Starting Date and Time: 59th of Ceruleo, 300 DM, Evening

Starting Location: Camp, near Frigmount

CS URLs: Rilana & GM

Svarak looked up as he stepped through the fading, patchy shield that enveloped a huge swath of Frigmount and the surrounding Frostfell region. Even after all these years, he could feel Juloya's essence in the specially crafted shield, could tell it was her work. But nothing lasts forever. The death of magic ceased, soon Juloya and the threat she was preventing would cease, and he had this feeling that soon, he too would cease to exist. But for the first time in many years, coming to a rest wasn't the best ending to him.

Looking across the camp, he could see Rilana working, always keeping busy, always worrying for the safety and care of others. If he survived this, he gave a silent vow to give up his title, to just travel with her, or live in a quiet cabin with her in the middle of nowhere. It didn't matter, so long as the pair were free, and he could be with her. Juloya had been a crush when he was a boy, but a man couldn't love a corpse. Love was meant to make one feel alive, and for the first time in three centuries, Svarak felt alive, truly alive.

A troupe of dwarves, from the frozen statues, were already spread out amongst their own fire, cooking. It was nice to not feel the unnatural, or even the natural, bite of the cold air anymore. Svarak hadn't expected gods to return to the land so soon after the Death of Magic, nor did he expect to be blessed by one. He watched as everyone ate around their many fires. There were many perks to the blessings, and one of those was that various predatory animals seemed to bring them food. An absolutely massive pack of dire wolves brought them many caribou today, before disappearing. Food had not been lacking since they'd left the tower.

He grabbed a cooked haunch, moving over to the Envoy, sneaking up behind her, whispering in her ear, "Come, join me." He then moved past her to his own private camp fire, sitting upon an already warmed rock, pulling a couple of serving knives out, one for each of them, patting the spot next to him.

True to Shadaraliax's word, the weather was clear for the remainder of their journey, though it wouldn't be fair to say that the going was easy. There were still miles of the winter-locked wilderness to traverse, and the unnatural storm, in spite of being swept away but the God of Ice, had left damage in its wake. Even so, Rilana knew this land, and with no other major hindrances the Moon Fey was finally able to let her survival skills shine.

It was on the last evening of the year and the expanded party had set up camp, the scent of fresh meat roasting filling the air. The intricacies of the blessing given unto them by the dragon were still being discovered, but having food delivered to them by wild predators was certainly not unwelcome (though Rilana secretly fretted that the slinking wolves and golden-eyed cave lions leaving bloodied carcasses out for them were going hungry themselves!)

Kona healed quickly, the ice-arrow wound on his ribs more painful than life-threatening, and he served as both Rilana's mount when they were on the move, and a scout when she could spare him. The Druid had generously given up Bruin for some of the statue people to ride. Putting their slowest travelers on ram-back helped the group move faster as a whole.

It wouldn't be long until the glittering spires of Frigmount came into view between the white peaks of the mountains. Not long until they would see the flat permafrost plains where mammoth and wooly rhino wandered in small herds. Not long before they would all see the immense blue-green wall of the glacier that seemed to glow in fantastical colours even at night. Not long until Rilana would have to face Juloya and the hateful creature imprisoned within her, and help Svarak to kill her.

Staying busy helped keep her mind off the uncertain future. And the fact that a change had come over Svarak. He seemed less distant, less aloof. Rilana liked that, but Kona wouldn't let her forget what she had seen with her hand on the sword.

And Rilana was glad that the null shard was back in the Charr's possession. The cut on her hand was painful but healing quickly, the homunculus medic had made sure it was healing. At present, Rilana was stashing her longbow in her tent after spending some time practicing with it, her complete failure during the events of the tower still fresh on her mind.

Standing upright, she froze, feeling someone large and solid standing behind her. Kona was resting nearby and lifted his head, staring with wide blue eyes at Svarak, though he didn't growl.

"Come, join me."

He walked past towards his own campfire and Rilana hesitated, glancing at Kona, who twitched his ear-tufts and whuffed disapprovingly.

Oh, stop it. Can't you just let me enjoy myself before...

There was no need to finish. Rilana followed the huge charr and sat down, sighing, realizing that she had been on her feet all day. "Thank you. I've spent so much time worrying about everyone else I keep forgetting to feed myself. That smells really good."

She glanced up into his leonine face, her gaze lingering along the shape of his horns for a moment before she looked away again. "I can feel the shield. I couldn't when I passed this way last time. I guess I'm expecting it." That her own awareness had strengthened in the intervening months didn't occur to her. "I think the sky will be full of lights again tonight. I haven't seen them since the night we danced."

She reached for one of the knives, her stomach rumbling audibly. She could see the crystal mark on Svarak's bicep as she took a mouthful of rich meat. Her own mark was hidden.

