Ruli shrugged a shoulder. "I don't think they do." He admitted. "It's dormant in the majority of them, and while they can all manage enchantments and potions, salves, the like, its rare that its active in them. At least thats what I remember her saying decades ago." Ruli shrugged again.
"Aera's the current exception. Again. Its like the Kartaian's ability to hurt through skin contact, but its concentrated in her hands. Last I knew, she couldn't control it, so she never takes off her gloves."
He tilted his head toward the two. "Why?" He wondered, narrowing his eyes. "What are you planning?"

---

After setting Ysaryn down on the table draped in white linen, and seeing the three elves gowned as court healer's approach and begin their work, Aera led Zeke back out into the court. He was struck dumb by the beauty of it. In the sunlight it had been bright, reflecting the sun, but in the moonlight, it was something else entirely.
The marble glowed as if it had absorbed all the sun had given it, the stone warm as a lover to the touch. The flowers opened everywhere, blooming in the night. Their round, white and purple faces peered upward in every direction, their smell sweet and inviting. More of the court was awake and roaming now, and the faces that looked his way, while still wary, had much less of the cold calculation in their frowns. A few bent into sweeping bows to Aera, who addressed them in return with a slight nod.

"It's like a whole different city." Zeke said, awestruck.
"We wouldn't be doing our job right if we failed to make this place something we wanted to live in." Aera said as they strolled together through the lowest tier. And owl hooted somewhere just off the court, and Zeke sighed, glad to hear animals again.
"We were worried the Kart-"
"Shh." Aera whispered. "Do not utter their name here."
Zeke thought a moment. "We were worried you were destroyed, as Ziad was. Nine months ago."
"We are aware." Aera admitted, turning to Zeke when he looked at her, accusingly. "Envy wrote to me. I received it about a week and a half ago."
"How..." Zeke frowned. "How did he get a letter to you? How did he write a letter!?"
"I have never doubted his abilities." She mused, a hint of warmth crossing her face. "I miss him. And you."
"We've missed you." Zeke admitted. Whether she knew about his injuries or no, she walked slowly for him. Perhaps just to let him see as much as he could. He glanced her way. In the moonlight, her dark hair was like the night sky itself; the light catching to make it glitter like stars, the ebony colour shone blue in the crests of her strands.
"But you understand." Aera said, her voice hollow.
"Yes." Zeke said as they approached the edge of the tier, and rest their hands on the marble top. They peered down into the forest, only a few feet higher than those on the ground level.

"We would never have intruded. But the friend we're looking for, Envy think's he's here."
"He is."
Zeke looked around to her again. "He is?"
Aera bowed her head in a single nod. "I had been debating on writing Envy back about him." She admitted, looking down to fidget with the hem of her sleeve. "I wasn't sure what to make of the messages the scouts brought back. But when I saw the woman in the cell; she looks just like him." Aera turned toward Zeke, now. "Is she ...?"
"I think its the magic suppression." Zeke admitted. "She's usually ... not that."
"If I allow her out, she'll need to wear the bracelets."
"They suppress, too?" Aera nodded, and Zeke continued. "Then you will not get much out of her."
"What of the tall one?"
"Her ... I don't know. Officer. Maybe lover."
Aera nodded again. "Delivering her to her kin in such a manner would not bode well. Would you trust her without the suppression?"
"I do." Zeke sighed. "She's got a smart tongue, and she's brash, but she's kind. She's gone out of her way to help us survive. She's not that unlike Ru- er. Unlike him."

Without answering, Aera wandered down the marble steps and into the cool forest floor. She led Zeke along a gravel path of ground marble, answering Zeke's inquiries about the court, the elves, while he entertained her questions about where they now lived, how they fared, and how Envy was managing without sight.
After a few minutes, they approached a small arena tucked between some trees. Here, elven soldiers were in practice gear, clutching sharp weapons as they flew at one another in spar. "Beleger." Aera said as she approached the arena and the soldiers within. One figure turned toward them; a mortal. His blue eyes shifted between the elf and the man beside her, curiosity painting his face. He took a step back from his opponent and approached. Aera studied his gait. Beleger. Strong one. That was the name the elves had given him, for his unwillingness to concede to his injuries or the loss of his home. His isolation. He'd stood up straight on healing legs and faced everything. Rising so far beyond their expectations for a mortal man.
When he drew near, Aera switched tongues. "This is my dear friend Zekiel of Ziad." Aera introduced. "Zekiel, this is Edward of Amria."
Zeke bent slightly, assessing the man before him. The sweat that coated him from his workout, the swell of his muscles through his elven garb.
"He has arrived with someone claiming to be a relative of yours."
"Kire." Zeke said, studying Ed's face. "She and some giant female friend of hers are quite worried."

These past nine months had been the strangest of Edward’s life, and the bar for strangeness was high indeed when you are the Captain of the Guard of the Capital of Amria, and cousin to the Empress herself. It was usually his younger cousin who would be caught up in otherworldly adventures, often to his dismay, given the state of Kire’s body afterwards, Ring or no Ring. Nine months prior, their empire was torn apart by civil war, prompted by the Gemini infiltration of the Capital, betrayed by Kire’s Gemini contact and Serya, their healer. They had to fight on different fronts and, ultimately, for the safety of the family, flee the home Kire had known all her life.

