After half an hour, Snowfyre glanced back at Frostburn Manor and sighed. As much as she wanted to stay out here until she'd released all her anger, she knew that was a lost cause. Over the years, she'd learned to tame her fiery temper, but it was always there, raging beneath the surface. Her mother had always found it odd, considering her preference for the colder weather and magicks. Besides, she knew that the longer she was gone, the more things had the chance to go horribly wrong. Her people liked Faolan and preferred to speak with him about anything as opposed to her. She'd always accepted that, as she knew she was unpredictable and intimidating, and she knew her icy blue eyes unnerved so many.
That line of thought led her to a realization that took her breath away. Faolan was a charmer. If he could convince a single soul, she had turned on the people—which wouldn't be that hard, considering the storm she'd brewed up in her anger. Losing the manor wouldn't mean much to her. But if he hid Petyr and Arya from her? Or harmed Wildfyre and her companions for the threat he saw them as?
Fear filled her, and she Teleported back to Frostburn Manor as quickly as she could. When she appeared in the middle of the courtyard, she knew her fears were now reality. People took one look at her, and instead of deferentially excusing themselves from her view, they outright ran from her. She glanced toward the Waypoint, where she saw three individuals in strange garb fighting off Manor guards. They looked like they had things under control, so she continued to Teleport inside to her children's room.
There, she found Faolan with five other Sorcerers. A line of power stretched from each of them toward the door, and she thanked the Heavens that she'd recently chosen to reinforce the magick of the barrier. "What in the name of Lillith are you doing?! Step away from my children!"
Three of the lines disappeared, her words having startled the casters. Snowfyre used that opportunity to rush toward them and cast a Frost Nova. Quickly, she used her scepter to knock them all unconscious. As she turned to her husband, there was a smile on his face. From within the children's room, she could hear the creaks from the beds as they approached…No. The gait was all wrong. She summoned a Flame Shield just as the door exploded outward.
Bits and pieces of wood and metal flew past her or bounced off the shield. The ones on the floor thankfully remained unharmed, except for being slightly dusty, with small shatterings of wood on top of them. Unfortunately, due to where Faolan stood, the explosion barely touched him. A piece of metal had, however, streaked past his cheek and left a bleeding slice. As much as she knew she shouldn't enjoy that sight, she did. "Why? All of this because I asked you to leave?"
"Asked?! You demanded I leave, and without seeing my children!"
"They deserve someone who's willing to do anything for them! Not some weak-minded fool whose paranoid attempts to protect them would only endanger them. Haven't you ever read those stories about those who hold too tightly to something? Doing so harms, if not kills, the very thing they wish to keep safe. I will not risk that for my children!"
"You're unfit to be their mother! Look at them!" Faolan pointed toward the room, and she glanced into the room, where she saw Petyr and Arya huddled together in a corner. They trembled as they held each other in a tight embrace.
When she looked back at her husband, she laughed. "They're not scared of either of us. Why would they be when we have done nothing but protect and care for them? No. It's that we're fighting for the first time, and they don't understand why."
"Just as they won't understand why I'm being made to leave!" Faolan's voice broke, and his sorrow spoke volumes about how he truly did care for the children. His charm, even in such a state of mind, almost caused her to reconsider. But with everything she'd gone through to get to this point in her life, she knew what would happen if she let him stay.
Her voice did calm, however. And she winced as she saw him shiver. She glanced at her children to make sure the bone-chilling temperature of her anger hadn't affected them. Snowfyre let out a sigh of relief before she looked back at her husband. "I'm sorry. But until you get over whatever change came upon you that day a year ago, I can't risk it. Please understand. It's for their safety. If you can't consider that possibility…"
Before he could respond, someone came through the open window. It was the red-haired woman from the courtyard. From this close, Snowfyre could see familiarities between Kefka and herself. This must be her sister. She cast that belief aside when the woman tripped and fell forward. Her feet moved without thought, but she barely made it a few steps before a male's hand grabbed hold of the woman's wrist.
"That mad wizard business seems like trouble…And no one knows trouble as well as I do."
Snowfyre stared at him in disbelief for several seconds. She'd once met Lyndon of Backwater. The voice and appearance were off, but not by much. Could this man really be Lyndon? It was impossible. That would mean that the Enchantress was Eirena, and the woman who claimed to be her twin was ten years younger. Instead of addressing the oddities that would likely be a waste of time due to no feasible explanation, she responded to the rudeness.
"Excuse me?" Snowfyre's tone was chilly. "You don't even know me, and you're accusing me of madness? That is not a good first impression." She glanced at Faolan, and his expression confirmed her suspicions. "Especially if the woman you just spared from embarrassment is truly my sister."
