Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] What do you focus on during the journey?
-[X] Focus on keeping Sypha and Bernard calm and happy (Less likely to inadvertently cause issues.)
[X] What lines of questioning do you ask? (Choose as many as you wish.)
-[X] Specifics about Sypha's past.
-[X] Specifics about Bernard's past.
-[X] Light, friendly topics.
[X] What ONE line of questions do you veto?
-[X] Specifics about your dragonstone.

"Let's take a walk. You can show me some of your memories and I'll show you some of mine."
-Sun-Speaker Mathias III


It feels nice, being back in the sky. You're tired, true; you've been awake most of the day and into the night, after all, but it's great to feel the wind on your wings again.

At first, you're a little concerned about the whimpered prayers from Sypha: if she really doesn't like flying this is going to be a much more uncomfortable journey. However, thankfully the soothing murmurs of Bernard, and the fact that you go out of your way to avoid any signs of turbulence or cross-breezes, finally seems to calm her down.

Glancing towards your back, you're surprised to see that Sypha seems to have fallen asleep. Her head is tucked into Bernard's neck, and now that you listen you can tell she's faintly snoring. You smile sadly: you suppose it makes sense, actually. For all the stress you've been under, she's had to endure far worse. It makes sense that, now that she's safe, she's crashing.

Bernard is holding her gently, making sure she doesn't fall off. The cold, suspicious lines of his face have softened, and he is looking at his cousin in the way Mother sometimes looked at you when you came to her after a nightmare or some other trouble that needed motherly affection to cure. You smile slightly; for all that he doesn't seem to like you very much, he clearly loves his cousin a lot.

Hopefully that will be enough to keep him mostly calm with your presence.

You blink as his smile fades away when he looks up at you. You start to open your mouth to ask what's wrong, but then you realize that, to someone who doesn't know dragon-form body language, a smile probably looks like bared teeth. You close your jaws and try to apologize with your eyes, flicking your gaze towards Sypha. He frowns, but after a long moment he nods back.

Not wanting to disrupt Sypha's well-needed rest, neither of you speak for the two hours you spend flying. Finally, you're forced to admit that you should probably stop: two hours of straight-line travel will have taken you well outside of any reasonable wyvern search pattern, especially since they don't know about your dragon-form. Hopefully Robin remembered to sweep up your claw prints like he had on the way here.

"Alright, hold on Bernard, we're going down," you say, taking one last look around to make sure you're not too close to any human habitation.

The noble boy nods, hugging Sypha closer. The girl mumbles something, but doesn't wake as you circle down. There's several places that might make a good temporary camp… there! That big tree looks like it has a root-structure that would let you take cover under it, that'll work great! It even has a little clear area so you won't have to push through any trees!

"And three, two, one…" you say as you flare your wings, tipping back to land on your back-legs first. Touchdown!

Sypha jerks on your back. "Wha-" she gasps.

"Shhh, cousin, shhh, everything's okay," Bernard says softly. "We've just found a good place to land."

"'mkay," Sypha groaned, blinking. "Where-"

"Just about two-hours north-east of where we were," you say, and the girl jerks nervously. "Don't worry, it's just me. Just Ryza." You press yourself to the ground. "Do you think you could climb off: my heart-form's not big enough to not be squished by the two of you."

The two humans mumble their agreement and, after a few seconds of work, are able to untangle themselves from your spines and slide off. As they walk around to get their ground-legs back, you shift back to heart-form and stretch. "That went well," you said cheerfully.

The pair stare at you. "Does it… ever get weird?" Sypha askes nervously. "Just… changing back and forwards like that."

You cock your head. "No?" you say. "Why would it: I'm still me either way. Just a bit different body shapes."

"A bit different?!" Bernard asks.

You sigh. "Look, we're all tired. Normally I just need an hour or two to rest and reset after a half-shift jump, but do you think we could take the rest of the night off this once? We all need some rest."

"I think that's a good idea," Sypha said, her eyelids drooping. "Thank you, Ryza."

