Date: Ceruleo 51st 300DM
Location: North of Stone Crest in the Indiga Mountains

--

Choking.

Rilana couldn't breathe. Her chest heaved with effort and she was rewarded with only the stifling pain of something tightening around her neck. Thrashing against her attacker she tried to lift her hands to fight, to claw at the thing that was choking her, to resist the weakness that was already settling over her and urging her with its sultry temptation to just give up. But her arms felt so heavy! She looked around frantically for something, someone, to help her, but everything was already dark and insubstantial. Terrifyingly dark. Managing to drag a hand to her throat, Rilana clutched at the fatal noose and her fist clenched around something that seemed strangely delicate. Gagging as her strength continued to fail and despair washed over her, dragging her down like a riptide, she looked down to find her fingers twined around a dazzling silver sash. With a final gasp, she followed the glittering ribbon of silver through the impossible darkness to see clawed paws grasping the other end, the talons ripping the fabric with the strength of their grip. Golden eyes opened, gleaming like witchfire before focusing on her soul, and the light of them filled her with shame.

"You did well, Envoy, but I have no more use for you."

--

Rilana woke to the sound of silence, the deep hush that filled the world only when the snow had stopped falling and everything was muffled and calm. Sitting up quickly in her small tent, she reached out to pull the flap back and looked out to confirm what her senses already knew. The new snowfall had added a good three inches to the drifts. But the clouds were gone and everything gleamed with a magical whiteness. There were still many hours until morning, but the moon fey was suddenly wide awake. Moving swiftly, she scrambled out of her bedroll and searched through her saddlebags for her shoes.

Knowing that Kona was watching through her eyes she expected some patronizing comment about losing sleep or risking her neck when she had a mission to accomplish, but his presence was more passive than usual. He seemed to know that what his Mistress was about to do was a matter close to her heart. Of course he did. He was a part of her too. But if he raised his voice in a haughty quip she might change her mind, though she would regret it later.

Rilana's fingers flew, muscle memory lacing her thick leather boots up her bare calves. Wearing only a thin v-necked tunic in silver and blue that fell to mid-thigh, she emerged quietly from her tent, a pair of soft moccasins tucked under her arm. Her breath puffed on the air but the cold held no harm for her.

The snow-covered lumps nearby outlined the rest of the tents while a rising coil of smoke that disappeared among the stars told her that the unattended campfire had only recently gone out. She wasn't sure which of the Ebon Knights was on sentry duty tonight, but her lips twitched in a one-sided smile as she made a mental note to find out tomorrow.

Nothing stirred except the spiraling smoke and the sparkle of moonlight on snow. Rilana crept away from the camp as quickly and quietly as she could, her footsteps crunching only lightly, leaving a neat trail of bootprints in her wake.

The black trunks of sleeping trees were a stark contrast from the snow, and now and then she could hear the jingle of icicles rattling together in the creaking boughs. The wind was gentle on her skin, not even ferocious enough to whistle or moan of it's own accord. But it was the moonlight above that seemed to call to her, and though the Frostfell was still far away, for the first time in a long time Rilana felt like she was somewhere she belonged.

"I guess that's how you know you were lost," she whispered thoughtfully, "when the coming back almost knocks you to your knees." Kona was silent on that point. The notes of an old song floated back to Lana and she hummed softly, slightly off-key as she tried to recall the words while she walked.

The frozen edge of the lake appeared in front of her suddenly an Rilana paused. The wind was more vivacious out there in the open, blowing across the surface and exposing large areas of thick ice. The waxing gibbous moon seemed overbright and the stars wavered sparklingly overhead. A zephyr of cold wind and snow toyed at the hem of Lana's tunic. Almost without intending to, Rilana reached up and tugged the pin from her hair so that it tumbled down around her shoulders and down her back. Leaning down, she traded her boots for the soft suede slippers, leaving the former in the snow as she stepped out onto the lake.

She had no doubt that if she screamed, those in the camp would hear her. But she had put just enough distance between her and the others to give her some privacy.

"Is that all I need? Just a moment to myself?" she asked no one. Kona refused to answer, stubbornly forcing her to find out for herself.

The night was cold and beautiful, and as Rilana looked out on the frozen lake and the pristine snow-covered taiga. The only thing blacker than the slopes of the mountains was the sky behind them. It seemed wrong to want something more, but she couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen.

The entire world was waiting with baited breath. And then Rilana started to sing. Softly and half-heartedly at first. But as the fae words came back to her, the sound lifted and grew and became the song of someone whose voice was beautiful in spite of a lack of training, if only because her soul shivered with the emotion behind the words.

