branded don't want anything to do with the laguz right now. If you want somebody out and about, then it should be Zeke. Rylar and Aletta still seem young."
"Let me get this straight... You want beorc leaders to have laguz working for us, and then the laguz leaders will have beorc working for them?" Serena asked.
"Something like that. The point is to introduce laguz to beorc, and the beorc to the laguz. When the branded are ready, then they will engage with the beorc and laguz too, but that will probably be easier once the beorc and laguz are completely comfortable with each other."
"And Tibarn, what about you?" King Ramon asked.
"This is part of the reason why I picked her," he said with a smirk. "She wasn't the only one with aspirations like that, but I think she's the one who is strong enough to do it while retaining respect from the laguz. Other than that, I'm not the king anymore, so my opinion doesn't really matter at this point."
"I think is something best left for future meetings," Kurthnaga mumbled. "I would need to think about what role I would give to a beorc."
"Eh, fair enough. You all promise to think about though, right?" Everybody, with the exception of Tibarn, nodded and mumbled their promises, which was enough to satisfy Zara for the time being. It was enough for her to fade back into the background, where vague deals were promised and further talks planned. With the meeting adjourned for the day, Zara went to the courtyard to stretch her wings and burn off some excess energy.
Tibarn and Reyson both joined her. Or at least, they watched while she stretched with her back turned towards them. She dropped her outer coat to the grounded.
"It's hard to stay focus for so long in a meeting like that," she mumbled, though she also knew that Reyson needed no explanation from her.
"To be fair, it was hard for Tibarn and Skrimir too, and they both used to sit in for war meetings," Reyson said. "I think your cause is a worthy one though, and even if nobody looked it, they all do agree. What peace we do have between our countries isn't enough."
"Speaking of which, what did you have in mind for Serenes anyway?" Tibarn asked.
"To make it a place worth travelling to and stay at for a bit," she stated simply, turning on her heels to face them. They both had their eyebrows raised. "Beorc people like to travel, so if we make a really nice inn that occupies one of the smaller islands of Phoenicis, then we can give beorc and humans a place to work together. Our country is beautiful, and we let everybody know that while making a nice bit of coin while we're at it. If that goes well, they can work in other places in Serenes too."
"As for the forest?" Reyson asked.
"Your rules will still be in place. If the beorc disrespect it, we'll toss them into the ocean and they can figure out their own way home," Zara said, cracking her knuckles. "Of course, this idea will take time to complete, but we can get started away by allowing beorc to assist in the construction of the inn. Their opinions are going to be necessary anyway, since it should appeal to both the beorc and the bird tribe."
"As long as I'm not the one who had to figure this out," Tibarn mumbled.
She huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Once it's done, you can be the first one to visit. You can rest those old, brittle bones of yours."
Reyson smiled, chuckling lightly to himself as Tibarn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Peter and Chibuike
"Chibuike! There you are!"
Chibuike was the kind of man that was only easy to find when he wanted to be found, though why he was still around if he didn't want to be found was beyond Peter. Either way, he was glad, because he planned on dragging Chibuike back with him to Begnion. He was well aware that the heads of the ministry knew how to get a hold of Chibuike when they needed him, but he thought it would be easier to just take Chibuike back with him.
The timing was good too. Syrin recovered to a point where he no longer needed Peter, and he could trust that Stefan and the other brandeds could keep him in line. Geoffrey, Ramon's right hand man, was in good hands. As much as he wanted to stick around, he couldn't quite justify staying away from the ministry for so long. The rebellion was of importance to him, but that purpose was completed. Outside of caring for Syrin and Geoffrey, he no longer had a reason to stay, and even then, they didn't really need him anyway. It was weird to step out of the situation like that, but he knew it was necessary.
Chibuike was busy sipping wine on a balcony of a guest bedroom that was unoccupied. It crossed Peter's mind that it was rather odd that only some of them were allowed to sleep in the castle while the rest camped outside when there was so much room, but he quickly dismissed those thoughts.
"What do you want?" Chibuike asked, turning around to lean against the balcony instead. He took another sip before Peter answered.
"You know, the same thing that the ministry always wants you for. I figured it was just easier to bring you back with me."
Chibuike let out a chuckle. Peter was used to this. He knew how Chibuike could be, so it didn't bother him.
"You're done here? I thought you would stick around for Kaetar's wedding caring for everybody. Aren't you supposed to officiate the wedding? And what about the guy who almost starved to death? Isn't a bit unusual for you to step away from somebody who still needs healing?"
Peter let out a long sigh. He knew what Chibuike was up to, and he wasn't going to fall for it. "Yes, I'm officiating his wedding under Ashunera, but I can't justify just waiting here for the wedding instead of going back to the ministry for a few months. Besides, Geoffrey has all of Ramon's healer's with him. He'll be fine. I'm leaving tomorrow. Are you coming, or no?"
Chibuike sipped his wine again, then whirled it in his cup as he studied Peter. Peter didn't flinch, and kept his eyes on him. "You know what the answer is. The ministry always wants to know if it can make Ashunera a bigger deal in Crimea and Daein, right? Do you think Crimea is ready to accept Ashunera so readily right now? What do you need me for? You've been involved longer than I have."
He had to admit, Chibuike had a point. He knew it was too soon. Even though the people who participated with them knew Ike was made to be a false god, he didn't want to shove Ashunera down their throats when the country had to recover politically. The ministry worked well in Begnion because it was a theocracy, and it was a matter of just going from Ashera to Ashunera, from a half to a whole. There were churches in Daein and Crimea for Ashera at least, but he wasn't sure what state they were in, especially the churches in Crimea that would undoubtedly be in a state of a limbo in the wake of the rebellion.
But he doubted that the ministry would just take his word for it. That wasn't to say he would be ignored, or that his words wouldn't matter. He just doubted that his word alone was enough.