A minute later, the three of you have found a semi-comfortable space under the tree roots, spreading the collection of cloaks Mantrae's people had given you to form a rough floor. Sypha was soon curled up and gently snoring again. "Get some rest, Ber- Lord Bernard," you say. "I'm alert enough to keep an eye out first."

The boy seems inclined to argue, but you can see that his eyes are drooping almost as much as Sypha's. Finally, he seems to accept the necessity. "Wake me when you need to rest," he said. "Sypha needs sleep more than I do."

You're not quite sure you agree with that, but you don't want to argue. "Alright," you say. "Sleep well."

As Bernard settles down next to Sypha, you get some pleasure out of watching her sleepily cuddle up next to him.

Human children are quite cute.

---

Question 1: Specifics about your powers.
Next morning, you grumble as you poke your head out from your bundled cloak to the light of the sun. It seemed Bernard had not woken you up for another watch as you'd told him to!

Bernard hadn't seemed too happy when you woke him up for his watch, but he hadn't complained, simply nodding. Gratefully, you'd covered yourself up and gone to sleep. A part of you had wanted to see if Sypha would accept your cuddles as well, but a combination of not wanting to make Bernard uncomfortable or appear too familiar prevented you from going through with it.

Looking around, you see that Sypha is still asleep. The poor girl must really have been out of it. Carefully uncurling yourself, you automatically reach for Thunder's Cry, which you'd left-

It isn't there.

Tensing, you look over to where Bernard is sitting next to the entrance. He studies you silently, your tablet in his hands.

Shifting, you make your way closer to him, careful not to move too fast or bang your head on the tree. He makes no move to avoid you, simply watching as you get closer. When you reach arm's length, you hold out your hand.

"If you please," you say, a note of venom creeping into your voice. "That's mine."

Bernard frowns. "I've seen something like this before," he says, turning it over in his hands. "Or at least heard-"

"I will be happy to tell you almost anything you want to know," you say. "If you merely ask. However, I do not appreciate you stealing one of the few things I have left of home." A part of you wants to pointedly summon up lightning, to prove that while Thunder's Cry is a useful tool, you do not need it to protect yourself.

However, you know that if you perpetuate this cycle of suspicion and thinly-veiled dislike, it will only make things worse in the long run. Instead, you force your voice to soften. "Please? Sypha asked you to trust me, are you going to disappoint her?"

The boy flinches slightly and glances over at his cousin. Sighing, he holds out the tablet for you to take. "My apologies," he says gruffly.

"Thank you," you say, taking the offering. "And I accept your apology."

Before Bernard could answer, Sypha moaned. "Mama?" she said, rolling over.

You and Bernard glance at each other. "I'm afraid Aunt Lindila isn't here, cousin," he says, moving over to kneel next to Sypha. "It's just Ryza and myself,"

The girl looks around before sighing. "I know… it was just a dream," she says before flinching. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so disappointed-"

"It's alright, Sypha," you say, smiling. "I know how much you want to go home, and I'll make sure you get there as soon as I can." Bernard frowns slightly, but nods.

The human girl forces herself to smile. "Thank you, both of you," she says, crawling over to join you both in the light. "Have you been waiting for me long?"

Bernard shakes his head. "No, the sun just came up about an hour ago," he says. "Both you and Ryza seemed to need your sleep."

Sypha frowns at him. "Did you get any?" she asks.

"Enough," Bernard says. "I assume we are going to continue flying, so the most important person to rest is Ryza." He looks at you. "We should get going; while it is unlikely that the wyvern will reach this far out while searching, it is not impossible. The sooner we leave, the better. Unless you think you can kill it."

You shrug. "I might be able to," you say between bites. "But I'd probably have to use my full dragon-form to do it, and I've only used that a little outside of practice with Mother. I'd prefer to avoid any fights if possible."

"That sounds good to me too," Sypha says nervously, looking up at the sky. "So do you have to do that hour long magical thing again?"