The moon above is glowing bright, shining down on me
I feel the northern wind's sweet kiss, blowing through the trees
And I dance all night 'til the bright dawn comes to wake me from my dreams
Oh, aye
Happy Birthday to me

And the tall shapely woman began to sway, one foot tapping gently with the rhythm. And her arms lifted. And with a soft hiss as her foot slid across the snowy ice to take the first step, Rilana began to dance. She had learned how long ago, as many young moon fey girls did. It was a dance meant to be shared with a partner, but Rilana made do without, twirling in a circle on one foot with her arms outspread when ordinarily the counterweight of someone else's hand in hers would dip and spin her.

The veil of lights fills the night, colouring the snow
There are years to come and I know not the places I will go
But I'll cherish all my memories wherever I may be
Oh, aye!
Happy Birthday to me!

Her path across the lake left a sweeping pattern in the ice, the trail one of carefree abandon. Rilana didn't notice at first when it started, but slowly realized that the dark patches of ice were beginning to glow with more than just her own moonlit reflection. Her graceful steps never faltered, but her dazzling eyes widened as she looked up and found the sky afire.

There's moon light shining on my heart
There are snow flakes swirling in the dark
I'm waiting for my love to come and dance with me
Oh, aye!
Happy Birthday to me!

Sheets and swirls of blue and green flamed and sheeted silently across the heavens, haloing the dark mountains making Rilana's breath catch in her chest with the beauty of it. Her pearly hair gleamed where it hung around her face, the colours of the aurora painting it with shifting hues.

I'll light a candle to remember those closest to me
The only gift I'll ever need is the joy of family
Oh, aye!
Happy Birthday to me!

Tears streaked down Rilana's cheeks, whether by joy or sorrow she could't know. How many birthdays had she spent celebrating in the wilderness alone? Or with just Kona beside her? Being a Druid had always filled her with pride and she was confident that she didn't need the large moonlit gathering that was so traditional a birthday celebration of her people. But tonight all she could think about was the time she had wasted that could have been filled with the faces of friends she'd never met.

There's moon light shining on my heart
There are snow flake swirling in the dark
I'm waiting on my love to come and dance with me
Oh, aye!
Happy Birthday to me!

Oh-ah-ay, oh-ah-oh, hara-la-dum-dee!
Oh-ah-ay, oh-ah-oh, hara-la-dum-day!

It was supposed to be a happy song, but her lone voice trembled across the frozen water full of emotions that swirled like she did.

Oh, the joy that fills my heart and lets me see...

But she couldn't see. The wetness on her face became a dusting of ice across her cheeks.

The leader of the bulwark of Tessanis, the true survivor of the Death of Magic, sat silently on a rocky outcropping, overlooking the campsite they'd settled into. The journey had been, fairly uneventful thus far. Sure, a few hiccups, but nothing major. But the winds had an abnormal chill in them, ever since they crossed into the mountains. It came and went, never consistent, but was definitely unnatural. It permeated his fur like the other cold couldn't. He had a suspicion of what it truly was, but he needed to know more before he could even voice such a thought. It was interesting that magic had begun returning to the world, as expected, but he had gotten used to the purist, normal world without it.

At the rate it was going, magic would be the death of him.

The snowfall reminded him of a woman from across the ages, his eyes picking out the intimate details of each flake he focused on her. Her hair had been silver, her eyes like the moon's shine. He knew that his return might cross their paths once more, for better or for worse. Many years ago, he'd been sure that he'd finished his mourning of her. But as it turned out, he'd just buried it down and it was now resurfacing. Though, to be fair, it had nothing to do with falling snow, or the moon's loving caress. No, it had everything to do with the woman he'd just watched leave her tent.

Rilana Aurorime'.

And the woman piqued his curiosity as she left camp. His gut reaction was one of treachery. Except they had no enemies, and she was hardly the disloyal type. She'd already showed her heroism at the tournament, and he was an excellent judge of character. It hadn't failed him yet. He followed her at a distance, noting her stealthiness, though it couldn't match his own. Watching her move in her natural world was quite appealing to him. It was as if seeing a flower in the wild for the first time after having only seen it in bouquets. She belonged in the cold world.

He smiled as his keen hearing picked out her words over the winds, feeling a stirring in himself as her hair tumbled free. For the first time since having left his empire's land, he began to realize that he was not bound by his station, that he could take this temporary freedom to heart. He watched her step on the ice, as he was about to reveal himself.

And then her song began.

