That all seems quite likely, but it still leaves open why the Imperial Manakete would take to pulling string from behind the curtain instead of ruling openly. Shyrlonay seems like the most likely candidate, and it sounds like he had gathered most of the Manakete behind him by the time Ryza's parents made their final stand. His faction should have had enough numbers to establish themselves as the uppermost elite of the Empire, while empowering human subordinates with magic training and items to fill out the rest of the ruling class.
What happened between Shyrlonay's triumph and the founding of the Empire or the genesis of the present-day Empire's mythos, where Manakete are not even half-remembered tales?
I mean, it seems like he died, exactly as the story said. But then the humans broke the back of the Fellsworn because numbers count once the magic barrier was broken. Afterwards, there weren't really enough Fellsworn to keep fighting, since they used up all their Feedbacked slaves by now and probably took a good drubbing themselves. It's probably only just now that they've had the confidence to have another go at things, and they're starting by hopefully getting the humans at their throats.
I mean, it seems like he died, exactly as the story said. But then the humans broke the back of the Fellsworn because numbers count once the magic barrier was broken. Afterwards, there weren't really enough Fellsworn to keep fighting, since they used up all their Feedbacked slaves by now and probably took a good drubbing themselves. It's probably only just now that they've had the confidence to have another go at things, and they're starting by hopefully getting the humans at their throats.
If the humans were in control by the end of the fighting, I don't see why they'd cover up the existence and involvement of the Manakete so thoroughly that not even scholars and aristocrats know about what happened. It would make sense if common legends and oral traditions dropped the Heart forms and focused on the Manakete's dragon forms as foils for humanity's cleverness and organization, but it'd be strange for the Imperial elites to leave out such details from their founding myth (likely tracing many of their houses and founding figures to the fighting at that time) or the more sober scholarly histories.
Unless more manakates survived (which is possible) ryza having kids with a human could dilute the off springs manakate abilities to the point where subsequent generations might not be able to transform or lose their abilities. This is assuming ryza will be into guys eventually which she might not be (this would be years down the line).
I'd have to leaf around the various backstory snippets we've gotten, because I think it's possible we might be able to put some of the pieces together by now to get some additional ideas and context but I think the critical one we still lack is what exactly caused the schism between the manaketes. We know Ryza's mom felt whatever Shyrlonay wanted would destroy them but I still don't believe we know what exactly it was he was doing to make her think that.
I think the only real insight we have into him directly is this pre-chapter intro quote:
"A manakete that cannot read is no manakete at all, and any tribe that denies their children this sacred skill is accursed by the Mother and is not of Her people."
- High Lord Shyrlonay
Which seems quite sensible and doesn't really give any hint to that (unless it's a case of him trying to gain forbidden knowledge which... okay, that's not really off the table, but that quote certainly isn't enough to leap straight there either.) We also know a fair amount of imperial names reference dragons, including by families who at least in the present, really don't seem to like dragons manakete. Which raises a few questions of their own. Normally I'd actually do that looking into backstory snippets and present any findings or thoughts I think are interesting but it's Christmas and I'm tired so that'll have to wait a little.
I must say, I was reading over the discussion and I'm loving it. I will say that the events of a thousand years ago were among the first things I figured out in planning, so I do know what happened and have been trying to give hints to it, a lot of which you all've picked up. Some of the answers you've given have been almost exactly right.
I will also say that there are a few pieces of the puzzle that haven't been revealed yet, and as they show up you'll probably start getting a better idea of what happened.
Unless more manakates survived (which is possible) ryza having kids with a human could dilute the off springs manakate abilities to the point where subsequent generations might not be able to transform or lose their abilities. This is assuming ryza will be into guys eventually which she might not be (this would be years down the line).
Assuming that the abilities are genetic, that the genes work in a certain way (e.g. not being a single gene), that manakete are interfertile with humans, and perhaps most improbably, that maintaining the purity of the manakete race is something that will ever come up.
Assuming that the abilities are genetic, that the genes work in a certain way (e.g. not being a single gene), that manakete are interfertile with humans, and perhaps most improbably, that maintaining the purity of the manakete race is something that will ever come up.
I mean, we could try looking at Nah's behaviors. It won't be 100% accurate but half-manaketes are totally a thing. Side effects of gene mixing may vary though.
I mean, we could try looking at Nah's behaviors. It won't be 100% accurate but half-manaketes are totally a thing. Side effects of gene mixing may vary though.
Okay, a nap and some coffee later and let's see what we've got here (A few hours later: okay once the caffeine wore off my attention to detail started to drop right with it so hopefully I didn't miss critical details as my speed-reading got faster). Hopefully this doesn't get as disorganized and stream-of-consciousness-y as I can occasionally get. Think my approach here is going to be to look through and see if I can place things in what appears to be chronological order and see what, if anything, emerges.
Artemis tells a story about a city floating on the Lake of Pillars in what is now Agrithe that was allegedly razed by a dragon in a single night (as well as noting all the nations have similar tales). Ten years after, Emperor Wyrmblood arrived. Per The First Emperor (admittedly - in-universe even - a questionable source since it's basically the Empire's version of its own founding) he was the sole survivor of a village destroyed by a dragon. He teams up with Archmage Lenora who had been studying magic when two dragons attacked her home and killed her friends. Their teamup and rallying people attracts the attention of the Old Master who gives weapons to fight back. Shortly after the Fell Dragon appears and kills the Old Master in an attempt to prevent these gifts from turning the tide. The final clash is Humans against Dragons + Monsters and Wyrmblood kills the Fell Dragon in single combat and claims the Fire Emblem from his corpse.
Ryza remembers her home having kin in it and that they slowly left until it was just her, her mother, and her father. (This is at least 38 years prior to her stasis, as she recalls a memory when she was 55 when it was just the three of them)
Ryza remembers visitors to her home demanding they swear fealty. Also that they plead for dragonkind to unite (under Shyrlonay it appears, albeit circumstantially,) based on a later recollection by Ryza. Interestingly, Ryza describes them as having haunted eyes. Ryza's mother rejects them harshly.
A few months later, Ryza's home is invaded and she is put into stasis. The quest's synopsis/intro blurb notes this as the end of the war. Ryza seems sure the attackers were other manakete, but I don't think she saw it.
Not strictly timeline related, but caught my eye while reading through accounts of the past:
The letter Ryza's mom makes mentions of Shyrlonay's "transgressions" and a desire to dominate or destroy all manaketekind.
When talking to Ryza about the danger of young manakete drawing too deeply on their dragon-self Ryza notes a shadow crosses over his face briefly.
Ryza's examination of the shrine she was put to sleep in probably took decades or centuries to build.
Huh, found some more errors in my general thinking here in terms of when things happened. Which means it's time for me to come up with a (kinda) new theory~!
