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"Oh, trust me, I know my mother tends to worry about me, that isn't too hard to figure out... And I've been around for far too long to not know how to tell that... Fairly certain she worries about all of us, even though she knows that we can handle ourselves..." he said, nodding his head at Myth and giving her a bit of a smile. He understood the whole, worrying about your children thing all too well. Initially, he and Halley had basically drawn straws to see who would help take care of the twins and Tate if possible and keep an eye on them as neither one of them had wanted to originally. As time went on, he realized how much he cared for them, and he did worry about them a lot, especially after he had lost track of time in Asgard (as a few years was nothing to him) and came back to realize what all had been going on.

Hearing his mother's voice as she came into the room, he turned to look at her, "Hello mother," he said simply, giving her a smile. Hearing that they would be keeping everyone waiting was a bit confusing for him, but after a moment, he understood what it was she was saying. So, second shot at a wedding? That would be a good thing, and at least this time around, if anything tried to get in the way they also had a mob of Asgardians there who would be able to stop it. "Fairly certain there were a few other things to cause problems last time Myth, let us go then," he said, taking her hand and heading after Runa to the Great Hall.

---

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Hearing the words of everyone else, Valda was just thinking about what sorts of things they could possibly do against Fleur. The witch was a very powerful person, and no matter what happened, it would not be very easy to fight against her. They couldn't do this sort of thing alone, but she didn't really know if they had much of a choice. Other lands were having problems, war and conflicts of their own, none of them likely would be able to aid them against a potential strike from Fleur and her witches.

Hearing what Myrus had said about the ring, and since she was open to just about any ideas, she looked at the thing, curious as to what it was or what significance it could potentially have. She waited a few moments to ensure that everyone had gotten a chance to see it before she picked up the ring, a bit curious as to what it exactly was. Hearing everyone else's words, she turned and looked at them, "...You'd be surprised what sort of secrets just about any simple object might have... As for using you as bait Luna, that is out of the question and not happening..." she said as she went back to looking at the ring closely. Valda truly was curious as to the secrets it might have.

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Baldur and Nanna had been invited to a feast thrown by Odin for his children and their spouses. However, they had had a child less than a year ago and were worried to leave her alone. They also didn't quite trust their son, Forseti, with a child. He had a nasty habit of doling out punishment that they were attempting to cure the young adult of - and besides, he had been invited to come along to the All Father's gathering too. This meant that Baldur's niece, Klara, had been asked to babysit for a few hours. Baldur's grand home was secured and baby proofed, and at the moment, baby Runa had somehow managed to get out of her crib and was crawling to freedom!

Klara wasn't too sure what to do, she'd never really been around babies before, as she didn't have any siblings. She went to go see Runa and saw that she was crawling away. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Klara asked, before she walked over and picked her up. "You aren't supposed to do that I don't think."

Baby Runa made a bit of a funny face, giggling as she looked at Klara.

Klara couldn't help but giggle slightly right back at her. She sat down in a chair, holding onto her. "You are a bit of a troublemaker," she said happily, before she created a bit of a swirl effect with water up in the air above Runa.

The baby glanced up at the water for a moment, still making that funny face, before she then let out a stream of practically projectile vomit, hitting Klara in the face. When she finished, baby Runa clapped her hands together, proud of what she had done. She just shrugged slightly in response, using her powers to clean herself off rather quickly with water. "You are so silly, why do you think that is funny?" she said, shaking her head.

"Probably because she's a baby," Forseti commented, standing in the doorway. He seemed to have appeared in a beam of light.

"Aren't you supposed to be at some party or whatever?" Klara asked, glancing over at Forseti.

"Father forgot something, asked me to come back and grab it," Forseti said, walking over. "Now give me my sister. I'm going to take over for you, since you're clearly in over your head."

"No I'm not! They asked me to watch her, and that is what I plan on doing!" she said, shaking her head. Klara didn't really care for Forseti, and was a bit annoyed with him that he was thinking she couldn't take care of Runa.

"You're not even a century old - you honestly probably need someone to watch you," Forseti said, rolling his eyes. He surrounded the baby in light and tugged her on over to him and into his arms. Little Runa then started to cry.

"I do not! And you're making her cry!" she yelled at him, before going over to try and take Runa from him.

"She's crying because you're yelling," Forseti pointed out, holding Runa out of Klara's reach since he was a few feet taller than the eleven year old.

"Give her back Forseti!" Klara said, before she kicked him in the shin.

The kick caused the God of Justice and Retribution to lose his grip on the baby, as he bent forward. Runa was crying and she was there one moment and the next, she had gone poof as a little thing of darkness appeared and swallowed her up. "Damn it you made me lose my sister!" Forseti snapped. Baldur and Nanna had warned Klara that Runa sometimes teleported with shadows when upset.

Klara just rolled her eyes, "Well you weren't being nice!" she said, before she took off trying to find Runa now.

"I knew Mother and Father shouldn't have left her with you!"

"Go away! I can deal with this even if you can't!"

Forseti huffed, before he walked to the darkest room in the home. It didn't have any natural light coming in through the windows and his mother, Nanna, had covered the ceiling in moon lilies. It was his sister's favorite place to disappear to and once he arrived, he saw Runa trying to eat one of the flowers.

Klara raced into the room and simply picked Runa up to stop her from eating the flowers. "You shouldn't be doing that," she said simply, before carrying Runa out of the room, ignoring Forseti now.

Runa started to cry, wanting her flowers back. "She loves that room," Forseti told Klara.

"I can tell." she said in response, getting more annoyed that Forseti was telling her what to do.

"Look, she's my baby sister, let me take care of her."

"No, you are a big bully and think that I can't do anything. Your parents asked me to do it, and that is what I plan on doing, so go away."

Forseti bit his lip. "If anything happens to my sister, I'll hold you accountable," he said, his eyes flashing red for a moment before he left and returned to Odin's party.

"He's such a bully... I feel sorry for you Runa for having him for a brother."

Runa just made a buzzing sound with her lips, looking up at Klara and reaching her tiny hand out.

"You are so cute little Runa..." Klara said with a smile. She loved being with her little cousin, way better than she liked being around her older cousin Forseti. He was a bit on the controlling side in her opinion.

The baby then poked Klara's nose and giggled. Klara couldn't help but laugh, and she poked the baby's nose lightly in response to that. Runa then made another buzzing sound and then wrinkled her face up as she pooped in the Asgardian equivalent of a diaper. Klara said nothing, having been told how to take care of a baby a little bit before Baldur and Nanna had left, so she went and changed Runa's diaper fairly quickly.

"Kla-Kla," Baby Runa giggled.

"What did you just say?" Klara asked, looking at the baby with a smile.

"Kla-Kla!"

"You tried to say my name..." she was still smiling at the little baby Runa.

"Setty," Runa said, before just making a lot of random cooing noises.

"Now you are talking about the completely annoying bully Forseti. I still feel a bit bad that he of all people is your older brother..."

Baby Runa just started giggling, continuing to make nonsense baby noises. Klara created a slight whirlpool effect of swirls above them, just sending it swirling around and around.

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Arnora's question was readily answered - his adopted children were still with their babysitters of sorts. The twins had opted out of the wedding ceremony, as today was especially hard for them. It was the anniversary of the death of their parents and neither of them had been up to leave their dwelling that day. It was a similar answer for Antonije, and he was spending the day of mourning with his girlfriend, Sylvi.

Once everyone was seated, with Bruce's parents and siblings in the front row on the grooms side and various gods of Asgard present, the ceremony began. Arnora's mother, the Goddess of Winter, had a small circle of ice around her chair and she gave her daughter a slight wink. She hadn't reached out to Arnora yet in the week she had been on Asgard - this was essentially the first contact that they had had this week. "I may cry," Runa whispered to Lance as Klara stood at the altar, the betrothed couple in front of her. The swords and rings glittered.

"So, we are all here obviously to finally have these two get married after what happened a few weeks ago. Though that definitely would be a day to sort of remember anyway. So without further ado, let's get this show on the road already. Today we have here Myth and Bruce, two people who honestly haven't really known each other for very long, at least in the eyes of an Asgardian... Anyway, they are starting a family together now, which is something all can really hope for, and finding love is not exactly a simple task really, but somehow the two of them had found it, and now here they are, to declare that for everyone. Now, as per the usual with this sort of thing there is the sacrifice of the goat to my father Thor, though let me just say Midgardians are really weird that way... The whole thing with the goat started because I wanted a pet goat, and people kept killing them instead, so I claim it as mine and it is now named Mr. Buttons and he is my goat. Now that we have that out of the way, now you may exchange vows and swords..."

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@KazAlkemi@eclecticwitch: At the Palace barracks...

"Oh, no, you can't," Apollodora said simply, as Amarantha asked if they could bring back the ExtraOrdinary Wizard quickly. "She brings herself back. I'm not sure when exactly, I always found my mother's penchant for detail to be irksome. Never really bothered listening to her when she gave the exact dates." She shrugged slightly, as if explaining why she didn't know how her mother took her tea, rather than when her mother came back from the dead essentially.