It had been difficult to remember, the days that led him to this point: the mad pursuit of Gemini forces to buy time for the retreat, cutting off the enemy reinforcements before they could join the fight in the Capital. Earnest had been given his own command so they could try and flank the enemy. What they had run into, however, was something else entirely that they hadn’t prepared for. A bright flash, winds tearing through them as if they were being unmade to their core, and the next thing he knew, he was laying down on his back here, in a place so still and quiet he thought he had woken up in the underworld after dying in battle. Pain, too. He had at some point been thrown from his horse, only barely managing to avoid being crippled, but immediately after that he had been caught in the explosion of light.

Another world. It had taken a long time for this to sink into him. And for a time, he seethed in anger, refusing to believe what had happened. He was still, after all, a Wyvern. But when acceptance came, when he knew this wasn’t some strange limbo or nightmare he had yet to wake up from, he did his best to make the most of his time here. He needed to stay alive, to earn their good graces, because at the back of his mind he still had that stubborn Wyvern hope that he would see his family again, that he would see Amria once more.

“Beleger.” He heard the Princess Aera’s voice call to him, and he looked over with curiosity at the man by her side before making his way towards them. He had been sparring with the others, something that had also taken time for them to allow him to do. There were several advantages to being underestimated, and in his case, it had allowed him to gradually understand his hosts—his captors—speech, and to show them that his injuries didn’t mean he was no longer capable. Even if they hadn’t taught him anything directly, that wouldn’t have stopped him.
“Princess.” He swept his hair back, the strands having stuck to his forehead and neck from sweat. He looked at the man called Zekiel, the first ever human Zekiel had seen since his arrival. A relative?
“Kay…”Edward breathed; he almost looked around then, to see if she was nearby. “Narda.”
That hope he had kept alive threatened to burst in his chest, but even then, not until he could see it with his own eyes, would he believe it to be true. He cleared his throat, fighting back the emotion that welled up there. “I may know them. But I can’t be sure until I’ve spoken with them.” He turned to Aera. “Will I be allowed to see them?” He was aware that he had clenched his hands tight into fists, and so relaxed his fingers, controlled his breathing. Not until they are right in front of me will it be real.

--
“Hmm. Just weighing our options,” Narda said. “Heard that, Kire?”
“Mm. Yeah.” Kire’s brows were furrowed as she thought something through. “If I leave the Ring here with Narda to go see him, will they be amenable to that?”
Narda raised a brow. “Are you willing to be parted with the Ring for that long?”
Kire frowned. “If it gets me to him.”

Aera's dark gaze fell, watching his hands clench, seeing the shimmer in his eyes. She'd known he'd suffered difficulties the last few months. Like her, years ago, he wasn't always sure this was real. What was a dream. She understood the fear in his eyes, the hesitation to hope.
Zeke, ever the soldier, despite his own injuries, studied Ed in much the same way, assessing his strength, his uncertainty. "She's blonde, blue-eyed. Scar over her eye." Zeke drew a finger across his cheek to indicate. "Wears some ring on her finger I have never seen her remove. Showy sword that looks like it could cleave a dragon."

Whether she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes or not, Aera grinned softly to Ed. "Go wash and dress. I will deliver her to you in the Waning Room." Aera instructed, before reaching out to touch him gently. Real. Her touch said. Yo're awake.

Turning to lead Zeke back toward the tunnel in which the cell sat, she glanced at the man beside her. "How long has it been since you've fought?" She asked. When Zeke glanced back at her, she continued. "I saw you looking at him with a sort of envy. Longing. Either your preference for gender has changed-"
Zeke snorted.
"-or you're recovering, still."
Zeke was quiet, thinking. "Envy and Sid said I am lucky to be alive. My head nearly crushed. My spine damaged."
Aera inclined her head, considering what went unsaid rather than the words he shared, but said nothing as they swept into the aromatic corridor and to the others.

"I don't know." Ruli said. "Worth a shot."
When he heard Zeke's footsteps, Ruli sat forward again, rising to his feet. "Where is she?"
"She'll be okay." Zeke said, his eyes on Kire again. He grinned. "Ed really does look like you." He informed her.

Aera turned, requesting Cohnal to approach with more bracelets. "I will take you to visit with him, but you must wear these." She said, more to Kire and Narda than to Ruli, who balked, anyway.
"No." He hissed.
Aera's cold gaze shifted to him. "Then you will remain in here." She said indifferently.
Ruli bared his teeth, snarling at her. Unbothered, she looked back toward Kire and Narda. "Are you willing to adhere to these conditions?"

Ed’s lips parted, his brows raised, as Zeke described her. Everything about it screamed Kire, except…Scar? Kire had an enemy she had been chasing, who had allied himself to the Gemini and learned taboo arts from them. From what Kire would tell him, the reports about him, he had been working on creating dolls out of dead flesh. Likenesses that were empty and soulless, dark, twisted forms that heeded only the commands of their maker. Ed swallowed. If this was a doll, though, the elves would have been able to sense something was wrong. And this man didn’t seem to be under anybody’s thrall. Most importantly, the Ring was with her. He looked at Aera, who had a grin on her face, and he dared himself to let in hope and look forward to the meeting. “Thank you. I’ll see you there.” He gave Zeke one more look, appraising him, before turning away to prepare.