"They would want a second opinion anyway," he answered. Chibuike considered it for a moment, and then let out another hearty chuckle.
"I have to wonder why my opinion is so important anyway. I mean, easy gold is easy gold, but does the decision of whether to expand outside of Begnion or not live or die with me? You know, the first time I was asked for my expertise, they said it was important for an outsider's opinion, but you know what?" he asked, chugging the rest of the wine and setting the glass down on the balcony's railing, focusing his glassy gaze onto Peter. "I'm not an outsider who cares that much. Your ministry should do as it wills, and if it dies outside of Begnion, it dies. They can try again later."
"You might not care, but your opinion is still well informed, and that's what they find valuable," Peter offered, crossing his arms. Chibuike scratched at his beard, as if in thought while Peter waited, and then shrugged.
"I suppose I'll go," he said with a grin. "Because you know, gold is gold and I have expensive tastes."
"Great. We leave tomorrow then.. but I have one more question. I know you, so I doubt I'll get a proper answer out of you, but why are you still here? I just realized that there's nothing here for you and yet-"
"I'm still here." He broke into a grin, then bounced off of the railing, careful to take the wine glass with him as he retreated inside. Peter stayed where he was, crossing his arms as he watched Chibuike flop onto the bed, boots and all. "Heh... I guess I'm just bored, and the beds are nice. It's not like I was in a hurry to get out."
Peter wasn't entirely convinced, but he figured he wasn't going to get more out of Chibuike. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow morning then, perhaps in front of the fountain?"
"Sure," Chibuike answered with a wave of his hand. "See you tomorrow morning."
With that figured out, Peter took his leave. He might have been leaving Syrin and Geoffrey soon, but for the rest of the day, they were still his patients, and he wanted to check in on them, at least to inform them of his leaving.
They arrived in Sienne before sundown, though it took some time to reach the ministry deep within Sienne. Chibuike talked nearly the entire time, both in the air on the wyverns and during their walk, though he never said anything of importance. Peter felt like he was just filling the silence, though he didn't mind. In fact, he appreciated it.
"Ah, home sweet home," Chibuike muttered, with a hint of a smirk on his face when they reached the doors.
Peter took a deep breath and walked inside. A bell above the door chimed when they walked inside, alerting those who lived in the ministry that somebody arrived. Chibuike walked in behind him, making the bell chime again as he closed the door behind him and shuffled awkwardly to squeeze himself into the tiny foyer.
It was just as crowded as he remembered, perhaps even a little bit more. The ministry just wasn't for church services, and it showed as soon as one walked inside. It was a bit of a labyrinth, with signs hung upon the walls to show people where to go. To the left was the room where services to Ashunera took place, but to the right, and down the twisting corridors, was where they took of the sick and downtrodden. Everything they needed for those down on their luck, and people like himself who lived in the church, branched off of those corridors, and it was easy to get lost if you didn't know the way. There was a second floor, which was mostly off limits to the general public, which included living spaces for those who ran the ministry and libraries.
If Peter recalled correctly, the building itself was never meant for a ministry. It was just the service at first, but then as they decided to do more for the community, they purchased the buildings beside for additional space. They used what they had, and the planning seemed like unfortunate second thought.
He was caught almost immediately after the bell chimed. One of his fellow priests, an older man who went by Geralt came up to him from the right hand side, probably just to answer the door. "Peter, thank the Goddess you're here! We could really use the extra hands in the kitchen."
Chibuike chuckled and nudged Peter towards towards. "I'll go upstairs and explain everything to your elders. You go ahead and help out."
Peter wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to Chibuike to explain everything. He brought him along to explain his opinion, but at the same time, it was really hard to read Chibuike, even for someone who knew him a bit better than most. He was unpredictable. However, he didn't feel like he much choice, he needed to help, and he supposed he could talk to the elders later.
"Sure. Tell them I'll be up when I get a chance."
"Of course," he responded as he disappeared up the stairs.
Without any hesitation, Peter jumped back into the work he hadn't done for the ministry in over a year, and yet, it was like he never left. Nobody questioned him on his mission to Crimea went. He went to the kitchens to help the cooks, tended to the sick, and even cleaned the dishes. He almost forgot about speaking to the elders until late into the evening when Chibuike emerged from the second floor, sauntering in the kitchen like he owned the place.
"Are you almost done down here? They want to hear from you too, remember?"
Peter looked up from the dishes in the basin. He let go of the plate he was holding, letting it sink to the bottom of the basin. He looked around the room quickly, then stood up, deciding that it was quiet enough for him to sneak away.
"Yeah. I'll go right away," he mumbled, hurrying upstairs.
Micaiah
Thankfully, Syrin was never hard for her to find. Even when the other were still branded around, nobody quite had the same ancient feeling about them like Syrin did. He always seemed to know when she was close too, so she wasn't surprised that he could distinguish her from others too. He wasn't in his room like he normally was, but inside what seemed to be the private library of the palace. He was sitting at the table, his head propped up on the one arm that remained, his eyes lazily looking down in the general direction of the book.
"I've decided what I want to do," Micaiah stated. "But I need your help."
"Oh? Are you going back into politics?" he asked. He didn't even both to look up from the book, keeping his eyes downward. "Maybe you should go bother Stefan, then."
She shook his head. "Even if I decided to go back into politics, you're going to be his advisor, no?" she said with a smirk.
"Yes, but I'm not going with him to meet the other rulers. He isn't stupid, he can do that on his own," he mumbled, finally looking in her general direction, his gaze scrutinizing. "If not politics, then what are you doing?"
"I want to go deeper into the magical research along the lines of what Eero was doing. Instead of trying to use his research to bring back the dead, we could use it to help people. I've had to destroy knowledge before while I was still ruling Daein since such knowledge couldn't be repurposed, but I think this research on spirits could prove to be useful," she said.