She then sighed a bit, realizing that this explanation likely wouldn't be enough for them. "Well, technically she never really comes back - as you know her now - the mind gets scrambled when in another dimension... So when she comes back, she won't really be Arya - you catch my meaning? Probably not. But essentially - she won't remember who she is. She'll just have all of this power and no idea what to do with it...." Apollodora waited slightly, imagining that the two of them would have more questions.

"Cute baby though," she commented, giving Mona a smile.

@FantasyChic: Over in the Badlands, far from the Castle itself....

Constance smiled slightly, getting a bit of an idea. "If we need more numbers... Then let us go to the Witch Country," she said. It was a country across the sea, on the same continent as the Lagoon. It was entirely ruled by witches, with the various Covens controlling different regions. One Coven would be the ruler of them all, until their Witch Mother was defeated by another, causing a transfer of power. "If you were to beat the Witch Queen - then you would have those legions to add to your numbers," Constance suggested.

"And it just so happens that we have the granddaughter of a Witch Mother from the Witch Country in our ranks - she can train you for the duel if you wish to go down that path," Bernice added. She was referring to Acantha Hex - a trigger happy witch. She was the one that had suggested robbing the Manuscriptorium in order to find a cure for the Sickenesse.

"As for the babe... We disguise Bernice and send her to them as a midwife, perhaps?" Constance mused.

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Myrus nodded slightly. There was an inscription on the inside of the ring, one that made very little sense to him. "It says the Red King..." he told Luna quietly. He knew that there had been a Red Queen thousands of years ago who ruled a terrifying empire in the Desert of the Singing Sands, but there had never been a mention of a Red King as far as he was aware of. Whatever the inscription on the ring referred to... it was just as mysterious and obscured as his father's message had been. What did he mean by hellfire? How would this ring protect them?

He nodded slightly at Luna's suggestion to take it to the wizards or the scribes - he didn't think the wizards would be much help at the moment. Rowland had only just resumed the post and there was so much he had to do since Arya's death. Myrus' expression softened at the very thought. She had died to protect the Castle - sacrificing her life so that way others could live. Would he himself be capable of something like that one day? Could he do it now? He knew that he would trade places with his siblings if they were in mortal peril in a heartbeat but... for strangers? It was the noblest thing he could think of. "N-no, you aren't going to be bait! I-I can't lose you..." Myrus' eyes started watering.

As for Ahote's suggestion of an Alchemist... The only one he could think of was Selesia Rincewind and she had just buried an empty coffin. He didn't think she would be much help right now. "Valda, maybe you can use Magyk to see what it is?" he asked softly, not really sure how it worked.

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"You do like to look on the bright side, don't you love?" she asked teasingly as she followed Runa to their new wedding locale. Inside she saw people seated and waiting. There were more on Bruce's side than hers, but that was surely to be expected. She had noticed that Cuyler was there and on her side. She waved slightly at him as she made her way up.

Once Klara introduced them and began, going on about a goat she had now adopted called Mr. Buttons, they exchanged sword. She remembered the process, thankfully, adding the ring on the end before she offered it to Bruce. Once that was done, the vows were next. She had one prepared before, but she had forgotten it, what with a child and a puppy in her care. So she decided to wing it. She WAS a performer, after all.

"All right well....I had a big speech planned but I forgot it. Kids, am I right? All I know is that I can feel love here. I haven't known Bruce long, thanks for bringing that up by the way, but I can sense he cares greatly for others. For the twins, for Antonije, for the baby just born, and for me. I can also see where he got that from in his parents and siblings, as well as other family members. I hope I can live up to the expectations of being a wife to a god and a mother to his children. I hope to work hard to make everyone here proud to have me among them. I promise to make you laugh until you cry and be the best mate you could have ever hoped for. And who knew this all started with me jumping in your lap?"

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Fleur nodded. She had been debating whether or not to challenge the woman. She knew she could best her easily enough and the force would add more Magyk to their side. The more they had, the better the chances were. "Yes, I believe that is a good idea. And one I have been thinking about. I will speak to Acantha shortly." However, Fleur didn't like the idea of Bernice going by herself to the castle. She was a strong witch, to be sure, but the risk was great.

"Bernice, I will not force you to go on your own. I know you can handle yourself. If you believe you can do it, then I will allow you to leave and take any and all supplies you need. If, however, there is any sign of danger to you, you must promise me to make it back here. The child may be a priority, but any information as to what they are planning is also crucial."

She faced her coven again, eyeing their training. They were working hard and she needed to as well. "I'll leave you to maintain their training. I will speak to Acantha." She turned and headed for the witch. She found her easily enough inside looking over scripts. "Acantha, no easy way to say this. I am challenging your mother in a duel to defeat her and increase our ranks. Any insight as to how to best her is appreciated."

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Luna looked between her brother and sister and nodded slightly letting out a slight sigh, she was glad that they didn't agree with her suggestion either. But there was no knowing what Fleur was planning right now she could have spies everywhere for all she knew as well, Luna rubbed her arms slightly as she listened to her brother. She wished that she knew what the ring meant by that as Luna looked towards Ahote for a second at his suggestion. The Extraordinary Wizard sadly was pretty busy right now after Arya's death, and Rowland was most likely busy dealing with the aftermath of the wedding.

"Rowland is still busy after what happened with Arya at the wedding.." Luna said, which left the scribes and alchemists and her sister to try and find out about the ring. Luna still wasn't much of a fan for magyk since it had caused so many problems with her family, but she trusted her sister Valda more than anything to hopefully find out something from it.

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"Training on the side sounds like a good idea to me." Arnora said towards Cuyler as she looked towards him and gave the man a friendly smile and nod towards him. Seeing that he had gone over to Myth's side of the room for the wedding, she hadn't really gotten the chance to know Myth all that well either. As she took a moment she looked around the room once more and noticed her mother Skadi who was sitting not to far from her. She had been more focused on her training with Runa more than anything and hadn't really had the time to visit her mother either. And it had been awhile as well since she had last talked to her as well, as Arnora made her way over and sat down in the chair next to her and smiled towards her.

"How have you been mother?" Arnora said towards the goddess as she looked over towards the front of the room as Klara made her way up to the front of the room. She had never been married before or dated to many people before, as she listened to the speech and Klara claiming the goat as her own made her smile a little bit. Then the bride and groom to be came into the room, and Myth started her vows and exchanged swords with Bruce she was happy for the couple as well to.

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He stood when Myth and Bruce walked in. It was a Midgard tradition to do so but still he did it. He winked at Myth when she waved at him and he sat back down, listening to the opening ceremonies. It was rather different then the wedding ceremonies back home, as they never had an actual guard officiating but here the Goddess of Love was. Cuyler chuckled at his mother’s claim over a goat who was now her pet. He never knew that was the real reason for the sacrificing of goats. Cuyler wondered how many more traditions had changed meaning throughout the years.
Cuyler leaned back in his seat, watching the exchange of swords and Myth’s last minute vows to her betrothed. It really was a shotgun wedding but it had all the right things. It was just as good of a ceremony as any other would be. Cuyler felt privileged to be there.

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Amarantha smiled in amusement at Apollo’s explanation of her mother and how she would basically show up when she was good and ready. So, as of now, they were still on their own for fending off Fleur. She could care less about the ExtraOrdinary Wizard and her daughter's cry for help now. She needed to figure a way to stop Fleur and without Arya, the task was daunting. Amarantha really didn’t want to do it but she was thinking of reaching out to the Eastern Snowplains. They had unparalleled Magyk there and they could use all the help they could get. Even from enemies.
Amarantha twirled her hair, growing bored with the storytelling now that her Kingdom was in even more peril until something Apollo said peaked her interest. Perhaps she needed to keep Apollo happy after all. This one may still be able to help if she received her help in return.
So Arya would come back but not knowing anything. She would be a new person, different. Dangerous potentially. Especially if the wrong person got her hands on her. They needed to get to her first.
”This can not bode well. For Ayra to not remember who she was here, with the power she holds. Depending on when she comes back could spell disaster if she looks to the wrong people. How are we supposed to help you with what you ask? We are in the middle of an upcoming war, excuse me if we can't not promptly assist you.” Nothing about Amarantha's statement was polite or sympathetic.

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Yes, tragedy had just struck many of the people here in the Castle with the death of their ExtraOrdinary Wizard but Ahote felt that they would want to help still. There was also the thought on the back of his mind that they didn’t much have a choice but it was not Ahote’s place and so he remained silent.
Red King. What a peculiar statement. Ahote couldn’t help but think of Prince Myrus though. His power had a red colouring and his father gifted him with this ring. Surely he knew something. The hellfire though. Ahote had never heard of such a thing. Was it a literal fire? Was it ethereal? These texts they spoke of had to have some information in them, surely. They had to narrow down their search first though.
”How much of your family history do you know? Was there much Magyk in it?”

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Bruce nodded, giving Myth a bit of a smile as he followed after her into the Great Hall, both of them following his mother. He knew everyone who was within the Great Hall fairly well, not so much the newcomers who weren't usually around Asgard. It didn't matter to him too much though, as long as they actually got the wedding done and over with before it ended up getting screwed up for some reason or another. Though he did have to fight back the urge to laugh at Klara's words, as she went on about always wanting a pet goat. She constantly had mentioned it when he was growing up, that he did know.