From behind Wildfyre, and the one who'd so rudely addressed her, came a lovely young woman dressed in the garb of an Enchantress. When she set foot in the hallway, she bowed, and gave the greeting of "May grace light your path." Her accent was so exotically enticing that Snowfyre's eyes admired her body for several seconds. It was only when the male cleared his throat after a long while that she drew her eyes away.
It was Wildfyre, however, who spoke. "If you wish to, you need only ask her. Though the three of us are together, I have no problems with them choosing temporary partners."
"How dare you defile the sanctity of marriage?" Faolan yelled. As he approached, he drew a dagger, clearly intending to use it on them. Only, he paused when Lyndon nocked an arrow and Eirena prepared a spell to throw at him. He growled and turned to Snowfyre, but the others didn't lower their guard. "Now you have all the proof you need. They are filth and someone should eliminate them from this world."
Instead of a reply, Snowfyre ignored him and called out to her children. "Petyr. Arya. Why don't you get your things together? It's time you met your grandfather." It seemed as if the children's fear evaporated in an instant, and they ran excitedly about the room, filling bags with their favorite toys. Snowfyre turned to Wildfyre and apologized before she continued to speak. "That man over there is my husband, and he's not in the right frame of mind right now. I would not feel safe leaving my children alone while we discussed business. Plus, if I decide to journey with you, at least I'll know my kids are safe."
Wildfyre didn't respond to that. Instead, she just stood there, eyes on her niece and nephew and their hyper-activeness. She glanced at Lyndon and made a sound of contentment before she continued to watch the young ones. If Snowfyre didn't know any better, she would say that Wildfyre wanted children. But there was also a look in her eyes. One of…Resignment? Was she not able to do so? Just the thought caused Snowfyre's heart to burn with sorrow. Her children meant the world to her. For someone to not be able to experience such joy, for whatever reason, was heartbreaking.
Ten minutes later, the children ran to their mother and talked above each other as they tried to be the first to say they had finished. Snowfyre chuckled and told them to say goodbye to their father before she looked at Wildfyre. "Would it be too much to ask that your companions carry the children's bags to the Waypoint? Things are more stressful than usual here, and so I'd rather not bother anyone if I don't have to." Though she knew they knew that was far from the truth, they said nothing. Seemed they understood the concept of saving face and diplomacy.
Lyndon and Eirena nodded as they lowered their weapons and went to fetch the supplies. Eirena took the lighter of the three bags, and Lyndon took the heavier four. During the time it took them to gather the packs, Snowfyre slid her scepter into its case on her back. As Lyndon walked past Snowfyre, she barely heard him mumble. It sounded like something about how demeaning it was for a Master Thief such as himself to be doing someone else's manual labor. She chuckled, which caused Wildfyre to blush.
Eirena and Lyndon took the lead. Once Snowfyre had taken Petyr's hand in her left, and Arya's in her right, she followed them. Several seconds later, Wildfyre fell in step beside her. She barely heard the other woman's mumble. A question of whether they could turn their backs on the man and truly not worry about him trying something. Snowfyre chuckled at that. "He won't do anything. Faolan knows that if he tries something now, and accidentally hurts either twin, that there would be no place on Sanctuary, he could hide from my wrath."
There was yet again silence for several moments. "May I ask where we are going? And why do you feel so certain we will be safe there?"
Snowfyre glanced at her sister, and then back to the path. "I'm not sure I should tell you. At least, not until you have no opportunity to run." When those words made the others skid to a halt, she blurted. "No, no. Nothing like that. I don't have the intention to harm you. If I wanted to, I would have done so back there. But my children are with me, then and now. That should be more than enough to assuage your fears."
At a nod from Lyndon, everyone continued. It wasn't long before Snowfyre did as well. "It's just. Their lineage isn't one most people would look upon kindly if they knew. And to be honest, I'd rather not mention it in earshot of anyone here. I know we've just met, but could you possibly trust that I mean you no harm? After all. That's what started the fight with my husband. He wanted to get rid of you. Thought you were lying about being my sister for whatever nefarious purpose you could imagine."
"My judgment is one of the poorest you can find." Wildfyre finally spoke. "But as a Thief, Lyndon has a sense for detecting danger and other falsities. The fact he hasn't brought up leaving is good enough for me."
She didn't know what to say to that, so she fell silent for the rest of the way. Once they reached the Waypoint, Lyndon and Eirena stacked the children's bags in the circle before they went around the courtyard. The two gathered as much of their own stuff as they could salvage. Only when they'd finished and made their way to the Waypoint did Snowfyre activate it.
Seconds passed, and when the darkness of the void gave way to more darkness and terrifyingly familiar shapes, she gasped. "What in the Heavens are we doing in the Realm of Damnation? And how did you even get that Waypoint to bring us here?"