In some ways, she felt like she was not much better than Eero, as she couldn't be entirely truthful to everybody in regards to what happened during Daein's fight against the Laguz Alliance. It wasn't as though she directly lied or made things up, but she had to omit things, leaving holes in history. The rulers at the time were afraid that if somebody knew that a blood pact could exist, they would try to create one on their own. It was much of the same problem with the feral drug. They couldn't risk anybody stumbling upon it and enslaving laguz for war again. Micaiah knew how Daein told its history, but she wasn't sure much of it lined up with how the other countries told their history, so she suspected that there were gaps that people will try to fill one day.
Micaiah truly felt like she could do something helpful with Eero's research though. What Eero had managed to do was to enchant sand to move according to new orders, and that didn't have to be used to hurt people. It didn't even have to be applied to sand – they could probably make a lot of materials move.
"Let me guess – you want the notes Kaetar gave me."
"I also want your help. You're one of the only ones here who can further this research. Almost nobody else understands magic at the fundamental level like you, so it'll be faster if we're both on it. This sort of research might also help you with your arm. I know you valued your independence..."
Syrin straightened his back, lifting his head off of his hand. He smirked.
"I see. We might as well try, then. We both have a lot of time to kill and I don't want to spend the rest of my life needing help to tie my hair back," Syrin mumbled, closing the book and pushing it to the side. From the pile of books on his desk, he pulled his Rexcalibur tome, though he couldn't do it without removing the tomes that were on top of it first. Micaiah didn't help him, though she wasn't sure if he would accept her help anyway. Once he had the tome though, he opened it to the middle and pulled out some sheets that he hid inside.
"You'll have to study them and take your own notes. I imagine we aren't staying in the castle for much longer," he mumbled as he presented the notes for her to take. Eero managed to fill the pages almost entirely and she wasn't entirely sure where to even begin reading them. Some of the pages were turned sideways, with writing going vertically along the sides. Some were filled with diagrams that must have been spells, similar to the ones used to enchant the weapons, though she wasn't sure how quickly she could reproduce the diagrams.
"How long do I have?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know. I imagine you can leave and stay for as long as you would like, but I'm not sure when Stefan plans on returning to Grann, and I'll be going with him," Syrin mumbled as he stacked his books up into a pile again. "I also don't know when I can arrange to leave. However, when the time comes, we can both meet in Melior. I still have a home here, I had Chibuike see to that for me."
"And you intend to escape Grann often enough to do the research there?" Micaiah asked. She didn't doubt Syrin's determination, but she knew Stefan to be equally determined to make sure he knew where Syrin was and that he was safe. She wondered if he would just let Syrin leave occasionally so long as he knew where he was going.
"Of course," he said with a shrug. "Besides, the house in Melior is the best location to experiment with strange magic. At any rate, Micaiah, I don't think you'll have to copy or study everything if we'll be meeting regularly."
She nodded, collecting the notes together. "I will see you later then."
He merely gave her a nod as she left the library. She didn't get too far when she felt another presence just around the corner. When she turned, she found Vaughn, leaning against the wall. They didn't know each other well, and they often just gave each other a respectable amount of space, but they both knew what the other one was.
"Do you need me?"
"Yeah. I need to you see something before we try to take it back to Daein. Follow me if you don't mind."
After Micaiah put the notes somewhere safe, she followed Vaughn to the basement, through some of the winding halls until he came upon a door. He knocked on it four times, then opened the door. Inside, there were a couple of Daein soldiers, but most importantly, there was a sandman. It was standing still, against the wall.
"...caiah?" Her eyes widened. "Mic..." Was it trying to say her name? How did it know who she was? Why was this one, out of all of the ones that were there, the only one who demonstrated some intelligence? Most of all... why did it feel so familiar? Micaiah felt like something inside of her was screaming, but she couldn't hear what it was.
"Not everybody knows of this guy," Vaughn started. "It saw Kaetar, talked for a bit, and then turned on the other sandmen to protect him. It was entirely obedient. Without Kaetar though, it just stopped talking..." He was looking up at it, though not enough for the hair to fall away from his face.
"Until I came here," Micaiah stated. It was trying to piece a sentence together, slowly stringing syllables along. It wasn't meant to speak in its current design, but it was trying anyway. Her heart raced as she approached it, placing her hand on its arm.
"I... here. Will.. al... ways..."
That was what Sothe promised, when he was dying and she was holding his hand, trying her best to make his last moments comfortable. Sothe was trying to comfort her too, promising that he would always be watching her, to always be around.
"Is it you, Sothe?" she whispered, loud enough for only the sandman and perhaps Vaughn to hear her. At first, she didn't get it an answer. Then, it raised its arms, startling the soldiers in the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Vaughn with his knees slightly bent, preparing to jump into action if he needed to. However, the sandy arms didn't strike her, moving to wrap around her and pull into a strange hug. Micaiah hugged it back with her best ability, then pulled away, feeling conflicted all of a sudden.
Was Sothe comfortable? Wasn't he being trapped by the magic? Should she destroy the body and release him? Was he a spirit after all, helping her with her magic? Was it truly Sothe, or was it somehow just his memories? No, that couldn't be, otherwise it wouldn't protect Kaetar and speak to him alone before she arrived. What should she do, then? Vaughn's posture relaxed, but he was giving her an expectant look.
"Any theories, Micaiah? Do you think there's an actual person in there?" She couldn't get a read of his emotions from his face, considering how his eyes remained obscured, but he still seemed to be conflicted.