He felt every word tug at him, speaking to him a bit more than they might have three hundred years ago. They pulled memories forth, both happy and painful. He remembered arriving in Frigmount for the first time so many years ago, an angry youth that had found calm in the frigid fortress. He remembered his hundredth birthday, knowing that nearly everyone he'd ever loved had already died. His memories carried him forth silently, feeling the ice beneath his feet now. He remembered his brother he'd had to kill, his sister who died because of his cowardice.

He remembered the last time he'd danced.

And that memory carried him silently behind the Envoy. He could smell her feminine musk, intoxicating at this distance. He knew her to be crying, his eyes watching the snowflakes settle in the cascade of her hair. His unseen eyes were hungry. He felt his time was coming soon, that his freedom would be short lived. He knew this dance, the silver eyed woman had taught it to him those centuries ago. Relaxing his stance, his hand gently and firmly found her waist, and spun her deftly around to face him. His other caught one of her swinging hands, and his eyes locked on hers.

"No woman should dance alone on her birthday, Aurorime."

With the that, he pulled her body close to him, as the unnaturally cold winds passed through them both. But he stood fast against it. Then he began to lead. His knowledge of the Frigmount steps had not waned in his years away. He kept their hips close, their torsos touching, his grip firm and direct. And though he knew the steps, the proper movements, there was something primal in them as well, his own flair. He kept this up, moving in rhythm, not with an unsung song, but with the lights above. He flowed as they did, ebbed as they waned, crested as they rose.

Many long slips into the dance, it stopped. Smiling lightly, "And how many years might our northern flower be now?"

Dancing was a delicious sort of freedom. It was hard to compare it to running with the wolves or flying in the breathless heights on the wings of the falcon, but the graceful spinning and balancing on her own feet came with a certain amount of pride. Perhaps it had something to do with a physical representation of emotion and beauty she carried within. These were things that Rilana felt, though she would not have been able to describe them in words, having not paid attention to her dancing instructor when she was young.

But everything came to a terrifying halt when a warm paw lunged out of the darkness and seized her hip, another gripping her hand as the lion-faced charr intruded onto her private celebration. She twirled beautifully into his embrace, though the shock of his sudden appearance precluded her ability to appreciate the move. The skyfire was bright in his yellow eyes and Rilana gasped, her belly tight with fear as she was suddenly plunged forcibly into the nightmare that had plagued her nights since the day Svarak had given her the silver sash.

Her free palm had come to rest as a clenched fist against Svarak's chest and she pushed against him, her features ashen. Her back itched as Kona raged indignantly on her behalf, and inside her mind the gryphon shrieked and snarled, urging her to scratch and bite at the Lord Knight, or release him so that he could do it himself. It was a miracle that the charr didn't find his arms wrapped around the foreleg of a panicked mastadon

But the Moon Fey froze at his words, looking up at him as sapphire eyes searched his face, her lips parted as she tried to quell her fluttering heartbeat. The wetness of her tears had turned to rime on her lashes and she blinked with surprise.

What?

What?!

"I'm not really alone," she contradicted him, leaning back but not truly pulling away. "At least you're using my name now instead of just calling me 'Envoy'." It was an improvement.

The charr moved into her, the deft shift of his sheer size guiding her back into the pattern of the dance she had started. The Moon Fey's steps were stiff and resisting, lacking the effortless grace of before. Following his lead implied that she trusted him, and she didn't. She didn't like his assumption, his smug self-satisfaction, and after the initial shock faded she felt a little angry that he had presumed to intrude on her...whatever it was she was doing.

Cavorting carelessly on the ice?

I'm allowed to be a little frivolous on my birthday, even if I did get caught.

But why is it only wrong if there is someone there to see? Kona wondered, calmed now that it seemed Svarak wasn't going to throttle the life of out his Mistress.

It was perhaps this thought that eased the Moon Fey's resistence and she relaxed in the Knight's embrace, her lissome figure matching Svarak's motion as they moved across the ice. There were so many questions. She was curious about the charr and after all this time knew him not at all. Who was he, behind the severe black armour and the authority of his station? And why was he here now, dancing with her? What did it mean? And why did she care? It was nice, wasn't it?

It's what you wanted.

In the abscence of conversation, Rilana became acquainted with the liquid-steel power in Svarak's muscled figure as he twirled or dipped her with ease. She began to trust his touch where his hand rested on the small of her back or her waist. She felt his soft fur between her fingers and watched aurora play impossible colours along the course hair of his mane. He was somehow different without the armour, as though the carapace of black steel barricaded more than just his formidable physique.

She even risked a smile, colour returning to her cheeks in the exhiliration of dancing with a partner, and when they finally stopped Rilana was laughing breathlessly.

