Allianna was lying on the dais, watching her daughter and James. The man was leaning against a tree while Phoenix was beside him. He was scratching her under the chin and she was clearly enjoying it, her head stretched out. The Queen's mind was in another world. She could see Phoenix as a foal, frolicking around the clearing happy as can be. She was still a chimera but unaware of the world's cruelty and had never known the cruelty she suffered either from her creator or the Wilds. It would be a lifelong regret that Allianna never fought for her daughter. Tempest materialized next to the steps. "You're looking pensive again," he said. The Queen sighed and gave him the equine equivalent of reaching her arms out, wanting to be held. Tempest gave the herd a cursory look but many were preoccupied. He ascended the dais and lay down near her. He was close enough to bump noses but distant enough to avoid the busybodies in the herd causing a problem.
"I have failed her. She calls herself my daughter and I do the same in kind but what right do either of us have when I wasn't the one to raise her and I abandoned her to the life she lived," Allianna said, morosely. Tempest took a deep breath. He couldn't look past Phoenix being a chimera but that didn't stop him from respecting her in his own way. She was the flesh and blood of the mare he loved more than life. If he had to, he'd go to battle in her defense. "You were so young when all that happened, Your Majesty. What could you have done? You were reeling from the trauma Thanatos inflicted and it was compounded by your kidnapping by Nomad. You were thrown from one situation to another with barely anytime to breathe," he said.
"But I had close to a year to confront him on what he did," Allianna protested, referring to her pregnancy. "And you eventually found the strength to. It's just that you took too much time and you were too close to delivery when you disappeared to do so. How could we have known you were close to going into labor?" Tempest pointed out. His expression softened a little. "Besides, if in another life you were able to keep her, the reality would still be the same. The Nation would never accept her as Crown Princess. I look at Phoenix and see a mare completely at peace with not belonging to our people. She's happy and content simply making up for lost time. Your separation wasn't the fault of either of you. Don't blame yourself. She doesn't," he said.
Like so many other times, Allianna nearly blurted out the words in her heart but her traumatic experiences always made them die on her tongue. But like always, she didn't have to say a word at all. The two unicorns knew their feelings for each other and that was all that mattered. Saying the words would only be stating the obvious. The black stallion looked at where Phoenix and James were. The chimera was resting her head on his lap and he was contently scratching her between the ears. "I'll never understand why it had to be a human. She had a good thing with His Majesty. Why throw it all away for a human?" he wonder, his tone a bit dark.
"That is not ours to know. When I was a foal, Seiryu High King came to visit my parents. One thing he told me has stayed with me all these years. I didn't understand back then but I do now. He called himself and the other Masters 'the lowest of souls'. What I've come to understand as I grew up is that the lasting happiness the rest of us feel when we find our one and only is not possible for the High Kings. To them, our lives are so fleeting and they're doom-driven to live out the entirety of our planet's life. Seiryu and Phoenix both knew what they had would inevitably end. The same is true for her and James," Allianna explained. She smiled at her companion, his eyes revealing his heart had skipped a beat. "I know you don't like him because he's a human, Tempest, but they make each other happy and that is worthy of support," she said.
Tempest sighed. "You know me too well. However, he's not just a human. He's a true foreigner. He's not from our world and humans are the worst at keeping secrets," he said, darkly. "You fear All World's existence will be revealed to his own world?" the Queen inquired. A nod met her words. Allianna closed her eyes and chuckled. "I find it unlikely. Who in their right mind would believe him and in the unlikely event they did, how could they ever get here?" she asked. It was a rhetorical question. Tempest just sighed. "You make a fair point," he conceded. "Besides, Seiryu himself brought James here. I think that speaks to his character. I advise you to trust His Majesty's wisdom on the matter. You don't have to like him and you've done a good job so far but just to be clear, I expect you to be polite with him whenever you interact with him," Allianna said. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm the very soul of respect," the stallion responded.
Their attention was grabbed by Marengo, a chestnut sentry. "Pardon me, My Lady, but there is a human at the edge of the forest. She claims to be an alchemist from Genbu's North and seeks permission to enter the forest. Shall I bring her in?" he asked. Allianna and Tempest got to their hooves, catching the attention of James and Phoenix who watched curiously. "Thank you, Marengo. Bring her before me," the Queen responded. The chestnut nodded before trotting away. Tempest took his place to Allianna's right off the dais. He watched Phoenix and James get to their feet. They were both curious. It didn't take long for Marengo to return. A woman was with him and she had a massive jackalope companion. What was more, she had a prosthetic left arm and right leg. Her clothing was clearly from a region of Genbu's North close to the border to Byakko's West. She must've been traveling for weeks to make it this far south of the border. Her jackalope companion was a yellow one with the antlers of a moose. He was clearly from a hollow somewhere in that domain.