Taking a bit of a breath when it was his turn to talk, he gave Myth another smile, "I've never been one to really talk for a long time, or really talk in front of groups if I can't help it, but I'm glad for the chance to be able to talk about you. I never thought I'd be able to find love or anything, especially considering how long I've been around, but that thought changed when I met you Myth. It doesn't matter that we haven't known each other for very long, none of that really matters except for the feelings I have for you, and I am more than happy to be starting a family with you. I love you Myth, and I do have to agree, who knew those months ago that we'd be here right now."

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Valda was just listening in on the conversations that the others were carrying out, just looking at the ring. There was something about it that seemed interesting to her, but she wasn't positive what exactly it was. She shook her head slightly when someone suggested talking to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard about what this ring could potentially be for. Rowland was a nice person, and she wanted to give him some time to deal with the aftermath of Arya's death before she interrupted him with anything that couldn't wait a little longer. Let him be for a little bit, it was the least she could do really.

After a moment, he eyes widened as she realized something about the ring, and looked up at the others who were there now. "The ring... It's enchanted to unlock something, so it does have some Magyk. Now, what it is that it unlocks, I don't know... I can't tell you too much about it... And I for one think that we can ask Rowland in a little while perhaps, not right away. The ring isn't going to be going anywhere... And he is busy dealing with other things... That sort of thing can wait... Maybe we should see what we can figure out on our own about the ring without his help..."

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In the back of the Great Hall, out of sight to those attending the wedding but visible to the lovebirds and the Goddess of Love, a man in simple green attire stepped into view. He smiled at the couple, giving them a slight wink. Yet in another moment, he was gone and the ceremony was allowed to come to its natural conclusion. Bruce Banner and Myth the Muse were officially wed. And while it had been a bit of a shotgun wedding, Asgardians never turned down a chance to feast, celebrate, and honor their ancestors.

"Well, congrats, I now pronounce you as newlyweds. Now kiss each other already or I'll use my powers over love to make you kiss already."

"Come - it is time for merriment," Thor announced with a chuckle, standing up from where he had been seated on the groom's side. Arnora's mother hesitated for a moment, glancing around in order to see if it would be appropriate to speak now. "Quite busy - the giants have begun to stir as of late on Jotunheim," Skadi explained to her daughter in a hushed voice. "Once you finish training in magic, I would like to train you to slaughter Frost Giants."

Skadi then sat back, looking like she had been merely commenting on the weather. Thor then motioned for everyone to follow him, leading them through a side chamber and into the Feasting Hall, where a decadent spread had been prepared. There was every type of game one could imagine prepared, with plenty of ale to go around and fresh bread.

"Congratulations," Runa told Bruce and Myth with a smile. She gave them each a huge hug. "I have always wanted another daughter, though I think my husband wishes we had more sons," she said playfully.

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@KazAlkemi@eclecticwitch: At the Palace barracks...

"You haven't changed in the slightest, Amarantha," Apollodora said with a grin. It would immediately become apparent to Amarantha who had trained Apollodora - who had taught her how to sneak up on individuals flawlessly, to fight without ever giving in. Apollodora would be Amarantha's pupil in the future. "As for assistance... Well, I will need your aid once my father returns home from the land of the gods. If he does not return in six months time, then we will need to lure him down to Midgard," she explained.

"Though you don't need to worry about if she'll look to the wrong people," she then added. "I can answer that for you now. She will," Apollodora explained firmly, without a single doubt. "My mother has the capacity for great good and great evil. Blaise Rowland will know that better than anyone else - he knows what she is and went to great lengths to save her soul."

"But the man that will find my mother once she emerges? His soul is full of darkness."

@FantasyChic: Over in the Badlands, far from the Castle itself....

Bernice had confirmed with Fleur that she was willing, ready, and able to complete her task. She then left with Constance in order to come up with an identity to use to infiltrate the Palace, as well as to obtain clothing that did not mark her for a witch. Meanwhile, Acantha started snickering a bit as she looked up from what she had been working on. Very few people in the Coven actually found her charming, but no one dared to say that to her face.

"Me mum's dead, so that would be a sight to see," Acantha told her. "But if you mean Gran... Well, lucky you. You'll get to get yours at the hand of the Witch Queen," she said with a bit of a smirk. She tugged a bit at her vibrant red hair, musing over Fleur's request. If Fleur died in the duel, it would leave an opening for her to take over the Coven. "I'll train ya to fight her," Acantha then said with a smile.

"On the condition that you name me your heir, of course."

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"Through the matrilineal line... No Magyk until Valda," Myrus told Ahote. Generally, the Royal Family found Magyk to be weird and messed up - until the situation suited them. Their eyes never turned green, indicating that someone had the Magyk within them. And unless they were CradleSnatched, their eyes never went blue, meaning they had become a witch. "But from our father's family... The Silvers... I don't know much about them," he admitted. He knew that his father's family had some Alchemists in it, but they were long deceased. They had high enough social standing at his father had married Queen Meliscente, of course, but beyond that the Silvers were not discussed too much.

At Valda's explanation that the ring was Magykal, Myrus couldn't help but be more and more confused. Was there another Hidden doorway somewhere in the Palace that they hadn't found before? Some of the rooms were disguised, such as the Queen's Room, and only blood relatives of the Queen could see them. Had his father set up something similar, with that ring being the key? And how would a key allow them to walk through the hellfire, whatever that was? Had his mother known that there was something special about her husband's ring? "This might sound silly but... There's loads of empty rooms in this Palace. Maybe one of them is unlocked by the ring?" he suggested. He couldn't really think of anything else it could have been. Was it a secret fortified chamber, one that Fleur would be unable to find them in?

"Some sort of... panic room?"

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Luna looked towards Ahote for a moment when he asked about their family history, aside from her madness that was slowly affecting her on a daily basis, there was nothing else that she really did know. And she wasn't going to reveal her illness to him at least not yet, Luna didn't know Ahote all that well yet either. She looked towards her sister as she confirmed that there was something magykal about the ring itself being some kind of key which made her a little bit curious as she listened in on the conversations a little bit more. Luna thought for a moment as her brother mentioned some of the empty rooms within the Castle. They could do it on their own for now unless they needed Rowland's help.

"Maybe we should try your room first Myrus? Maybe father had something in there that could be used for the ring similar to Valda's room?" Luna asked, since the Queen's Room was protected maybe it was the same for her brother's room. "That's where i'd start anyway." Luna suggested as she rubbed her arm slightly she was getting a little bit stir crazy right now just having to sit and she wanted to do something right now.

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Arnora watched the newlyweds as they finished their exchanging of swords and vows making her smile slightly, when she turned towards her mother hearing her speak. She had heard of Jotunheim and the Frost Giants, and they seemed to be pretty powerful as well as she thought about her training with Runa she had learned a lot from her. "Once my training with Runa is done I would certainly love to help you mother." Arnora said to Skadi and smiled towards her, while looking over towards Cuyler for a moment it'd be nice to train with him as well to. "I could ask Cuyler to help maybe once our training is done." Arnora said, as she heard Thor's voice she was pretty hungry now and wanted to get some food.

"I'm starving, we should join the others." Arnora said as she started to follow the others into the Feasting Hall, as soon as she entered the room she stared at all of the food that was there which made her mouth start to water and made her stomach growl slightly as she stood there, it was a lot of food there and she wasn't sure what she wanted to eat first.

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She was following absolutely none of this. She felt so completely confused and it was beginning to show by the way her face and eyes glazed over. She decided that it was better to just put all of her attention on the babe. She sat down on the floor with her not too far away and produced a rattle from one of her many pouches. It was merely a drum skin filled with rocks and meant for dances. However, it worked perfectly for a wee infant.

She shook the rocks for the baby and then handed her the wooden handle. From one of her other pouches, she produced a number of animals carved from semi-precious stones. There was a horse, a rabbit, a pig, a dog, an ox, and a bird. They were large enough the child would not swallow them and so allowed Mona to play safely while the grown-ups talked.

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Once the ceremony concluded, she kissed Bruce and made her way to the after party. It was a speedy wedding, but at least they had one that honored the Asgardian traditions. "Thank you for welcoming me into your family. Though I like to think that the more girls we have, the more likely a chance we have to overpower the men and get them to do stuff for us. The joys of marriage." She kissed Bruce on the cheek, intending it to be a joke.

"Plus, you have a grandson now too. And again, thank you for caring for him. He looks so much healthier now. I can't wait to see him grow and thrive." Plus, he was part Asgardian. So who knows what powers he would have from her and Bruce. It would be interesting, to be sure.

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Fleur merely looked over the girl. The witch was not all there. "I don't care if it is your dear old grandmother, do not correct me again." Fleur breezed her way over to the woman, placing a hand on her cheek as her eyes glowed purple, summoning Darke Magyk that ebbed into the witch's mind. In it, she would see visions of endless torture, blood, and bile, the sounds of torment and pain. "Do not test me, girl. I am the Witch Messiah. I decide who will live on after me and you were never in the running. Do not test me again or I will ensure the rest of your days on this mortal plane are filled with excruciating pain and misery that you will beg me to end it for you early. Be thankful I have use for you or I would drop you here on the spot."