Narda helped Kire up to her feet when Aera and Zeke returned. When Zeke grinned and spoke to Kire, the Wyvern gasped. “Ed…” With as much feeble strength as she could, Kire’s hand clenched on Narda’s arm. Her eyes, however, went to the bracelets. She was vaguely aware of Ruli snarling at Aera in reaction to them. Narda raised her hand.
“My friend here has an alternative.”
“My Ring,” Kire said, and Narda opened her hand to reveal it sitting on her palm. “My magic. Need my mind whole for the meeting.” She looked up at Narda, her eyes asking if the giantess was sure about staying behind in the cell. When the giantess smiled and nodded, Kire turned back to Aera. “Ring stays with my friend here.”

Aera's gaze fell to the ring, then to Zeke. Her expression was still blank, but he seemed to read the question in her mind. I thought she never took it off?
Standing away from the bars, and the bracelets, Ruli tried to help. "Her magic is tied to the ring. Without it, she can't use it."
"Opposite of the bracelet." Zeke commented, and heads nodded in response.
"You are volunteering to remain here." Aera pointed out to Narda, who seemed to have no qualms with it. "With him." She added without gesturing to Ruli.
He growled at her, which Aera still ignored. "You could leave it with me." Ruli offered angrily to Kire and Narda. He kept his eyes on the elf, however. "We came all this way. You both should see him."
Aera waited as Narda and Kire exchanged glances, debating in whatever language they were raised in. It would be nice for Ed to hear his own language, she thought privately. Still, she waited patiently, eager to see how well they trusted Rulitus.

When it was decided, and Narda and Kire followed, Aera led them out of the underground, leaving Ruli behind to seeth and pace inside the cell. Free of it, Zeke noticed Kire moved easier, her eyes more clear, ever guarded by the giantess behind her. Aera was silent as they strolled into the moonlit forest, to the glowing marble court that breathed warmth. Aera's hair became the midnight sky once more as she crossed the gravel paths and up a set of stairs, then up another set that wound inside the mountain itself so that they were on the second tier.
The Waning Room was a crescent shaped chamber on the western side of the mountain, tucked inside the stone and embelished with the warm marble. There was a round table in the center, its wood face engaved with vines and flowers, and embellished with the many faces of the moon in pearl.

Aera was not surprised to see him standing beside the table rather than sitting, the anxiety visible in his posture as he turned toward them. Aera paused a distance away, Zeke beside her, allowing the family to approach one another and enjoy a moment in private.

Edward couldn’t remember when he had been this nervous. Before any war or battle, of course, but that was a familiar feeling followed by a soldier’s calm. Here, he didn’t know, really, what to expect, even if he was told he would be reunited with his younger cousin. He tried to hold a picture of her face in his mind, hear her voice, and Narda’s too, if she was, indeed, the person accompanying her. He stood, one hand lightly on the chair in case he needed to steady himself.

Kire and Narda, after a brief conversation in Taakalon, decided to leave the Ring to Ruli. Kire had trusted him enough with her own life so far, she might as well trust him with the jewel. Besides, it wasn’t as if he could go anywhere else at the moment. She stood a moment outside the cell, her mind already clearing as soon as she had stepped out of the dampening wards, and cast a look at him. Hopefully the elves would really keep their word and not harm anyone while they’ve separated the group.

The Amrians gaped at the way the court shone with an impossible luminance. It was strangely warm, such an ironic contrast to how it looked and felt during the day. But as they continued walking, Kire was silent, her mind trying to picture what she would find. Best case scenario, Ed, whole, unharmed. Worst—was there anything worse than finding him dead? Kire’s hands shook, and she felt Narda’s hand touch her shoulder. Kire patted it, as they followed her up the stairs, to enter a crescent shaped chamber in the second tier adorned with an elaborate table.

Kire didn’t notice that. Her eyes immediately met those of the tall, blonde soldier standing in elven garb by the chair.
“Ed,” she breathed.
Edward’s brow was furrowed. “Who are you?” he asked, gesturing at her. “I don’t know you.”
Kire’s lips trembled, and immediately her eyes welled up, her mind confused. “W-why--?”
Edward broke into a wide grin, and raised his arms. “C’mere, my little crybaby cousin.”
Behind her, Narda let out a choked cry at this, the giantess already crying amid her laughter.
“You—you bastard!” Kire ran forward and pulled him into an embrace, crying into his chest. “I hate you so much,” she cursed, even as she laughed and cried in turns against him. She could feel him trembling; he, too, was shedding tears. “Don’t ever do that again!”
Edward held on just as tight. This was no illusion, no doll, no dream. He was holding Kire, as dear to him as if she had been born his sister, and she was safe. “I needed to make sure,” he murmured. “Needed to see if you were real.”
“It’s me, I’m here.” Kire murmured back in their tongue. “I found you.”
Narda had come forward, bending to embrace them all together. “Haven’t changed a bit, you sly dragon,” Narda said, beaming through her own tears. Ed smiled fondly at the giantess and reached up to touch her hair.
“Nor you, milady. Radiant as ever.” He gave her a wink, and Narda laughed, kissing his forehead. He looked down at Kire, and he gently nudged her to look up at him. He frowned, seeing the scar. “Does it hurt?”
Kire shook her head. “Not the worst scar I’ve gotten, cousin.”
“And Earnest?”
Kire, smile disappeared. So did Narda’s. “He—he didn’t make it, Ed.”
Nine months was long, but not nearly long enough to soften the blow of this. Ed slumped backward onto the seat. “I’m sorry. For everything,” Kire whispered. “For not having found you sooner. And for Ern.”
Ed bent forward in his seat, face buried in his hands. Kire wrapped her arms around him again. “I gave him his own command that day.” His voice was shaky.
“Not your fault, please Ed,” Kire whispered. “And I know he wouldn’t blame you for it, too. None of us would blame you for it.”