"You're in the presence of Queen Allianna. State your name," Tempest said. He wore his title of advisor well. The woman bowed, her companion following suit. "My name is Katania. I hail from the town of Ionia to the north across the border." she introduced herself. "And I'm Solstice of Hazelhurst Hollow, also in Genbu's North. I'm Kat's support," the jackalope followed. "Welcome to the Glade, Katania of Ionia. What brings you to my domain?" Allianna then asked, taking the floor from her adviser. "I'm an apprentice with the Leul Verde Academy. With your permission, I'm here seeking a specific ingredient for a potion I'm trying to create for my final thesis," she explained. Allianna and Tempest looked at each other. "What proof have you that you're from the Academy? Leul Verde is known to us but it's been a long time since an alchemist visited this forest," the black stallion asked.
"My teachers gave me this as proof of my apprenticeship," Kat responded, holding up a badge with a green lion on it. Tempest shifted into human form and approached. He could tell the girl's heart skipped a little, in spite of the large burn scar on the left side of his face. He held out his hand for the charm and she gave it to him. Her entire posture was a bit tense, as it should be. Unicorns were on the same level as humans in many ways but they were still wild animals. She knew she was surrounded on all sides by a herd of such animals. While peaceful if unprovoked and considered "civilized" by the human population, unicorns were as dangerous as any moose or dragon. Tempest held the charm up to the sky where the sun filtered through the canopy.
"Academies across the Continent use their science to create their badges. This was indeed forged by Leul Verde. Counterfeits are easy to spot if you know what to look for," he said. His red garnet eyes met Kat's and she swallowed a bit. "Your prosthetics have Byakko High King's pawprints all over them. I'm familiar with his work. You must be from an important family if he forged those for you," he then said. Kat stiffened a bit. "That's a bit rude," she responded. Tempest cocked an eyebrow. "Maybe to your human sensibilities but granted, I've been told I'm pretty blunt even by unicorn standards," he said. Kat raised her metal hand to look at it.
"Whatever your story is, you're free to keep your secrets. What can we do for you? What is it that you seek?" Allianna interjected smoothly, steering the conversation back to Kat's original objective. Tempest handed the badge back before shifting back to his true form and retaking his place. Taking a deep breath, Kat explained her thesis involved creating a potion meant to soothe anxiety. She needed alicorn shavings for it. She already had the Stormcrow feather and moonflower samples needed for the experiment. She just needed the shavings. Allianna hummed. "Interesting. Mind sharing the process?" she asked. "Of course. Stormcrow feathers have unique properties that enhance strength for a short time. Moonflowers help ease tension and anxiety. I read an obscure book about alicorn and it apparently has sedative properties. I was hoping to test some before using it as the final ingredient for my thesis," Kat explained.
Tempest looked at the Queen. "What say you? We do have some shed alicorn from our more recent foals. However, I'm hesitant to have this experiment tested on any in the herd," he said. The white mare just smiled at him. "Kestral would be glad to help. She's hoping to learn about alchemy so she could use it in conjunction with her healing magic. That being said, what say you, Tempest? Can you tolerate another human in the forest?" she asked. Kat got a look of sheer confusion on her face before she looked around. Her eyes landed on James who was watching her. As surprised as she was to see him, it was the creature next to him that made her jaw drop.
Phoenix noticed she was being stared at and met the girl's eyes. Granted, the alchemist apprentice was in her late 30s but even the very old among humans were considered young by unicorn standards. The chimera shifted behind Bucky, putting her head low. He noticed and looked at her, He smiled and set his hand on her neck. Phoenix was coming off as if she was shy but in truth, she felt exposed. This was one of those times when she acted more like a skittish animal than a human. "Easy," Bucky said in a low tone as Phoenix shifted further behind him, trying and failing to hide her bulk behind him. She snorted a bit, looking away and seemingly downplaying her sapience.
Allianna took notice of her daughter's antics and just smiled mysteriously. "Kestral is currently further in the forest than I can permit a visitor to wander into. Pardon my own bluntness but you don't seem to be the type of human who knows her way around a weapon aside from your dagger," she said, drawing Kat's attention back to her. "What's in the forest that I can't handle?" she inquired. "Bears, mostly. Ambush predators. Other dangerous animals. Plus, Kestral could be anywhere and it wouldn't do for you to get lost," Tempest said as he walked to a tall sapling where he proceeded to rub the base of his horn against. "Fair, I suppose. So as a visitor, what rules do I need to know?" Kat then asked.
"No hunting in the forest. You know it houses a unicorn herd so it's expected that you respect the life that lives here under our protection. Aside from that, you have free reign to interact with the herd as you wish but remember to maintain a respectful distance from the Queen except by her invitation," Tempest responded, returning now that his itch was satisfactorily scratched. Kat bowed her head in agreement. "By the way, who is that man? And is that chimera who I think she is?" she then inquired, nodding towards James and Phoenix.