You nod. "Yep," you say, pulling a pouch of meat out of your pack and offering it around, "once we're done with breakfast, that is. I'm hungry."

Sypha giggles and nods. "Me too," she says.

Breakfast is thankfully calm. As the three of you finish eating and you carefully get your dragonstone out to begin your transformation (still keeping it under Thunder's Cry,) Bernard cocks his head. "So what can a dragon do?" he asks.

"Manakete," you correct automatically. "And what do you mean?"

He rolls his eyes. "Well, you can obviously transform into a dragon," he said. "Do you need to do this whole song and dance every time."

You bite back a snarky comment that you're not a Green manakete: you don't dance. Instead, you simply kneel and start focusing. "No, I only need to do this to half-shift," you say. "When I'm just transforming normally, it only takes a second or two, but that means heart-me's not fully in control anymore."

Sypha looks down from where's she'd been peering nervously into the sky. "What do you mean?" she asks.

You consider your words as lightning begins to coil around you. "Well, dragon-me is me, but she's the me that's very… emotional and short-sighted. She won't hurt anyone I care about or anything like that, not unless something goes really wrong, but…" You sigh. "When I was escaping Castle Legerius with Artemis… I might have been able to find Axton and Lancel and Kelton as well, but when I transformed… I was just so scared that I didn't even think of trying. I just wanted to grab Artemis and get out of there."

The noble girl frowns sadly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," she says.

"It's not your fault," you say. "And we're going to make sure that everyone's okay, right. Everyone gets to go home." Except you, because your home's gone, but you don't think about that too much.

Bernard, meanwhile, continues frowning. "So what can your real dragon do that this… 'half-shift' can't," he asks.

"Well, I'm stronger, for one thing," you say. "My full-shifted dragon form could probably have carried both of you, Robin, Kelton, and maybe Claire as well, at least for a little while. It would have been awkward, but I could have done it." You shrug. "Besides that… well, my lighting breath's a lot more dangerous in my true dragon form. I can do it half-shifted, but it's just about as strong as my normal casting. My scales are tougher. In general, I'm just a lot stronger and more alert. More decisive, too. Heart-me doesn't really like fighting, but if dragon-me's threatened, she will respond."

"I see…" Bernard says, watching you warily.

Sypha, glancing between both of you, interjects in an overly cheery voice. "So what other cool things can you do, Ryza," she asks. "When you're normal you?"

"I'm always normal me," you say. "But in my heart-form, I can theoretically cast all colors of magic, though I haven't had a chance to learn any others yet. I was thinking about learning White magic so I can heal people, but I couldn't fit the scroll in when I was packing to come and get you."

The girl's eyes lit up. "Really?" she gasped. "That's so cool! I'm always begging Mistress Flarestone to show off some magic, but she's always so busy keeping everything magical in the castle running! Can you do anything else with magic besides make lighting?"

You shake your head sadly. "Not yet," you say. "I haven't had a chance to do more than skim the scroll I grabbed on magic. But I know there are a lot of cool rituals that I'll be able to learn that make life so much easier. And runewrighting, I'm really looking forwards to digging into that once we get back to Agrithe! That's what Father did, but he didn't get a chance to teach me much either."

Sypha starts to reach over to pat you on the shoulder, but stops before getting too close to the lightning. "I'm sure you'll do great, Ryza," she says. "And if you need to ask anyone anything, then I'm sure the Agrithian mages will be able to help you. One of Mistress Flarestone's jobs is to keep all of the various runes maintained, make sure there's not too much bleed-off from the fuel, so they know what they're doing."

You consider asking a bit more about that, you're still curious about how human magic works, but you don't want to get too distracted from the half-shifting ritual. "Interesting," you say simply.

Bernard leans back, folding his arms. "So, any other special powers you have? The tablet?"

"Not really," you say. "I'm a person, just like you. I'm just a manakete rather than a human: I can cast magic, I can fly, I can turn into a dragon." You shrug. "I know this is all strange to you, but for me it's just… being me." You nod to Thunder's Cry. "And this is just a focus for my Yellow magic: I don't really need it, but it helps a lot."

