Michellin

Wanderers

“Ah! There you are,” Ed called, spotting the group, though he didn’t catch Ruli and Zeke when they walked off. “Welcome! Glad to see we’ve got such lovely company today,” he said, straightaway offering his hand to Ysaryn to kiss. “Radiant as always.”

“Always such a charmer, isn’t he?” Narda remarked, grinning. Around them, the nobles glanced at Narda and the tall stranger beside her, curiosity and wariness in their features. But when they saw the newcomers in the presence of the Wyvern captain, they let down their guard somewhat, if not their curiosity. “Where are the other Wyvernlings?”
“Around. Elva’s on the other side of the Great Hall with the girls, Jan is entertaining her fiancé, and Her Royal Sleepyhead will be downstairs soon. Come on, I’ll show you where the wine is.”

Elva looked up from Etta and Precy after making a game of spotting who had the most ridiculous hair in between conversations, sighting Ruli and a raven-haired man by his side. Not terrible looking, that one. Hair’s definitely not ridiculous. “Your baker’s here,” Etta told them, beaming at him. “And looks like he brought a friend with him.”
“Hullo, Ruli!” Etta greeted. “The cake was really good, thank you!”

“They wolfed that down so quickly,” Elva said with a laugh. “Though, admittedly, Kire took a big chunk of it for herself.”
“Are you feeling okay now?” Precy asked, before Elva could ask the question herself.
Elva grinned, shaking her head at their eagerness. “Also, introductions?” she asked, looking at the man Ruli brought along.
The herald announced that the Empress was joining them shortly, and soon enough everyone hushed as Kire stepped downstairs. Once she had joined them, the nobles bowed their heads as she passed and entered the Throne Room. “Formal boring bit’s coming up, but after that, we eat,” Elva remarked, inclining her head for them to follow.

Kire made her way to the dais and turned to scan the crowd for who was in attendance. Most were expected. She spotted Envy and Narda first among her friends, and soon after Ysaryn beside Ed, and Myka whispering together with Daryll. She grinned when she saw them, then, as her gaze swept to the other side of the throne room, she saw Elva beside Zeke and Ruli. She paused; while she had hoped to see him, she had been expecting, or at least conditioning herself to expect, that he would refuse the invitation. She smiled softly before she looked away, turning to the lords and ladies assembled.

“Thank you for standing by my side throughout the tumultuous year. Even when many of you kept faith, I promised I wouldn’t wear any crown until I have claimed the one that has always been rightfully my birthright. Today, after mourning our losses, we’re celebrating what they had died for: Amria united again.” The lords and ladies took up a Taakalon cry of acclaim for the Wyvern Empress of Amria as she rose up the dais and sat on the Jade Throne. Janes came forward, with an attendant by her side, an ivory box in hand. From this, Jan lifted out a golden crown, adorned with emeralds and rubies. She bowed her head before Kire before setting the crown on her head, descending the stairs of the dais afterward. The cry went up again as Kire took a deep breath. The weight of the crown was a familiar one, and as always, rested heavy on her head. She closed her eyes and sighed.

There was a short ceremony after, where renowned names who had fallen during the past year were recounted and honored. Kire knighted warriors who had done her a great service as well, and she received ambassadors from those nobles who couldn’t be in attendance, bearing gifts and tokens to rekindle their support for her and her family. And when this was done, at last, Kire rose from her throne to lead the way back out the Great Hall to begin the feast. “Finally,” Myka whispered, grinning at Narda.

Wanderers

Narda and Myka grinned at Ysaryn’s greeting, though when they followed the elf out into the chamber they had to drag Daryll along, who had been making mental notes about the runes around the gate. When the giantess saw Envy, she grinned wide and immediately stepped forward to offer her hand and embrace him. “Far, far too long, my good man,” she replied. “And now with the gate, perhaps we can have longer conversations.”
“’Conversations’, she says,” Myka said, shaking her head. “You weren’t kidding, Narda. Envy is an impressive fellow.”
Daryll, too, was looking at Envy, his mouth partly open as if already preparing for the barrage of questions his mind was formulating. Before he could, however, Ysaryn welcomed them formally, then Ruli stepped forward. Daryll shook his hand, grinning. “Only took a siege of the Capital to finally get here, but yes.”
“Glad to see you alive, matron of honor,” Myka greeted, tipping her hat.
To Envy’s question, Daryll finally got the chance to face him properly, taking the Kartaian’s hand to shake. “The very same. Though I’m not sure what you’ve been told about me to warrant that reaction. If it’s from Kire, I doubt all of it is good. ‘Third worst nag’ is my current standing in her eyes, I think.”