He smiled lightly at her, "I do hope you're right, they would make a nice farewell to this peaceful leg of our journey." He shifted around behind him, picked up his sword, and held the heavy weapon out in front of them, easily with one hand, so that the flat of the blade was at eye level. "I may not be able to feel magic as well as you, but this lets me see it." The sights through the Null Shard were distorted as expected, but Rilana and Svarak would be able to see the shield. It was many hued, much like the northern lights, but with enough observation, they could see that the differing colors were weaker spots in the shield, where the magic was fading.

He put the sword away after a while, "It's nearly time, we're what, two days out? If only that dance could've lasted longer." He carved them off some chunks from the haunch of meat, "You've really come into your own with this position. You've done admirably well. I do hope you'll maintain it after this venture is done. It would be so nice for you to be around more."

He began eating quietly, looking out over the large camp. This journey had been so very relaxing and cathartic for him. He never expected that he'd nearly die that early on. Perhaps he'd grown arrogant and lazy in his age. He wondered how many other challenges there were out there for him, things he could overcome, to become stronger. It was nice having people rely on him for more than paperwork, to trust him, for him to trust. There were no politics on this journey. There was simply survival and moving forward.

There was just one last obstacle.

"How did it feel finding out you were in this... Cage, but not knowing you were in it for so long?" He wondered which was worse, having freedom taken away, or never having known it.

"Feel magic?"

Could she feel magic? She had felt many things on this journey, most of them confusing and terrifying and heart-wrenching. Certainly magic had been involved, but Rilana didn't consider that she could feel magic in general. It was more like magic had washed over her from powerful sources like the null shard, a dragon god, and a deranged shield-mage moon fey, as strong and undeniable as the waves of the ocean, with herself being no more talented for being able to feel them. Thinking about it, she looked around at the camp spread out before them, trying to sense anything special. Without even looking she knew where Kona was, and Ortha, and if she concentrated she could even see through their eyes. She could feel Ortha's insatiable hunger and naive curiosity. She could feel Kona's disapproval and cool superiority. For a moment it seemed that she could feel the living energy of everything around them, even the people, the same way she felt Kona and Ortha's life forces when she Bound herself to them. Svarak's, being the closest, was huge and warm beside her.

When Svarak produced the sword, Rilana eyed it warily, her expression stony as she refused to touch it. "I cut myself on it in the tower," she whispered. "I heard Juloya's voice." Her eyes squinted closed and she put her face in her hands, trying to banish the memory of the pain the woman had been forced to endure all this time. She eventually straightened up, looking more careworn than before.

"Yes, about two days with the weather like this." Taking the cooked food, she ate slowly, noticing that it was delicious and feeling guilty that she was in little mood to appreciate it. "This is really good. I never imagined that you could cook. You keep surprising me." At least this surprise was a pleasant one. She watched him for a while, wondering at the implication of him wishing they'd had longer to dance together.

"It seems almost foolish to make plans when I don't know what's going to happen, or if the people I care about will even be around for me to...be with." One of her hands dropped to the silver sash around her hips, toying with the hem. She pulled one foot up onto the rock, leaning forward to rest against her own knee. "At one point I had hoped for more than friendship, but I know better now, so if we manage to accomplish this...terrible thing, I'd be glad to see you often." As often as her wanderlust would allow, of course.

She didn't answer his question right away, taking a few moments to finish a mouthful of her dinner and look out beyond the camp the the mountainous and winter-locked wilderness.

"For my part, I don't know that my life would have been much different until last year. I never had the urge to leave the Frostfell and my wild friends." She felt a bubble of satisfaction from the gryphon. "If not for certain meddling that brought me south," and she gave the Charr a pointed look, "I would still be there."

"But others will not feel the same. An entire city cut off for centuries? And not knowing why? I'm sure they will feel slighted, angry. And it's hard to blame them, even if it was the only way to stop...him."

There was a confused look in his eyes as she mentioned Juloya. He'd touched his blade many times in his long life, and never once had she spoken to him. It hurt to think that she could, but chose not to. When Rilana mentioned his cooking, "Well, when you've lived as long as I have, you find the time to learn many things, I'll teach you a thing or two when we get back." He said this with a smile as he continued to eat.

He turned to face her more directly, "A life without plans, regardless if they come to fruition or not, is a lonely one. If anyone knows this, it is me. I've had one singular plan this entire time. And now that it nears completion, I find myself relishing the idea of new plans, new experiences, new... friendships."

He nodded at her words, not missing out on her hinting. "Well, in all fairness, it was the plan of your ancestor, I just facilitated it. And I'm quite glad I did, otherwise we wouldn't have met."

He smiled at her, "And I think all could be forgiven if it means saving the world."

"And I must say... I don't think all hope is lost. And..." He looked off into the starry night, "I think this hope is beautiful. And I think it can be real. Just need to get rid of this one last cage of mine."