Fleur released her clutch and let the girl fall. "Now, I believe we have some training to get to. And do not think for a second to trick me, because if I detect any hint of deceit I will fulfill my promise. Now let us get on with it."

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Cuyler stood again once the couple kissed and were officially married. He smiled and clapped as the couple departed first. It had been short and sweet, nothing like the extensive weddings back home but Cuyler didn’t mind in the least. At the mention of food, his stomach rumbled and he walked out of the room, waiting for his mother before departing with her.
”So a pet goat huh? You’ve wanted one for your whole life? That seems like an awful long time to want for something,” he teased his mother as they walked. ”And you couldn’t have come up with a more creative name?” His grin was unmatched by any he has ever had. Cuyler was truly happy here.

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Amarantha’s eyes narrowed playfully as realization dawned on her. No wonder she so easily snuck up on her. Amarantha had always wanted to train someone who would surpass her. It seemed that she would and she had. She prided herself on being the best, at outmaneuvering the best but that didn’t mean she didn’t want someone to become better than her at her own hand. She just didn’t want that right now. As far as Amarantha was concerned, there was only one better than her and that was simply because she possessed Magyk.
”I knew I liked you for a reason,” Amarantha complimented. She looked behind her, watching Mona settle back down to play with the babe. Dawn was in relatively good hands it seemed. Still, she would have to be returned to her mother. It seemed Amarantha had work to do. She looked back at Apollodora and listened to her further statements on her mother and what was headed their way. There would be two problems then, two problems that could very well turn into one.
”Then in six months time I will aid you. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about Fleur, would you? She is more of a pressing matter at the moment.” Of course the man whose soul was full of darkness was intriguing. It didn’t deter Amarantha though. She knew many dark men and killed many of them as well.

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A Magykal lock, how peculiar. As for Magyk in the blood, there was none until Queen Valda and that was simply due to being CradleSnatched. Ahote leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table. There was not much for them to go on and it seemed the ExtraOrdinary Wizard was definitely out of the question.
”Well how about we go to this Manuscriptorium that Princess Luna mentioned. We could start our research there on these symbols and this hellfire.” It was a loose suggestion but a suggestion all the same. There were was another suggestion now from both Prince and Princess. The Prince brought up various empty, locked rooms and since this ring was a key, why not see which door this key unlocked. This was turning out to be quite the adventure and Ahote was rather looking forward to it.

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Bruce kissed Myth back, giving her a smile, before he glanced over at the crowd, still smiling a bit, when he noticed the figure in the back. What was he doing? The fact that he was there one minute and gone the next was a bit concerning, however, he thought nothing more of it and he turned back to Myth. This definitely had been an interesting trip for them to finally be able to get married, but when he thought about it, it definitely had been worth it. They could have been fine without the whole incident at their first wedding attempt, but still, they finally had gotten through it and it was done with.

"Honestly mother I wish that I had brothers instead of 3 sisters. You have met them right? They sometimes drive me crazy sometimes honestly," he said with a slight laugh, shaking his head slightly. It had been a bit difficult dealing with the whole fact that his sisters easily outnumbered him. With Halley being the rule follower, Astrid constantly summoning animals at a moments notice, and Nova being the youngest and the one who was definitely more of a fighter than the others, it had definitely been a bit on the crazy side in the household. "Though I'm used to being outnumbered by now."

Klara laughed slightly at Cuyler's words. "I always wanted one, and growing up I was a bit of on the wild side... Just ask my father about dealing with pink glitter, I used to create little bombs of the stuff with magic. And there is nothing wrong with the name Mr. Buttons! It is a perfectly good name for a pet goat!" she said, giggling slightly still. Though there was one thing that sort of concerned her, and it was mainly because it had something to do with a sort of old grudge that she held against her uncle. She wasn't sure if she should bring it up to Cuyler, but figured she might as well, but she lowered her voice so no one else could really hear her. "I don't know if you saw him, he was only there for a moment and gone the next, but... I saw my uncle, not Runa's father Baldur, but my uncle Loki... I don't know why he was hiding back there, but it is a bit concerning, as I will not hide the fact that I do not care much for the man, and he constantly is up to something it seems..."

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"I don't think that would be the case Myrus, it doesn't make much sense to me for there to be a panic room or something like that... Though the idea of a hidden room somewhere is certainly an interesting one when you think about it..." she mused somewhat, looking at the ring still. The thought that somewhere in the Palace there could be a hidden room of sorts was an interesting thought, especially considering it could be hiding in plain sight or something since the Palace wasn't exactly very small.

Hearing Ahote comment about the Manuscriptorium made her think that perhaps he was right, that the answer to their questions about the ring could perhaps be there. "Maybe we can see about going there, looking into it. They might have information about it, and if the don't well, I seriously doubt anyone else really would know... At least there the records go back a while, so if there is anything that we don't know about certain things, odds are that they have the answers there."

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As Arnora would glance to her left, she would just see a small snow flurry. Her mother had the ability to turn herself into snow carried by the wind and it seemed that Skadi had only really intended to stick around for the ceremony. The goddess spent a majority of her time up in the mountains - a banquet hall hardly qualified as one. And as tended to be the case for gods and their mortal children, Skadi didn't feel the need to say farewell to her daughter. Contact was limited and Cuyler's case was extremely unusual, with him being brought to Asgard. If his mother was not the All-Mother and current Queen of Asgard, it may not have been allowed.

Runa giggled slightly at Myth's declaration that with more women, they could overpower the men. It reminded her for a moment of a rather small person who had once declared her to be a man-hater. "Whatever you need, Myth, you need not but ask," she told her daughter-in-law, pleased that the ceremony had gone off without a hitch. She was unaware of Loki's presence during the proceedings, and no one who had seen the Father of Lies - her uncle - had informed her. "Now please, come and eat - you need to keep your strength up," she said, to both her son and Myth.

"And yes, Bruce, I have met your sisters," Runa rolled her eyes at her son. "I did birth them, after all."

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@KazAlkemi@eclecticwitch: At the Palace barracks...

Baby Dawn giggled, enjoying the toy that Mona had prepared for her. The baby then got a funny look on her face - this usually meant she either was about to soil herself or something - and she let out a sneeze. Instead of just spraying boogers and the like everywhere, the baby girl giggled as the rattle burst into flames at the end. Fortunately, Mona would be able to drop it in time before she herself got burned or anything like that.

Apollodora smirked slightly, more interested in the baby than what Amarantha was saying about Fleur. "Is that Dawn?" she asked, chuckling a bit. She then returned her attention to Amarantha. "Fleur, the Witch Messiah? Where's the fun in me telling you all of the answers?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Though truthfully, I don't know. How much do you know of events that happened before your birth? It wasn't really the sort of thing my father spoke to me about... Of course, not that I speak to my parents often. I'm the black sheep of the family."

@FantasyChic: Over in the Badlands, far from the Castle itself....

Acantha stared at Fleur, before she nodded wordlessly for a moment. The images had impacted her psyche far more than she would ever care to admit. If Lady Luck smiled on her, then her grandmother would kill Fleur. She took another breath before her blue eyes darted towards the horizon. This wasn't the type of place to train to fight her grandmother in. "If you are going to defeat her, you need to train on a mountain - you won't be fighting her in the Badlands," Acantha explained to the Witch Messiah.

There was a mountain a few days journey to the west of where the witches lived in the Badlands. It was called the Devil's Sword. People were said to go mad there, turning on their friends and sacrificing them for nothing more than a trinket. "You know the mountain you must train on," Acantha then wagered, looking at Fleur. "We can head there once you are ready. I will train you there - it will take over a month, so you'll want to prepare for an extended absence."

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Myrus nodded slightly at Luna's idea. Maybe it had something to do with his room - but wouldn't he have found something by then? He had lived in that room practically his entire life and he had spent a lot of time with the ring in there, if there was something that it opened or unlocked... Why hadn't he already stumbled upon it? It didn't make much sense to Myrus and he bit his lip slightly. He was hopeful that the ring would have something that would help protect his sisters - but if it didn't, then he'd have the Palace booby trapped for Fleur just in case.

"The Chief Scribe is a bit weird... But they can probably help," Myrus agreed. He figured it had a better shot of working than just going around the house pointing the ring at doors, given the massive size of the Palace. Perhaps the Manuscriptorium would give them some sort of starting point, in order to be able to find out what the ring does more quickly. He didn't see any problem with bringing the odd ring to them. Valda was the Queen - they wouldn't do anything bad that could get her hurt in his mind. Myrus finished his plate of food, before taking the ring back and slipping it onto his finger. His hands were steady, a dramatic improvement over his earlier state.

"...Should we head there tomorrow?" he suggested, since it was getting late in the evening.

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Luna leaned back in her seat as she looked towards Ahote for a moment and gave him a slight nod she needed to go to the Manuscriptorium as well. She still needed to find something or a treatment that could help her as well, and maybe find some more on their family history as well. "I don't have anything to do tomorrow, so we can do that then. I've been meaning to go there again for my own reasons anyway.." Luna said softly, she was mainly referring to her own personal issue. Luna didn't know Ahote to well and that was information she felt was more personal for her anyway.