So, something that struck me here is that the set of events from Ryza's point of view - along with the timing (that I somehow completely forgot) that the attack on Ryza's home occurs at the end of the Dragon War - makes for what I think a very plausible reading that the attack was human-led and part of the Empire's "clean-up" (when Ryza is insisting there must be other survivors, Artemis sadly informs her that Emperor Wyrmblood was very thorough) after they more or less won.
The natural argument against this is that Ryza seems sure the attackers were manakete but I don't think she has proof. She initially latches to the idea that the attack was the result of her mom telling the Shyrlonay faction to get lost combined with the letter naming him the biggest threat to her. She reiterates the belief that the attackers were manakete to Sypha and Bernard on the way to Agrithe and scoffs at the idea it could be wyverns when Bernard presses her on it that there's no way her mom would lose to wyverns unless she fell for getting emotional and made a stupid tactical move. However, aside from that not necessarily being impossible, Ryza also seems to continuously underestimate human combat ability in a way that almost makes it look like a blind spot. She's sure her parents could have easily routed 40 mercenaries and that may even be true but this was all before she knew about how dragonstones were being used by humans in both magic and weapons so I think it's possible she just hasn't considered the possibility humans could overpower her parents when objectively they surely could given they won the war. Additionally, Bernard and Sypha seem skeptical that the kind of manakete disputes Ryza describes could possibly result in such an attack, though Ryza admits she simply may not have known of the more serious matters.
Circling back to the war breaking out "for some reason" another thing that caught my attention was Ryza's dad's reaction when discussing the dangers of young manakete using their dragon forms. I feel like the odds are a lot higher he's thinking of the war when noting this. Either that it may have played the part in its start as a tragic accident or more grimly thinking on how the war has led into a kind of conscription and that perhaps some of the more indiscriminate seeming attacks on human settlements are the result of untrained manakete losing control of their dragon selves.
As for Shyrlonay, I think the possibility that he engineered the war in the hopes of making the power bid he eventually did, only he underestimated how dangerous a common enemy he created is still on the table. As is the simplest explanation - he was the Fell Dragon and he died just like the stories say he did.
However, I think I'm liking my older idea that he was the power behind the Empire, likely the Old Master, and you read the conflict as his bid for conquest - so some of this is the same idea from back then, just more fleshed out with additional detail. Ryza's mom describes him as wanting to "dominate or destroy" manaketekind. Artemis, on hearing what little Ryza knows of him, thinks he "sounds like an Imperial." We're told the Empire doesn't really recognize or respect the legitimacy of the independence of the other nations that later broke away from them, having once ruled all of humanity. It could just be dramatic irony that Emperor Wyrmblood basically achieved the goals we're told Shyrlonay had but I think it's simpler, at least in a Fire Emblem story, to assume they're the same. Once the Empire has won, he rewrites the history of the war to have his character of the Old Master killed off to try and clean up that loose end in the story.
It also re-contextualizes the defeat of the Fell Dragon and claiming of the Fire Emblem as very plausibly being Shyrlonay defeating the Arbiter and claiming the Arbiter's Stone that he may have been denied from getting by attaining the position rightfully. As well as the attack on Ryza's home being more of a "I won. Now bend the knee." power move to a tribe matriarch who had opposed him but seems to have stayed out of the war directly, and when told "No," sent his army in to destroy her, with Ryza only surviving because her parents began planning for this worst case scenario decades earlier when the war began. While he clearly wasn't holding the position of Emperor in the modern day, if we assume his goal is still to dominate then it explains why he would be opposed to the current (well former now) Emperor who had been making diplomatic moves - Shyrlonay still sees those nations as his, so he's sabotaging any effort that "his" Empire might make to legitimize them as independent. Only because you can't really hide that you're well over a thousand years old, and therefore not human and in fact the same kind of being you trained entire civilizations to hate and successfully hunt down, he's been pulling the strings from the shadows since the rule of the first Emperor rather than ruling outright
I mean, we could try looking at Nah's behaviors. It won't be 100% accurate but half-manaketes are totally a thing. Side effects of gene mixing may vary though.
Assuming that manakete inheritance works the same way in Last of the Manakete as it does in Awakening, the problem is moot. Morgan (Nah mother) is as powerful a manakete as Nowi—technically more powerful, due to how growth inheritance works.
But again, I don't see this becoming a problem one way or the other. Ryza probably won't have kids for several decades, so unless this Quest becomes a massively multi-generational affair, it's not gonna come up.
Ryza won't even consider looking for a life-partner until she's at least 200, and unless her sensibilities have radically changed by then she'll probably take about a century to "court" any possible life-partner she finds. Manakete's in Ryza's understanding are expected to be monogamous, and so the buildup to an eventual wedding is taken very seriously. Her parents courted for about 150 years before they eventually married
I don't plan for this quest to take that long: I have a relatively contained story planned out (though that could change, I suppose), and it's more along the lines of typical Fire Emblem stories (in the order of months, maybe a year or two, not decades and centuries.)
Ryza won't even consider looking for a life-partner until she's at least 200, and unless her sensibilities have radically changed by then she'll probably take about a century to "court" any possible life-partner she finds. Manakete's in Ryza's understanding are expected to be monogamous, and so the buildup to an eventual wedding is taken very seriously. Her parents courted for about 150 years before they eventually married
I don't plan for this quest to take that long: I have a relatively contained story planned out (though that could change, I suppose), and it's more along the lines of typical Fire Emblem stories (in the order of months, maybe a year or two, not decades and centuries.)
If you ever feel up for it after finishing the planned story, it could be a lot of fun to pick up a followup story later on in Ryza's life, maybe with a few quest votes about what she does in the interim.
Ryza won't even consider looking for a life-partner until she's at least 200, and unless her sensibilities have radically changed by then she'll probably take about a century to "court" any possible life-partner she finds. Manakete's in Ryza's understanding are expected to be monogamous, and so the buildup to an eventual wedding is taken very seriously. Her parents courted for about 150 years before they eventually married
I don't plan for this quest to take that long: I have a relatively contained story planned out (though that could change, I suppose), and it's more along the lines of typical Fire Emblem stories (in the order of months, maybe a year or two, not decades and centuries.)
There's some circumstantial evidence to suggest there may be some manakete blood in the Emperor's line. In the scene where Thaddeus is assassinated he notes members of the family often live to 100 and also that they tend to have sharp hearing. Now, granted, this could be a red herring because neither of those claims is so exceptional as to scream "hybrid." But given the surname of Wyrmblood...