"That was wonderful, Svarak, thank you," thinking the timeless moment over, expecting him to become the aloof and snide creature again, she was surprised by not only his question, but his comparing her to a flower. "Oh. I'm..."

She had to stop and think. "Thirty-six. Though I suppose that makes me little more than a child to someone who's lived as long as you have." Lithe and long-legged as a deer, she was pressed against him, brimming with curiosity.

Svarak chuckled softly, "It's not all it's cracked up to be, besides, you're older than me when, this... oddity happened. But that's neither here nor there tonight. Tonight is all about you, Rilana Aurorime'" A furred hand reached up and gently held her face, smoothing over where her tears had fallen before. It was softer, more caressing than what might normally be expected from the strongest known fighter. He let it linger for many long moments, grinning, before turning, tugging her along behind him as he moved across the ice as effortlessly as any Frostfell native.

The cold winds continued to blow, strangely sending chills through Rilana too. His sword was giving off a dull blue glow, as he led her to the shoreline, finding a nice log to sit upon. He tugged her down toward the spot next to him, watching the colors dance over the skies. "My people, my family at least, have a story for what those lights are. It is said that through the spirit world runs a great river. When you die, you arrive through the start of the river. And while there, you can stay on the shore, watching others come and go, or you can delve back in. When you reach the mouth, you come back into this world, and are reborn as someone else. The lights are the spirits returning to our world, ready to be born anew."

His eyes were sad, reminiscing, "I envy you, your freedom." The weight of his job wasn't as heavy as he liked to think. But the responsibility he'd taken on all those years ago, this cursed gift he'd been given, that was. He'd chosen to give up the woman he loved, given up his chance at a comfortable life, a peaceful death, all for the sake of... "These winds are surprisingly cold, unnaturally so, don't you think?"

He now looked over at her, "Did you become a druid before or after leaving Frigmount, Rilana?" He paused, expecting her surprise, "Don't worry, we don't arrest or kill mages, despite the rumors. And people don't know what to look for, or rather, listen for, when it comes to druids, for many haven't ever seen them."

Tonight is all about me? Rilana's glacial blue eyes shifted back and forth between Svarak's as she tried to puzzle out the hidden meaning in his words, her pale brows twitching together slightly as a confused frown met the touch of his hand. The frost on her face came away at the brush of his thumb and she leaned slightly into the warmth of his palm.

Why...?

Ask him yourself, Kona snapped, pacing angrily, suspiciously, behind her eyes as he watched.

"Tonight is important to me, certainly, but I don't see why that might matter to you, Lord Knight." The tenderness of his touch, his wistful smile, Rilana wasn't sure what to make of it. But she followed gracefully in his foot-steps as he drew her along. The wind was picking up slightly and the icy chill put a shiver down her spine.

This is dangerous, Kona warned.

When she sat down she let herself press against the charr when she normally wouldn't, the fellness in the wind making her bare legs feel more exposed than was normal. Perhaps it was the weird gleam of Svarak's ice shard of a sword that made her feel strange. It was hard to tear her eyes off it, though she had no desire to touch it.

Following Svarak's gaze, she looked up and sighed. At least the skyfire was something familiar and comforting in the face of...everything.

"My mother always told me that the lights were where the Feywild touches Tessanis, proof, or maybe a reminder of where my people come from. But I always thought of it as a kind of beauty, born into the sky to match all the things in the life that are beautiful but invisible. Like happiness and joy and music and..."

You don't know him.

Rilana shrugged. A moment later she was looking back up at Svarak's face in response to his sad tone. "I suppose I have been quite free to do as I wished in life. Until someone ordered a horse to Ebonfort, who no one has been to for hundreds of years and no one seems to quite recall why that might be. Except for you." There was an accusation in her tone, but it was playful.

The breeze blew curling tendrils of moonlight around Rilana's shoulders and she couldn't help shiver. Having never felt cold before, she equated the involuntary tremble with fear and lifted her hand to her throat, making sure there was nothing there. "Yes, they do seem foul. I'm worried that it might have to do with something I heard about in Stone Crest...." And the paige in Ebonfort.

He asked her about her magic and she stiffened, eyes flicking to the hilt of the sword on his back as if she expected him to draw it on her. The look would have given her away if she'd intended to lie, but Rilana wasn't the kind of person who could spin falsehoods, relying on ommission or silence to hide what she needed to conceal.