Thankfully, it seems the others are willing to take the time to ponder over what they've learned rather than continue to pester you with questions. Sypha is once again watching you with fascination, while Bernard seems… somewhat mollified. At least he isn't glaring at you as suspiciously as before.

Finally, the ritual reaches its peak and you shift back into your dragon form, stretching. "Alright, I don't hear anything," you say, crouching. "Come on, hop an and let's get going, you'll be able to see so much better now that it's light out!

Sypha smiles and clambers up onto your back, seemingly happier with the idea. "Just like a Whitewing?" she asks.

You laugh. "Yep, just like a Whitewing," you say. "When I was talking with Daniella and Manuela and Sara, they told me a Lady Seryph story. Do you know any of those?"

Bernard rolls his eyes, but smiles slightly as Sypha grins. "Of course! I love those stories." Her grin turns into a dry pout. "They told you the spider one, didn't they? Or at least Manuela did."

"Yeah. Sara didn't like it very much."

"She never does," Sypha said, shaking her head. "Manuela gets far too much pleasure out of teasing her sister." She helps Bernard get settled behind her. "So, do you want to hear another one?"

"Yeah! Do you know any good ones? I heard the Rena and James one from Artemis…"

"Aww, I would have loved to tell that one, it's so romantic!" Sypha pouted. "But how about the time Lady Seryph discovered the lost treasure of the great Republican pirate Longtooth Gold?"

Bernard sighed. "You do realize that almost all chroniclers agree that story never-"

Sypha quickly put a finger on Bernard's lips. "Hush, don't let your facts interfere with my fantasy, cousin! Not when it comes to Lady Seryph stories! It happened for me, and that's enough."

You kind of want to dispute this strange interpretation of reality, but then again, you also want to hear the story. "Sure, I'd love to hear it," you say as you take off, scanning the sky. You're alone up here, thankfully, and so you turn back north-east and keep flying.

The day of flight, punctuated by a few stops to rest and recast the half-shifting ritual, is… simply fun. Not only do you get to hear several more Lady Seryph stories, but you get to tell a few of your own. Sypha seems to like Marikara's Wish, the story of the time the manakete child climbed a mountain to wish for the ability to help people, only to keep getting distracted helping people on the way. Even Bernard frowned thoughtfully as you told the part where Marikara scrambled through a narrow cleft in a cliff in order to help a human woman get medical herbs for her child.

You're not sure if it's this that part of the story that does it, or just your and Sypha begging, but the boy even consents to tell a few stories he knows. You listen, enthralled, to the story of the Seven Riders, the group of dishonored cavaliers who banded together to save a town from the lord who had betrayed them.

True, they'd all died by the end, but they held out long enough for the "Wyrmguard" to arrive and save the townsfolk, so you suppose the story counts as "dramatically tragic" rather than just sad.

Ultimately… the fact that Bernard was opening up to you at all made the day a success in your mind.

---

Question 2: Specifics about your own past.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, could I know a bit more about the two of you?" you ask the next day.

"What do you mean?" Bernard asked.

"It's just, I'm curious about your stories," you say. "Other than Artemis, you're the two people closest to my own relative age that I've spent a long time with. I'm hoping that we can be friends, despite the… rocky, introduction we had." You glance back at them. "So would you tell me about yourselves?"

Sypha smiles. "Sure, Ryza," she says. "I'm Sypha Mantrae, but you already know that. I'm eleven years old. I can't do magic like you, but Mama's been teaching me numbers and how to manage Legerius. I also like playing the harp and singing."

"Really?" you ask. "Mother would sing to me sometimes, but Father and I were mostly tone-deaf. I can hum a little!"

