Cera lets go of the psychic energy surrounding her crossbow, and stares dejectedly at Maerwald's corpse. If he was right, then she'll end up as insane and broken as he was. Talking in different voices and constantly arguing with herself - not quite how she wants to go down in history as.
She can feel his soul there, still in this world like the keep is keeping him tethered to this world somehow. She cuts him free, sending him back into the Wheel - hopefully he won't stare too hard or too long at any burning wood in his next life. Two lives that could never be reconciled, the gods are cruel beyond belief if they gave him that kind of lot on purpose. She somehow gets the feeling that Maerwald's soul didn't stay under the Wheel very long before going to its new body after that raider had been killed - what a terrible fate.
The air itself seems lighter though, she's pretty sure something happened when she killed Maerwald in self-defense - she'd so much rather have left him alive, she didn't want to kill him!
When they all get out into the chamber, Aloth talking quietly to himself in two voices mysteriously enough, and the Steward tells them she's the new Lady of Caed Nua. Cera barely has time to register the fact that she now has her own home - far better than Gilded Vale if only because nobody here will hang her for existing - when she suddenly blacks out.
When she comes to, she finds she's on a bedroll and covered by a blanket - out in Caed Nua's grounds, because the place is a total mess - at least that means it hasn't been too long then, right?
She groans and tries to sit up, but gets hit with a wave of dizziness that puts the one from Gilded Vale to utter shame. Strong hands catch her suddenly, and she hears Aloth's voice say "Cera, lay back down. You've been out for a while, it's night now. We were thinking you'd want to head to Defiance Bay tomorrow, seeing as Maerwald pointed us there and all."
She nods her head, then winces and squeezes her eyes shut against another wave that nearly knocks her over. Aloth shifts his hands so he's supporting her more, and says "Good, that's…good. How're you feeling?"
"Dizzy. But…myself. For now, anyway. Tell me I dreamed Maerwald. Please tell me I dreamed that."
Aloth's expression turns grim, and he says "I wish I could. For his fate as well as your own. You didn't though."
"Damn. Well, the one silver lining of this is I now have a place to call home." She cracks the weakest grin she's ever made and jokingly adds "Better than whatever I might've gotten in Gilded Vale to."
Aloth says "With a little work. Anything has to be better than in Gilded Vale. For one, the Steward won't try to hang you. You may want to get some cats however, I've spotted countless mice in the past hour alone. Kana's been talking nonstop about the Endless Paths since she told us about them though. He seems intent on going down there, deadly creatures or otherwise. He's…enthusiastic, at least."
"And good with a blade, to. Don't forget that…" She runs a hand through her choppy hair, and tries to sit up further - Aloth's hand keeps her lying down, probably for the best that she stays down on the ground for now anyway.
"We took stock of all the supplies that were in the keep, not much, nearly all spoiled, rotten, or molded. And so now we've camped out here in the fresh air since the building that was meant to house the Lord or Lady of the Keep and whoever else they wanted to live in the keep had collapsed stairs - the rooms likely aren't much better, honestly."
He sees her see something behind him and close her eyes - she's silently counting numbers, he can tell by the way her lips are moving - and turns to see nothing but the forms of their two sleeping companions. Must be something to do with being Awakened , or a Watcher - maybe both.
Finally, she opens her eyes again and looks at him. "So, this may make me the biggest hypocrite of all time, but are you okay?"
Aloth blinks, he wasn't expecting that whatsoever. "Hm?"
"You were acting…odd. Off. I was going to ask if you were alright before, but then, well…"
"Ah, yes, of course. Just trying to process things. And from what Maerwald said, you have an uncertain future. Which won't be helped by a headache due to sleep deprivation."
"Right…so why are you awake?"
"I heard you stir. Would you like anything?"
Cera shakes her head, and says "I think I'll walk around at least. Get to see my new home before we leave for Defiance Bay." He nods and she gets to her feet before setting off in a random direction. When she's out of view, he suddenly hears Iselmyr's voice in his head.
Yer fetching Watcher lass can hold her own, ye stripeling.
He quietly says " You nearly gave us away, Iselmyr. She noticed earlier, the others might've to."
Are ye sure tha' would be as bad a thing? If Cera over there knew? If anyone would nye jump to conclusions nor cast us out, it'd be another Awakened soul.
Aloth tries to ignore the idea, being accepted for who he entirely is instead of rejected - he can't quite, and Iselmyr knows it. "It's different for her, worse for her. She'll go as mad as Maerwald if we can't undo this somehow."
Ye think I don' know tha', ye stripeling? I've been listening.
"And so has she. Bets are she's suspected something was wrong since that fight you nearly started in Gilded Vale."
At least now ye have somewhere to be other than Cythwood and yer auld man.
Aloth seriously wishes she didn't make such good points when she wants to, it's rather annoying at times.
Asides, she's a Watcher. She's going to find out about the two o' us eventually, laddie. Better tha' yer the one tha' tells her.
"Must you always use your head when I'd rather you just rushed into something? Like with those drunk farmers, for example?"
Pacifying 'em was nye workin' and I'm not about to let yer ninnying drag us both through the scupper!
"Your interventions usually end up getting us in more trouble than out." He sighs, rubbing his forehead - and then he sees Cera outlined in the moonlight, having climbed one of the watchtowers. What am I getting myself into?
Laddie, I'd tell ye but ye'd nye believe me.
You're sure she won't-
It shakes like this, lad. She'll find out one way or another. How she does is what makes the difference.