"I think so... but it just brings up more questions and concerns. We mages have been communicating with and interacting with spirits for centuries, but we clearly don't know much about them. I don't think all spirits were once people, but maybe some of them were. Otherwise, I don't know why he would choose to protect Kaetar, in particular" Micaiah said, realizing that she was beginning to ramble. "I have a lot of ideas, but nothing that's even close to an answer. I don't know why out of all the sandmen, only one of them came close to what Eero was intending. It could be a fluke..."
Or maybe Sothe did want it to happen, at least a bit. Maybe he just wanted her to know that he made good on his promise.
"Then what do we do with it?" one of the soldiers asked.
Before anybody could answer, the sandman lost its form. Sand poured to the floor, pooling around her feet. She felt her heart jump into her throat, before she felt a soothing presence. It was familiar and warm, but Micaiah could also tell that it wasn't a physical presence. Micaiah bent down, scooping up a pile of sand with her hand before letting it spill out from between her fingers. She wasn't sad, at least not anymore, just determined to see this puzzle to the end.
Vaughn stood over her. "Perhaps that was for the best, then?"
"I think so. It lasted for as long as it needed to," she said before standing up again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I want to write down."
Vaughn led her back to the main level. Micaiah returned to the library in a rush that left her breathless, earning a strange look from Syrin, but ignored him as she began to record all of her thoughts and her theories, with that warm feeling in her chest.
Nasir
A year was usually almost inconsequential to a dragon laguz. There was little change from one year to the next, and the changes only seemed to become noticeable when he thought of years in decades rather than as a single year. He often didn't pay a single year any mind. Nasir had to admit though, the past year felt a bit longer than most. He wasn't surprised though. The rebellion packed a lot into one year, making it fly by for most of the beorc but yet managed to make the year drag on simultaneously.
He felt exhausted. Physically, he was more than fine, he didn't take to the field often enough to feel tired and he was quite accustomed to long walks, but he felt exhausted nonetheless.
Kurthnaga took notice of his apparent exhaustion when he and Gareth stood inside Kurthnaga's guest room. Gareth posted himself near the door, though Nasir thought it was a little unnecessary at best. Most beorc weren't foolish enough to try and attack dragon laguz, assuming they knew who they were dealing with, but Gareth took his duties seriously. Nasir took to leaning near the window, enjoying the faint breeze that came through the window while Kurthnaga was using a table to study some of the notes he took at meetings, his chin resting in the palm of hand as he considered the sheets on the table. Almehda was nowhere to be seen, though Nasir was sure she just wanted some time to herself.
Maybe Gareth should be more concerned with her.
"Perhaps you should go home, Nasir," Kurthnaga said quite suddenly, keeping his eyes in the sheets.
"I'm fine staying here, Kurthnaga."
Kurthnaga looked up from the papers, studying Nasir's face briefly before he shook his head. "I insist. I have Gareth here with me in case any trouble arises, and you've finished the tasks I gave you. It's not as though things are too exciting around here right now, and I doubt I'll be much longer. I'm sure you would rather see Ena and Rajaion anyway." Kurthnaga shrugged a little, but he kept his eyes on Nasir, and even kept his chin in his palm.
Somehow, even though he still appeared to be young, he managed quite the air of authority.
It didn't feel right to go home before his king did, but he knew that Kurthnaga wasn't going to take no for an answer. He also had to admit, speaking to Ena and his great-grandson through a sending stone just wasn't the same as being with them and seeing them in person, and he may have to leave again sometime in the near future, outside of Kaetar's wedding. Ena's son especially was growing up quickly, at least quickly in the terms of dragon laguz.
"If you are sure, then I'll take my leave," Nasir answered as he bounced himself off the wall. He looked back at Kurthnaga one last time, then at Gareth who merely nodded in his direction, and made his exit.
There were few wyvern riders remaining in Crimea but he decided to take them up on their offer to take him home, or at least close to home. Generally, he wouldn't be in a rush to get home, but he didn't want Kurthnaga to beat him there and then wonder where he was. They dropped him off at the border between Goldoa and Gallia, and he walked the rest of the way to the palace.
The guards gave him a curt nod as he walked past the gate. The gates opened up into a small, walled courtyard just outside the doors leading inside the place. Dheginsea used it as a platform for meetings he organized, but Kurthnaga only used it to great guests before welcoming them inside further. Rajaion got the most use out of it, since it was the best place for him to play outside and still be protected.
Since neither Ena nor or son were otuside, Nasir continued inside the palace, and up the stairs to the rooms that he, Ena, and her son occupied. Ena noticed him immediately as he stepped off the stairs. She probably knew he was home as soon as he stepped inside the palace, but her face lit up nonetheless. No words where needed. Ena gave him a hug, which he was quick to return.
"You're home before Kurthnaga?" she asked when they parted. "I was sure you would all come home together."
"He insisted that I leave early. Gareth is with him, and Kurthnaga can more than take care of himself too. My presence wasn't necessary," Nasir said with a shrug. "Where is the little one?"
"He's taking a nap right now. We have a few hours before he wakes up."
"That should be enough time to catch up."
"I'm sure you've seen more exciting things I have, but I love to hear more of what happened in Crimea."
"Perhaps I should prepare some tea?" Naisr asked.
"You just got here. I can prepare the tea."
Darius and Chifee
"Is this home?" Chifee asked as he stepped inside the sparingly furnished home, spinning on his heels to take in a full view, even though there wasn't much to see. The home was very much a beorc one from what Darius could tell, with a living room that held a large table surrounded by one sofa and a few smaller chairs, a small kitchen from what he could see that also contained a table with chairs, and a second floor, though he could only see the stairs. The only signs that the home seemed to be used at all the fact that there was recently a fire in the stove in the kitchen, and that Esther had set out a vase filled with colourful feathers on the living room table.
"This is where Esther told us to meet her," Darius mumbled, wondering for a single moment if maybe Esther led them astray before realizing she wouldn't do that.
