"Oh jeez."
Why was the ground moving?
"Oh golly."
Why was it swaying with each step Cter took?
"Oh jeez."
Why was the gravel in the Jarasevo courtyard like polished ice?
"Oh golly."
Why were everyone laughing?
"Oh jeez."
Couldn't they see that she saw–
"I got you," chuckled the Griffon Commander with one of his large paws outstretched for Cter to fall into. His catch was firmly soft on her stomach, holding her like a limp sack of potatoes. His three other legs stood sturdy and secure on the gravel-laid courtyard like it was just another day.
For Cter though, as soon as she had climbed off the Griffon Commander's back to get back down onto solid ground, solid was the last it felt for her. Her first step after her week-or-so-long flight was like the first step she had ever taken, stumbling on wobbly legs and knees, and ending up held on her stomach by a large, gray paw. "It is a bit different compared to stepping off a carriage, I'm guessing?"
There wasn't a lot of confidence Cter could muster in her nod. "Yeah, it is." So instead of trying to make a fool out of herself by trying to play it off, it was better for her if she accepted the fact. Better to know what she could not do and work from there than to stumble trying to pretend that she did know.
Literally too in her case.
With an arm around the base of Aajja's bendy neck, Cter hauled herself up on her wobbly legs. Despite her taking strain on the Griffon Commander her legs still found it beyond comprehension that she would use them to stand up on. "You might have to carry me for another minute or so, Aajja," the Monster Mage apologized on the behalf on her legs with a sheepish smile. It was met with an amused, but understanding look by the Griffon Commander who nodded his bendy neck back at Cter.
"What is another minute to a week?" followed the nod along with a warm smile.
"Welcome home, Cte–"
A smile that shifted abruptly into violent heaves and guttural harks for a brief few seconds. It stopped the two Monster Mages that had approached with poorly hidden chuckles to their faces. Stopped both their approach and their chuckling in favor of craned-back necks and wide-eyed stares that followed along the coughed-out monocle as it and the strings of saliva stuck on it arced through the air and into the Griffon Commander's paw. Without a word he dried it off on a handkerchief and placed it in his left eye before bowing his head to the two Monster Mages.
The third one that hung an arm over his neck met the baffled looks of her long-seen colleagues with a shrug. "I'm home," she said with a snicker and a brush-away of her hair. "Sorry I took so long." She felt a sharp knife gaze through the recently spat-out monocle. "Although it would have been much longer had Aajja here not helped me." The knife dulled into a throat clear that found the addendum acceptable. "It is good to see you again, Kry, Kurant."
Kurant managed to bend her attention away from the monocle which chain went down to the beak of the Griffon Commander. "Welcome home, Cter," she managed without any sudden heaving interrupting her. "It is very good to see you again as well." She walked up for a wide hug, and the sight of which prompted Kry to snap out of his stupor as well.
"Yes," he concurred while taking a long step to catch up with Kurant. He moved his hand to adjust his golden glasses, but halted just before touching them with a slightly disgusted look that washed over his darkly tanned face. Once at Kurant's pace he gave the Griffon Commander a reassuring nod, and reached his arm underneath the one Cter had over the Griffon Commander's neck. "Do you require any water or something to eat, commander?"
The hanging pouch flopped from side to side with the respectful shake of Aajja's head. "I know where to find some food and rest, Monster Mage. I will be heading out after I have gathered some of each. King Asgore and Priestess Frioke should only be few days journey away from here, so I will meet them halfway for the last leg of the journey." With a ruffle that raised both his plumage and fur, the Griffon Commander quelled a deep yawn. "Forgive me for having to run away so hurriedly, Monster Mages."
"No need to ask for forgiveness," urged Cter after finding a comfortable hang of her arm over Kry's neck. It was a bit more strain on her shoulder reaching up rather than down, but since she had decided already not to use either dark-blue or purple magic to help her legs, she would have to endure it until her legs decided to function properly again.
No animosity towards Aajja, but Cter was a bit tired too of being covered in his combined magic for almost two weeks straight. The brief respites when he slept while gliding on air currents had his magic fading in intensity, but it was still on and around Cter.
If anything it felt more on her when Aajja's magic was weakened while he slept as she had to be aware of any movement she did that might either wake him up from his magic moving too much, or her being blasted in the face with hard wind only for Aajja to also wake up.
Her one-sided barrier magic Aajja didn't want her to use as it would have made light of the moment they had when she first showed it to him. He would use it to make sure the first human he showed his sunsets for became more in awe. He would do like that monster in the Xoff legend could not.
"Then I thank you for what you've given me, Cter." Aajja knelt down along with a deep bow of his head. "I thank you from the bottom of my soul." A helping wing-beat had him up on his paws again, and after two shallower bows towards Kry and Kurant, the Griffon Commander took flight over the castle wall towards the Royal Kitchen. Following him as he crested over the white walls of Jarasevo Castle had Cter realize that she hadn't looked up in a week's time. Seeing clouds above her rather than below felt comfortable to the Monster Mage.
"Shouldn't you be the one thanking him?" quirked Kurant along with a brow while sliding her shoulder underneath Cter's free arm. "He was the one that flew across the entire country with you on his back, after all."