The girl pats you on the neck. "I'd love to hear it sometime," she says. "But what else… well, I like traveling. I love Legerius, it's my home, but I've always heard about everything more out there. The endless Ocean of Grass, the shining pillars of Wyrmrise, the mages of Marble Hall… there's just so many fascinating places I've only ever read or heard about, but I want to see them!" She shifts. "I… I know it's kind of selfish…"

You see Bernard patting her on the shoulder. "Learning more about the world is not selfish," he says. "Though I would recommend looking at the Ocean of Grass from a safe distance: Felinceians live up there.

"Felinceians?" you ask.

"A species of people that can turn into large cats," Sypha says. "Apparently they're not very friendly, but I'm sure if-"

Beranrd shook his head. "It's been tried before," he says. "And in some cases there have even been temporary truces, but they've never lasted long. Felinceians are suspicious of humans, and I will acknowledge that there have been numerous times when humans have wronged them, so they are… not unreasonable, in their suspicions."

Your thoughts race: you've never heard of anything like this! Transforming people… maybe they're related to Manakete somehow! However, as you glance back and see Sypha deflate a bit, you decide to try and keep up the happy camaraderie that you'd been working to develop. "What's life in Legerius like? I didn't spend much time there, but most of the people seemed nice."

"They are," Sypha said. "I know I'm a little biased, since I'm the Countess's daughter, but everyone goes out of their way to be really nice to me." She sighs. "Probably because I'm the only daughter Mama's going to have…" Bernard pats her shoulder.

You frown. "Why?"

The girl chews her lip for a few seconds before carefully answering. "I… was not an easy baby, being born. Something… went wrong… Both Mama and I survived, but… well, there's a reason I'm an only child."

What was wrong with human reproduction!? Why did things like that keep happening?! "Aren't there healers?" you ask. "Someone who can… can make things better?"

Sypha shakes her head sadly. "No. Mama tried everything, but whatever went wrong, it's beyond any healer's skill."

You frown: surely a White manakete would be able to do it. It was written that, whenever there was a malady or injury too severe for another Tribe, the sufferer would go to a White, and they would be cured with the Mother's blessing. Maybe if you could find an older White somewhere…

Sypha pats you on the neck again. "It's okay, Ryza," she says. "I have Mama, I have Bernie, I have all my friends and the people of Legerius. I'm not lonely." She glances over her shoulder. "What about you, Bernie?"

The boy sighs, but nods. "I am Bernard Rickman," he says. "I am fourteen years old, and I have two siblings," He grimaces. "My elder brother, Burke Rickman, is twenty-three and the heir apparent, and my younger sister Rima Rickman is only four, so it falls to me to escort Sypha when she comes visiting. She is family, after all, and so family must see to her safety." He grimaces. "Other than that… since I don't stand to inherit, it is expected of me to train to become a cavalier, and I do not dislike that expectation."

A bit bare-bones, but you can work with it. "So you ride horses a lot?" you ask. "I'm still not used to them; they scare me."

Both humans stare at you. "Ryza… you realize you could eat them, right?" Sypha says.

"Dragon-me, sure," you say. "But heart-me's a lot smaller and softer than a similarly-sized human, and they're so big! And bulky; pegasi are much more slender…"

Sypha nodded. "You did say you grew up in the Icewalls, so you probably saw lots of pegasi flying around," she says. "Have you ever ridden one?"

You shake your head. "No, they're too fast," you say. "I did like looking at them, though."

The girl giggles. "They are very beautiful," she says. "I've mostly gotten over my I-want-to-be-a-Whitewing phase, though flying with you might be reawakening it." Bernard rolls his eyes and mutters something about girls, only to oof as Sypha elbows him. "Rude!" she says before looking back at you. "So if you don't mind me asking, what about you, Ryza? What's your story?"

You bank to avoid a patch of open sky over a group of people you spot on the road below: no Talons, but you don't want to have too many rumors flying around about you. "Well, I'm Ryza," you say, bracing yourself for what's about to happen. "I'm ninety-three years old-"

Both humans jerk on your back, and you shift to make sure neither of them fall. "Nine- but that's impossible!" Bernard squawks. "That would-"

"Make me about six times your age," you say dryly. "Yes, I had this conversation with Artemis before, but it's true. I'm a manakete, we age more slowly. I was barely walking when I was Sypha's age, and only starting to flutter around a bit when I was your age." You jerk your head towards the mountains to the south. "I grew up in one of those mountains, you can't really see it from here, but it's one of the bigger ones."