Gavin came jogging into the caves, already grinning. While he was dressed in more festive attire, they were of the same colorful variety as those worn by Ysaryn and Envy. If he was going to be dolled-up for a formal occasion, he wouldn’t be wearing that severe, lifeless attire he was forced into at Cordon. His hair he hadn’t bothered fixing at all. “Just to be clear, when Amrians say ‘celebration’, you mean food, right?” he said in greeting. Narda laughed.
“Of course, boy. Or I wouldn’t be attending at all,” the giantess remarked, before turning her attention to Rab. “Ah. I have only met this one once before, if memory serves.”
“What time’s the feast, Nard? Think we have time to look around here?” Myka said. Daryll, too, looked eager to loiter.
“Let me see. There will be a great ceremony, where Kire officially resumes the title of Empress. Wear the crown again and sit on the throne and go through the formalities of thanking the lords, etcetera,” Narda replied, also for the benefit of the guests. “But after that, food and drink. And once the big celebration is over, I think Her Majesty said something about wanting to get drunk by the beach here, so a smaller gathering with wine and ale afterwards, just friends and family. Who’s coming?”

Once they had settled the matter of the number of people coming through with them, they led the way back to the gate, with Narda staying by Envy’s side. “It should be safe for Envy inside the Tower, with regard to sunlight. Kire mentioned your sensitivity,” Daryll said. “And don’t worry, the Tower’s nice and clean now. No more noxious fumes from expired alchemy chamber supplies.” Gavin stuck out his tongue at the memory of the smell. “But from the Tower, we’d have to do that Shadow-walk thing into the Throne Room itself.”

The doors between the Great Hall and the Throne Room had been opened. Though repairs weren’t fully done, the Palace was at least inhabitable again. Kire wasn’t aiming for perfection, anyway; she wanted to show them she was an Empress in hard times and good, and not even the aftermath of a siege would stop her from finally celebrating their return. The whole family was here: Elva was with the two little cousins, Janes was nearby, accompanying the Lord Ulrich, and Ed was conversing with the other Wenches in attendance. The Great Hall was filled with flowers—purple orchids—and banners of the golden Wyvern on a green field hung from between the columns.

Kire was still in her old chambers upstairs. More than a year’s wait. She looked in the mirror at the dress she wore, feeling strange to be attired thus after a long while. Emeralds hung from her ears and neck, the collar of her dress open enough to make some of her other scars visible. So much, and so little, has changed. She had momentarily considered wearing gloves, but as she looked at her scarred hand, she decided against it. She wasn’t going to be a flawless Empress, at least for the remainder of her tenure. She had never been flawless, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how loudly they demanded.
A servant knocked politely and told her that her guests have arrived. With a nod, Kire turned and left the room to head downstairs.

Wanderers

Ed grinned, laying on his side as she rolled to face him, enjoying the glow of her skin in the morning light, the curves of her body, that smile on her lovely face. Gods, what a woman she was. "Indeed." He caressed her cheek, his thumb trailing down to brush against her lip before he leaned towards her to kiss her, unable to resist. So much of her was difficult to resist. "Sadly, I would need to go back to work." He gave her a cheeky grin. "Do you have time to stay here a little longer? I may need to properly wake up before I attend to business, " he said, his hand gently brushing her arm.

'A little longer' turned out to be longer than he had thought. He was lying on his back again, panting, definitely awake after that pleasurable romp. Gods, he really didn't want to leave the bed. After catching his breath, Ed pushed himself up to sit and stretch. "i better get back before they start running around camp like headless chickens," he said with a sigh. "I hope to see you during the celebrations in a few days, " he said, smiling fondly at her. He got off the bed reluctantly to gather his clothes, kissing her one more time afterward.