Narda stepped back to let the two grieve together, close to where Aera and Zeke had been standing, wiping her own face on her sleeve. When the cousins had finally composed themselves enough, Kire straightened up, with Ed gripping her shoulder. “Princess, I would like to formally introduce you to the Empress of Amria, my cousin, Akire.”
“About that…” Kire said, frowning. “Former Empress. Tell you later.”
Ed’s brows rose, clearly surprised at this, though when he met her gaze he didn’t miss a beat. “Not when we take it back.” He had fully expected them to have taken back the throne sometime within the last nine months, but no matter. He hadn’t been around, and couldn’t make any real assessment of the situation, anyway. He felt lightheaded, overwhelmed with having Kire and Narda here, with the news of his brother’s death shortly after his disappearance, and with the reality that he might be, finally, on his way home soon.

Aera's eyebrows flickered in reaction to Ed's joke, her mind racing for a moment to sort out what happened; not with his memory, but in the communication. Was this woman an imposter? Was he honest in saying he did not know this woman? Her lips barely parted when they atmosphere changed and they all laughed and hugged, and the princess closed her mouth and sighed. Humans. She turned her head to spy on Zeke, who was watching the trio with a shadow across his face.
She knew why. Zeke had long ago been abandoned by his family. He'd been born in Ziad to a family that had reproduced far too many times, and one day they had gone. Left him alone; on purpose or on accident, he never knew, but Aera was not aware of how any parent could forget a child. Misplace them.
He had been eight, taken in and raised by the Kartaian beneath the city. His best friend a smart mouthed blond with piercing blue eyes.

"You are not in a good place." Aera muttered softly as the three laughed and cried together some few yards away.
Zeke's mouth tightened. "No." He agreed. "Not currently."
He expected her to ask at least one question; why? It was what everyone wanted to know. What could have happened, what was so bad, that it would tear the brotherhood between the two apart so viciously. But Aera didn't ask. Of course she wouldn't. Aera hated Ruli, and was likely glad to have someone on her side that would turn a icy shoulder against him.
"You need one another." She said instead, and Zeke turned to stare at her. Never did he expect her to say that. "Find what is broken, and set it straight."
"You're one to talk." He murmured quietly.

Gods above, he regretted it immediately. The look on her face when, for just the space between two heartbeats, was shattering. Despair and hopelessness. Then it was gone, hidden once again by her immortal mask. "Aera," Zeke turned toward her, a million apologies on his tongue.
But she gave him a rueful smile, cutting him off. "He and I were never good for one another." She said quietly. "You two need one another to grow."
Her eyes flickered to Narda as the woman approached, giving Kire and Edward a moment alone. The conversation was over, Zeke knew. He turned back towards the others, shifting his weight uneasily.

As Ed turned and formally introduced Kire to the princess, the dark-haired elf stepped forward. She looked from one to the other as Kire mentioned she was, unfortunately (judging by her expression) a former empress, the elf still bent. "Welcome to Lithilote, Empress Akire. Once was, or will be again, you will hold the title here." Aera greeted. Zeke stepped up behind the elf, Narda beside him. Aera glanced from Kire to Ed, then gestured to the table. "May I invite you to sit. Speak with one another. I will have chambers made up so you do not have to return to the holding cell."

While they shuffled and lowered themselves into seats, Aera departed briefly to relay directions to a nearby waiting servant; an ageless elf with her hair bound elegantly around her head and wearing plain white robes. When the servant bowed and moved away, Aera joined them at the table.
"I do apologize for the welcome you all received." Aera admitted. "Foremost, the reason is because we do not get many visitors. It was once true that we never received visitors, but that became untrue nearly a year ago." Her eyes shifted in a wave of warmth as she smiled at Ed. "The rest of the council is still quite uneasy with the decision I have made to allow you out and to roam freely. I am placing a large amount of trust in Zekiel's word and in you." Her gaze lingered on Kire, mostly, hoping that her magic truly was dormant now that she'd removed her ring. "I must ask, naturally, that you keep to your best behavior. You may be met with hostility if you act unacceptably, and with the language barrier, I fear much would escalate far too fast."