"I'm sorry, I'm still stuck on you being ninety!" Sypha squeaks. "You look like you're younger than me!"

You shrug. "I'm pretty sure I am, relatively. Humans age and develop faster, manakete age and develop slower. I haven't had time to really figure it out, things have been a little hectic, but that's the only thing that makes sense. Do you want to hear my story or not?"

The two gape at you for a moment before Bernard slowly nods. "Y-yes," he says. "Please."

A bit pleased with yourself that you managed to shock him into listening to you, you continue. "Well, that's where I grew up. There were once a lot of manakete that lived there, but I only really remember myself, Father and Mother. They raised me, they taught me everything I know about magic and life and everything…" You slump slightly, dropping a few meters in the air. Shaking yourself out of your stupor, you flap hard enough to rise back up as the humans grab onto you worridly. "Then… then there was an argument. A bunch of other manakete showed up, demanded that Mother accept something, and she didn't like it one bit. A few months later… they came back, and there was a fight. Mother held them off while Father took me to a shrine to seal me away, so that I would be safe. The fact that they didn't wake me up means… means that they must have been killed. I slept there, in stasis, until Artemis found me while she was running away from the Talons who had tried to kidnap her."

Sypha's warm hand runs along your neck again. "Oh, Ryza… I'm so sorry…" she whispers.

You force yourself to smile. "I'll be okay," you whisper. "It… hurts, a lot, but I'll be okay. Artemis's family has offered me a home in Agrithe, a place to get back on my feet. I do like her a lot, I think I'll be happy there." You glance back. "And we can get to know each other as well, and when you go home, maybe I'll be able to visit you too?"

The girl smiles. "Of course, Ryza," she whispers. "Of course you can visit me."

Bernard's shock has faded into a thoughtful frown. "You say other dragons were the ones that killed your parents?" he says.

You roll your eyes; you don't think he's deliberately misnaming you. He's probably just so used to calling your people dragons that he doesn't even think about it. This does not mean it's not irritating. "Manakete. And yes."

Slowly, he leans back, seemingly lost in thought. "What is it, Bernie?" Sypha asks.

"I'm… not sure," he says. "Ryza, when did all this happen?"

You shrug again. "I don't really know, I wasn't awake, but Artemis suspects it was about a thousand years ago."

"And you're certain it was your kind that killed your parents. Not wyverns?"

You hiss angrily. "I know the difference between a wyvern and a dragon-form. They were transformed manakete; no number of wyverns could beat Mother in an enclosed environment: she'd have ripped them apart one by one. They'd have to surround her in the air to do it, and she wouldn't be dumb enough to fight them outside." Unless her dragon-self became utterly enraged… but Mother was… had been, an old and cunning dragon-self. She wouldn't have fallen for that old trick, would she?

The rest of the day passes in tense silence.

---

Question 3: Specifics on manakete culture.
The next day, as you're getting ready to cast your ritual, Sypha speaks up. "Ryza… could you tell me about man… mahi…"

"Mah. Nah. Keet," you enunciate carefully.

Sypha nods. "Sorry, I just can't wrap my tongue around it," she says. "Could you tell me about your people as a people?"

You cock your head. "Sure. Why?"

She scuffs at the ground, frowning. "It's just… the stories you told… the way you are… that doesn't fit with a lot of the stories I've heard about dragons." You start to open your mouth to correct her, but she raises a hand. "Yes, I know, but that's the point. The fact that I've never even heard that word before means… means something got lost, somehow." She looks up at you. "I… I know someone, who's part of a group of scholars that are arguing that the old stories aren't the full truth. I think… I think that Mistress Flarestone would be really interested to get your view on events."