The rest of the week ran much the same: cleanup and repairs were made as much as possible, with other nobles sending more workers to help with the task. Jan had arrived, with more of Lord Ulrich’s men to help with the effort. Jan threw herself at work, though Kire knew her long enough to see she was using work to hide whatever she was feeling about her return to the Capital. She guessed rightly, as, alone in the Tower with Jan later that night, Jan embraced her tight and finally wept tears of joy. “Though, now that I have a fiancé, my days of living in the Capital are numbered, anyway,” Jan remarked. Kire only smiled at that and shrugged. The days sped along thus, while at the back of her mind, Kire worried about Ruli.

But as the celebration day drew near, Kire had yet to talk to Gael. She had decided that the day of execution will happen before the celebration, and outside the walls of the Capital. She would not deign to have his and the traitor lords’ blood spilled within the Capital. The lords would be beheaded, but for Gael she hadn’t yet considered a fitting way to end his life. In her worst moments, she considered asking where the Kartaians lived, have Gael struck blind and dumb and toss him into the murderous elves’ den, but she’d rather not invite trouble by involving them.
The night before execution day, she finally approached his cell. She wished she derived pleasure in seeing him debased like this, but she only felt empty, her anger spent. Or so she thought.

“I trusted you, once, a long time ago.” she began.
Gael looked up from staring at his chains. “And I, you. A poor decision to make.”
“When have I betrayed you?” she said. “We were supposed to work towards uniting our families, until you turned around and ravaged the Capital, mutilated my citizens, had my cousin killed. Tell me when, exactly, had I warranted that response from you?”
Silence hung between them. Kire realized she had clenched her fists, her Ring faintly glowing as if ready to give her the strength to bludgeon him then and there. Gael only looked away, chained hands clasped together. “You didn’t hesitate to blame all of us for Ikegai. Including me. You never trusted me beyond seeing me as a tool for a united empire.” He glanced at her briefly. “Do you remember Stonehollow?”
“Remember? Do you think that was a trifling matter to me? Do you think I don’t think about what happened there, what I had done?”
“Then you have your answer.” He bowed his head. “You have your wish now. Reunited the empire, and nearly eradicated my blood from the face of the earth. I wish you all the happiness in the world, Empress.”

The execution happened early the next day. The captured lords who had been condemned to death during the war council were beheaded one after the other, though as a gesture of mercy, she had agreed that the surviving members of their houses would receive their remains. But as Gael was led out, away from the execution platform, it became clear that he was not to receive the same fate. “No drop of your traitorous blood should spill upon the earth,” a herald read out Kire’s words. “The warlord sires of the Wyvern clan had, long ago, vanquished armies with dragon fire. Today, that is how you will perish.” Gael said nothing, though his eyes showed his fear. He had already prepared to die, but to be burned at the stake was going to make his death slow and tortuous. As he was tied to the stake, he bared his teeth in a wry grin at Kire, who stood on the ramparts of the Capital walls, looking down at him.
She raised her hand, and the fire was lighted.

The day of the celebration finally came. Early the next day, Narda, Myka, and Daryll stepped through the world gate. Myka was wearing the same red coat and ridiculous hat she had sported during the war council. Narda, for once, wasn’t wearing her battle-ready armor, but a more decorative cuirass and more lavish clothes underneath. Daryll was wearing a simpler version of the lord’s attire he had worn before. The scholar gaped around him at the caves, then noticed the wards around the gate. “So which way’s the beach?” Myka asked Narda.
“Later,” the giantess promised, grinning, looking forward to seeing Envy.

Wanderers

Kire nodded. "I figured as much. I'm just--I'm worried too, is all." She shrugged. "You know him best. Will you tell him he's welcome to attend the celebration if he's feeling up to it? If I don't see him then, I'll come by to see how he is." She stood up, the sombre conversation making her feel even more tired. "Narda, my cousin, and my other pirate friend might request a visit one of these days, by the way. Just let me know whether or not you're up for guests."
She smiled for a moment. "I'd best get back. Thank you, Envy."