"I'm going to head to my room now, and get some rest. If you need me i'll be in my room." Luna said, though it was almost seven o'clock now and she'd be up for awhile still she wanted to have sometime to herself. And if anyone did need her they could send a messenger rat to her or just come to her room as well. Or she'd make a quick stop and see how Amarantha was doing as well, she hadn't seen her at dinner and wanted to make sure her friend was okay as well.

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Arnora felt a cool breeze as she looked over at her side as she noticed the small flurry of snow as it quickly dissipated, it was nice to make some contact with her mother even if it was very briefly. As she made her way into the banquet hall she was really hungry now, as she quickly started to make her way over towards a nearby table and just started to grab herself a plate of food and started to put some more on it as well.

Arnora leaned back in her seat as she watched everyone in the room, the bride and groom, and Runa were all talking to one another as well as Cuyler and his mother. She started to eat her food as she just enjoyed the dinner, though she did wish that her mother would have stayed longer but she had her own thing to deal with as well to.

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Mona just about peed her pants when the rattle caught flame. She quickly dropped it with a muffled yell and used her skirts to pat out the fire. She looked bewildered at the infant. It had to be a coincidence right? Babies generally didn't make things catch fire with sneezes. So, note taken, nothing flammable for little baby Dawn. Mona studied the charred remains of the rattle, tiny pebbles escaped from the burnt leather wrappings. It hadn't been anything with sentimental value and was not at all an expensive item to make. However, it was a bit concerning how easy it was for the rattle to become engulfed in baby-fire. She would need to consider a new way of making it, perhaps some stones around the outside that would give the rattle protection against fire.

She looked up from her wonderings when the spooky lady asked the baby's name. Mona could honestly say she hadn't the faintest clue. The child had not been concerning to her through her short time spent here and so the name never learned. They went on chattering about some witch lady and Mona went back to entertaining the flame sneezing baby.

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Cuyler laughed right along with his mother. He wasn’t sure he could picture her as a troublemaker. How different his life would have been if he had been raised by her. If he had known about her. It amazed him that his father never said anything, never let it slip out who he was. Maybe it was there, in his father’s eyes as he watched Cuyler play in the water, learn to swim for the first time and become an excellent sailor. Cuyler’s thoughts and laugh was cut short though when his mother leaned in and explained that someone else had been at the reception. The way Klara whispered it to him had Cuyler thinking that he had gone unnoticed by most. Loki, the trickster as he was more commonly known. Cuyler knew much about him, or very little depending on how you looked at it. The trickster had a tendency to live a life of double meaning so other than his family, which Cuyler was now, no one truly knew him or what he was up to. There were some things Cuyler knew. Like the fact he had once kidnapped Klara and Runa.
Cuyler frowned and looked about the room. His great uncle was long gone but Cuyler was now on edge. He wasn’t sure if his mother was nervous or even scared but she was trusting him with sensitive information and so Cuyler would take this seriously. His life was here, his family and although Cuyler knew he wouldn't be able to stay for long, he would protect these people and do what he could because they were his people.
”Father told me that Loki kidnapped you and Runa once. I never liked his stories,” Cuyler informed her. ”What should we do?”

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Thankfully, Amarantha was no stranger to sudden changes; although, the sudden presence of flames was a bit alarming. Mona was able to put them out right away and so Amarantha relaxed. She gazed at Dawn in wonder before she scooped up the small child from Mona. She tickled under Dawn’s chin and up the side of her neck. A new dawn, a new day. There was still hope to be had and what a dangerous thing hope was.
”Looks like I have something exciting to tell your mother,” Amarantha mused to the child. At Apollodora’s comment of being the black sheep, the commander smirked. ”I assume that is why you came to me for specific training rather than going to see someone your mother approved of,” Amarantha mused.
She shifted Dawn onto her hip and looked at Apollodora. The more she looked at her, the more Amarantha saw herself. It filled her with a sense of pride but also confusion. How did they get to this point? There were too many questions that would go unanswered for Amarantha today; besides, there were more pressing concerns and although Amarantha wished to pursue her own desires, she had made a commitment to the royal family. ”Now you know I like surprises just like any other girl but this is Fleur we are talking about. Any information is of value and you seem to enjoy bending rules. As for stories, I know nothing. My own upbringing wasn’t exactly, full of storytime or any useful knowledge that would get us ahead beyond brute strength and backstabbing…” Amarantha’s eyes seemed to grown distance a moment as she was transported back in time. The moment didn’t last long though and she refocused on the present. ”The knowledge I hope to possess in the future is all self-taught.” She looked at Dawn, waiting to see if anything else would come from the baby tonight. ”However, the Manuscriptorium might have some useful information for us and if not, there are a few leads of my own I wish to check up. If you wish to join me for a little midnight raid,” Amarantha said to her new companion with a devilish twinkle in her eye.

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”Tomorrow then. Perhaps we should go first thing, get as much information as we can,” Ahote said with a smile. He loved learning new things and although he was more of a hands on learner, sitting and reading new things wasn’t going to be the absolute worst. Especially when he would be among friends. He glanced over at Prince Myrus and rose an eyebrow. ”Weird how?” It seemed everyone at each new place was weird in their own way but it was because of being in a different land. But if the people here were calling other people from here weird, perhaps they truly were.
He looked over at Princess Luna when she announced she was to retire now. Ahote smiled at her and wished her a good sleep. He looked back at Prince Myrus. ”Perhaps we should go work on the usual before bed as well.” The Prince and his tutor had developed a bit of a routine and they would go through a series of thoughts in order to get the Prince ready for a dreamless sleep. Most often it helped but there were times were things would get out of the control, the only warring Ahote having of that being Prince Myrus’s shifting auras.

Titan, along with the other guards moved carefully from their positions around the dining hall, getting ready to follow their charges to their rooms. Once each royal was where they were supposed to be, the guards would temporarily change while the main guards attended to their own meals and needs before returning to their posts. Amarantha didn’t like people she trusted in the dining hall with the royals, listening to conversations that were generally private and full of sensitive information.

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"Yes, we have the upper hand. Again husband of mine, do remember: Happy Wife, Happy Life." She pecked his cheek again and followed Runa to where the food hopefully was. She was hungry and she had forgotten to eat that morning due to worry about her boy. Was the dog fed? Surely someone got to it. Her fierce protector. She was anxious to go out somewhere and play with him.

She didn't want much really. She was happy she was here, married, and now with a family. She should check on the twins and Antonije though, especially the boy given his ordeal. He had nearly succumbed to whatever it was causing the trouble back on the mortal realm. And Fleur was there and took care of it. She had no idea what to make of the witch. She had helped her, but did that mean she was good? She knew it would not be the last time she saw Fleur.

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Fleur understood and nodded. "I will go prepare and see things here. We will be leaving shortly. Do not be late." With a flourish, she left the idiot witch girl to grieve and prepare herself. She made her way inside to collect what things she needed. She would not need much. Some extra clothes, ingredients, a dagger (just in case). She packed it all and made her way out.

She sought Constance. "I will be going into the mountains to train to take on the witch's grandmother and collect her horde. I would like you to hold down the fort here. Ensure Bernice is well prepared for her mission, please. And should anything occur, message me and I will return immediately. Once done, we will make our way and collect the rest of our troops. There is someone else I would like to recruit once I return and for that, I will need to go back to the Witch's Road. Until then, be safe."

Then she found the girl and made her way to her training. She would become stronger. More powerful. Ready to take on all that came.

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"But you have to admit mother, they can be a bit on the crazy side, especially Astrid... Might I remind you of the 101 dalmatians incident?" Bruce said with a slight laugh, shaking his head. He remembered that incident like it was yesterday, namely because he recalled his father sitting there and actually counting the dogs because he was curious about how many Astrid had summoned. Hearing Myth's words caused him to roll his eyes slightly with a small laugh as he followed them to where the food was.

His mind wandered to how glad he was to be on Asgard again, this place was his home, it always has been. Midgard was a great place and all, but it couldn't compare to here. He would protect Midgard if the time came for that sort of thing to be necessary, since it is the only home that Myth has known, as well as the twins and Antonije, so he'd help out if he could. It was never easy for him to spend long periods of time from Asgard, which is how things with the siblings had gone horribly in the first place, him choosing to spend time on Asgard instead, but he was going to do it for Myth's sake.

Klara looked at Cuyler, as if contemplating how best to answer his question, or more of the information that he already had. "...I was a young girl when that incident happened, my uncle wished to cause problems for my father and a few of his friends, unfortunately that is how Runa and I got dragged into his twisted games... Anyway, there is nothing that we can do, as he hasn't caused any problems, there is nothing to stop him from appearing at a wedding, he is family too so... Just keep an eye out for him, he will not hesitate to cause mischief, it is in his title after all... Most of the magic I know, I learned from him, that is before the whole kidnapping incident of course, but still... He knows a lot... Just be careful should you ever come across him."

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"We can go there in the morning, to ensure that we can spend as much time as possible during the day seeing if they have anything that we could use there. Especially considering the fact that the Manuscriptorium isn't exactly the smallest of places, there is quite a bit there that we'd need to look through, especially since we know not much about what exactly we should be looking for, we have nothing to go off of besides that ring..."