In the span of a judging blink Cter met Kurant's teasingly smiling eyes. "And what do you mean by that exactly?" Cter asked in a very impertinent tone. Her voice softened when she caught a glimpse of Kurant's knee brace. "Should you really–"
"Yes," came a quick and to-the-point interruption that had no of the teasing hint to it. "It's fine," Kurant added afterwards with a deliberate attempt to not sound fazed. She looked up into the clouding overcast, "We should get inside before there's rain," and took the first step in helping Cter get her walking back. There was an annoyance in both her tightened brow and steps.
Cter looked to Kry for an explanation, but all she got was a silent word. "Later," he mouthed before motioning forward with a furrow of his brow.
Golly.
It took halfway to the castle gates before Cter felt her legs waking up. She could walk the last half on her own, but she could feel her colleagues hands at the ready to catch her. Their auras were hovering above her too like observing clouds just in case. She didn't mind them. It felt good to feel them again after such a long time away. She was happy that they were in good health too.
In fact, the war did not seem to be anywhere to be found at all from what Cter had seen. There weren't even more guards than usual stationed at the castle gate. Inside there was the same hallway with its usual business of monsters traversing through on their way higher up in the castle if their attire was colorful and on the ground floor if their outfits were less colorful. Cter had discarded her drab human robe with King Asgore, so she and her two colleagues' attires were deep purple as they should be, which meant that they were heading upstairs.
Upstairs through a door and up a spiraling staircase and a few doors down the upstairs hallway until they came to a door opened slightly ajar for them.
"Ah, you've arrived, Cter."
The Leader of the Royal Guard stood with his hands folded behind his large shell looking out his office window. He must have meant that Cter had arrived at his office and not at the castle, for how could he have missed Aajja landing with his massive wingspan from where he was standing looking out his office window?
And on top of that…
"You're here at the castle, Sir Gerson?"
A disappointed look reflected in the window pane as Sir Gerson met the reflection of Cter. "I am," he said with no joy to his nod. A deep inhale through his nose followed. "I am here at the castle and not out in the field commanding the Royal Guards directly." He breathed out the rest of his inhale which fogged the window pane where his eyes reflected in. Cter could tell from the tension in Sir Gerson's aura though that his eyes hadn't changed one bit. "For the Monster King has told me that the end to the war is very soon."
There was doubt in the turtle monster's words.
"But in any case, it is good to see you again, Cter." The doubt drained as the old, green head turned over the large shell. A tired smile shone, genuine and caring. "I am sure you have an arsenal of questions, for we have for you." One of the folded hands on the large shell opened up to motion towards the half-circle table. "You may ask yours first."
Cter's chair was cold as she sat down. "I haven't really thought of any specific ones to ask, to be honest." She could feel that none had sat in it for quite a while. That lingering feeling had her head turn towards Sund's vacant chair which she blinked at tentatively.
"Can't say that it was comfortable going back to the days where it was just me and Kry," commented Kurant with a pained scoff. Her gaze averted with her shoulders hunched heavily. "It has been quiet here this last year despite all that has been said and planned and decided. This office has been the busiest it has ever been, but it has also been the most quietest it has ever been."
She tried to roll her shoulders back to straighten them, however that only made it clearer that they were hanging low. "It hasn't been easy. Not with the war, and even less with you being out of reach and kept as a prisoner by the humans."
It wasn't just her too. "Have you heard anything about the Royal Guards that accompanied me to Soul's School?" asked Cter to Sir Gerson.
It was Kry that answered though. "We were hoping that you would be able to answer that, I'm afraid." He touched the bridge of his glasses with his index finger, pushing them up slightly.
"We have not heard anything about them from the spies we sent to follow the carriages that brought you to the negotiations. Their report got to us yesterday, and it was the first we had heard of your well being ever since your last letter from Soul's School." With the same index finger he pointed to a weather-touched scroll Sir Gerson's desk. "Apparently the human guards were quite shook after your...demonstration. How the Noitaidarr Royal Mage felt our spies could not find out. Only so close they could get without raising suspicion."
Cter sure didn't notice their presence. She was busy with showing off her magic though, so she wasn't really focused on searching for spies at the time. "I see," Cter nodded. "And what effect that will have is yet to be seen." A wash of warm embarrassment spread throughout her aura. "And to be honest, I do regret doing what I did. My mind was just so...so weary. So tired and so..."
No, there really weren't any other words to describe it. "So tired." There was still tired within her soul as she knew that there was more to come. Most likely more than she ever had experienced before. Sitting at the half-circle table though back home in the castle where she belonged, there was respite.
There were her friends and colleagues. Those that she cared about. Those that she could depend on. Those that were monsters. "I will see this war through though." Those that weren't human. "I will see it through to the end, and beyond that if necessary."
"Always and forever?" the Leader of the Royal Guard asked in return, letting his eyes wander between the three Monster Mages together again for monsterkind.
"Always, and forever," they repeated in unison, nodding reassuringly at each other. They were together again to protect monsterkind.