"The human's name is James. He's here by invitation. And if you assume the chimera is Phoenix, you are correct. But I'm curious how you know of her," Allianna responded, a bit surprised. "I was reminded of an alchemist who studied and worked for Luel Verde about a century and a half ago. He was booted out because they discovered he was attempting Life Manipulation alchemy. You know, the alchemy that creates chimeras?" Kat ventured. Allianna met Tempest's eye. "Is that what it's called? Interesting," she said. Only Tempest noticed the slight faraway sound in her voice. "Yeah. I like reading up on chimeras as a curiosity. I'm not about to jeopardize my standing with the Syndicate by trying it myself. My talent is more in potions anyway. Her name is Phoenix? She's something of a ghost story in Ionia. I just…never thought she was real," Kat responded. She looked back at the chimera who was still hiding behind the man. "She's beautiful," she said, more to herself than to the two unicorns.
Tempest met Allianna's eye. She just nodded. The stallion cleared his throat to get Kat's attention. "Far as I can tell, your purpose here is genuine. You're free to make yourself at home until Kestral returns. She'll provide what you need for your…experiment. She may ask to assist since she's interested in alchemy," he said. Kat bowed. "Oh, and don't let Phoenix fool you. She's downplaying her sapience," the Abhorred One said before he left his position to go to the stream that ran through the area. The Queen nodded by means of dismissal and lay back down on the dais. Kat decided to approach the man and chimera.
Bucky saw the woman coming their way and he hung his arm over Phoenix's neck to keep her calm. "I never expected to see another human here," the woman said, keeping a respectful distance. "Yeah. I'm here for a change of scenery. I was invited. I'm James. Friends call me Bucky," he responded. "Pleasure to meet you, James. Or should I call you Bucky?" Kat asked, holding out a hand. Bucky shook it. "Either one is fine," he said. Kat looked at Phoenix, who was being quiet. "I'm honored to meet you, Phoenix," she said with a smile as she leaned against her knees. That caused the chimera's ears to twitch and she looked at her surprised. "You're honored?" she asked. "Yes. I like chimeras. Yours is a fascinating species to me," Kat said with a smile. Phoenix brought her head up. "First I've ever heard that said to my face," she said.
Kat then looked at Bucky's arm. "May I?" she asked, pointing at it. Bucky held it up. Kat took it and looked it over. "I didn't say anything to that stallion but my own arm and leg weren't forged by Byakko High King. He's got trained artisans across the Continent, mostly dragons. Their work is of good quality. Yours, on the other hand, definitely looks like something the Tiger of the West made. This metal is odd though. It's not iron or steel. Is this mythril?" she asked. Bucky shot a look over at Phoenix, noting she was panicking a bit. They had a cover story just in case but they never planned on anyone asking about his vibranium arm. Thinking quickly, Bucky just moved his fingers. "I'm not sure. Apparently, I was in a coma after I lost my arm in an accident. Fell off a mountain. I don't know what this is made of and never bothered finding out," he said.
Kat looked mortified. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude," she said. "It's fine. It was a long time ago. I'm assuming you had an accident yourself," Bucky responded, gesturing at her own replacements. Kat just got a sad smile, pulling her poncho over her right arm a little. "Lab accident when I first enrolled at the Academy. Wasn't my fault. I was just caught up in it," she replied. Silence fell between the three before Phoenix got a smile on her face before moving out from behind Bucky. "You're both survivors who remained strong. That's something humans have that some of us don't," she said.
Bucky smiled as he placed a hand under her chin. "Don't sell yourself short, Nix. You're a survivor, too," he reminded her. Kat could see the warmth in the chimera's eyes and tilted her head a bit. "So…if it's not being too nosy of me…how do you two know each other?" she inquired. "She found me after my accident. Hell, I'd say she's the reason I survived. We've been close ever since," Bucky explained. Kat looked at Phoenix. "I've heard stories of chimeras having a peaceful co-existence with humans. Nice to see an example of this being true," she said. Bucky and Phoenix looked at each other with a small smile.
Phoenix suddenly flashed back to the Snap, watching Bucky turn to dust in front of her. She physically jumped a little with her breath catching a bit before it started coming in short bursts. "Nix?" Bucky questioned, moving to stand in front of her and taking her head in his hands. "Is she okay?" Kat asked, moving as well. "Not sure. Nix? You're okay. I promise you're safe," the White Wolf said, wrapping his arms around the base of her head. Her breathing eventually evened out. "Atta girl," Bucky muttered as he patted her neck. "Sorry. I went somewhere I thought I was over," she said in a small voice. "We'll talk about it later," the White Wolf assured her. She looked unsure, like a part of her wanted to go elsewhere but another didn't want to leave his side. Bucky set his hands against her broad neck. "Go on, Nix. Take a breather, get some water, and steady yourself," he said before gently pushing her in the direction of the river. Phoenix walked off, knowing he was right.