--

This was one of those rare mornings where Ed hadn't risen early. He groaned softly, rubbing his eyes and moving strands of his unruly, blond hair out of his forehead. Gods, he was deliciously sore. And he was sure his back had scratches. Ed lay on his back, not wanting to move or leave the bed anytime soon to begin work. Another rare moment. He chuckled at himself as he rolled towards Ysaryn, snaking his arm around her middle as he nipped her ear gently. "Morning, milady," he whispered, teasing.

Wanderers

Ed watched Ruli walk off without so much as a proper greeting to Envy. He looked at his cousin, wondering what Kire was thinking, what she knew of his condition or why he was acting this way. Vaguely, he revealed that Ruli avoided everyone the next day after his ordeal in the Lithilote cells, but this seemed different. Kire's expression looked hurt, or tired. Maybe both. It had been a taxing few days, physically and emotionally. He turned his attention to Ysaryn instead, grinning at her invitation. "I would love that. I'm famished, honestly. I seem to have been on my feet the whole day. I'm thinking of staying at the house you lent us-- or rather, Kire's house." He chuckled, following her out.

While Gavin set to work with Zeke, Kire took Envy's hand, walking with him to his chambers. Once inside, she settled opposite him and sighed at his question. "Precious little. Even less today, after waking up. Now that he's lucid, he doesn't want to talk about it at all. The most he had said was that he had felt the poison before, and that he didn't want to be alone while recovering from it, since he had been alone last time."

She looked at the elf. "Who poisoned him?"

Wanderers

"I'll let her know," Kire promised, noting his demeanor. Could we forget everything else? he had said this morning. A selfish part of her was hurt by that more than she would like to admit to herself, but she reminded herself that he had been badly hurt. Still was. And it was a hurt that ran deep, awakening a pain from some past to which she wasn't a part. You are not what he needs right now, the rational part of her chided her. Accept that. You have other woes to attend to. "Let's get back to the Tower."

Gavin was already at the Seer's chamber, along with Ed, who had changed into more comfortable clothes. "I suppose I'm seeing you off, unless all of you are coming back after a week for the celebration," the captain said, though he looked at Ysaryn with a smirk. "Though spending a night in Uvano isn't a terrible idea," he added.

Gavin, not knowing or wanting to know what he said, put in, "I thought the ladies wouldn't leave me alone," he said, though the grin on his face betrayed his pleasure at the fact. Kire smirked, shaking her head before she led the way into the gate. Just like earlier today, the passage went quickly and smoothly, and in a blink of an eye they were in the caves, with Envy and Zeke. Gavin saw what they were working on and immediately folded his sleeves, ready to be assigned a task.

"That's... definitely better than the other gate," Ed remarked.

Wanderers

“Dinner first,” Kire repeated. “But I’m having a bite now,” she added gleefully, messing up Etta’s hair.
“Hey! No fair!” Etta said, pouting indignantly.
“Yes fair, I’m rewarding myself for getting us our home back!” Kire said, bending down to lift each girl in one arm. Etta stifled a shriek, while Precy giggled despite her protests. “I’m going to carry you like a baby if you protest like a baby.”
“Okay! Okay, you win!” Etta said, conceding as she dissolved into giggles. When Kire put them both down, Etta turned to Ruli. “Thank you for the cake,” she said in a polite curtsy, followed by Precy. Kire smiled down at them; she could tell they were excited about the idea of returning to the Palace. She was almost sure they would be reluctant to, having acclimated to the North, and after the painful memories of the night they had to flee. But while she knew such memories were likely never going to go away fully, Kire was glad to see her cousins had inherited the Wyvern resilience.

When the cousins left to sit down for dinner at the dining hall, Kire turned to Ruli, observing him. He seemed better, at least physically, but his mind was another matter. “How are you feeling?” She could still feel the way he shivered, see the desperate, pleading look in his eyes. The way he clutched her for comfort. “Envy’s eager to see you. If you’re up to it now, we can bring you to the Tower and show you the world gate.”