"I...have heard so much about what happens to outsiders and magic-users in Ebonfort. I've been afraid for my life for months now. To hear you say that I needn't worry is...either a huge relief or terribly infuriating, I'm not sure which." Her smile was mirthless. "If magic-users have nothing to worry about, why is there so much fear?" She recalled spending time with Trix in Green Falls and her near-descent into full-fledged panic and felt foolish for having reacted that way. But if Svarak was telling her the truth, then half of why she had feared him specifically was no longer a concern.

"I always had an affinity for Wildshaping and working with beasts. Wanderlust took me into the Frostfell early and I Bonded with my first Familiar a few years later. But that was years ago, long before I left for Ebonfort and met you." She was thoughtful, trying to recall what it was Svarak might have heard that had given her away.

You always talked to yourself, even before you Marked me.

"And when did you become a knight?"

At the mention of how magic and mages are treated in Ebonfort, the weight of the world could be seen on Svarak's face. His hands cupped his face, dragging downward as he let loose a sigh. "That is unfortunately something I'm not in control of, nor do I agree with. Don't get me wrong, this magic popping up everywhere is dangerous, difficult to control. But not all mages are criminals. But, the other Lords support perpetuating the rumor that we kidnap or kill them. What we actually do is anything but. We offer them a job, in a special company of mage-knights. They don't disappear, they leave for training and work. And not all of them leave, they continue about their business, though we do ask them to keep their magic low key. The fact that innocent, normal citizens are living in fear because they were chosen to carry magic is horrifying to me. It's not what she wanted. But they feel if everyone fears coming forward, mages won't cause trouble, but that is shortsighted and naive."

He paused for a long while, breathing in deep, before returning to his relaxed state. "Is that voice I see behind your eyes your first familiar then? That slight pause when he or she speaks to you?" He smiled lightly, not a smirk or smug grin of satisfaction, "Druids are nearly always good people. They were great companions and protectors way back when. Though those that were bad, those ones," he shuddered, "Were nearly unstoppable."

The winds were growing colder and colder, the glow from his sword growing brighter and brighter, "It seems we will have quite a challenge on our hands in a day or two." At her question about his knighting, "I became a Knight when I returned to the Ebonfort, about half a season after leaving Frigmount for the last time. This immediately followed the Death of Magic. It was after completing a very select mission that my Patron Knight was tasked with, when I was his squire. He died during it, but I picked it up."

He looked over at her, "I do hope your beautiful city hasn't changed much. It really was a peaceful paradise. Though I imagine it didn't while in its little bubble."

Rilana looked down at the gray-white moccasins, the edge of the fur lining fluttering around her ankles under the touch of the wind. She tugged at the hem of her tunic, wishing it were a bit longer, listening to Svarak's explanation. Lana realized that she was actively hoping to hear something, anything, that would strip away the shrouds of mystery and fear and give her a glimpse of the man underneath. Not one to interrupt, she was quiet for a minute, giving herself, and Kona, a moment to digest. He sounded genuined and reasonable, but her apprehension wouldn't be swept away so easily, not if Kona had anything to say about it.

"I don't know much about living in a place where magic is feared and un-welcome. Perhaps it is a difference between the Moon Children and other people, but if those of us who didn't mean to do ill were afraid...those who meant to do harm would, by their very nature, work their evil unopposed. Outlaw something and only the outlaws will continue doing it." She shook her head, unused to philosophizing, looking out across the lake, which suddenly seemed desolate when a moment ago it had been a wondrous spot.

Svarak's sigh nudged his shoulder against the moon fey slightly, and she shifted away, turning to look up when he asked her about her Familiar. She paused then, but not because Kona was speaking. This time she was merely considering how much to tell him. Kona's preference would have been a dramatic appearance, called out from his Mark into the sky behind Rilana, proud and fierce and strong.

And smug, and arrogant, and annoying, she added in reply to the fantastical image the gryphon painted of himself.

"He is my first, but not my only," she admitted, feeling the prickle of skin as Kona's mark moved around on her back. "It seems I will have quite a few mementos of Ebonfort when I finally return to the Frostfell."

Rilana's expression changed to one of thoughtful introspection when Svarak mentioned bad Druids. What was a bad druid? What was it that she did that qualified as good? Could she be bad, if she wanted to? Rilana was typically a practica sort of person, but the last few months had not been very practical, and she was not devoid of imagination. She valued life and light and the balance of nature. But nature could be vicious and cruel and dark as well. Kona flexed his claws and growled in the back of her mind, and something sinister passed across the moon fey's face as she pondered on what kinds of great and horrible things she could do. The piercing scream of Kona's war-shriek, and the savage thunder of an adult balauradon snarling teased her ears. But that shadow dissolved almost as soon as it arrived, soothed away as if by the sheer pale coolness of the shifting sky. "I'm sure they were. But I'm pleased that you consider me a good person."