"Good," said Sir Gerson while moving a game piece on his board with a quick tug. "It pleases me to hear that the humans at least were inefficient in breaking your spirit." The game board was much busier than the last time Cter saw it. The map on top of it had been written on as well. The different roads were filled in with red and black between groups of game pieces spread out on top of the Monster Country villages.
Those without game pieces on them were either crossed out or ringed in. Cter didn't understand the exact meaning of what had been drawn on the map, but she understood the gist of it. "So whatever it is that King Asgore has come to terms with when it comes to his supposed solution to the war with the Xoff king, we will have our full strength to tackle whatever happens. Kry and Kurant have already managed miracles, so with another Monster Mage at our disposal we will be able to make this solution to the war our own."
Technically they had the same amount of Monster Mages, but Cter understood the gist of it.
It had been a long while since Cter had seen Sir Gerson smile as widely as he did when he placed down the game piece that represented her. Even before she traveled to Soul's School it had been a long while. Cter could really only remember vividly the last time being when Sir Gerson had finally explained about his magnifying glass that he used to help him focus on things.
And speaking of which, if Cter looked closer on the game piece that represented her she could faintly see a small spot of green paint on its head.
Like her crystal brooch.
Neat.
"Anything else you have to ask?" prompted Kry friendly. "Just one question can't be all that you have, surely?"
True indeed. "How is it between you and Barbeqa, Kurant?"
The Second Monster Mage's face became as pink as that of the Monster Chef's flames should the question had been posed to her instead. "W-W-What?" stammered out of the flush, stunned lips while Kurant tried to hide her blush behind her hair. "W-Why d-do you ask me that?" Anxious laughter flopped out her mouth, and the sound of which had her flush skin turning even more red. "It's...it's fine. H-How–"
Kry managed only to turn away halfway before Cter's thumb thrown over her shoulder reached at him, pointing all the blame past her towards him instead. "Kry wrote about it in the letters to Soul's School." Before Kurant's aura could be filled with enough rage to fry an egg without any ignited magic to it, Cter continued.
"To make sure that I still felt that I wasn't being left behind on the goings on in the castle," she explained before leaning closer to Kurant to add an important note. "Like how you did as well." So Kurant shouldn't be too upset about it, even less so when she had written about Kry too. Nothing as...long-lasting, but still. He had gone and changed his hair color via magic. Not to make it darker, but to add more gray streaks in it, funnily enough.
Cter could see why, they fit him. It gave him a more wise presence and stoic appearance. He looked more like how the First Monster Mage should look like, and that Cter approved of.
"While I could not reread the letters when I was held a prisoner, I thought about them all the time. More often than not it only reminded me of my situation, but the few times it had me imagining how it was with you and Barbeqa, it gave me hope that I needed." Cter smiled at Kurant warmly.
"I know that you two have had an understanding between each other, and that was enough between you. However," she glanced down at the cast-iron ring that had replaced the golden one on Kurant's naked left hand, "that love can bloom even greater even during the drought of war is something that I needed to know to not make things worse for monsterkind. I am so very happy for you two, Kurant."
Cter opened her arms for her friend.
Who embraced them heavily.
"I wanted to tell you myself," said Kurant with happy sobs on Cter's shoulder. Between them was heard the sound of Kry's chair legs jumping further and further away to get out of the range of the glare in Kurant's aura towards him. It glared for only a few moments though before it softened to embrace warmly around Cter instead. "To hear that it helped you through your imprisonment though is more important to me though. Had it not then I might not have been able to hug you again like this."
"I've missed you too, Kurant," replied Cter with her aura washing over Kurant's to let her recognize it again. "And it fills my soul with joy to know about you and Barbeqa." There was relief in Kurant's aura, like steam lifting away a great weight from her.
From it Cter could tell both how much Barbeqa meant to her, and how much Cter meant to her. The two meant almost equally as much, but differently. There were two types of love that Kurant radiated from her aura, and that one of which was about Cter felt so comforting that the Fourth Monster Mage had no chance to hold back her tears.
She was so happy to be back.
So happy to be back with her colleagues again.
"You too, Kry," she sniveled between sobs. "Please."
With Kry adding his arms and aura around Cter as well she felt faint throughout her entire being. She had been able to relieve tension with King Asgore and Priestess Frioke once Cter and the Monster King were out of the thick forest, but with her friends she could finally get rid of the last tension in her shoulders and soul.
She could relax.
If she could have melted into a bucket she would have done so.
"Once this war is over we will make it official," said Kurant. "Once this war is over we will ask Queen Toriel and King Asgore to be witnesses for us. We met because of them, so it is only fair that they get the honors. I want you two there as well. Promise me that you'll be there for me and Barbeqa."
"We will get through this war," assured Kry with a sincere depth to his voice. We will get through it along with monsterkind. We will see this through."
"Together."
Through Kry and Kurant's arms, Cter saw Sir Gerson stand up from his desk quietly and waltz to the office window with an ease to his steps and a casual grip on his hands behind his shell. In the reflection of the window he met Cter's eyes, and nodded with a pleased smile at her. Despite the gray overcast outside there was luster in his eyes. There was hope and cherish in them, in his soul. He had his Monster Mages back.
He had all he needed.
To put an end to the war.