You search your memory. "Isn't that your mother's mage?" you ask.

Sypha nods. "Yes. She's a big proponent of the Revisionist movement. She went on a big dig during her time at the Marble Hall, and from what she's said the things she saw completely changed her view on dra- on mannis. Any species that could make such beautiful artwork… could dig such an extensive city… they couldn't be the mindless beasts described in the stories…"

Bernard frowned. "Countless burned and shattered human cities say otherwise," he says. "The Lake of Pillars. The Plain of Scattered Ash. Sundered Mountain. Pretty much every town around the Black Forest..."

"Humans have burned human cities before," Sypha says gently. "Maybe… maybe that was just some mah-ni- Ryza's people, who were doing that. Maybe that's what her mother and the others were fighting about."

You lean back thoughtfully, spinning Thunder's Cry in your hands. "I don't remember hearing anything about humans," you say. "But Father said that a lot of people were afraid, that something bad was happening. He said something about a war, when he was putting me to sleep, but he didn't have a chance to elaborate."

The three of you sit in silence for a few moments as you juggle your stone and tablet. There have been a few close calls when transforming, and you're pretty sure that you won't be able to keep it secret forever, no matter what you want.

Thankfully, today you have a ready-made distraction. "Well, manakete were not as unified as I've heard humans are," you say, beginning your ritual. "For the most part, we think in terms of family and blood-tribe. Each blood-tribe had their own hold and hunting grounds, Families were usually small, one or two children and parents, but blood-tribes could often rise into the dozens of families. My home, Kepesk-Okar, could comfortably fit more than a hundred manakete."

"But it was just you and your parents?" Sypha asks. You nod sadly.

"Was there any sort of over-arching structure?" Bernard asks. "Rulers, kingdoms?"

You shake your head. "Not in the way you're thinking," you say. "There were elders who were called on to mediate disputes, especially within a Color-Tribe. The closest translation to your language is Lord or Lady, but I don't think it's quite right. There was also the Arbiter, the ultimate judge who made sure arguments between tribes didn't get out of hand. They could ask manakete to do things for them, and most would agree out of respect, but it wasn't like nobility, who can order people to do things."

Bernard frowns. "That seems highly inefficient," he says.

"On the contrary, it means that we didn't have to wait for someone across the continent to tell us what to do," you say. "If Mother needed another passage dug in the mountain, she and Father got together and did it. If we'd had family around, it would just be a quick debate about where to put it. It's very efficient."

The two of you stare at each other for a few moments before Sypha cuts in nervously. "So… what sort of things did manakete value?" she asks. "You mentioned disputes-"

"Mostly hunting, from what I read," you say. "About ninety percent of arguments were over who got to hunt in which bit of territory. Not anything worth hurting anyone over, but enough to require that it be sorted out before bad blood began to build. Other than that, a few arguments over who got to publish certain pieces of work, who thought of something first, who got to name a ritual, that sort of thing."

The humans glance at each other. "That… doesn't seem like something that would lead to other people coming to kill your parents," Bernard says.

You slump. "No… I guess something else was going on, something I didn't read about," you say. "And now I don't know if there are even any other manakete around to tell me what happened…"

"I'm sorry…" Sypha says.

You shake your head and force yourself to smile. "It's okay, Sypha, it's not your fault," you say. "Maybe… maybe a journal or something survived at home, something I can find." You sigh. "It's a bit ruined… but surely something survived…"

Sypha scoots as close to you as the lighting allows. "Well, if you do find anything, I'll be really curious to hear it," she says. "Though probably not as curious as Mistress Flarestone'll be. I wouldn't be surprised if she immediately rushes to wherever you are to interview you the second I mention you to her." She pauses before continuing more quietly. "Unless… you don't want me to tell her about you…"

You pause to consider… what did you want?