A person, instead of a lackey, you mean?

The chill in the wind seemed to blow right through Rilana, infusing her with a meloncholy that was difficult to fight. She scooted further down the log, crossing her arms and rubbing her biceps in a way she had seen humans do when the wind was especially fierce.

"Hmm. A paradise? An oasis where magic hid while it died in the rest of the world, you mean. Something tells me that this mission of yours didn't just fall at the same time, but had something directly to do with this...death of magic and the reason my home was in a bubble in the first place. How else would a charr live so long and carry a shard of enchanted ice for a sword?"

And after a moment, "Who was she?"

He'd expected her to ask about his longevity and his sword, but the surprise was evident when Rilana had asked about the other 'she' he'd mentioned. He sighed, the pain in his eyes at the forefront, "She... was a woman, a human woman, Chillborn. She was the handmaiden to the princess at the time, a glorious honor back then. For as handmaiden, she was tasked not just with serving the princess, but protecting her, training her in the arts of the world, be they creative, martial, intellectual, even magical. Her name was Juloya. She was a powerful mage, having mastered several disciplines, familiary among them. She was kind, selfless, endlessly patient."

He looked out at the lake, remembering those days vividly, "Did you know we had gods back then? Not far off, unseen gods that required faith to believe existed. Gods that walked among people, beings of so much power they could wipe out empires on a whim. And there was talk that a god was attempting to spread his domain, to become the God of Magic. None of the previous gods had ever had the strength or the audacity to attempt such a feat. If he'd succeeded, and all evidence indicated that he would, he could rip this world apart. But not just this one, all worlds, all distant lands, all peoples. And it would be so very easy for him. Thankfully the process took a good bit of time."

He drew his sword swiftly, laying it across their legs. It was cold to the touch, glowing slightly, "The leaders of each major empire, Ebonfort and Frigmount included, got together with their best mages, to figure out a way to stop him. And they did, a very nearly impossible task. One step of which resulted in what I am, and what happened to your city. We had to kill this world's magic."

He reached over and gently took her hand, and pressed it flat against the blade, and a memory forced itself into her mind, his voice narrating what she saw. Beneath her city, for she could feel that it was Frigmount, there was a massive crystalline stone, made of the same substance as his sword. Around it were a group of people, including a smaller, younger version of Svarak, standing there behind another Knight, presumably his Patron. "Our task was just one small part of the massive ritual that was required. That is the null stone, it is a very rare substance that is seemingly resistant to all magic, divine or mundane. Juloya, there," the memory showed a platinum blonde Chillborn standing before the stone, her body glowing with power, "Was going to use her magic to sort of... amplify the stone's power. It's complicated... a lot of the technical details above my head even now."

There was a crimson flash in the memory, and Rilana could feel the fear of young Svarak. A man had appeared in the group, smiling smugly. Svarak's patron gave a single shout, "Protect Juloya!" The man charged with several others toward the black robed human. With a flick of the wrist, their souls were plucked from their bodies, and floated before him, before he consumed them. Svarak drew a regular steel greatsword, but was thrown hard against the null stone by an unseen force, his body breaking under the impact. She could feel his pain, his surprise that he was somehow still alive.

"Juloya saved me."

A purple shield surrounded the robed man, and he looked annoyed, casting spell after spell at it, only to not have any effect. So he spoke, his voice velvety, "This won't hold me long mage, and when I'm free, you'll suffer a pain worse than death." The woman cast a blinding white light for a few moments over Svarak and his body knitted itself back together. As he struggled to rise, he saw his sword was useless, but his body had snapped a piece of the null stone off, a shard that looked exactly like the sword he held now.

Then her sweet voice filled the air, "Svarak... with all of them dead, I don't have the power to fuel the magic myself. There's still a way, but I need you to swear something for me."

The young man nodded, "When magic returns to the world, I need you to kill me." Rilana could feel the pain and anguish during this memory that he'd felt. She could feel the memories young Svarak and Juloya had shared. While she was researching how to perform the ritual, he assisted her, spent much time by her side, looked up to her. She taught him much about the world, about art, taught him their language. And he fell in love. But she never returned the love in the same way. She'd always be the woman of his dreams, and he'd always be the little brother she'd never had.

Juloya then cast the glow forth from her body to the sphere that trapped the robed man. Her body forced its way through the shield, merging with the man's. She was in control, so she held her own physical semblance, her eyes burning with the crimson light the man had exuded earlier. "If you don't kill me, it was all for nothing. I don't know how long it will take but..." she cast a blue light over him, "That will ensure you the ability to avoid the ravages of time until your purpose is complete. You can still die to blade, poison, and other mundane means, so you must train, train until you are unbeatable. Then slay me when magic has returned."