A small row of servants of both genders approached, each carrying a plate of fruit sprinkled with sugar accompanied by more of the sweet yogurt. A plate was set before each occupied chair as another elf approached Aera.
"Both rooms are prepared, Lady."
Aera declined her head in acknowledgement. "When you're ready," She said to the others. "You'll be shown to your rooms. I know you are not on our schedule, and must be tired. Zeke, you'll be alone, but I apologize to announce the two of you will share a room. Joined by Ysaryn when she is ready. You are near Edward's room, should you wish to visit with one another."
"You really don't get guests that often, hm?" Zeke asked teasingly.
"That, and I thought you would feel more comfortable with someone you're familiar with. A language you share." Aera added to the women. "It is no easy thing to get along with a host of elves when you do not share the language, is it, Beleger?" Aera added, glancing toward Ed with another whisper of warmth in her eyes.

At Aera’s invitation, the Amrians sat, Kire brushing away her tears with her hand. All three looked at one another in silence for a while, as if still unable to believe they were in each other’s presence again. Ed’s expression was tinged with a bittersweet smile. “How are the rest?” he asked after that brief silence.
“As well as can be,” Kire replied. “Janes has been staying with Elva in the North. Elva has sole reign over the northern provinces at the moment. Daryll, too. He’s been taking good care of Pres and Etta.”
He turned to Narda. “And The Green Wench?”
Narda beamed. “Ship hasn’t fallen apart on us yet. Myka’s in charge while we’re away. The ladies would love you back on board,” she added with a sly smirk. Ed chuckled.
“I’d love to be back on board.”
“Hey. You don’t say that about me anymore,” Kire said, pouting.
Narda chuckled. “We see you all the time now, Wyvernling.”

They were joined by Aera shortly, and Kire nodded, waving off the apology, in a much better mood now that Ed was here.
Narda, too, felt similarly, though she did huff. “I suppose it’s understandable,” she said with a grunt.
Ed met Aera’s warm smile with his own, though when she requested that the Amrians not make trouble while roaming free around Lithilote, his gaze shifted to his cousin and Narda. Kire caught the look and smirked, shaking her head.
“You have our word, Princess,” Kire replied. “Best behavior.”

When the refreshments arrived, Kire ate at once. Now that her lethargy was gone, she devoured the fruit with gusto. “This is really good,” she commented, making Narda bark out a laugh.
“You ate that sweet stuff earlier.”
“I did?” Kire shrugged, then turned her attention back to Aera when she explained their accommodations. “I don’t mind. Any room that’s not the cell would suffice.” Her thoughts then went to Ruli, and her face showed a shadow of concern for a moment. She understood his reluctance to be shackled and trapped, though it also seemed a shame for him to stay there while they were here, especially since he helped her be reunited with her cousin.
Aera said something in Elvish, and Ed grinned, nodding. “Indeed, milady,” he replied, and Kire looked up from her fruit bowl.
“You know Elvish?” she said, gaping.
Ed grinned. “Hard not to pick it up when you’ve been marooned here for months.”
“You gotta teach me that,” she murmured back, gently nudging Ed. “Alright. Let’s continue this after we see our rooms. And, uh, Lady Aera,” Kire added, “would we be allowed to visit the cells?”

Her plate untouched, Aera watched the others eat and chatter, feeling a ghost of the same ache Zeke felt whilst watching them. A connected family. Her own had never been warm to her. Not when she was born as a second; the shadow of an omen of change. Twins always brought tidings of a new path. Aera had been the mutant. The warped blade that had punctured their family and cast a shadow darker than her hair.
Truthfully, the only time she had felt loved was in Ziad, when under Envy's care, quarreling with Ruli and Zeke and Alais.

Aera put a smile on her lips when Kire said they would retire, asking first about the cells. "You may." She answered with a soft nod. "The court is yours to roam, save for the tier above us. It is for the privacy of the royal family. You may be shadowed by elves, but they are under orders to simply keep watch." The princess informed them. She glanced to the servants waiting nearby, requesting that they be shown the way to their rooms.
"When you have time," Aera said softly to Zeke. "I would enjoy a conversation."
He grinned at her, rubbing the part of his head where his spine met his skull. "As would I." He obliged, before the young servant, at least in appearances, led them away.

They were led deeper into the mountain, the moonlight vanishing but the stone no less warm within. The floral scent never melted away, tangling with the scent of sweet herbs. Illuminated with candles, the servant led them into a wide corridor that arched slightly to the right, following the curve of the mountains face. Three white doors, each with a large window of elegant stained glass in the center, stood equal distances apart. The first door, the stained glass depicting a white rose in a garden of green, was opened and Zeke invited within. The second, the window depicting a lotus on a soft blue pool, was opened, the three women led within.
It was a large chamber with a window that was burrowed into the stone, the glass sealed shut, but somehow the moonlight seemed to shine through. There was a excessively large four post bed to their left, the curtains the same soft purple of the banners hung open. Despite the bed being large enough to fit three persons of Narda's size comfortably, there were two other cots brought in, low mattresses side by side at the foot of the grande bed.
White wood furniture, a wardrobe stocked full, a vanity desk with a spotless mirror, a table with four chairs, and a dividing screen embroidered with midnight blue fabric and bright green ivy leaves, were aligned neatly against the walls. From somewhere behind the screen, running water could be heard; the mountain wall opened up to allow a small stream to run through.

Ed's room, the glass window portraying the Lithilote moonflower on a bed of purple, stood at the far end, just beside Kire's and the others. The servant elf, who introduced herself to Ed as Farryn, instructed they ask if they have need of anything before she left them to their own devices.