If true then it does lend credence to the idea that there reaches a point where they lose their abilities if the manakete lineage is sufficiently far back in the family tree. OTOH, also if true it may raise some questions about the First Emperor in particular given no stories seem to exist of him shifting into a dragon so either it was covered up exceptionally well or it was already the case that his manakete ancestry was far enough back that he couldn't do those things. Though a quick patch for that if you wanted would be to turn away from Awakening/Fates genetics and look to Elibe (FE6/FE7) where (FE6/7 Spoilers) Roy can potentially be quarter-dragon and can't do the things his potential half-dragon mother Ninian could do. Though this could be a case of FE7 coming after and the fact that Ninian is only one of several potential mothers for Roy
But to further support the idea of humans and manakete interacting - I did find it curious that Archmage Lenora was studying magic before she got involved in the Dragon War. What exactly would there be to study? Ryza's understanding was humans couldn't use magic and if there was no cultural contact then they likely wouldn't be aware of "oh actually magic exists and can do these things." It's possible it was just research into the fact that some people could make tiny sparks for some reason or depending on how long the war may have been going on by then looking into what the dragons were doing but I'd probably be more willing to bet she had a manakete teacher (Ryza thinks her father would have taught a human who asked) or maybe even was a manakete who just got changed into a human when the history was rewritten. That Ryza has noted the current schools of magic resemble how manaketes taught it has been noted both by her in the quest and by others here so there's also that of course.
There's a reason I qualified the "technically" as a "technically".
Anyways, I'm not sure what you think I got mixed up. If male Robin and Nah hook up for some reason, their Morgan can class into manakete. Your comment about looking at Nah was made under a quote where I was responding to concerns that impure future generations of manakete might lose their dragon powers.
I don't plan for this quest to take that long: I have a relatively contained story planned out (though that could change, I suppose), and it's more along the lines of typical Fire Emblem stories (in the order of months, maybe a year or two, not decades and centuries.)
That's fair. Though if someone else wrote a Fire Emblem quest that was planned with that kind of multi-generational structure in mind (and didn't collapse partway through the first mission), that would also be pretty cool.
Anyways, I'm not sure what you think I got mixed up. If male Robin and Nah hook up for some reason, their Morgan can class into manakete. Your comment about looking at Nah was made under a quote where I was responding to concerns that impure future generations of manakete might lose their dragon powers.
"Morgan (Nah mother)" was supposed to be short for "Morgan, if Robin is male and marries Nah". It distinguishes her from Morgan (Tharja mother), Morgan (Cordelia mother), Morgan (Chrom father), and so forth.
"Morgan (Nah mother)" was supposed to be short for "Morgan, if Robin is male and marries Nah". It distinguishes him from Morgan (Tharja mother), Morgan (Cordelia mother), Morgan (Chrom father), and so forth.
[X] Plan Safeguard the Manakete Legacy
-[X] You've had some thoughts for a while about going home and seeing if you could pick up some of the things you left behind. Your home is on the border of the Empire, and at least some of the Talons who probably work for bad people know where it is. Going just became imperative, and you want to do so now. (Will gain Items)
-[X] Social Options: Who do you get to know better?
--[X] Kelton
--[X] Belle (Only available if hired as Retainer)
-[X] Learning Options (Can choose the same option multiple times to focus on it)
--[X] Continue learning White magic
--[X] Continue along the Path of Awakening
-[X] Boons
--[X] Your nature is warmly received by the Kingdoms.
"I do wish they'd all stop crowding around us and pretending to be our best friends."
"At least they like us."
"We're not here to be liked, we're here to save humanity, and we can't do that with a bunch of useless hangers-on."
"I at least find being liked a morale boost. If I wanted to be depressed, I'd have just stayed with the graves."
-Emperor Wyrmblood and Wyvern Lord Mycelus, Flame and Ash: The Turbulent Life of Theodore Wyrmblood
It's strange, you muse, how quickly humans seem able to get over bad shocks. An hour ago, you'd all just been told the Emperor was dead and everyone was freaking out. Now… you look around the garden where everyone had gone once the Archduke called for a lunch break. The gathered nobles are all in small groups scattered around the garden, chatting amicably to each other over their small snack foods and drinks.
You suppose it helps that Archduke Letoro had spent most of that hour leading the gathered nobles through making a plan of what to do. You hadn't completely understood all of it, but you know that just about every noble had agreed to raise some of their troops to patrol their territory more vigorously and start stockpiling food and supplies in case more trouble came. There was also an agreement to pool some money to hire a squadron of Whitewings to help bolster the border defenses. The nobles had also agreed to share any and all information from their agents within the Empire, to keep track of the preparations going on there.
You get the feeling Artemis's father wouldn't have been nearly as successful in convincing everyone of this plan if they hadn't been nervous. You suppose Father was right that success came to those who found the right moment. Still, as you sip at the milk and lurk at the edge of the swirling gathering, you muse that you have your own problems to worry about.
Artemis had nodded when you told her about your plan to go home and get the rest of what Father and Mother left for you, as well as search for anything else that might have survived. "Not a bad idea," she'd said. "That shrine was safe, but I get the feeling a determined enough person could find it if they had time to really try, and with your home right on the border there's not much the Kingdoms could do to stop an Imperial force from taking it if they chose."
You frown: you wish you didn't have to worry about humans stealing from you, but by the sound of it the person keeping the Empire from following its worst impulses had just been murdered, probably by someone who wanted it to follow its worst impulses, so you have to be careful. Best to go get what you need, so that once this unpleasantness all blows over you'll have a foundation to restart from. The caverns themselves can be fixed, but the relics of your people… those are irreplaceable.
"Hello, Ryza," a friendly voice says.
Looking up, you see Alejandro standing in front of you, followed by a pair of women who looked to be twenty (you'd decided to just start dividing by ten when trying to judge human ages, it's probably close enough). "Hi," you say, smiling. "How are you doing?"
"Well enough," Alejandro says easily, leaning against the wall next to you. "What with that nasty bit of news we got earlier." His casual smile doesn't quite reach his eyes as he studies you out of the corner of them. "I am curious as to what your thoughts are."
You rock back and forwards on your heels. "I hope that nothing bad comes of it," you say. "I don't really want anyone to get hurt."
The man slowly nods. "Well, thanks to you, we at least have advance warning," he says, finally turning his head to look at you fully. "If you hadn't saved Lady Artemis and Lady Sypha, we probably wouldn't have heard anything until the official report trickled out, and who knows what news would have come alongside that." He grins. "The Kingdoms are in your debt."
You hope the heat on your face doesn't look as obvious as it feels. "I was just trying to help," you say.
"I know, but that doesn't change the facts," Alejandro says. Before you can respond, he glances at the two women, his grin widening. "But I forget myself; I came to offer some introductions. Ryza, these are Lady Madalyn, my minder, and Madam Isabella, the daughter of Chancellor Brenner." He lowers his voice to a faux-conspiratorial level. "Father sent them to make sure that I didn't get 'distracted.'"