Valda finished up her food, glancing around at the group who were there, she shrugged her shoulders slightly, not too sure what to really say about it. "As for the Chief Scribe being a bit weird, well, it is a bit difficult to explain, but if anyone can really help us, as Myrus said, they probably could... Anyway, we'll go in the morning and see what we can find out... Until then, it is getting late, and I'm going to take my leave for the moment, see you all later," she said as she got up and left the room.

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In the history of the universe designed as Earth-412 (so called that for the fact that the numbers, when added properly together, sum to 7, the most magykal number of them all), there were hundreds of cases of individuals being Vanished. In the very first cases, wizards and witches alike furiously researched and experimented, attempting to find a way to UnVanish someone - but it was never successfully accomplished. The closest attempt brought back the reanimated corpse and it was quickly burned in fire as to avoid a potential apocalyptic outbreak.

The area of study was largely abandoned by the year 12,070 - though a few were convinced that Alchemie was the answer. It was Marcellus Pye, in the last years of his extended life, who eventually deduced that the reason was atomic - every little particle that made up the individual was scattered and distributed equally across the universe. To reconstitute them would be a gross violation of Entropie and thus impossible - to make it occur, one would need to harness the power of a multiverse worth of stars.

Due to no one ever coming back from being Vanished, Arya Rincewind had no idea what to expect as she stood on the 20th Floor Landing of Wizard Tower - the place she had called home since she was scarcely seven years old. She could feel the hum of Magyk all around her, the power at her fingertips, and the odd energies coming off of the woman with the enchanted staff - Gandr. Before she could blink, Chthon cast his spell - Vanishing her, removing her from existence.

It was extremely cold at first - as if being plunged into a bucket of ice without any clothing and held there for hours. Yet just as she started to wonder what was causing the chill, it turned into a searing fire - everything around her became dim and she could see people speaking, see the look of pain on Runa's face but she couldn't reach her.

"Cuyler..." she whispered, as her world went black.

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She woke up alone, drifting in a vast emptiness. Rather than as most would believe, her first question wasn't who am I? upon realizing that she remembered nothing - it was where am I? She attempted to move and found that every muscle in her body was incredibly stiff, as if being used for the first time in centuries. There were no landmarks, just an inky darkness surrounding her. "H... Hello?" she called out. There was the taste of a name on her lips - something with a C - but she couldn't fathom what exactly it was. "Where am I? What happened?"

There was no answer. Her words echoed slightly as her heartbeat quickened. She recognized the weight of a necklace around her neck and she didn't remember putting it there. More panic set in when she looked at the amulet of Hotep-Ra and could not recall seeing it before in her life. One thing led to another and she realized she didn't even remember her life. Straining her thoughts, she figured that it had to come back to her in a moment. Had she hit her head? Reaching behind her, she ran her hands along her head, trying to feel for any injuries but there were none. She realized she was wearing a silver headband and she pulled it away, seeing symbols etched into it.

"Magyk," she whispered. The symbols had sparked something. They did not return to her memories of her life but they did bring... knowledge of her skills. Her hands were back in front of her and she saw an extensive burn scar on one of them. Had there been some sort of accident? Who had caused this? Her life, it was written and recorded in the scars and how she was dressed. There was a certain chill in her bones and she closed her eyes, taking a breath. When she opened them, there was a blue flame suspended above her hands, as if the Magyk had happened via just an unconscious thought or something akin to muscle memory.

Maybe there was a Charm or spell that could restore her memory? She noted that she was wearing a belt and she opened a pouch in it, finding a variety of Charms. Their weight in her hand felt familiar. Unfortunately, none of them were designed to recall memories. If she knew a spell to accomplish that, then it must have been forgotten as well. "Come on... Remember..." she pleaded with herself, just floating adrift in Limbo. Nothing came to mind. There was no revelation, no flood of memories, nothing of her past.

Had she been a good person? Was she wicked and vile? Did she have family, loved ones? Was there a lover waiting for her, desperate to sneak a kiss? How long had she been... wherever this place was? Did she do this to herself? Was she betrayed? All she knew for certain was that she had Magyk. Was that enough to create an identity based on? Should she even bother trying to reclaim those memories - would she still really be her if she remembering being someone else? Or would it be better to start over?

"Can anyone hear me?" she whispered. The sound of her own voice was foreign and strange.

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Had it been months, years? She didn't know. There was no concept of time in this place. She had not yet crafted a name for herself, but why would she need one? There was not another soul in Limbo. No one was going to refer to her and there was a certain peace she felt at that realization. She spent her waking moments practicing Magyk, falling into an exhausted sleep and awakening again in the darkness. For food and water, she had Magyk to aid her, essentially using its energies to power her like a battery.

Her emerald eyes widened as one day, her surroundings changed. Rather than being surrounded by the same nothingness, she noticed a sort of violet distortion. She hesitantly moved towards it, feeling it buzz with Magyk as she touched her fingertips to it. As if possessed, she then plunged herself through the ripple, the portal, and emerged in a strange place. She was on a boardwalk of sorts, seeing houses up on stilts and ships coming in to dock. "Where am I?" she muttered, before spotting a sign that gave the place's name as the Port.

The moon was high in the sky and she knew it was night, but still, she had no idea who she was. Her attention was then abruptly shaken as she heard a scream - a young woman, begging for someone to help her. As if working by muscle memory, she went off at a sprint towards the sound, ending up in an alleyway of sorts not too far from where she had emerged. A man was in the midst of defiling the girl and she leapt forward, using Darke Magyk on the man. At her grasp, he started gasping for air and fell to the ground, his chest crushed by her Magyk.

The victim looked up at her in shock - perhaps just as terrified of her savior as she had been of her attacker.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Y-Y-Yes...." the girl stammered, scrambling to her feet and pulling down her dress. "Wh-wh-who are you?"

Her mind was blank. Her eyes glanced at the purple cloak she wore. "Violet," she answered. "I'm here to help your city."

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Luna sat in her room quietly writing away at her journal just to try and keep her mind off of things, she had forgotten to close her door leaving it open just a little bit. She was getting stressed out ever since Fleur came back at the wedding Luna was a little bit paranoid now. She hadn't even really kept her hair neat either that day as well, and was a little bit of a tangled mess as well from the stress and the voice in her head hadn't done wonders for her either for her sleep.

Amarantha strutted down the hallway that held all of the bedrooms, hers included; however, Amarantha was not headed for her bedroom. Earlier Titan had come and found her, explaining to her of Luna's situation and rather alarming appearance. It was odd and Amarantha was grateful that Titan had eyes that admired beauty but also things invisible to the average palace guard. Luna wasn't one to let her appearance drop. She held her role of Princess very high and was a perfect image for the royal family. Stress and disheveled appearances was not that.
She slowed as she reached Luna's room, with which door was wide open. Amarantha stopped, examined the hallway with passing servants and guards making their rotations. She looked back into Luna's room and leaned against the door frame, taking her friend's appearance in for herself. Amarantha felt a pang of guilt. She had left Titan to look after her, or Lennox while Amarantha busied herself with ways on how to stop Fleur. It was keeping her up at night and the lack of anything from the Witch Messiah was annoying. She thought the witch bitch would at least leave some sort of boasting calling card but there was stone silence. It was making everything and everyone worse.
"I could teach Titan how to brush hair if that would suite your needs," Amarantha said, breaking the only silence she could.

Luna jumped slightly when she heard Amarantha's voice and turned to seeing her friend was leaning just outside of her door, and quickly started to straighten up her hair a little bit. She gave her friend a slight smile and shook her head slightly and laughed slightly at the joke, as she started to relax now. "I don't think he would like that job very much." She said jokingly, when she did leave her room she did always make herself presentable but today she was to tired to mess with it and waved her friend to come in as well. "How are things?" Luna asked her.

"You underestimate what Titan would do for a pretty face," Amarantha said before she walked into her friend's room. She did shut the door before she crossed the floor and unceremoniously plopped onto Luna's bed. Luna's room had almost become a safe space for Amarantha to not be the commander of the Palace Guard. She was just, Amarantha: friend to the Princess of the Castle.
"Things are shit Lu, but we're making it work. What's going on with you?" Amarantha noted the open journal and pen in Luna's hand. "Is it still helping? Writing everything down," she asked.

Luna nodded slightly everything has been pretty stressful for her since Fleur decided to come back, and yet nothing happened at all either which was also weird. "You have everything under control." Luna said, and then she looked over towards her journal and then over towards Amarantha and nodded. "It does, but doesn't really help with the paranoia going around, and sleeping though is when it is at it' worse."

Amarantha smirked at her friend and leaned back on her hands. "Excellent, the illusion is working then." Amarantha stood and went over to her friend's side and flipped through the notebook.
"I am doing what I can but the scouts I have sent out can not find her. I keep hoping for a sliver of information but I don't want to send too many away and arouse Fleur too much. I'd rather keep everyone strong here and wait it out. Honestly, I don't know what the best option is," Amarantha said and turned, leaning against Luna's desk. "Have you tried counting sheep?"