Kire and Narda entered their chamber, with the giantess whistling, impressed. “Almost as nice as the Palace chambers, isn’t it?” she said, once the servant elf had left them alone.
“What do you mean, ‘almost’? This is pretty good,” Kire said, roaming around the room. She was tired, but her mind was awake, happy and excited after the reunion. She saw Narda eyeing the bed and laughed. “Fine, you get the bed.”
“As I should,” Narda said with a huff, though she grinned back. She was about to look into the wardrobe to see if there was anything that would fit her when they heard a knock on the door. Kire opened it and grinned, seeing Ed.
“I know you should be resting, but we haven’t had a proper sit-down yet,” he said, and Kire nodded, beckoning him in. “Not bad, is it?” he commented, smiling as he looked about their chambers.
“Not at all,” Kire said, watching Ed sit down by the table with a soft groan. “Getting old, cousin?”
Ed snorted at that. “Just my legs. I can move and fight on them, but they still ache.” Kire joined him at the table while Narda sat up on the bed.
“Elva will talk your ear off about that when you come home,” Kire replied, chuckling, though she went somber after a while. “They treat you well here, I take it?” she asked, her tone suggesting she would do something about it if the answer was anything that suggested a ‘no’.
“Very well, considering their secretive nature,” Ed replied. “So, you arrived here with company then? I presume someone was left behind in the cells.”
“Yeah,” Kire wrinkled her nose at that. “It’s complicated. There’s history between them and the princess. And we also have one more, Ysaryn, an elf, but not like the Raielwen. They don’t like each other much apparently.”

After seeing to his room, though having no belongings to set down, and, currently, no desire to rest, Zeke slipped back out the door, peering through the stained glass window in the center of the corridor. Hearing that Ed was within with the women, Zeke continued, finding his way back toward the outdoors, to where the princess still sat at the table.

It was perhaps a half an hour after Ed's arrival that the door was opened, Farryn stepping inside only long enough to bow another figure inside. While her hair was still plaited neatly against her head, Ysaryn no longer wore her combat leathers, nor boots, nor weapons. Instead, she wore a flowing gown of soft blue, cinched at the waist, modestly cut over her chest, and flowing behind her and along her arms. Her burning eyes settled on Narda, Kira, and then Ed, and her face promptly turned dark as she blushed.

Her nostrils flared the moment Farryn shut the door once more. "Of course the cousin is gorgeous." She snarled quietly, looking around to pointlessly search for her leathers, which were no where to be found. "And of course I'm forced into this ... women's garb." Ysaryn complained, pulling at the thin skirt in emphasis.

The Amrians chatted softly, with Ed telling them about how the elves had treated him while under their care, and Kire and Narda filled him in on what had happened since his disappearance. After half an hour, they heard the door open, and in stepped the servant elf Farryn with Ysayrn. Or at least she thought it was Ysaryn; Kire gaped a little, seeing the shadow elf in a delicate dress instead of her warrior’s garb. “Ysaryn, are you alright?” she asked when she finally remembered to speak, but the elf was muttering to herself as she rummaged around the room.
Ed had heard her mumbling and had to suppress a smirk, waiting for Kire to make their formal introduction. “Ys—hey, Ysaryn! What do you need?” Kire spoke, more firmly now, though she admittedly was very glad to see her up and about. “What did she say?” she turned to Ed in a whisper.
“She is—unhappy with her outfit. Like how you feel when you’re stuffed into your formal dress,” Ed said, adding the last with a cheeky smirk.
Kire’s brows were raised. “Ah. Well.” She cleared her throat. “This is my cousin, Edward, Ed for short. Ed, this is my good friend, Ysaryn. How are you feeling? Will you sit down, please?” she said to the elf.
Narda chuckled, shaking her head at Kire’s politeness.
"My pleasure to make your acquaintance," Ed said with a bow.

Ysaryn paid no mind to the others when Kire whispered to Ed about her words, her ears having picked up the low voices. She pulled open the wardrobe doors, her eyes scanning the linen and articles available. Robes. Robes. More robes. "No. I will not." Ysaryn answered Kire when she was invited to sit, rifling through the folded piles, pulling several out to toss carelessly onto the floor.
"Yes, yes, fine, Wyvern, it is nice t-"
Ysaryn whipped around, her fuchsia eyes snapping to Ed. Another flush crept across her face as she finally caught on that he could understand and speak the language. Even if the dialect was slightly different. So damned polite and formal, these elves.

"Well, shit." Ysaryn turned her back on Ed again, resuming her digging. "Now I want to stab you, among other things." Ysaryn grumbled, though with far less ire in her voice. With a small shout in glee, she pulled tree a pair of soft white trousers. "Shield eyes, cousin." She said in the common tongue as she kicked off the soft slippers they'd given her and bent to pull the trousers on beneath the skirts. So many skirt.

Seemingly satisfied with pants on, Ysaryn moved to the table and sat upon one of the vacant chairs, folding one leg over the other. "What are these?" She demanded, raising her arms and twitching the billowing fabric back. The engraved and enchanted bracelets were clasped to her wrist, looking like little more than decorative jewelry. "I cannot remove them. They feel ugly." Her eyes scanned the room again. "And where are the angry ones?" Ysaryn added, as, of course, she did not count herself among the angry ones.