"My lord, please," Isabella says, delicately covering her mouth for a moment with a fancy, folding papery thing. "You make us sound so nefarious to your young friend." She smiles at you. "Madalyn and I just noticed that you seemed a little lonely over here, and wanted to extend our thanks for everything you've done." The other woman nods, smiling as well.
"You're welcome," you say. "But if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you just come over and introduce yourselves?"
The two women giggle. "Oh, Ryza, that would be far too simple," Madalyn says. "You see, at parties like this, nobody introduces themselves, it's just not done. No, what we do is we find a mutual friend or acquaintance, and they introduce us."
"Why?" you ask, cocking your head. "What happens if there is no mutual friend?"
Isabella waves a hand. "Oh, that would never happen," she says. "The only way to get into one of these gatherings is to be invited, so you always know at least someone. It might take a leap or two, but eventually you'll meet with the person you want to." She cocks her head. "Was it different at your people's parties? Mana…"
"Manakete," you say. "And I don't really know, I never had a chance to go to one."
Both women murmur sympathetically. "My apologies for bringing it up," Isabella says. "And we're sorry you had to put up with Count Redward."
"It was cruel, what he insinuated about you," Madalyn says. "Even leaving aside all you've done for the Kingdoms; you didn't deserve that." She bows her head slightly. "My apologies."
"You didn't do anything wrong," you say. "He was the one who said those things."
"But still, it is a black mark on all the Kingdoms that you had to endure that." Isabella cocks her head. "If you don't mind me asking, what were manakete like?"
You cock your head. "What do you mean?" you ask.
"Well," says Madalyn. "We've heard the stories, of course, but after hearing you speak, I can't help but think that those stories are… somewhat in error." Alejandro and Isabella nod.
Slowly, a smile spreads across your face. "Are you Revisionists?" you ask. "I've been talking with Mistress Flarestone, and she said she'd help me push back against all those nasty stories. Did she already talk to you?"
The two women shake their head. "No," Madalyn says after a moment. "I've heard of them, but I'd never really thought about it before. No, we just heard you speak, and the convictions you showed were so different than what the ancient tales described that we thought there had to be something more to it all. And what better way to find out than to ask someone who was actually there."
Your smile fades a little, but you rally. You have a chance to get other people to help you combat the misinformation, you should make sure they get the right idea! "I'd be happy to talk to you about it," you say. "I've read some of those stories, and while I wasn't personally there, there's a lot of things that don't really make sense…"
As the rest of the lunch passes, you rarely get a chance to just relax. As if they'd been waiting for some sort of signal, it seems a constant stream of people come to talk to you, or at least listen to others talk to you. Just like Madalyn and Isabella, they all approach alongside one of your friends; Artemis, Sypha, Dione, even Bernard was co-opted at one point.
You wonder how this tradition got started. Could it just be a matter of trust, or was it some sort of nobility status ritual? You mentally shake the thought out of your head: you're having enough trouble keeping track of everything else without distracting yourself! You'll ask Artemis later.
Thankfully, people seem to accept it when you don't want to answer a particular question, but that still leaves a lot of things to discuss. You answer questions about yourself (you get some pleasure out of continuously making people blink when you tell them exactly how old you are) questions about your family, questions about manakete in general. There are even lots of questions about your outfit! However… you can't help but feel that you're making progress. All of the nobles and hangers-on that approach you seem far more friendly and open than they had been previously. Whereas before questions had been cagy and ladened with double-meaning and innuendo, now they seem to have figured out that you're happy to answer honest questions.
You… honestly get the impression they like you. Almost everyone apologizes for Redward, who apparently isn't very popular. They smile, they show interest, they don't question or argue with you about the things you tell them.
Best of all, nobody seems worried that you're going to eat them or their daughters!
Finally, however, Archduke Letoro raises his voice. "Lords, Ladies and representatives, let us return to the business at hand," he calls. A general murmur of agreement as everyone starts making their way back to the hall.
You look up at Artemis, who'd joined you permanently at some point. "Is there anything else I can do to help?" you ask. You will if you have to, but you're feeling a little burned out from all the talking.
Artemis looks you over and smiles slightly. "I don't think so," she says. "Go get some rest, Ryza, you'll need it if you're going to be going home soon. I'll make sure you don't get volunteered for anything." You give her a grateful smile and wave as she follows the rest of the crowd back into the castle. Sypha glances back at you and cocks her head, but you give her a wave too, and she accepts that you're okay and follows her mother into the room, leaving you in the courtyard with the servers who are cleaning up. You start to move to ask if you can help, but they wave you off.
As you watch the last of them file out, you make your way over to a bench and sit down, leaning back to stare at the sky. As you let out a long, slow breath, you remind yourself that while you've been getting a lot better about being around large numbers of humans, it's still exhausting.
"Copper for your thoughts?"
You yelp as a voice comes from beside you. Turning, you see Belle leaning against a wall, sipping from a sack filled with liquid. "Belle!" you say. "When'd you get here?"
The woman shrugs. "I've been hanging around nearby ever since this whole hubbub got started," she says, walking over and sinking down next to you. "Turns out that, even though you hired me, I wasn't deemed 'sufficiently important' to be allowed into the secret club meeting."
You frown. "That's not right," you say. "If you wanted to join you should have been allowed in. Sorry, I should have told them you're with me."
"It's fine," Belle says, waving a hand. "I'm not really interested in what the nobles get up to; just figured that if you're paying me to watch your back, I should probably be around to watch your back."
You study Belle out of the corner of your eye. She's still a bit of a mystery. You trust her, mostly; she stayed and helped Sypha when she didn't have to, but she's still a mystery.
You smile: the only way to solve mysteries was to get information!
"So," you say. "Do you mind if I ask you a bit about yourself?"
The woman raises an eyebrow. "You're the boss," she says.
You shake your head. "No, I don't want you to just tell me because you think you have to," you say. "If you don't want to tell me something, that's okay. It's just… if we're going to be spending a lot of time together, I hope we can be friends, and to do that we should know more about each other." Belle raises an eyebrow. "How about this, you can ask me anything you want too."
"Anything?" Belle asks. "Bit of a dangerous offer."
"Yeah," you say. "I don't think you're nearly as bad as you pretend to be," you say as her other eyebrow creeps up. "You helped me at the Talon camp, even before you knew I could help you. You went to help Sypha, even though Sir Ector didn't seem to like you very much."
Belle stares at you for a long moment before laughing quietly. There's no mocking in it, just soft bemusement. "I don't know if this should count as the wisdom of ages or the naiveté of children," she says. "But I guess the only way to find out is to keep following the trail and see where it leads." She crosses her legs on the bench. "Alright, shoot, what do you want to know?"
"So how did you end up with the Talons?" you ask. "Sypha said something about you standing in for Artemis, but how'd that happen?"
The woman sighs. "You don't ask the easy questions, do you?" she asks dryly.