A shy smile lit Rilana's face at Svarak's offer to teach her how to cook. "I'd like that. I bet there a lot of things you can show me. If I'm going to keep my position as Envoy I should learn how to hold a sword without slicing my hand open." She lifted her hand where the faint red line of the healing mark was still stark against her pale skin.

Rilana had avoided making plans, as she had said, but letting them coalesce anyways wasn't as painful as she had imagined. In fact, it was kind of nice. Her blue fey eyes settled on his feline ones as he revealed his feelings and he heart gave a flutter that made Kona ruffle his wings. New friendships? Perhaps she could safely take that to mean more.

She turned away from the huge charr, but took it upon herself to scoot closer until her leg and thigh settled against his. She was surprised to find that her dinner was gone, almost proud that after so much anxiousness she'd been able to eat it. Her slender fingers wrung together in her lap.

You're fidgetting.

I can't help it. But she stopped. You know what I'm going to do.

I know.

You're not mad?

There was a long silence, as though the distant gryphon were issuing a long melodramatic sigh.

You're going to get hurt, and you're going to regret it.

I might regret it more if I don't. I've doubted him so much. He at least deserves to know how I feel.

He doesn't love you.

That shut her up for a moment and she glanced up at Svarak's face. That was the risk, wasn't it? That her first time would be wasted on someone who didn't love her?

If so, I trust him to not let it go too far without saying so.

Suit yourself. Just remember, if he breaks your heart you still have me.

I know. I love you, Kona. It was a completely different kind of affection than what she was harbouring towards the Lord Knight.

Me too, said another voice in Rilana's head. If big cat makes you mad, I can eat. Much meat on that one. Hopefully plenty where it counts.

A look of incredulous shock made Rilana's mouth fall open, her eyes slightly unfocused in that way it always did when one of her Familiars was dividing her attention.

"Ortha!" The balauradon was lurking on the edge of the camp, practicing creeping through the snow, hoping to scavange for the travelers' leftovers as they abandoned their campfires and went to bed.

Somewhat scandalized, a pink blush rose along Rilana's cheeks. She cleared her throat, refocusing on Svarak's face with a flutter of her long lashed. "...and I'm very glad we did meet. I just want you to know that if we both live to see the other side of this...thing, and if you still feel relish the thought of something new..." It all sounded terribly awkward, which forced Rilana to straighten her back and make a visible attempt to force ahead, "...I've never been in love before but if there was ever anyone, it would be you."

Her heart was pounding with the effort of telling him, but she lifted her hand and rested it on Svarak's bicep, covering the crystal mark bestowed on him by the God of Ice.

Svarak could see her nervousness but could not read her mind. What decision was she mulling over that was so difficult? This mystery, this lack of knowing was new to him, both worrying and exciting. He felt like he was back in his youth. And this time, it seemed, the woman of his eye actually seemed to want him too. For she didn't see the child that Juloya had. She saw the man. He smiled toward her, his food now finished, his stomach content.

But he wanted more.

And tonight was such a calm, relaxing night, probably the last they'd have for a while, no matter how well this mission went. His eyes turned hungry, cast on her, before bursting into a laugh at the woman's sudden outburst toward her Balauradon. He laughed heartily at this, wondering what caused it. The blush that filled Rilana's cheeks made it seem that it was about him. He watched her rigid nervousness return, listening to her struggled words, knowing the difficulty of saying how one truly felt. And then she said it, and Svarak could only hear his heart in his ears.

He felt her hand on his arm, and he covered it with his own, his face in thin smile, his eyes on hers. He stood, pulling her up with him, eyes never breaking off hers. His were hungry, not simply for lust, but for connecting with someone that meant something to him. Standing fully, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her against her body, staring down at her like a predator, his smile growing. "Then let us live, and discover this love, together."

He then bent down, and pressed his mouth to hers hungrily, pulling her body firm against his, as he kissed her. He poured his heart, his soul, his newfound lust into this kiss, letting it linger for so long, his hand firm on her lower back. And eventually, it broke, and he looked down at her smiling, before taking her hand in his, and walking past her, pulling her along, not toward his tent, but rather, away from the camp. He felt so young again, taking the hand of this maiden, this woman, this possible future of his, and leading her into the snow filled woods.

His eyes scanned the way, as he trudged uphill, passing through the branches, the dead foliage, saying nothing, but a jovial beat in his footstep, the moon watching down as their only voyeur tonight. Eventually the broke through a treeline, and they found themselves atop a cliff, with a single snow covered, boulder, flat and long before them. Here, the moon shone on them fully, and their camp was nothing but a distant memory. He pulled her in front of him, and picked her up, sitting her on the stone, letting her sit at such a height that they looked directly across at each other. He looked up at the moon and smiled, knowing that this would be a truly magical night.