She then smiled at him, before the shield around her expanded rapidly outward, through the stone of the catacombs they occupied, encompassing the city and surrounding region, invisible to all others. She then walked toward the young Charr, touched his cheek gently, "It will be okay." She then walked through the nullstone, somehow, turned to face me, before one final flash burst forth, one the entire world saw. And that Svarak knew, thus Rilana now knew, that was the moment the world lost its magic. He saw her there, seeming to be asleep within the stone. And he wept.

He looted the bodies of his fallen brethren for anything of use, then buried them there next to her. Then Rilana was pulled from the memory, "And that is how I came to be, how the world came to be, and why I am coming with you. And that, Rilana Aurorime', is my story." He stood now, shivering, turning away as a tear fell, "We should head back to camp. This wind... it isn't right. Even you will freeze if you stay out here for too long."

In asking about the un-named 'she', Rilana received the answers to what felt like every mystery behind the charr's leonine eyes. The Moon Fey noted the pain there and her brows knitted together in a sympathetic frown, an empathetic reaction that was more a part of her than her own arm.

Listening intently, Rilana remained silent as Svarak described a world that was different from both the magical Frostfell that was familiar to her and the southern lands that had only just gotten its magic back. She barely even moved, her breath so shallow that it didn't even puff on the wind. Until Svarak drew the blade that was the colour of the inside of a glacier and laid it across her lap. She lifted her hands to avoid touching it, startled by the icy chill against her bare skin.

She tried to fight back when Svarak's furry paw took her hand, not even knowing why she was suddenly filled with dread. Her bare palm touched the giant shard and Rilana gasped. Her mind hadn't been a solitary place for over ten years, but having this memory forced into her thoughts was a different thing entirely than sharing her soul with Kona.

It was like the most vivid dream she had ever had, seeing things and knowing what they were because Svarak had known them and seen them and felt them. Trembling, she watched the entire scene unfold, her horror at hearing the fantastic story mixing with the terror Svarak had felt experiencing it first-hand. The Moon Fey's breath caught in her chest as she felt the young charr's pain as he jolted against the null stone.

And then she knew how the world had become what it was. All the answers were there. And Rilana found that she had rather not known them at all! How could she have judged him so harshly, now that she knew what he had done, and what he was even now on his way to do? To slay the woman he loved so deeply because it meant the difference between life and death for everything?

Nothing in the entirety of Rilana's existence compared to what Svarak had been through, so there was no memory even worth investigating through their brief connection other than the high, wild scream of a gryphon.

Tears trickled cold and unchecked down Rilana's face and when the memory faded and she moved her hand it was only to hug her arms around herself, shivering with the cold and the grief that clutched around her heart on Svarak's behalf. She felt Kona's confusion and concern, for he had not been able to communicate with her while she touched the null shard.

"I misjudged you, Svarak." It was a cruel twist of fate that as Rilana discovered all the reasons to fear the fearsome charr were unfounded and that there was someone she could care for under it all, she also learned that his heart belonged to someone else. The spark of whatever might have been between them blossomed and died instantly, and as the memories that weren't hers disappeared, she was left with the same feeling of unrequitedness, only now it was all her own to nurse deep inside. She felt small and insignificant, a single snowflake in a blizzard, her perception of the world entirely and permanently changed. She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around Kona's neck and let his powerful wings carry her somewhere cold and silent.

Wiping her face before the tears could freeze on her skin, Rilana stood up, looking neither fierce nor steadfast as she reached out to put a hand on Svarak's shoulder. "I will help you. Whatever...whatever I can do. I know how important it is. It...it will be okay."

Svarak had heard the Moon Fey's word, but his gaze was cast aimlessly in the distance for a long, solitary moment. His own hand reached up and rested lightly atop Rilana's that was alighted on his shoulder. "I do not know how it will be. I know that I can complete the mission. I do not know if I will survive it, or if I will want to. I loved her, but to her, I was family. Maybe it was just young love, but it felt real to me. And now, I must kill her in her sleep like some sort of thief in the night." He then turned to face her, "And the worst part of it is that I know that I can do it easily."