"If you don't-"
She shakes her head. "No, it's a fair one," she says. "It's just… a bit of a long story. So, do you want the whole thing, or just the basics?"
Reaching out, you pat her on the leg. "Whatever you're willing to tell me," you say.
"You are way too nice for your own good, kid," Belle says. "Alright. The reason I was on that suicide mission was because the big lady had me in one of her dungeons already, waiting for a stretched neck. Lucky me, though, I looked the closest to your friend." You nod: aside from the hair and demeanor, Belle and Artemis do look rather similar: the same build, same lean strength, about the same height.
Meanwhile, Belle was still talking. "You see, she'd recognized that there was a good chance the mercs'd try to take her daughter back, so she wanted a backup in case they pulled a fast one, which they did. That was me. I'm a thief, so she figured that, not only did I look close enough to maybe make it work, but I'd have the best skills to carry it out. She said that if I went along with her zany scheme, not only would I get a full pardon, I'd also a bag of gold if I helped bring her little girl back." She snorts. "Shows just how desperate she was, I guess."
You cock your head. "That seems really dangerous," you say.
"Oh, it was. I figured there was about a coin flip chance that they'd shank me the second they pulled the bag off my head and saw I wasn't worth much. Another decent chance they find the knife I'd been given and shank me for that, but better a small chance to live then none at all." She sighs. "To be honest, when I agreed, I was fully planning on telling the Talons what the big lady was planning. I was planning on leading the guys she sent along into an ambush, hoping that would buy me at least my life, if not a place with the mercs. Figured that was my best shot at getting out of that mess alive."
You frown: that would have… you remind yourself that she hadn't, that she'd done the right thing. "What changed?"
"I heard the kid scream," Belle says. "Sypha, I mean. I couldn't see anything, still had the bag over my head, but I heard her. Even over the flame breath, over the lizard's shrieks… I heard her." She takes a slow, almost shaky breath. "It's easy to plan to sell out a bunch of clankers who hate you on principle. It's a lot harder when there's a little girl who didn't deserve any of this begging for her mama to save her." She leans back and folds her arms tightly. "After that… well, I've never claimed to be a good person, but I always had one line I didn't cross: don't hurt kids. Those jackwads crossed that line, so no matter what I felt about the big lady and her clankers, I was gonna do what I could to screw the mercs over. Enemy of my enemy and all that." She blinks a few times before throwing you a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Still think I'm not so bad?"
You nod. "I do," you say. "You're not perfect, but nobody is. You helped save Sypha, even when you knew it might get you hurt." You fold your arms. "That being said, no more thinking about working with the Talons. They're not good people."
Belle laughs. "Got it, boss," she says. "So, what's your deal? How'd you get tied up in all this? The old bow guy refused to say much, and Kelton didn't know anything I couldn't have figured out myself."
As promised, you tell Belle about yourself. You tell her about your home, about your family, and about your path to the current moment. She doesn't say a lot, but she seems empathetic when you talk about how you came to be alone in your shrine. You answer many of the same questions as you'd answered to the nobles, but somehow it seems… more personal, when talking to Belle.
When you ask her about her family, she pauses before grinning. "A story for another time, perhaps," she says.
You want to know, you honestly do, but you'd promised. "Okay," you say. Belle's eyes might have slightly widened as you said that, but it also might have been your imagination.
Before either of you can continue the conversation, the sound of approaching voices turns both your heads towards the door. "Looks like the bigwigs are done with their super-secret meeting," Belle says as the gathered nobles start filing out. "So, what now?"
You stand up. "Well, I'm going to be going home soon," you say. "So I should probably find Countess Mantrae and make sure that everyone'll accept it as mine." You look over at Belle. "Do you want to come?"
"To your place? Sure, it sounds awesome," Belle says. "To talk to the big lady? Eh, I'll pass. She's probably still irritated with me for not doing more to get you to take her kid right back to her." She turns and struts away. "I'm gonna go find Kelton and rub his face in the fact that I know more about you than he does. Try and distract him from moping about the clanker girl he's still sweet on, no matter how often he says otherwise."
As you stare after her, you hope that Belle wants to help and is just not very good at it, rather than just being a bit of a gadfly. Still… you do get the feeling that your instinct is right that she's not a bad person, just one who feels the need to pretend to be.
Maybe, with enough work, you can convince her she doesn't have to make the world more complicated than it already is.
Gained: Support Rank C: Belle
In the end, getting Countess Mantrae to recognize your home as yours takes you longer than you'd expected. You'd thought it would just take a few minutes of hashing out what counts as the bottom of the mountain, and that'd be that.
However, it seems that she really doesn't want anyone to be able to argue with this. "There are going to be people who will attempt to dispute where exactly your land ends and theirs begins," she says as the two of you pour over a map, a scroll covered in formal writing between you. "That is the single most common dispute I need to resolve. This deed also needs to stand up for your entire life. It is better that we take the time to make sure that everything is properly documented and decided, so that none can dispute it later."
"That's true," you say. "Thank you for all this."
A faint smile flickers across the countess's face. "You brought my daughter to safety," she says softly. "I would have preferred that you bring her straight home, but I understand that your first loyalty will be to your friends, and those friends are here in Agrithe. The fact that Sypha is safe is good enough for me."
You frown. "You won't be mad at Belle or Sir Ector, will you?" you ask. "They did the best they could to talk me out of it. I needed to get Sypha's help to convince them to let me take her to safety."
A flash of anger crosses Countess Mantrae's face before she sighs. "Did my daughter ask you to say that?" she asks. "She said much the same to me when she told me about what happened."
"No," you say. "I just worked really hard to try and prevent anyone from getting hurt, and all your people were a big help. Robin and I might have been able to kill the wyvern on our own, but it would have been nasty. Everything worked out so much better when we all worked together."
Finally, after a moment, Countess Mantrae nods. "I will keep your request under advisement," she says finally. "The council has decided on our course of action, and so I shall be returning to Legerius soon with Sypha. Will you be accompanying us on your way back to your home?"
You nod. "That sounds like a good idea, thank you," you say. "Artemis said I should probably bring a cart or two so I can bring everything I want back in one go, so I can't just fly over quickly."
"Sypha will be pleased," Countess Mantrae says. "You are, of course, welcome in Legerius as you travel through. If you wish, I can send a few men with you to your home, just in case of any troubles."
You hesitate. "I'll… consider it," you say. You don't like being suspicious, and you don't think that there'll be any trouble, but you don't want to promise anything without thinking about it first.
"Understandable," Countess Mantrae says. "It wouldn't be many, just a few soldiers and maybe a cavalier. I'm sure Archduke Letoro will send some of his own men as well; you are to be his Head Mage, after all." She gestures down to the maps you have piled around you. "Just something to consider. Let's get this sorted out, then we can discuss it further if you wish."