"Hopefully she will end up slipping somewhere, and we can capture her or kill her." Luna said softly as she watched Amarantha moving over to her side, she watched her looking through the notebook and smiled awkwardly towards her. "Counting sheep doesn't really help to much either, I just try and rest whenever I can." Luna then decided to change the subject. "Hows baby Dawn that's her name right?"

"Hope is a dangerous thing. You shouldn't rely on it," Amarantha said and shut Luna's notebook. She didn't miss Luna's constant desire to change the subject. Well if she didn't allow herself to look like a low class person, Amarantha would almost let her get away with it. "Dawn is fine. Growing into a bit of a dragon really. Quit changing the subject Luna."

Luna didn't really mind letting Amarantha reading through her journal, she trusted her enough anyway as well and only allowed Myrus or Valda to look through it if they asked. "Hope can be a good thing as well to though." Luna said shrugging slightly, she looked over towards her friend and sighed slightly. "I just wanted to talk about something other then the drama around the Castle and me."

"Not in my experience," Amarantha said in regards to hope. She left Luna's desk and went to sit back on her bed. It seemed the Princess had a more comfortable bed than the assassin did. You would think someone who was in charge of safety and killing in the royal's name would be allowed a decent place to lay their head at night. "What you rather us do? Braid each other's hair?" Her smile was devious as she spoke before she forced a laugh. "All we have going on is the drama around the Castle Lu. There's nothing else we are able to discuss until it has stilled."

"I could always make you braid my hair if you want." Luna said with a slight laugh, even though she did have servants who did it she usually did her own hair whenever she could. Luna then closed her eyes and let out a slight sigh and nodded as she leaned back in her bed, everything had been nothing but drama. "There never is really a dull moment here though theres always something that comes up or happens daily drama.

"Yes there is." Amarantha sighed and laid down next to Luna. She stared up at the ceiling and wondered. She had come a long way. She was till a hard ass but Amarantha had a cause she believed in now. A fight worth fighting. The more the Castle and Luna needed Amarantha, the more she needed them. She never really thought of that until now. "If you didn't have this life, being a royal... What would you do? What would you want?"

Luna laid down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling and then over towards Amarantha for a moment at her question, she really wasn't sure she had been taught everything on how to act, how the courts worked and what the people needed of her. And when her parents died the king and queen she was forced to grow up even more until Valda came back. "I don't know.. all my life I've always been taught what to do, and how to act for the people." Luna said as she looked over at her friend. "What about you?"

"I did, once. I thought of running from the Young Army, living in the woods in a house I made. Gardening, hunting, living isolated. Puck didn't have a use for deserters so if they got away, that was fine by him but if they got caught... He would make use do the executions. I was seven the first time I killed someone," Amarantha informed her friend. "As for now? I don't know anything else. I wouldn't know how to be anything else."

Luna listened to Amarantha as she spoke, she couldn't imagine killing anyone she didn't even want to either as well which scared her taking anyone's life. She looked at her friend and reached out to hold her hand as she started to remember mentioning what Myrus had said a few days ago. "Myrus wanted me, and Valda to try and run away with him." Luna said softly towards her.

Amarantha felt Luna's hand slip into hers' and it took her a moment to accept and allow it. She squeezed her friend's hand back, thankful for the support. It was dark in friendless in Amarantha's head most days and so it was nice to have some semblance of comfort and home. She looked back at Luna when she spoke about Myrus wanting them all to leave. Amarantha knew Valda never would. She couldn't. Not with the hell this place was about to go through. Was going through. But the Prince and Princess...
"Why didn't you?" Her voice was but a whisper, desperate. She didn't want Luna getting hurt.

Luna felt Amarantha holding her hand and looked at her, as she thought awhile there were a lot of reasons why she didn't want to leave. "Valda didn't want to leave, and I wasn't going to abandon her alone and I didn't want to leave you alone and defending the castle alone without us there. And this is the only home that I know of.." Luna answered.

"Valda would have been fine. Will be fine with me looking out for her. It would have been easier to look after your home without you here. It's not to late Luna. I can get you and Myrus out of here without anyone knowing. I have a lot of connections still." Amarantha was sounding a bit desperate now, which was very unlike her. She just wanted her friend to be safe.
"You could make a new home elsewhere. Who knows, maybe a change of scenery would help you with, everything..."

Luna did care a lot for her family, and she wasn't sure how she would take it if she heard the news Valda was killed by Fleur's witches or even Myrus as well if she ran. She closed her eyes as she started to think a little bit more she could hear Amarantha's desperation, and she trusted her friend. "At the first sign of trouble i'll try and get Myrus to leave and Valda I promise.."

Amarantha looked away from her friend. She shouldn't expect more than that. She should admire Luna for wanting to remain with her family but all she could think about was how stupid she was being.
"Trouble's already here Luna. It's too late," Amarantha said. It was the truth she felt. She pulled her hand from Luna's and sat up.

Luna looked down as she fought the urge to hold back the tears, she knew that she was being really stubborn and a pain as well to deal with right now as she looked over at Amarantha as she let go of her hand and stood up. "I just don't want to be alone, I've already lost my mother and father and I don't know if there is even a cure for my condition out there, I wouldn't even know where to go or even start over either.."

"You wouldn't be alone. You would have your brother and I'd send Lennox and Ahote with you. No one knows where to go when they leave, they just go. You figure it out once you are there." Amarantha looked back at Luna and noticed the struggle for her to hold back tears. "There's nothing here for you Lu. Your sister is Queen, you can't be anything else here. Why not go somewhere else and be more than what you are?"

Amarantha did make a point, her sister was the queen and the only thing she was good for was being married off to some other noble but she really didn't want to leave her sister alone either. "I'll think about it and talk to Myrus and Valda.." Luna said looking up at Amarantha, she at least wanted to talk to them about it as well.

Amarantha sighed but nodded. It was the most she could hope for from her friend. Amarantha stood and rolled her shoulders back, stretching out a bit and then she got a crazy idea. She grinned and looked back at her friend, a sparkle of wickedness in her eyes.
"Have you ever broken a rule Lu?"

Luna watched as Amarantha stood up and looked up at her friend for a moment when she asked if she had ever broken any rules and shook her head a little bit. She was always pretty well mannered growing up, she was curious though what Amarantha had in mind as well as she stood up from her bed. "I don't think I really have before." Luna answered.

"Well today is your lucky day. We need to change your clothes though. Much too fancy for where we are going," Amarantha announced. She took Luna's hand and pulled her from the Princess's bedroom and down the hallway to Amarantha's room so they could find appropriate clothing. Luna was much smaller than Amarantha so they would have to get creative but she would find her something.

Luna blushed a little bit as Amarantha grabbed her hand and started to follow behind her and out of her room, she was used to wearing her clothes and never really did have anything to wear that more common people wore anyway. "What did you have in mind anyway?" Luna asked she was getting really curious what she had in mind.

"You wanted a distraction. To talk of something else other than the turmoil in the Castle. Well, I am about to deliver my little friend. We're going dancing. A great way to transport yourself to a different world. Alcohol of course aids in this venture but I won't push that on you," Amarantha started pulling clothes out of her closet. She handed Luna a few numbers. "Now, go try one on at a time and we'll see what we are working with."

Luna smiled a little bit as she moved into Amarantha's room and started to look around a bit she had been in there a few times as her friend started to pick out some clothes for her to change into. She of course had gone dancing numerous times before during events held within the Castle itself, and once Amarantha picked out some clothes for her to change into Luna smiled and quickly went to get changed.

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Arnora had finished the afternoon training with Runa, she had gone and check up on her grandson and daughter-in-law after all as well. She was leaning against the edge of the balcony just outside of her room, she was now just taking the time to relax now as well. It was a nice day as well as she enjoyed the fresh air it had been a good two days after the wedding now as well.

Cuyler had parted ways with his mother for the day. Her having some business she needed to take care of with Asgard or something or other. He was still a bit concerned with the whole Loki situation and found the need for working out or running was a good way to burn off some access energies. He was running past what would be the castle of sorts for Asgard when he looked up and spotted Arnora.
"Oi! What you doing hiding up there for? Shouldn't you be training?" Most every day Cuyler teased his friend. They were each other's biggest competition and it was always good to have a healthy push.

Arnora was looking down below when she saw Cuyler and then heard him calling out her name and smirked slightly and gave a little bit of a shrug. "Runa is with her daughter in-law and grandson, thought i'd give them some space a little bit." She called back as she stood up a little bit. "Shouldn't you be training with your mom anyway as well?" She asked teasingly since they usually did have their own little private sparing sessions in between.

"She's a little preoccupied," Cuyler noted and gestured around him at the whole of Asgard. He smirked up at Arnora. "Good view from up there is it?" Half of Cuyler and Arnora's training sessions were also teasing sessions. It never seemed to end between these two. They were no better than siblings.

"I can certainly see that, being the queen and all." Arnora said as she looked over at the surrounding area and nodded. "It's a pretty nice view from up here. What are your plans right now anyway, you are more than welcome to come up here if you'd like." She asked

"I've got some energy yet I need to wear off. Care to come for a run and then a bit of a swim?" Cuyler hopped from foot to foot, trying to keep his body warm so he wouldn't cramp up when he started running again. He was always a fan of physical work but he had never been physically active like this before.