Cera's breathing in the fresh air up at the top of the Watchtower, her head clear again - at least she has a home now, one far better than she'd have for the few weeks if not days she'd have been allowed to live in Gilded Vale.
If she wasn't killed because she's a Watcher, she'd have been killed because she's a Cipher - and if none of that was enough, she's also Aedyran. She wouldn't have lasted a month in Gilded Vale, in all likelihood.
There's a quiet disturbance behind her, and she whips up her crossbow to discover she's aiming it straight at Aloth. "Aloth! I thought you were staying with the others."
"My apologies, Cera. I feel I should explain myself for earlier."
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pointed my crossbow at you - I nearly shot you!"
Aloth smiles slightly, and says "That's to be expected, all things considering. We did fight a lot of things that would very much have liked to kill us earlier today."
"Alright, thanks for…not being offended. What did you want to talk about?"
Aloth squirms in front of her, rubbing the knuckles on one hand so hard they turn white, and he won't look at her for some reason - and then he just rushes into what he's trying to say. "I…I to have an Awakened Soul. But unlike yours, mine is a presence that shares my senses and my skin, making herself manifest at the most unwelcome of times. I have none of her memories, Berath spared me that much, but her coarse manners and intolerable Hylspeak suggest a provincial from a very long time ago."
He takes in a breath, still looking anywhere but at her, until she quietly says "So back in Gilded Vale…that was…"
"Iselmyr. Yes, that was her doing - all of it, in fact. They took offense to something she said. She tends to surface a hairsbreadth from conflict - when the fuse has burned down and teeth are on edge. And when she shows up she doesn't stop to gauge a situation, she just…acts. She's artless, uncouth, a creature of rash impulses and feeble faculties. She wags her impertinent tongue when she should listen. She doesn't think, and she doesn't back down, and trying to suppress that has been my problem for years."
He's fidgeting with the hem of his hood now, until Cera puts a hand on his and effectively stops the fidgeting just by that. "Why not tell me? I get not telling people in Gilded Vale, not after seeing their decorating style, but…"
"I Awoke around fifty years ago, thanks to my father. He was a…strict man, and expected perfection from his only child. He didn't tolerate failure, especially when he was drinking. He could be rather…adamant, at times. It was one such time that Iselmyr appeared. To this day, I don't remember what exactly happened, but he was always far more careful with me afterwards."
"That didn't actually answer why you didn't say anything in all the time we've been travelling. Not exactly years, I know, but you know I wouldn't think any different of you!"
She sounds so hurt that Aloth has to look at her, saying "I learned to keep her a secret a very long time ago, Cera. People with Awakened souls are shunned, mistrusted. And after Maerwald, I'm sure you can see why. He's an extreme example, but one I can relate to more and more with each passing year. You…you need to be careful, Cera."
Fifty years of having an Awakened soul…
She can't even imagine it, not with what her own is going to do to her. "Aloth, I…" He looks at her, his face half hidden in the shadow of his hood. She finally decides on the likely-very-stupid "I trust you." instead of a million other things that are welling up inside her.
His shoulders relax partially, and he says Thank you, Cera. That…that means more to me than you know."
"Aloth, this is going to sound stupid and spoiled and whiny, but…I don't want to go insane. I don't want to end up like Maerwald. Huddled in a corner, mumbling to myself about visions of a past life."
She rubs at her eyes, and Aloth says "That's not stupid at all. That's a reasonable reaction to learning that is your fate. Not wanting to suffer the same end. Wanting to find a solution that saves you. And Maerwald suggested we start in Defiance Bay."
Cera nods gratefully, and says "I don't want to risk trying to help you and make things go from manageable to my situation, but…"
"But?"
"But I'm always here if you want to talk. I'd give you a hug, but…" She trails off at Aloth's startled expression, like he's never heard the word before.
She waits for an answer so long that she starts fidgeting uncomfortably until he finally says "Mother was hardly ever around, and Father was not really the hugging type…so I suppose there's no reason why it wouldn't help even a little."
The hug is stiff and awkward at first, seems they both aren't very comfortable with close contact like this, but he finally rests his hands on her upper back and slowly relaxes.
Cera herself isn't much better, her childhood was filled with etiquette lessons and stiff formality rather than anything like affection. And it shows now, when she's uncomfortable while trying to give another some comfort - how ironic.
"Will you tell them?"
Aloth sighs and asks "Must I?"
"Not if you don't want to. But…if they haven't noticed something odd by now, then they'll notice eventually. They'll have to if she makes an appearance like in Gilded Vale, honestly."
"True enough. I'll tell them…tomorrow. Give me tonight to figure out what to say."
"Aloth, you don't have to tell them right away. But…they'll figure it out eventually unless Iselmyr decides to let you handle things until this is all over."
Another sigh out of Aloth, and he moves closer - and then tenses up when she rests her head against his chest. "Should I let go?"
She hasn't yet, doesn't seem particularly inclined to pull away suddenly, and says "No. I mean, you don't have to."
He relaxes and tightens his arms around her slightly, saying "Not yet then. Soon." Then he realizes one of his hands is stroking her hair, which might be why she seems so relaxed. Must be Iselmyr's doing...right?
AN: Alright, if nobody's guessed yet, Cera's background is the Aristocrat choice! Not saying other than that, but its implied in the lessons she had to take growing up. Next chapter is up! More chapters coming up soon! There may or may not be a gap for finals, but please don't go nuts and think I'm abandoning the story because I've got to study for a test!