It takes the better part of another hour to write out the contract, clearly describing every part of your home and where the boundaries are. Finally, however, you're holding a roll of parchment with a fancy wax seal hanging from it. It seems a bit flimsy, more so than the diamond-engraved tablets that manakete used as official documentation. Still, for the moment at least, you have legal rights to your home, above and below.
As a bonus, the time looking at the map had given you get a clear idea of where exactly all the borders are. Thankfully, legally speaking none of the area you now claim is Imperial territory, though the bottom of your mountain does touch it directly. However, from the maps it seems sparsely populated, so hopefully you wouldn't have any trouble with the neighbors.
"Well, that's that," you say. "Is there anything else?"
"Not on your end," Countess Mantrae says. "I'll ensure that all my nearby vassals understand the new borders." She smiles dryly. "I would be surprised if at least one doesn't come to visit during your time there."
You flinch. "Home is a bit of a mess right now…" you say. "I'm mostly just going to find some things to bring back here. Especially since things are so tense with the Empire right now."
The countess nods. "Understandable," she says. "However, I simply wanted to make sure you won't be surprised if someone does show up. I especially don't want you to be surprised if they should try to take advantage of your apparent youth to try and claim that you owe something. Let me be clear: you owe nothing. That mountain is yours."
"Do you think that's likely to happen?" you ask.
"I hope not, but I feel it prudent to give you information in case someone does do something unwise." Standing, Countess Mantrae gives you a serious look. "We did not meet under the best circumstances, but you saved my daughter. I am eternally in your debt for that act. Should anyone of Legerius give you any trouble, inform me and I will deal with them for you."
You suppress the urge to flinch away: while you understand that it's coming from a place of love for Sypha, it is a little intimidating to remember what Countess Mantrae did from that place of love. Although, the memory of what your mother did to things she saw as a threat to you… maybe it's just a mommy thing.
"I'll keep that in mind," you say after a moment. "I should probably go let Archduke Letoro know what I'm thinking of doing, so that I can get a cart."
Countess Mantrae nods politely. "Very well," she says. "Sypha and I will be leaving tomorrow. If you are prepared by then, you are welcome to join us, or you can follow if you need a little more time."
You nod gratefully. You like having time to think about things rather than always having to rush. On that note, you should probably figure out what Artemis's father has to say about all this.
Thankfully, Archduke Letoro does not argue with you when you tell him about your plan. He also does not argue when you ask if you can take a cart to carry your stuff back. In fact, you have to argue him down from sending a small army with you. "I have Kelton and Belle with me," you say. "And if we send too many people, then the Empire might get suspicious and come looking around after we're gone, and I'd really rather they didn't poke around my home."
The Archduke frowns. "While there are no major enemy forces that we know of," he says, "We do know that the Southlands are beginning to raise troops. If they decide to go on the offensive, it might be difficult to get news to you before you're cut off. I've already lost one Head Mage; I do not want to lose a second. Especially not when she's my daughter's personal friend."
It takes you a while, but in the end you're able to argue him down to only six yeomen, including Axton and Lancel. You're pretty sure the only reason you were able to get that was because of your dragon form. You make a note to do some more reading on the Path of Awakening: the sooner you can more freely work with your dragon-self, the better. Thankfully, since you're going to be traveling on the ground in order to let the cart and riders keep up, you'll have time, and you will be able to justify bringing a few scrolls along to pass the time.
As you kneel in front of the shrine to your parents, telling them about what's going on and that you're going to be gone for a while, you consider what else you want to learn. You know both Yellow and White magic, at least the basics. It makes sense to keep going, to get a basic understanding of Red, Green and Black magic. That would prove to the mages at the Hall that you can use all colors of magic, which would help you get accredited.
However… as you look up at the sun, you find yourself thinking about White magic. You love being a Yellow manakete, lightning and energy are your nature… but there's a certain peace in being able to channel divine magic. Besides, now that you know where your light is, it would be good to solidify that connection. Pushing yourself a little harder on White magic would also serve to give you another means of defending yourself, especially against Green and Black magic. Well, maybe not so much against Green magic, all the physical magics are able to overwhelm the ethereal spirit energies of White Magic, but being able to fight Black magic or the corrupted monster equivalent if you need to will be useful.
"Yes," you say, as you finish describing your thoughts to the silent stone tablets and the broken remains of your father's stone. "I'll at least figure out how to use light to defend myself and others, rather than just patch people up after things have gone wrong. After that… well, we'll see. Maybe dragon-me'll have some ideas of what to do next." You gently run a finger along the carvings of your parents. "I'll keep learning, just like I promised. I know I haven't read about runewrighting yet, but I need to make sure I can stay safe. You both'd want that, right?"
You hope the faint sense of satisfaction you feel hanging on the air is not just your imagination.
Traveling by carriage is… odd.
After saying goodbye to Artemis and promising to be careful and return as soon as you can, you'd taken one look at the cart and braced yourself for a long, uncomfortable ride. However, Sypha grabs your hand and pulls you over to where she, Bernard and her mother are boarding the carriage. "Come on, ride with us," your friend says, grinning. "You carried me with you, now I get to return the favor! Not literally, but close enough."
As you allowed yourself to be pulled in and sat down, you'd thought it would be almost as good as flying. Not quite as amazing as feeling the wind in your hair, the strain or air pressure against your wings, the infinite freedom of the endless skies. However, you'd thought that the ease and comfort would make up for it. No bouncing up and down as a horse trots along, a soft seat to sit on, friends to talk to…
The reality had been less than satisfactory.
"It's just so bumpy…" you whine as you stumble around the camp that's being set up at the end of the first day, trying to work the ache out of your legs and backside. "How does anyone travel like that?"
Sypha giggles. "You get used to it," she says, walking with an annoying lack of unsteadiness as she follows you around. "If you think that's bad, then I'll warn you never to take a ship. I was only ever on one once, and it was miserable! I thought I was going to die!"
You blanch; whatever that is, it sounds awful! "What's a ship?" you ask.
The girl stares at you for a second, seemingly shocked. "Did manakete not go out to sea?" she asks.
You lift off, hovering a few inches above the ground to rest your legs. "Maybe a little, to go fishing," you say. "I'm pretty sure I remember hearing about there being some groups that live along the coast that pretty much only ate whales and other big fish, but I never met any of them."
"Well, since humans can't fly, we need big boats to go out to get fish," Sypha says, sitting down. "We also use ships to trade, since it's faster to move lots of stuff by water than by land. That's how the Costal Republics make all their money."
As you finally somewhat feel better, you gingerly sit down next to Sypha. "So I shouldn't go there so I can avoid ships," you say.
The girl giggles. "That sounds about right," she says. "So, you're going home, right? I asked Mother if I could go with you to see it myself, but she insists I stay home for a while. I think she's worried something will happen to me again if I leave her sight for more than a few minutes." The pair of you glance over, and indeed Countess Mantrae is keeping part of her attention focused on Sypha.