He lowered her hand to his chest, grasping it with his second hand now, letting her feel his powerful heart, beating steadily. "I don't know what help I may need. It might be the easiest task in the world. But, I know I'm going to need someone I trust by my side during this. And among those on this expedition, I count you as the only one. I do not know you well, I do not know your history, but I've seen it in your eyes Rilana. I saw it in your eyes at the tournament, I saw it again when you accepted the position of Envoy, and again several times during this journey. Those are the eyes of a woman anyone could follow, of someone with so much heart it hurts, yet can't stop helping others. I saw those same eyes once before. As you learned, Juloya was a Handmaiden to the princess, who was the active ruler at the time, for her moth was quite ill. She was the last of the ruling royalty, who as you know, are merely just figureheads now. She made the difficult choice to aid in taking away this world's magic, risking the entirety of her people to save everyone. She had those eyes Rilana. Which is why, when it came time for me to conduct my mission, when Frigmount had returned to us, I asked for them to send me her most capable of heirs. I was expecting useless, sniveling royal brat. It turns out, I've been sent the least likely of the litter, now that the royal blood has spread out into the people. And yet, you who showed up, have proven yourself the most valuable of allies. That is why I deemed you worthy of being Envoy, and why I trust you."

He lowered her hand and moved past her, easily sheathing his sword with his free hand, tugging her along gently, "Come Rilana, this cold will be the death of us." He led the way back to camp, standing at her tent, "If you ever need to talk in private again, about anything, my tent is always open to you."

The silent dance of skyfire had begun to fade, fleeing away to the north to leave the stars and the moon to gleam pale and distant and cold, as though the far-reachingness of Rilana's conversation with Svarak had banished the beautiful glow just as it had chilled the naive joy of her birthday celebration. The Moon Fey inhaled sharply at Svarak's words, her head shaking briefly to deny his sentiment. The reflections in her eyes had gone, leaving them a dark, fathomless blue. There was nothing for her to say on the subject of love, and she shied away from that topic lest it turn out to be something sharp and full of pain. But she did not want to hear him say that he wanted to die. Even so, her protest remained unspoken. It was his life, his choice, and if Rilana knew anything after tonight it would be that there was yet so much more that she didn't know. Thinking that he might complete this terrible duty and then perish...

She felt a tightening in her chest and Kona's presence seemed to growl and curl, as though protected her heart from the outside world. The Druid needed the help.

"Whatever the strength of your arm," Rilana said, "I do not think it will be easy. I can't even imagine how much courage it will take to do what you have to do."

When Svarak pressed her palm to his broad chest, Rilana didn't look down, though her fingers stretched to slide through his fur, laying flat against him to feel his pulse. She imagined that her own was fluttering weakly. His next words left her stunned. He talked about her eyes and to Rilana's immense surprise, she was able to resist the urge to look away, though her pale cheekbones flushed hot. There was a flicker of doubt on her face as Kona warned her to not let her thoughts run too wild until she gave herself time to process all this.

"It does hurt," she murmured thoughtfully, partly distracted for a moment. "It makes me feel better to know that you trust me, Svarak. And knowing that, I'll be glad to return the favour. I had been hoping that my Elders would resent my title of Envoy and strip it from me when we arrive, freeing me of..." she gestured with her free hand to indicate the expedition as a whole, "all of this. But if..." If all he'd said was true, "...it seems that may be unlikely. But perhaps it won't be so bad. I can think of at least one reason to keep returning to Ebonfort, if that's where you end up when all of this is done." She risked a faint smile, though it didn't reach all the way to her eyes.

She was glad enough to get out of the unnatural wind, looping her arm through Svarak's and walking through the snow at his side. Now and then she glanced up thoughtfully but other than when she paused to grab her boots, their trip back to the silent camp was equally wordless.

His parting invitation to find him in his tent earned a hurried nod from the Moon Fey and she ducked inside, watching him move away until he was out of sight. That night her dreams were worse than ever, but instead of being suffocated by a silver noose, she was climbing a silver rope up out of a crimson pit.

Skills
Observation: 7
Stealth: 1
Philosophy: 4
Singing: 5
Dancing: 8
Socialization: 3
Negotiation: 1

Knowledge:
Svarak's Fable of Skyfire
Ebonfort Law: Magic isn't Illegal
Svarak: Became a Knight After Frigmount Mission, Before Death of Magic
Juloya: Handmaiden to the Last Ruling Princess of Frigmount
Gods Existed before the Death of Magic
Death of Magic: The Nameless God That Led to it
Death of Magic: Null Stone Ritual
Svarak: Tasked with Killing His Lover to Save the World
Null Shard: Can Transfer Memories
Promise: To Assist Svarak on his Mission
Nagging Thought: I am an Heir to the Royal Family?
Svarak Had Rilana Sent to Ebonfort

Other
N/A