"Sorry," Esther mumbled as she came down the stairs. Darius had to laugh, because with her messy hair and the ruffled feathers, he could tell that she just rolled out of bed.
"So? This is your house?" Chifee asked, ever so patiently.
"Yeah. I spent most of my time at the palace before... well, now," she said with a shrug, "but Adrien just gave it to me to fulfill your wishes, and as a good faith gesture, I believe. He didn't say that, but it's been a goal of his to get more laguz into Daein, and here we are."
"I don't particularly care. A home is a home, and I have the gold to spruce it up a bit," Darius said with a smirk. He travelled too much to live nicely before, but he was settling down, so he could tailor a living space to his desires. Well, almost. It was still Esther's home, and Chifee was still a child as far as the beorc were concerned – he already looked bored – so some objects were bound to be broken one way or another.
But still, he could try.
"Don't go too crazy," Esther mumbled. "Well, come on up! Chifee should probably get some rest. I heard you two were flying your buddies out everywhere when the wyvern riders weren't doing it. You must be exhausted."
"I sure am!" Chifee shouted, dropping his bag to the floor and racing upstairs, nearly bumping into Esther on the way up. She cracked a smile and followed him up. Darius hesitated for a moment, taking a moment to contemplate that yes, he finally had the opportunity to settle down with somebody in a cozy little home, then grabbed Chifee's dropped bags and ventured the stairs. The stairs were a little narrow for his wings, which he had to really tuck in to venture the stairs, but he could forgive it. It wasn't as though the home was designed for bird laguz in mind. He was living in a beorc country that was only just starting to look nice for laguz.
Upstairs, there were two rooms, one on either side of a short hall that end with a window. He got to the landing, and peeked into the room on the left, where Chifee was already settling into a cot, his wings tucked against his back as he rested on his stomach. Esther was squatting beside the cot. The room, just like the rest of the house, was sparingly furnished. It so far only a cot and a couple of chests for storage. It was nothing that he could envision Chifee really living in, but Chifee did have the option to truly make the room is. Darius decided to just leave Chifee's stuff in his room, and go see what was in store in the other room while Esther and Chifee talked.
This room at least looked lived in, which was more than Darius could say about the rest of the house. Esther didn't make the bed, which was positioned in the centre of the room and was large enough for both of them to fit in, wings and all. She had a few articles of clothing strewn across the bed, and when Darius looked on the floor, he spotted some of her feathers. She also had red curtains over the windows which were on either side of the room, and a side table on either side of the bed.
He dropped his own bag and approached the bed, taking his boots off and crawling into bed, pulling the ribbon out of his hair as he did so. He had to admit, he was exhausted too. Chifee was worst off than he was, since he was so younger, but he could stand to turn in early too.
Esther appeared momentarily, closing the door behind her.
"Awww, you're tired too?"
"Of course," Darius mumbled, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it in his arms. "You know, I didn't feel so bad during the rebellion but now that it's all over and I'm here, I'm feeling it. I'm really tired and sore now. Heck, I don't think I even felt that exhausted hauling everyone all over Tellius, but now? I could sleep for days."
Esther smirked and tapped him on the nose with her finger. He blinked, but he kept his grip on the pillow.
"I get that. It's all just sinking in now that it's over. Gotta say though, it'll be no fun if you just sleep in all day."
"Which side of the bed do you like?"
"Oh, stop it!"
"Serious question!"
"Fine, whatever side you don't choose."
"That's no fun."
"Doesn't really matter right now anyway," she mumbled, running her fingers through her hair. "I should get to the palace at some point today so that the others will know not to expect me tomorrow, and you should take a hint from the kid and get some sleep."
Darius blinked, rolling her words around in his mind. "Shouldn't expect you tomorrow? Are you doing something special?"
She stood up, fluttering her wings and shaking the loose feathers from them as she stretched her arms. "Nothing too special. I just figured it would be easier for all three of us to figure out what we want out of this place if we're all here together. This place is fine for me as it is, but you know... there's three of us. We need to compromise."
He couldn't but to smile. "That's why the king hired you."
"And that's why I have to go." She left not even a second later, leaving Darius alone in the room. He didn't want to impede her – he knew how important a job was, especially for her – so he stayed where he was.
After all, he needed the sleep.
Syrin
Syrin sighed as he settled into his guest bed. Normally, he wouldn't go to bed so early, especially with some daylight left, but between his still present fatigue and with a lack of things to occupy his time, he found himself sleeping without much of a schedule. He had no regular visitors, and his only project at the moment was trying to gleam meaning from Eero's notes, as he would rather not start reading a book from the library if he may not be around to finish it.
He stared at the ceiling, mulling over the notes as he drifted off to sleep, when there was a knock on the door. He didn't get up to respond, nor did he say anything in response. Regardless, the door creaked open, revealing that it was Almedha on the other side of the door.
He blinked in response. Nasir had mentioned it a while back that she wished to speak with him, and yet, he was somehow a little surprised that she was at his door. In truth, he was dreading meeting with her, even though he agreed to do so. She brought up a lot of emotions he wasn't sure how to navigate, nor was he ever prepared to navigate.
"Is this a bad time?" Almedha asked, hovering by the door frame. She was, unsurprisingly, unchanged since he last saw her, shortly after the events in the Tower of Guidance. The only difference was that she no longer had the veil, but the dress was much of the same fashion, and even in similar colours. The look on the face was soft and sincere, a little softer than when he last saw her.
"No," he answered simply as he shifted himself into a sitting position. She slowly walked inside, her focus on the door as she shut it behind her. Even though there was more than one chair in the room, she chose to stand, and gave him a generous buffer zone around his bed.
There was an immediate, suffocating silence. She didn't look at him, and he didn't look at her, until Syrin cleared his throat after it got to unbearable even for him. "Why didn't you tell me that you were my mother back then?"