"Sorry about that. Nix…well…she hasn't had a good life before we met and she's had other difficulties in the time I've known her," Bucky apologized. "I understand. I was fortunate enough to have sat in a lecture Genbu High King himself taught as a guest. He's been studying chimeras for about two centuries now and recounted meeting the first one for whom the species is named. Chimera was a tragic figure when you really dig into it. But Lord Genbu is why I have an interest in them as well. To meet and speak to one…you have no idea how exciting this is for me," Kat assured him. Bucky rubbed his face. Kat was a stranger and his protectiveness of Phoenix was starting to run a little high. Kat noticed and held up her hands. "Don't worry. I won't push my presence on her. I'll just watch from a distance," she assured him.
The two watched as the chimera in question approached the Queen and the mares touched noses. Kat tilted her head. "That's weird," she muttered. Bucky looked at her and she eventually looked at him. "Phoenix looks exactly like the Queen. Obviously, she's got a lot of different traits but…their faces…they look the same," she explained. She looked at the mares again. "Their eyes are even the same color. It's known only the direct line descendent of their first monarch has that color. Phoenix is clearly a unicorn-based chimera," Kat kept musing. Bucky kept his mouth shut. He wasn't sure how much of Allianna's history was common knowledge in this world. Somehow he had a feeling that Kat had it figured out just from looking at the two mares. He was spared when Tempest approached with a chestnut mare. "Lady Katania, this is Kestral. She's our healer and will be assisting you with your tasks," he said, introducing them.
Kat nodded in greeting before looking at Bucky. "You're an interesting man, James. I hope we get to talk more," she said before she followed Kestral to the mare's nook on the other side of the clearing. He felt something nudging under his arm and smiled when he saw Phoenix pushing her nose in. He smiled, lifted his arm, and let her come against him. "You okay?" he asked, draping his arm over her neck. "Yes. I…I had a sudden flashback to the Snap," she explained. Bucky hummed and gave her neck a tiny squeeze. "Anyway, I decided to tell Mother about it and she suggested that perhaps, I need to make a short pilgrimage," Phoenix then said. "Where to?" came the inquiry. "Golgotha. It's about seven hours to the south of here. It's a sacred place. Mother thinks that being there will help heal my spirit. I think it will be good for me," she explained.
Bucky looked at the chimera and noted she was in thought. "I don't want to impose my world's ways on you, Bucky…but if you want to come with me, you can. Maybe being there can help you, too," she ventured. The White Wolf gave her neck another squeeze. "I'm in. This world is already doing me a world of good. I wish we could explore more of it," he said. Phoenix smiled. "How about tomorrow? We'll have to be up before dawn to start making the trip. We may have to stay the night there because it's a fourteen-hour round trip. The only thing is there isn't much in the area to do. The hill is in a pretty remote area," Phoenix said. "It'll be fine," he assured her. Phoenix looked skyward. "This will be my first time there. In all my wanderings, I've never been there," she mused. "Any reason why?" Bucky asked. "Not really. I just never wandered that way. The Continent is massive. I just went where I pleased and I tended to go north or east," she shrugged.
Bucky hugged her, relishing in the softness of her coat. "I'm looking forward to this, Nix. Gonna be a long walk, though," he noted. "We can run some of the way. My stamina is enough to get us a good distance. However, I'm not sure how long you'll be comfortable on my back even with a blanket. We could use the Road if needed but I've found it's a bit more iffy when used in this world. I avoid using it unless I have no other choice," Phoenix explained. "I'd rather we not use it anyway. I want to compare the Flats to the Great Plains back home," the White Wolf shrugged. His blue-grey eyes slid over to where Kat and Kestral were likely discussing the alchemist's thesis. "Are you okay with an alchemist being here, Nix?" he asked, feeling a bit concerned. "It's fine, Bucky. I'm old enough to separate my creator from other alchemists. Plus, I feel safe because you're here and because we're with the herd. Safety in numbers and all that," she shrugged.
Bucky leaned on her side. "I love you," he said quietly. "I love you, too," she responded. Phoenix moved a couple of steps off and started to graze. The White Wolf sat down against a tree and pulled a wood block and knife out. The day was still young and they would be hammering out their plan for the next two days. He was curious about Golgotha. On Earth, that was the name of a hill where Christ was crucified. Phoenix had mentioned All World's Golgotha before and he had wondered if it had anything else in common with the Earth location aside from the name, which translated to "the place of the skull". He supposed he could ask the Queen but he decided that discovery was a better way to find out than being told. He watched Phoenix graze and smiled to himself. He could see that she was looking and feeling better. He hoped the trip to Golgotha would continue her upward trajectory.