Wanderers

Kire could see plainly enough that the Kartaian was bothered. “It’s safe,” she said. “Nothing like any other world gate I’ve seen so far. No rabid animals or transformations---though that seemed to be what happened to the Gemini when they tried opening this by themselves while the Capital was under their control. Right now, it’s located in the Tower within the Palace grounds. And nobody else but me, my family, and whoever we allow into our presence is allowed in.” She paused, looking at Gavin. From the way he spoke earlier, it seemed he, too, carried the burden of Ruli’s current state on his shoulders. “Envy,” she said softly, stepping closer and lowering her voice, “he said the poison was familiar. The Gemini had it, but if Ruli thinks it’s something he had experienced before, then they might have gotten it from someone from this world.” She looked at Gavin. “Did Ikegai tell you anything about that?”

Gavin shook his head. “Not about this specific poison, no. But he did say that the Gemini had learned from Off-worlders in Amria. I don’t know how much, or what kind of knowledge, though.” He looked up at his foster father. “I’ll go list the ingredients down while it’s still fresh in my memory. And I’ll bathe and change. Kire, can I come back later to finish dismantling the ward? I kinda want to take a break.” Now that he was home—and a part of him was relieved to still consider this side of the gate ‘home—Gavin remembered his own room and bed and wanted very much to sink into it for a nap.

Kire nodded. “Ysaryn, you could stay here for now, if you like. Tomorrow, and five days after that, we’ll be busy getting the Capital in order, and to mourn our losses. After that, there’ll be a celebration for our return to the Capital. You’re invited to cross over for that, if you fancy it. The invitation extends to the rest of you, though I don’t know if the rest would want anything to do with Amria at the moment,” she added to Envy. She took a deep breath. “I better get back to camp, though. Daryll’s probably itching to see this side of the gate, but we still have work to do.”

Back on the other side, she almost jumped when she saw Narda and Myka, beside Ed and Daryll, who looked just about ready to jump in, himself. “So their world is just on the other side of this?” Myka asked. “Narda’s seen it. Ed’s seen it. When’s my turn?”
“Oy, me first,” Daryll finally said, frowning.
“Settle down, children,” Kire said, shaking her head. “Let them rest and settle down. This isn’t a playground.”
“Mum’s right,” Ed said, prompting a punch in the arm from Kire. He chuckled, rubbing the spot. “But in all seriousness, I don’t think this gate is going anywhere. Right, Kire? There’ll be plenty of opportunity when we’ve all settled down and rested.”

While Ed, Narda, and Myka went back to the Capital to oversee the work there, Kire stayed with Daryll to discuss the gate, as well as how best to dispose of the petrified remains around the Tower grounds. Those who could be spared from the task of clearing out the Palace and the rest of the work needed were called in to see if they could break down and remove the crystallized statues. Kire helped too, using her strength to speed the work along. She was glad that there weren’t any organic matter left encased in the crystals, or else this would have been a much more gruesome task.

They paused to rest, having a late lunch while waiting for Gavin to come back. Ysaryn came back later, along with Gavin, who went about dismantling the wards he and Ruli had worked on. A part of him was sad to break it, having been proud of what he had accomplished yesterday, but ultimately it had already served its purpose. When it was done, Gavin straightened up, hands on his hips, then took an experimental step over the former boundary. “Feels like nothing,” he said, satisfied, though he turned to Kire for confirmation. The Empress nodded, and he let out a deep breath. “All done now. Maybe you should consider protection wards around the Capital and the Palace,” he said, and Kire raised a brow.
“I have been thinking about that, but perhaps not so soon. I’ve dealt with enough wards and rituals for now. You have, too, young man.”
“Fair enough, Gavin nodded.
“Will you come back for the celebration after the week is done?” she asked.
Gavin thought it over. “It’d be nice. I mean, my first time in Amria was right in the middle of a war, would be great not to have that hanging over my visit, eh? Though—I don’t have to wear that fancy attire, right?”
Kire grinned, shaking her head. “You’re excused.”