"You should probably go assure her you're alright," you say. "I'm doing alright now; I'm just going to read a bit." You'd tried to read during the carriage ride, but the constant jostling and bumping had made you abandon the effort in case you were ill all over the irreplaceable paper.
"If you're sure," Sypha says. You smile, and finally she trots back over to her mother, who gently embraces her and seems slightly unwilling to let her go.
Standing, you make your way over to where Belle, Kelton, Axton and Lancel and the other yeomen are setting up their own small camp. Even with no open troubles between Agrithe and Legerius, it seems both sides are still a little wary of each other.
After finding a good seat, you lean back and pull The Dragon Within out from your bag and start reading in the dying light.
Having completed the step of Control of Emotions, you now turn to the Channeling of Emotions. Now, you'll need to learn how to make yourself feel certain things at the right time, so that you can point your dragon-self in the right direction.
As you read through the scroll, you find that the author understood that this would be a challenging step. However, it does have some advice. Rather than try to force yourself to feel a certain emotion that would be "perfect" for a situation, you're instead encouraged, at this point in your development, to find something that you're already feeling that will work. For example, if you're being threatened and want to solve the problem, rather than simply giving into fear and flying away, you use Control of Emotions to push the fear down so that the anger you're already feeling can come out and push your dragon to defend yourself.
You frown, the trickiest thing is going to be remembering all this when you actually need it. After all, if you're in a situation when you're trying to get your dragon-self to do something specific, you're probably in a situation where you or someone you care about is in a lot of danger. You suppose you'll just need to practice. Crossing your legs, you close your eyes and spend the rest of the night swimming through your own psyche, working to trace your emotions, understand them, and focus on the ones you want and ensure that they're the one that your dragon-self would latch onto.
It will take some time to be sure you can do it in an emergency, but it's a start. Soon, you'll be able to awaken your dragon-self, and the pair of you can work together to navigate the modern world. Hopefully she won't be too angry about all the half-shifting you did to get Artemis and Sypha to safety.
Thankfully, as you continue the trip back to Castle Legerius, you become somewhat used to the carriage. It's still far from your favorite way to travel, but at least it's not agony anymore.
Mostly.
You are also sure to spend some time with your other friends. The cart Archduke Letoro loaned you doesn't even have the soft cushions of Countess Mantrae's carriage, but the nice thing about it is that since it's open to the air, you can stand up and even spread your wings and fly low for a bit whenever you need to. The various guards and riders, thankfully, seem to take this habit in stride. A few even strike up conversations when you're gliding nearby. It's nice not to be regarded with the same mixture of masked terror and panicked reverence as when news of your nature first began to spread in Agrithe.
All in all, the trip is peaceful. More so than any time you've been out and about since being woken up. You get a chance to catch up with Axton and Lancel. They're a bit twitchy at being around so many Legerians, but thankfully nobody starts anything.
Finally, after a few days of travel, you reach Castle Legerius. Approaching during the day, you can see that while Artemis is right that castle Agrithe is bigger, it's not by a huge amount. Of course, both still look massive to your eye, especially having been made with minimal magical aid and having to haul in the stone from elsewhere.
As the convey rolls into the courtyard, you're grateful that you chose to take this final trip with the cart, as everyone is staring at Countess Mantrae's carriage and starting to kneel.
A moment later, the woman herself steps out, followed by Sypha. Gasps and hushed voices fill the courtyard as the girl looks around. Smiling, she gives a wave.
"As you can all see," Countess Mantrae calls. "My daughter has returned safely." She gestures to you as you clamber out of the cart. "Due in no small part to this young lady and our alliance with Agrithe, the threat has been resolved for now. However, there are still troubles ahead." Her eyes sweep the crowd, picking out a few men in fancy armor. "Sirs, please join me; we have much to discuss. Daria, see to our guests." With a final pat to Sypha's head, Countess Mantrae sweeps towards the castle, probably to set the council's plan into action.
Daria moves forward through the crowd of dismounting men to stand in front of you. "It's good to see you again," you say. "How are Daniella and the others? I hope they didn't get in trouble for spending time with me up at the garden."
"You have a good memory, Lady Ryza," Daria says softly. "My daughter is well."
Sypha glances between the two of you. "Daria, really, everything's okay," she says. "Ryza got Bernard and I to safety, and Mother and Archduke Letoro patched everything up. Everyone's friends again." She looks over and grins. "Sara!"
Turning, you see the youngest girl dashing towards the group of you, followed by her older friends. "Lady Sypha!" the little girl squeals. "You're okay!"
"Of course I am," Sypha says, opening her arms to accept the little girl's hug. "Ryza made sure of that."
Daniella and Manuela stare at you (Sara being too busy hugging Sypha). "Ryza?" Manuela says. "What… how…"
You kick at the ground. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I'm… there're some things about me that I didn't mention," you say. "Like how my mother killed that bael: I can do similar things. I used that to find Sypha and Lord Bernard and bring them safely back to Agrithe."
Daniella gasps. "You…"
Sypha untangles herself from Sara to hug her other two friends. "Yes, Ryza can do a lot of amazing things," she says. "Mistress Flarestone agreed to sponsor her for a full mage-name, and she deserves it."
Sara stares up at you in awe. "You're gonna be a mage?" she asks. "Just like Mistress Flarestone?"
You nod. "Just like my father and mother."
"Wow…" the little girl says.
Meanwhile, Daniella looked Sypha over. "My lady, your hair…" she whispers.
Sypha grimaces as she brushes the carefully styled but still short cut she'd been given to replace the ragged mess the Talons had left her hair in. "It's fine," she says bravely. "It's just hair, it'll grow back. The Talons… they cut it to send it to Mother."
All three girls gasp in horror. "Beasts!" Manuela snarls.
"It's alright, it's over now," Sypha says. "Thanks to Ryza and Sir Ector and everyone, it's over." She smiles at you. "You will stay the night, won't you Ryza? I know you want to go home, but Mother does really want to thank you for all you've done." She glances around. "I also hope you'll let a few people go with you, just in case. I'd hate for something bad to happen when we could have prevented it."
The three girls glance between the two of you as you consider again. You hadn't come to a decision yet, but you'd thought about Countess Mantrae's offer. It would be nice to have some more backup, just in case the Talons or someone like them showed up, However, having more people would make you more noticeable, and if something did go wrong it'd be harder for you to get everyone out, even if you used your dragon-form.
[] Accept some escorts from Countess Mantrae: preferably ones you know and have worked with before.
[] Stick with only Agrithian escorts. You can even justify it that Legerius needs all its soldiers to protect its own borders. You can take care of yourself.
Miau hasn't changed in the weeks since you were there last.