"I didn't think you needed me to," she answered softly. "You lived your life without me, and I didn't want to intrude."
"That was for the best," Syrin muttered. He had calmed in the last century and a half, but his feelings about the woman before him were muddled and confused. There was still a sting of anger even several decades later. Ultimately, he decided to shove those feelings down. He could feel them later, when nobody was around.
"I don't want to waste your time. I just... wanted to say I'm proud of you, and that I'm sorry I couldn't be there to protect you, and to watch you grow up."
Syrin blinked at her. For the first time since she walked in, their eyes met. She took a deep breath, and he let out the breath he didn't he was holding. Those were words he never expected to hear, and he didn't know what to do with them now that he had them. The entire meeting was something he didn't know what to do with. It was a good thing he suddenly had a lot of time on his hands.
"What happened?"
She sighed again, and began to wring her hands together as she seemed to try to collect herself. "Ashnard took you as soon as you were born. He thought that being a child of a dragon, you would be just as powerful as I was, but when you weren't..."
Thankfully, she didn't continue.
"Anyway, should you need anything, you are more than welcomed to come to Goldoa. I'm sure you don't need it, but Kurthnaga and I wanted to extend that offer nonetheless."
Syrin simply nodded. Almedha lingered for a moment longer before walking away without saying anything more. When the door closed behind her, and he was sure that he was alone, he let the emotions flow. He hated it, but even he had to admit, he felt better a little afterwards. He sighed and whipped his eyes with the back of his hand, then settled back into the bed.
Even after all of that, he still was tired.
He woke up a few hours later. The window was still open, and he could see the sun setting as he approached the window to close it. It was when he returned to the bed that yet again, there was a knock on the door, though this time, it was Stefan.
"Do you have good news this time?" Syrin mumbled with a sigh. Stefan visited him almost daily, and every time, he talked about how he couldn't leave just yet, because he had meetings with some important person or another and for some reason, none of the rulers seemed to have gone home and stayed there. Syrin was sure that Stefan was just trying to bide his time to just make Syrin stay in bed longer. Stefan never said anything of the sort, but surely, most of the important conversations were done and everything could be figured in the following months and years. Stefan couldn't still be sticking around just because of those.
"That depends on you, I suppose. How are you feeling?" Stefan asked as he shut the door behind him, and made a beeline for a chair, pulling his feet up to rest on the accompanying table in front of it.
"Peter left," he mumbled.
Stefan chuckled, then shook his head. "I mean, are you fit for travel? I've wrapped everything that kept me occupied here, so we can leave if tomorrow if you're capable. You've lost a limb, that isn't something to take lightly."
"I lost an arm, not a leg, and this isn't my first time in a desert. I'll be fine." For the most part, anyway. He still found himself fatigued ever since his encounter with Eero, but perhaps a trip was just what he needed to shake that off. In the very least, he could finally start doing some real work. He was itching to leave, even if the destination wasn't the one he ever really considered when he first returned to Tellius.
"Well, if you're so sure, then tomorrow, it is. Do you need help packing up?" he asked, getting up from his seat.
That was the question Syrin really came to hate. He never liked asking for help, and that didn't change despite the original injuries with his arm, and the new, more grievous injury. In fact, he found it a bit more irritating now that most of the arm was gone because it more obvious, and that invited strangers to try and help him when he didn't want it. He would probably get a lot more of that when he settled in Grann. Some of them reminded him of Peter when he thought about it, and he only had a fever had the time.
When Peter was caring for his newest injury, he seemed to come to know when he needed help without Syrin asking. He also did his best to be as hands-off as he could be, even if he continued to fret beside him. Syrin knew he couldn't expect that from most people though.
And while he didn't like asking for help, he would need a bit more often until he and Micaiah could come with some sort of substitute. His arm might have hurt to use in most capacities, but it was still mildly useful. In the very least, he had the option of using it, and that option no longer existed.
Stefan cocked his head to the right, waiting for an answer.
"You should stay, just in case," he mumbled.
Within a couple of days, Syrin was home. Well, it didn't feel like home just yet, other than it place he resided in, but Stefan set him up well. The room was on the smaller side, which was fine since he didn't have any need for a big room, and was furnished with a bed under a single window opposite of the door, a desk against one wall with a chair, and two bookshelves on the opposite side. At the end of his bed was a chest for his clothing. It was all he needed.
The only downside was that his room was in a complex. He had other, occupied rooms on either side of his room, along with neighbours above and below him. The most he could hope for was that they could be quiet.
Stefan led him to the room and left almost immediately after, so Syrin took his time emptying his pack. He never really owned a lot, and often travelled light, so even with only one arm, he was able to put everything away relatively quickly, and it didn't take long for him to feel bored. The bookshelves were empty aside from the books he already put in there, and while he was exhausted from the trip, he also felt oddly restless.
He pulled a cloak on and headed outside, acquainting himself with the layout of the complex he lived in as he headed out. The only destination he had in mind was to find something to occupy his mind, as Stefan had yet to say anything regarding what kind of work he needed Syrin to do. Stefan was probably giving him time to adjust, but Syrin didn't think he needed it.
"Hey! Syrin!"
Syrin turned to find Zeke waving at him. Of all the people to find him, he was glad that it was at least somebody he was familiar with. "I take it you just arrived. I was wondering when Stefan planned on coming back. It seemed like he was taking his sweet time."
"I'm pretty sure that was all of the rulers. Most of them were still there when Stefan left," Syrin mumbled. "I couldn't tell you what took them so long."
Zeke's eyes went wide, and he took a moment to contemplate his words, then faced Syrin once again, snapping his fingers as he did so. "Anyway, did you want a tour or something? You spent most of your time here last time in one room, so..."