“My,” Edward said, standing politely back, his hands behind his back, as Ysaryn made a comment to him about what she’d do to him. “I see why you’re friends with her,” he remarked to Kire, who grinned sheepishly. “She’d fit right into the crew,” he added, turning his back on Ysaryn when she indicated it. She was very, very different from the manner of the elves here, which Ed find rather refreshing. He was well acquainted with the stifling atmosphere of royal decorum, as well as the roughness of life outside it, and having too much of the former made him miss the latter.

“I did think that, too,” Kire replied, her eyes averted briefly before going to the table to join the elf. When Ysaryn asked about the cuffs, she frowned. “They’re like the wards in the cells. No magic. I didn’t like how stupid and weak I felt while under the wards, so I left my Ring behind with Ruli rather than wear them. He didn’t want to wear them, either, so he’s stuck there. I’ll check in on him before bed.” Kire yawned, as if the very mention of bed had reminded her body how tired she was. “As for Zeke, he’s with Aera, I think. Catching up.”

“Alright. You should sleep. I might not, I’ve been keeping the same hours as the rest of the Raielwen,” Ed said, standing up. “But we will talk first thing tomorrow morning.”
Kire nodded, likewise getting up. “We need to talk about how you got here.”
“I figured as much.” Ed stepped forward to give Kire another hug. “I missed you, Kay.”
“I missed you, too,” Kire answered, squeezing him tight. “See you tomorrow.” After Ed approached Narda to embrace her, too, he gave a polite nod in goodbye to Ysaryn before stepping out of the room.
Kire’s eyes were on the door. “He’s alive,” she murmured, a soft smile on her face, unable to believe her fortune. She turned to Ysaryn, a teasing grin on her face. “I’d say good looks run in my family, if I hadn’t ruined it,” she said, pointing to her scarred face. She stood and turned to the wardrobe, rummaging to find something comfortable to wear for sleeping. Finding a silk shirt and trousers, Kire ducked behind the divider to change.
“Ever the modest one,” Narda commented lazily, lying down on the bed.
“Yeah, hope you don’t mind the cot, Ysaryn,” Kire called out, before stepping out of the divider. “It’d be hard to dislodge the giant from it.”

Ysaryn grumbled at the explanation of the bracelets, but hearing about Ruli's fate due to his stubbornness lessened her scowl. She continued to fidget with them, however, her sparse time as a thief in Cordon out of sheer rebellion unable to resist eyeing the damn things for a lock to pick. She couldn't even find a crease in the metal into which to wedge a fingernail.
Her eyes rose to follow Ed as he rose, her chin dipping in return, her gaze following him out.

"You are still good looking with the scar." Ysaryn insisted to Kire. "I do wish for a warning that he spoke my tongue. Now he knows I am foul in the mouth."
With a sigh, she rose, raising her arms to free her hair. "I do not mind. It looks better than the cell bench. Or the damn medical bed."
With a huff, she sat on her cot, facing the giantess in the bed. "Did you meet Aera? What is she like? Rulitus seems to shrink when her name is said. I picture Envy in a dress. Mean face."

“You didn’t exactly give us the time to warn you,” Kire said with a chuckle. “And don’t worry, Ed’s used to foul-mouthed women. Isn’t he, Nard?”
“Mmm,” Narda hummed, a wide grin on her face as she lay back on the bed. “Ed is quite good with tongues.”
Kire laughed aloud at that. “He does have a way with the ladies.” She smiled, watching Ysaryn unwound her hair, before pondering on her question.
“Tall, but not tall like Envy,” the giantess answered, yawning. “Beautiful face. Pale. Purple eyes, but sad.”
“She does smile, though,” Kire put in. “At least she gets on well with Zeke. They seemed close. Or as close as one could get with elves with their disposition, as far as I could tell.” Kire stood from her chair. “Alright. I’m sorely tempted to just lie down, so I’d rather go to the cells now and see how Ruli is doing before I change my mind. Save a spot for me,” she added to Ysaryn, pointing to the cot next to hers with a smirk. Narda lifted a sleepy hand in farewell.

Kire almost got lost on the way to the cell, but after catching sight of Farryn she was able to find an escort back to where they had been held. Remembering how she felt while inside made her stomach drop, but she reminded herself that at least she wasn’t made to wear the bracelets. “Hey,” Kire said, reaching the cell. “Just wanted to make sure you’re alright.” She leaned against the bars, felt a bit of a tingle from the wards, then straightened up again. “He’s fine. He’s alright,” she said, smiling. “The smooth bastard even learned Elvish. Ed’s always been clever, and a good student.” She gestured at him. “How are you feeling?”

Ysaryn shrugged at the description. Suppose that was woefully boring; the fact that Aera looked so typical for the elves here. Her mind couldn't quite get past Narda's remark about tongues. She understood he'd learned fast, but why had it made Kire laugh.
As Kire departed, the dark elf glanced to the cot beside hers, then gasped. "Oh!" She clapped her hand, chuckling, before she leaned back. "You mean that he is good with pleasure!" Ysaryn settled onto her pillow, amused. "I see. 'Good with tongues.' I like that." She grinned wickedly. "Do you know that?" Ysaryn asked the sleepy woman in the bed. "Are you and he mates?"