"Sure i'll be down in a minute." Arnora said as she quickly turned and started to get changed into something that was more light for running and quickly started to make her way down before quickly catching up to Cuyler. "Though I may end up freezing the water and turn you into an icecube." Arnora said jokingly, she of course had full control over her more natural abilities.

Cuyler stretched out a bit more as he waited for her. He smiled when she joined him. He laughed at her words.
"Just as long as you know how to unfreeze things." He started running with not so much ceremony and waited for her to catch up.

"I think i'd rather keep you there as an ice sculpture." Arnora said jokingly as she quickly started to run after Cuyler and started to catch up to him pretty quickly.

Cuyler laughed as they ran side by side. With all the training they had been doing it was pretty easy for him to keep up a conversation now.
"I would make a rather dashing statue," he pointed out. The whole of Asgard was nothing like the earth he knew. The colours seemed brighter, the air cleaner. The people were a bit more high class but their was a ruggedness to them all the same. Cuyler smiled at people he recognized as they made their way to the lake.
"So how's your mom? I never see her much." It seemed almost a shame that Cuyler got to spend so much time with his mother and Arnora very little; although, Arnora was getting on well with Runa as her trainer.

Arnora ran along with Cuyler and shook her head slightly and laughed. "I don't think your mom would like you being an ice statue." She said jokingly, as she looked towards some of the people who were there and gave them a slight nod and smile. She certainly enjoyed the time here as well, and then her attention turned towards Cuyler when she brought up her mother. Arnora was a bit jealous but she didn't have to much contact with her growing up either still. "She's been busy with fighting the Giants in Jotunheim they have been stirring lately from what Skadi told me."

Cuyler rose a brow at Arnora as they ran. "Giants? Why don't you go fight them with her? You could place a nice ice sculpture giant in the garden," Cuyler teased her.

"Well i'd rather not be turned into a crushed pie or anything." Arnora said as she continued to run until they were at the lake now and looked over towards Cuyler. "Hows things with your mother anyway?"

"Ah, minor details. You'll be fine." Cuyler looked out at the lake and smiled. He loved it here. Most of his training was here although he was picking up on some other things from his mother, shadowing her a bit. "Things are great. Sometimes I feel she gets annoyed with the amount of questions I ask but I haven't been this happy or carefree feeling in a long time."

"And i'm more focused on learning from Runa as well to, I've learned a lot more since being here and want to complete my training as well." Arnora said as she looked at the lake and smiled a little bit as she started to make her way over and took off her shoes and stepped into the water a little bit. "And i'm sure your mom has the patience of a saint with all of your questions."

"Ya, Runa is a great teacher," Cuyler complemented. He laughed at Arnora's comment and nodded. He kicked off his own shoes and pulled off his shirt as well. "Oh, you have no idea." He waded into the water until he was waist deep. It was like an old friend to him now and he ran his hands over the surface, grinning at Arnora before he dove under the surface.

Arnora walked deeper into the water until she was waist deep now as well, she kept her clothes on they would dry off later on anyway as well to as she started to get comfortable in the water as Cuyler went under the water half expecting him to splash her or dunk her underwater as well so she was starting to get on her toes.

Cuyler swam around under the water, much like the fish he was now growing to be. He had always had a healthy fear and respect for the water. He still possessed that respect but had less of a fear now. He watched Arnora wade in from underneath the water, smirking as she seemed to hesitate a bit. He swam further out before popping his head up. He tread water, watching her.
"Afraid to get wet Arnora?"

Arnora looked at Cuyler the moment he poked his head out of the water and smirked as she quickly dunked his head under the water and started to swim a little bit deeper. "Knowing you, you would probably end up dunking me or dragging me under the water." Arnora said with a slight laugh and then started to splash him with water.

"Now would I do such a thing like that?" He splashed her back a few times, using the added benefit of his power to increase the amount of water he was able to splash at her. Cuyler laughed, feeling like a kid without a care in the world. How was that even possible with everything that he had seen, everything that they had all gone through. Here he was though, blissfully unaware and at peace.

Arnora laughed a little bit as she was splashed with water as well, and started to do it again making the water considerably colder but not freezing it before stopping and sighed slightly. "So, ever think of you know going back home?" Arnora asked Cuyler as she started to float on her back.

Cuyler noticed the temperature change but it didn't really seem to effect him. He got goosebumps but beyond that, he rather enjoyed the chilly water. It reminded him of the Nordic waters of home. So when Arnora asked him of going back, his mind was already there.
"You know my village was destroyed right? There's nothing much there for me now. New people live there and it isn't the same. As for the Castle... I'm not ready to return. I only will once I am ready, once I feel worthy to return... Besides, I'm learning so much here."
Cuyler did miss earth but there was only one thing he missed in particular and he wasn't ready to face her. He didn't want to go back and not be worthy of her. Plus there was the added fear that she wouldn't even want him anymore. Their last conversation wasn't exactly civil.

Arnora listened to him and nodded a little bit she didn't really have anything else to return to back on Midgard either her father had passed away, and she didn't really have anyone to interact with as well either back home. "I do remember you mentioning about what had happened to your village i'm sorry about that." Arnora said softly, she wasn't sure what exactly kept Cuyler away from going back to the Castle, eventhough she knew that Arya was killed she was told not to mention anything about it to Cuyler.

Cuyler smiled softly at her and shrugged, moving to float on his back next to Arnora. "It's not so bad anymore. Myth was from my village as well and she survived so, at least there is that."

Arnora looked at Cuyler as he moved next to her she remembered that it was mentioned once or twice before as well. "At least you have someone that you knew growing up here though." Arnora said towards Cuyler and smiled a bit.

"From a different life. Much has changed since then. Do you have anyone back home that you still try to keep in touch with? Or did before we came here?" Cuyler never did. He made new friends to each place he traveled. It was an added bonus to his former career path. He made plenty of contacts over his years of traveling on his own.

Arnora thought for a moment, she didn't really have to many friends other than her father who sadly had long since passed. "I did meet a guy briefly, the day of the wedding I met some people who were traveling from our homeland, to the Small Wet Country. One of them I enjoyed talking with by the name of Ahote we kind of got separated at the wedding."

"Ooo, a boy! Should we braid each other's hair now too while we discuss how charming he was?" Cuyler shifted away from Arnora encase he was about to get hit.

Arnora looked at Cuyler and glared at him for a moment and laughed a bit and shook her head. "I barely met the guy anyway, and besides it's been a long time now i'm sure he wouldn't even remember me."

Cuyler rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You have the power to freeze things. Has he seen you use that power?" Cuyler started to swim around while he spoke, using some of his new found power and training to create mini whirlpools and shooting water fountains. It was the little detail things Cuyler was trying to prefect. If a library needed to be flooded, he knew how to do that very well.

"Yep he did first meeting, the ship had a hole in it and I went and froze the water that was filling in rather quickly." Arnora answered as she watched Cuyler starting to swim around. "Though I didn't tell him that I was a demigod and he thought I was what he called a mutant or something."

"Ah ha! So you saved his life. I doubt he'll forget you anytime soon then," Cuyler said and created a funnel of water before it quickly dispersed and showered him with unnecessarily cold water. He frowned and looked over at Arnora. At least he was already wet. "Mutant? What a strange word... Did he explain what it meant?"

Arnora closed her eyes and groaned a little bit, as she stared at Cuyler as he made a funnel of water. "Really? I do not like the guy in that way, I saved a whole ship from sinking so I saved way more lives." Arnora then shrugged slightly she wasn't really sure what the term meant at all. "Something to do with powers, where he's from apparently it's way more common."

Cuyler swam back to Arnora, smirking.
"If you have to defend that you don't like him, that means you do," he joked. His logic fell in the same realm of boys liking girl when they picked on them, or hit them. It was childish but it worked really well. "Sounds like an interesting place. Maybe we should go visit when we return. See if he is there waiting for your return," he teased further.

"Oh yeah, I totally like a man who I had only met for a few hours before being whisked away to my homeland." Arnora said rolling her eyes again and sighed. "You are certainly way more like your mother then it seems."

Cuyler laughed and relaxed on his back again, kicking his feet a bit so he drifted along. "The apple does not fall far from the tree it seems. Well, if not mystery man, is there someone you've met here that catches your eye?"

"Don't make me have to turn you into an ice sculpture." Arnora said jokingly and then started to think for a moment and shook her head, she hadn't really had time to socialize with anyone. Nope, I've been more focused on studying and training."

"You've used that threat already," he teased her. He looked up at the sky, watching it shift and change. He liked everything about this place. "Ya... It's a lot easier to focus on that." Cuyler's voice had turned distant though. He had pretty much submerged himself in learning all he could about Asgard from a first hand basis and training over time with his mother and on his own in order to keep his mind busy. The quiet times were the hardest. As time seemed to lengthen, the more he thought of Arya again. At first he was mad with her, livid but that was seemingly short-lived.

"Would you rather I turn you into a bunny or something then?" Arnora said to Cuyler smirking a little bit as she swam around a little bit longer and looked over towards him noticing that he had gotten silent now which was pretty odd for him. "So, is everything okay?" Arnora asked him, she had a feeling that it may have been related to Arya, but she wasn't really sure either.