"That would be appreciated," Syrin answered. Zeke was right, he didn't get a lot of time to see what Stefan's colony turned into the last time he was Grann, since it was meant to be a quick trip. Even if he and Darius avoided the illness that went around, they didn't have the time to stick around anyway.
"Mind if I just cut in for a moment?"
Zeke jumped slightly, and while Syrin would never say so, he was a bit surprised himself. He expected Stefan to take longer. He said he was going to be in a meeting with the others that helped him run Grann, both to learn what he missed, and to tell everyone else what role Grann was going to play with the outside world. Stefan made it sound like it would take a while, and Syrin expected him to be gone for a bit longer.
"I hate it when you do that," Zeke mumbled.
Stefan merely shrugged. "I just want to talk to Syrin for a quick moment."
"Sure. I'll be right here."
Stefan grabbed Syrin by the shoulders and led him a little ways away, where Zeke was in seeing distance, but hopefully out of earshot.
"How was the room? To your liking, I hope?"
"Yes, but I hope you didn't pull me away just for this."
"I just wanted you to know that if you need anything, ever, just come to me, even if I look like I'm busy. I know you agreed to live here because we made a deal, but I really do want Grann to feel like a home. I can't compete with Ike, but I just want you to be happy."
Syrin hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. It was a simple request, and he knew to expect something like that from Stefan, but it made him feel oddly conflicted. He couldn't describe it.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Thanks... anyway, let's not keep Zeke waiting. He really is good at these tours. You're in good hands."
Ramon
Geoffrey wasn't feeling well enough to go the cells in the basement, but he told Ramon to give his regards. He took two guards with him, each of them holding a torch as they escorted him to the cell were Eero was being kept. It felt like it took forever and the anxiety was bubbling in his stomach, but he was determined to face the man who ripped his country out from underneath his feet and nearly killed Geoffrey.
But when he saw Eero, all the prepared words he had slipped out of his head. Eero looked at him in the eyes, with the one eye that kept visible. They stared each other down, like Eero somehow had the advantage even when he was sitting in a cell and bound by a variety of spells that took his voice away, so that he couldn't use magic to escape. Perhaps it was harsh to take away somebody's ability to really speak, but they were afraid that even with restricted movements, he would still find a way out if he could still speak. They weren't sure what he could, and the idea worried Ramon a bit.
Although Eero was still a threat, Ramon was no longer afraid of him. He refused to let Eero's actions haunt him and prevent him from trying to be the best king could be.
"What was it that you said to Geoffrey? 'Don't forget who is the outside of the prison?'" Ramon asked.
Eero just glared. It was all he really could do.
"You know, I tried to think of what I would say to you. You stole Crimea from its people. You almost killed Geoffrey. You manipulated me ever since I ascended the throne, and maybe before then too. None of those words come to mind, so I think I all I can say is... fuck you. I hope you enjoy it here. This cell is nicer than the one you gave me. At least its clean."
With that, he walked away.
Kaetar's Wedding
Kaetar adjusted the gold sash he was wearing over his left shoulder one last time, making sure that the string of a basic steel bow forged to look fancier than usual was resting on top of it. His wedding outfit was by far the most complicated outfit he ever wore, since it was part clothing and part decorative armour. He had be a prince, he had to be wealthy, and he had to a warrior all in one fell swoop and for what? To impress Crimean nobles who seemed to be excited enough by being invited in the first place?
The only basic part of his outfit was the white pants and his cape, which was black on the outside and gold on the inside. Everything else had some sort of fancy trim or some embroidery that nobody was going to see. His tunic had some strange flowery pattern. His leather boots had some sort of wing pattern stitched, which was almost hidden by the gold greaves. His leather belt around his waist had swirls, though hardly anybody could see that either due to how small the swirls were, and he used to it hold a quiver at his waist anyway. Decorative armour covered his shoulders which were connected with a slim chain, his forearms, and part of his chest, in addition to the boots. It was more armour than he ever wore during a battle.
Underneath it all, he wore that silver necklace that Syrin gave him ten years ago. Sure, there was the chance he could see a vision from it and faint in the middle of his wedding, but it just felt right to have it with him.
Ideally, Kaetar would have just worn a nice tunic, a cape, and his circlet and called a day. He wasn't sure if he was going to wear most of the pieces again anyway. At least the wedding was later in the year, so there was a slightly chilly breeze that made it at least tolerable to wear all the extra layers.
That was the only thought that was running through his head, as he waited for Arianna on the raised platform of the Crimean palace, the platform that they scrambled up to get inside the palace. He was surprised to see that it was almost completely free of sand too. He looked out to the audience again. The commoners were allowed in the courtyard, standing behind Crimean guards, and he and Arianna wanted to ride in a carriage in Melior as well, to give the commoners a chance to see them. The stairs used to get up on the platform were guarded by soldiers that Kaetar didn't know.
He knew that some of his friends, and even his mother, were watching from the balconies of the palace that pointed towards the courtyard. Kaetar didn't turn his head to look up at them.
The only people up on the platform with him were Joel and Loiya, the only two Daein guards at the ceremony, and Peter, who was acting as the officiant. He had new, completely white robes on, with a white hat that was pointed at the front. The only pop of colour from him were his blue eyes, and the orange fabric that he wore around his shoulders and came down to his waist on both sides.
"Are you excited?" Peter asked, trying his best to keep his lips from moving too much.
"Mostly nervous," Kaetar answered quietly.
Peter didn't say anything else, as another carriage rolled up. Arkit opened the door of the carriage, and the first person to climb out was Arianna's father, the Duke of Tyre. He held his hand up to help his daughter out.
Arianna was wearing a white dress with a large skirt that concealed her feet, but she seemed to have no trouble walking. Her arms were covered in lace, along with most of her chest, though the lace didn't seem to be attached to the dress. She decorated her dress with a couple of orange flowers, much like the ones that managed to survive all the sand, attached at seemingly random points but flattered her nonetheless. Her face was mostly concealed by a white veil.