The moment he heard steps, Ruli was at the bars again. He looked tired, strained, but alert. "I'm glad hes alright." Ruli admitted, fidgeting. "I'm..." he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I'd rather be home, to be honest. Anywhere, but," he glanced up at the wards. He wanted to ask to be escorted out, so he could go home, to his own little house, and come back for them in a few hours. Days. His skin crawled at the mere thought of being able to leave, like it was trying to escape without him.

"When are we going back?" He settled instead, still shifting, restless. His blue eyes roamed her face, noticing how much softer her expressions were now that worry wasn't biting at her.
"He's well, then?" Ruli made himself ask. "You look happier. And Ysaryn? Have you any news?"

Narda laughed tiredly. “Yes, he is good with pleasure,” she affirmed, wishing Kire was around for this conversation. She propped herself up against the headboard. “We, uh mated a few times, though in terms of what we are to each other, we are simply just good friends,” she said, looking at the elf. “Not a lot of men—or women, for that matter—could brag about knowing how to satisfy my appetite, and he is on top of that short list.” She grinned wickedly at that. “He’s a good man, a warrior and commander, like Kire.” Narda paused, absentmindedly touching her chin in thought, before grinning again. “Kire, unfortunately, didn’t seem to share the same suave as her older cousin, though she’s had better luck with women than men, I think. Unless she hasn’t been telling me everything. I’d tell you more, but she might murder me in my sleep if she finds out.”

Kire could tell Ruli was restless and very uncomfortable, and she wished she or Ed could do something about it. She wasn’t about to try and convince him to wear the magical restraints, either, both out of knowing how stubborn he was, and out of understanding how he felt about it. “He’s very well. He had injuries coming here, but he’d been training with the elves.” She smiled at his comment about her happiness. “Ysaryn, too, is fine. She’ll be staying with me and Narda in our room. As for when we’ll leave, I just need to find out a couple more things. Where the gate had been, and if anybody else had accidentally wound up here with Ed. He had been commanding troops at the time of his disappearance, and those who hadn’t died at his last location may have been caught in the gate. Hopefully, that won’t take too long, and we can all go back tomorrow. At least with the world gate, it’d mean we’d all have to be outside, I think, and there’d be no need to restrain our magic for it.”

She almost asked to see her Ring, but she bit back the impulse. “Try to get some sleep, alright? Save strength for tomorrow.” She offered a small smile. “Buy you a drink when we come back.”

Kire returned not too long after. She could tell Narda was clearly only hanging onto consciousness until she got back. “Go sleep, Nard,” she said, chuckling.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Narda said with a wave, turning over in bed.
“Ruli can’t wait to leave,” she said to Ysaryn, sitting down in her own cot. “Can’t say I blame him. Oh, gods above, what a day this has been,” she said, lying down with a soft groan. “What have you and my annoying friend here been talking about while I was gone?”

Training with the elves. Ruli's eyebrows twitched upward in surprise. Never did he imagine the elves would allow that. But her mention of Ysaryn made him forget his rude comments. He was relieved she was alright. The his mind repeated her words. Tomorrow. Outside. No need to restrain. The bars whined as Ruli gripped them harder. Tomorrow. Outside. No need to restrain. "Fine." He said shortly when she told him ... whatever it was as a goodbye. He wasn't listening. He leaned back again, glaring once more at the wards, before he resumed his pacing.

Ysaryn chuckled, stretching in a yawn. She felt more rested than Narda sounded; her time on the medical bed more refreshing than she wanted to admit. "Being chieftess is not always easy when it is to bed mates." Ysaryn sighed. "The ones who are eager are not worth it. The ones who are worth it are not eager. Or have mates already." She frowned, thinking of a certain blond who had turned out to be far from eager. Ysaryn was working on convincing herself he was no longer worth it.

She was quiet, thoughtful, until she heard the door open, and Ysaryn raised her head from her pillow. Her unbound hair swept off the side of the cot and dangled onto the clean floor like a curtain.
"While I like the bed, I, too, cannot wait to leave." Ysaryn admitted, dropping her head again. Then she grew a wicked smile. "We were speaking of how many you have taken to bed." She teased, her teeth showing. "Maybe you are not so good with the tongues?"

Kire wrinkled her nose at Ysaryn’s answer. She looked to her friend, already snoring softly on the bed. “Ah, is that so? Let me just put a pillow to her face and smother her while she’s asleep,” she muttered, turning towards the elf again. She blushed furiously at Ysaryn’s teasing. “Well, my tongue is just fine, I should like to say, but I don’t have much opportunity to actually prove it,” she said, pouting, crossing her arms. “I can—maybe count them on one hand. A few more, if you also count those that never quite made it to bed. Though the first one is forgettable enough not to count.” She grimaced again at that, then lay down on her cot, hands behind her head, frowning for a moment when she couldn’t feel the Ring against her skin. “I was Chieftess for sixty years, practically still a girl when I started. It’s—difficult. And even now, when I no longer am, it still is.” She remembered their brief conversation about marriage before, and sighed. “You’re Chieftess. I imagine it’s somewhat the same for you, isn’t it?”