After a nice dinner at Castle Legerius, where you were officially honored for your part in helping to save Sypha, you'd rested for the night before moving on. It had been nice to have a proper bed again, you'd gotten used to it since getting back from saving Sypha. Then, you'd continued on towards home with your cart.
As you'd approached Miau, you'd suggested that the column stop so that Kelton could visit with his family. You'd considered the possibility that he'd change his mind and ask to be allowed to stay, and if he did you'd let him. However, he'd seemed almost… reluctant, to stop. However, as the group of you rolled into town, he'd sighed and wandered off, muttering about finding his sister.
While the rest of the party set about stretching and passing news to the cavalier that Countess Mantrae had sent to keep watch over Miau, you wandered off to find Trinicus Dreamseer. His words from the last time you were in Miau still echo in your mind, and you're hoping that he has some more information to make things clearer.
It took a few questions to awe-struck villagers, but finally you find yourself standing outside the door to the shaman's hut. Taking a deep breath, you knock on the door. The quiet sound of shuffling footsteps comes from inside, and a moment later the door opens.
"It's good to see you again, young one," the man says. His eyes raise after a moment. "Or perhaps not so young anymore. You've seen much, and experienced more, since last you were here."
You nod. "I have, yes," you say. "How are you?"
The man smiles. "Well enough," he says. "Do you wish to come in?"
You glance behind you, to where Belle's leaning against a fence, looking a little tense. "No, I shouldn't be long," you say. "Here, I brought these back." You hold out the bag with the two elixirs that Trinicus had given you: Countess Mantrae had returned them during the feast. "We never ended up using them, and Artemis said they were valuable."
The man's smile widens. "Think not of repayment, Ryza," he says, pushing the bag back towards you. "I'm an old man, I have little need of them, and I sense that your struggles are not yet at their end. You will find them more useful."
Slowly, you nod. "Okay, if you're sure," you say, hanging the bag from your belt. "Thank you."
"Of course," Trinicus says. "But that is not the only reason you have come, is it? Your heart is burdened."
Slowly, you rock back and forwards. "What did you mean, when you talked to me about darkness and light last time?" you ask. "I've been thinking about it-"
Trinicus raises a hand. "The Sentinel's warnings are often difficult to understand until the time is right," he says. "And they can very rarely be explained." Seeing what is surely a crestfallen expression on your face, he sighs. "I suppose I can give a possible interpretation." He frowns. "You are unusual. You will attract attention, and not all that attention will be good. However, in that attention, there is also hope." He shrugs. "Or at least, that's how I'd interpret the Sentinel's words, but I could be wrong. I am but the messenger."
Okay, one of these days, you're going to have to figure out just who this Sentinel is so you can figure out why he gives out warnings, but right now you have other things to think of. "Okay, thank you."
As you start to turn, Trinicus clears his throat. "Do not try to push Kelton away. He has much of his father in him. The harder you push, the harder he pushes back. For better or worse, he has chosen you,"
You look back at him. "Did you talk to him?"
"No, but I know him," Trinicus says. "Kelton has always been someone who needs a purpose, a cause to dedicate himself to. He has chosen for that cause to be protecting you." He puts a hand on your shoulder. "Keep him safe, Ryza, and he will keep you safe in turn."
You nod. "I will, Trinicus," you say.
The man smiles. "That is all I ask," he says. "Safe travels, young thunder-caller. May the Sentinel protect you." With that, he softly closed the door.
"Dark mages, huh?" Belle says dryly as you return to her. "They say things and you only figure out what they're talking about in a month, after it'd have been useful to have known."
"Be nice, Belle," you say. "Even black manakete elders had trouble with visions, apparently."
A dry laugh causes you both to turn as Kelton wanders over. "I get that you're trying to be nice, Ryza, but honestly I think the old man enjoys being cryptic," he says. "He came to talk to me, the night before I went with you and Lady Artemis."
"What'd he say?" Belle asks casually.
You start to open your mouth to tell her off for pressing into something private, but Kelton simply snorts. "Fear not the path you walk, but take care that what you choose to see is not different than what is," he quotes dryly. "Which, as you said, would have been really nice to have actually understood before I trusted…" He stops talking with a grimace.
"Before you trusted Claire?" you finish.
Kelton's face twists. "Yeah. Her." His fist clenches. "It's obvious in hindsight, yeah, but would it have killed the old man or the Sentinel to just say 'Hey, Kelton, don't trust the lying girl who's just using you.' That would've been really useful to know in advance."
You frown, that seems like an excessively negative interpretation of what went on. "Honestly, I'm kind of glad you trusted her," you say.
Both humans stare at you. "What?" Kelton asks.
"I mean, if you hadn't trusted her, you wouldn't have been there at Glenhaven," you say. "And if you hadn't been there, I'd have gotten shot by that arrow. At best, I'd have gotten hurt, freaked out, turned into a dragon, and then who knows what'd have happened. Sypha would probably have been terrified of me and refused to go with me to make peace, which means that Legerius and Agrithe wouldn't be friends anymore. At worst, I'd have died." You shrug. "So honestly, I'm glad you trusted her, since I kind of like being alive, and that's what Father and Mother wanted for me."
Kelton and Belle look at each other for a moment before Kelton laughs, soon followed by Belle. "You have a singular way of saying things," he says when he finally finishes. "But thanks, Ryza, I needed that."
You lean over and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Don't focus so much on the second part that you forget the first: don't be afraid. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."
Snorting, Kelton ruffles your hair. "Pretty sure that's my job now, kid," he says, looking you over. "On the note of not getting killed by arrows, one of these days we're going to have to get you some proper armor. Having all those vital points behind only a layer of cloth just isn't going to cut it when the bad guys figure out you're a threat!"
"But it looks so heavy…" you whine.
"That's what training's for!" Kelton says, a slightly maniacal glint appearing in his eyes. "Maybe, rather than reading all the time, we should have you get up early and start running with bags of rocks, that's how Dad taught me!"
That sounds horrible! "But I like reading…"
Belle grins. "I can't say I like the idea of spreading clanker-ism, but if we have to I could hide her scrolls in the morning, so she has to do some training to get them back," she jokes.
Or at least you hope she's joking.
As you desperately argue against your friends trying to train you without your consent, especially when Axton and Lancel join in and seem to agree that it's not a bad idea, you wonder if maybe having a bunch of friends might have some downsides. It'd be nice if they didn't gang up on you!
Still… you suppose it's nice that they care. Especially Kelton.
Gained: Support Rank C: Kelton
AN: Happy new year, all. May it be better than last one.
EDIT: I'm pretty sure I updated the character sheets properly.
[X] Accept some escorts from Countess Mantrae: preferably ones you know and have worked with before.
I... I want to trust her, and she and her family are going to be our neighbors for a very long time. Granted that far ahead is likely beyond the scope of this quest, but it'll have to start somewhere.