Kaetar swallowed hard. It was happening. He took a deep breath to steel his nerves. He went through worse than a wedding, and he and Arianna already agreed that they weren't going rush into a relationship. It was a formality. Only a formality.
She took her time making her way to the platform, her arm hooked around her father's until they reached the stairs. She travelled up the stairs on her own, taking the stairs faster than she travelled the aisle, and was almost out of breath by the time she stood in front of Kaetar. He offered a sympathetic smile.
"Crimeans! We are here today to honour the union between Prince Kaetar of Daein, and Lady Arianna, daughter of Duke Tyre, under the watchful eyes of our Goddess, Ashunera," he began, his voice surprisingly loud. "Prince Kaetar, do you take Arianna to be your wife, and to be your future Queen? To rule Daein with her in peace, and to be by her side through all the trials of life?"
"I do."
"And Arianna, do you agree to take Kaetar as your husband, to help him rule Daein in peace, and to be by his side through all the trials of life?"
"I do."
"Then it is my honour to pronounce you as husband and wife, the future Queen and King of Daein!"
Kaetar stepped forward, pushing the veil back from her face. Arianna's face was flushed, and Kaetar wondered for just a moment if his face was just as red, before he gently placed his lips on top of hers. They stayed like for a few seconds as the crowd erupted into cheers, before she pulled away.
"There you go. The tough part's over," Peter said, though he was almost inaudible through the cheering. "Now, get to the carriage and take a small breather."
"Thanks, Peter," Kaetar answered, before he took Arianna's hand and descended down the stairs with her. They were quick to climb into the carriage, which was to take a lap in Melior. He was sure it was going to be just as exhausting, but at least he and Arianna had a moment to themselves.
"I feel like I will never get used to big events like this," Kaetar mumbled once the door was closed. Arianna was just beside him, leaning back into the the carriage's seat.
"They aren't that bad, and besides, all we have to do in Melior is wave and look pretty. By then, the reception should be ready, and you can spend time with people you actually know. You'll be fine."
Kaetar hummed in agreement. Just a little bit longer.
The reception was quieter. While there were grand feasts elsewhere, in Melior and outside of the palace, Ramon had let them use the ballroom inside of the palace for Kaetar and Arianna to mingle with the invited guests. Arianna had a couple of noble friends with her along with her nannies and servants, all who she excitedly chatting with on her own, but otherwise, Kaetar was familiar with all the faces in the room. The nervousness from before disappeared with the pressure of having so much attention focused on him.
The guests he personally invited included Andrew and his family, and he was more than pleased to see that they could make it. They risked a lot to take him in during his time of need, even if he couldn't remember much of that night. Along with them, he spotted Gus with Meagan, Misha, Ema, Ranulf, Darius, Zara, Chifee, Mike, and Nasir, though Nasir seemed hard to spot sometimes. Loiya spent most the time following Kaetar around, even though Kaetar told him several times that he could relax.
He spent most of the evening forcing wine down his throat through all of the toasts and catching up with everybody he personally invited, and when the party began to die down and people began to retreat upstairs to the guest bedrooms, Kaetar wandered outside, sitting down on the staircase.
The night was chilly, which suited him fine because the wine made him feel warm and he was still wearing everything he wore for the wedding, with the exception of the decorative armour and the quiver that he left in his designated guest room. His hands were cold, but otherwise, the chilly night didn't bother him.
Kaetar removed the silver necklace from his neck, opting to turn it between his fingers. When he thought about it, it was amazing how all of this happened because of the necklace in his hands. The memories inside the necklace triggered his interest in answers, and made him leave Daein just in time to get involved with the rebellion. He wouldn't be here, in Crimea after his first wedding ceremony, if it wasn't for the rebellion. If it wasn't for a chance encounter when he was six, he would probably still be reading books in his room hoping that Crimea could solve its problems.
And even if he had the necklace, he doubted he would have joined if he didn't find Syrin in Melior. He probably would have just kept going elsewhere, seeking answers in places that might not have provided him with anyway.
"What are you thinking about?" It was Loiya, joining him on the stairs. Kaetar knew he didn't have to hide the necklace, but nonetheless, he put it back around on his neck and tucked it under his many layers.
"Just how we got here," Kaetar answered softly. "I left Daein because the necklace made me curious. It feels so long ago."
"It was, and now our lives are changing so much because of it. That's fine though... I get to see my family again. I was too scared of your father to even ask to see them, but he isn't so scary anymore."
Kaetar couldn't help but to frown, even though a frown wasn't found on Loiya's face. He was well aware of how his father treated Loiya before, and the situation was much improved, but he was upset that he didn't try to say anything back then. He supposed that it was a sign of how he changed though.
"Hey, don't be sad. You just got married, and I can see my family now. There's nothing to be upset about."
"That's true."
"Now, let's go back inside. I'm beat, and I'm not the one who got married," Loiya shrugged and stood up, offering his hand to him. Kaetar took it, since his legs felt a little heavy since he settled on the stairs. "Also, we didn't get to toast, and that's a little unfair, don't you think?"
"Okay, one more toast and then bed."
Loiya filled up a couple of wine glasses, just enough for the wine to cover the bottom and nothing more, and for that, Kaetar was thankful. He couldn't handle another full glass of wine. He had way too much of it. He put one in Kaetar's hand, making sure Kaetar had it secure before moving his hand away.
"To the future, where I'll be guarding you and your kids because I'll always have your back, just like I know you will have mine," Loiya said, raising his glass.
"To the future!"
They clinked their glasses together, and Kaetar downed what small amount of wine was still in the glass.
"Now, let's make sure you can get up the stairs with you falling..."