They put a halt to the work by dusk, and Kire asked Ysaryn to take them both back to Ruli so they could show him the gate and bring him home. Gavin stayed behind, where Myka and the Wenches hounded him with questions about Uvano. Admittedly, Gavin found himself rather pleased to be in the center of the women’s attention.

--

Etta and Precy had been told by Elva that not only were Kire, Ed, and their friends alright, but that they had gotten the Capital back. So, understandably, they were restless and excited to hear of more news, even more so as the day waned and none of them had come back to the manor yet to satisfy their curiosity. None of their usual games or distractions were enough this time—until one of the servants had told them that somebody was in the kitchen baking a cake. “Is it Ruli?” Etta asked immediately and, not waiting for an answer, hurried downstairs, Precy laughing behind her as she chased after her cousin.

They found Ruli resting on a table, a finished cake nearby. Etta gasped, though Precy shushed her, reminding her not to disturb him. The kitchen staff too looked curiously at the guest and the cake. As quietly as they could, the girls entered the kitchen, sitting near the cake. “Is it for us?” Etta whispered.
“Probably. Nobody else is around,” Pres replied. “And he probably won’t eat it, or he would’ve done it already.”
Etta reached for the cake with a finger to taste a bit of the icing. “I like it. Can we have it for dinner, you think?” she asked, giggling a little too loudly, and Precy giggled even as she tried to shush her.

“What’s all this giggling and secrecy, girls?” Kire said, entering the kitchen, then stopping short when she saw the cake and Ruli. “Huh. Looks like the celebratory feast started early.”
“Kay!” Etta said, practically leaping from her seat to hug her tightly. Precy stepped forward to do the same. “I’m so happy you’re ok!”
“And you too, Miss Ysaryn,” Precy said, looking up to grin at the elf.

Wanderers

While Ed excused himself to say he would fetch Narda and Myka, who needed to be updated on the situation, Kire had gone in after Ysaryn, and when Envy asked his question, Gavin appeared behind them. “Hey, old man,” the lad greeted, grinning as he stepped forward towards the Kartaian to give him a hug in greeting, squeezing for a few brief moments before he cleared his throat, straightening up. He saw Zeke and grinned, raising a hand in greeting.
“How about you give him the explanation, Gavin,” Kire said, smiling as she crossed her arms. Gavin nodded, then proceeded to recount, at least in very broad strokes, what happened during the siege. Kire noticed he left out just how much of his own blood was involved. But he stopped short when he mentioned what happened to Ruli.
“He’s recovering, but he got poisoned real bad,” he said, and guilt at leaving him behind. You wouldn’t have been able to stop him from getting poisoned, his mind reasoned, but it didn’t really help. Gavin recounted the ingredients to the antidote he and Elva put together.

“We’re just giving him more time to recuperate, and then we’re bringing him back. And seeing as this gate is a lot less stressful than my portals or the wild gates, we could bring him back through here,” Kire put in. “So far, this gate looks stable, and is in a safe place on our side. Unless you’d rather we find a way to close this gate, maybe we could keep it up, in case it’s your turn to cross over if you need my help. Or just wanting a visit.” She smiled briefly, but observed Envy's expression, wondering how he was taking all this. He hadn't been happy about Gavin's involvement, though now at least he had returned, relatively unscathed. But Ruli worried her.

Wanderers

Kire whirled around when Zeke cursed. “You and a whole army,” she commented, before grinning when she turned to Envy. But the news of two shadow elves getting sucked in made her frown. She was about to turn back and go in again when Ysaryn followed. When she went back in to find the missing elves, Kire went back in to help the search. They weren’t in the living quarters, nor where they in Daryll’s library and room.
“Ugh,” Gavin muttered. “Does that mean we check down at the basement?”
Ed didn’t look too pleased at that. Kire groaned, though she paused, remembering something. “The armory’s down there, too.”
“Ah. Well, perfect then.” Gavin nodded.

Before they went in, however, they opened the Tower entrance wide to let in more air. Kire went in first, covering her nose and trying not to breathe in the fumes too much. Gavin followed behind Ysaryn. They quickly passed the alchemy chamber, the smells making Kire dizzy, until they found themselves at the entrance to the armory.