[] Allow Sypha to tell this people she trusts what you told her. Maybe, if you can get some allies, you can convince humans that they don't have to be scared of you.
[] Ask Sypha not to tell anyone. You're not ready for knowledge of your nature to start becoming more common. You'll also ask Bernard not to tell, though you're not sure he'll agree to it…

As you lift off almost forty minutes later, you look around. It's been a while since you left Robin, and while you have been flying in the right direction, you have to take a moment to get your bearings…

AN: Roll a d10 to see how well Ryza's done with staying on course.

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Allow Sypha to tell this people what you told her. Maybe, if you can get some allies, you can convince humans that they don't have to be scared of you.

"Knowledge is the antidote to fear."
-Runemaster Fafnara of Kepesk-Okar


You're pretty sure you know what Artemis would say about this. She'd tell you to tell Sypha not to tell anyone, and to do everything you could to force Bernard not to either. You're also pretty sure that if you could hear her Mother would be agreeing with the human girl. After everything you've learned… secrecy does seem to be the safer option.

However, as you look into Sypha's eyes, you find yourself not fearing what appears to be… but hoping for what could be. This girl… she has almost every reason to be scared of you. She'd surely heard all the stories Bernard and Artemis and everyone else had. She'd been attacked and carried off by a cousin to your dragon-form, held prisoner by that same creature's rider. You're not taking her home, and she's surely smart enough to have realized that you could have taken her against her will.

She has every reason to be scared of you… but she isn't. Honestly, even her freak-out when you first half-shifted hadn't been as bad as Artemis's, and she'd only known you for an hour!

You smile gently. "I trust you, Sypha," you say. "And I trust the people you trust. Maybe don't tell everyone, okay, just the people you think will be willing to listen." You smile. "Besides, this Mistress Flarestone sounds nice. I haven't really been able to talk to a human magic user, and I'm curious what they think about everything. I'm excited to meet her."

Sypha giggles. "I hope you remember saying that later," she says. "I love her, but Mistress Flarestone can get a bit excitable sometimes. You're going to be taking me home after everything is sorted out between Mother and the Archduke, right?"

"Of course, I promised, didn't I?"

"Well, when we get back, Mother's probably going to ask you to stay a little, to make up for what happened last time you were there. And… well, when Mistress Flarestone hears about you; she's going to come try and beat down the door to whatever room you're in with a million questions."

Okay, that sounded slightly intimidating, but at least that probably meant she would be willing to listen to you.

Bernard studies you quietly. "Did you consider asking us not to tell people about you?" he asks. "It would certainly be safer for you."

You rock your head back and forwards. "Probably," you say. "Artemis would certainly think so… but I don't want to live the rest of my life in fear. Something bad happened a thousand years ago, probably a lot of bad things. That doesn't mean things can't still be sorted out, at least a little." You gesture at Sypha. "It seems like some of the work is already being done. If people are starting to ask questions, then maybe giving them some answers will help." As Bernard starts to open his mouth, you raise your eyebrow. "Besides, would you actually listen to me if I asked?"

Slowly, the boy closes his mouth, looking thoughtful. "You have dealt fairly with Sypha and I," he says. "And… I do have some questions of my own, so I want to say yes. However, the point you're making is valid. If Father asked me, or a not insignificant number of higher lords, I would be honor-bound to answer fully and honestly. I cannot truely promise to keep your secret, and I will not lie to you." He jerked his head. "Besides, assuming the Countess's men make it back safely, they will almost certainly tell the Countess."

You nod. "So if I can't stop people from knowing about me, then at least I can make sure that people get the right story." You reach out to pat his shoulder, and he doesn't pull back. "Besides, I don't want people to be afraid of me, either. So if I can talk to someone who already isn't scared of manakete, get in touch with others… we can start making it so nobody has to be afraid anymore."

The two humans glance at each other before Sypha giggles. "You don't think small, do you Ryza?" she asks.

"It won't be easy, true," you say, "but I'm young. Even if it takes a century or two… well, I've got time." Closing your eyes, you go back to your ritual.

You hear Bernard shifting. "Well, a word of advice, even when you start this project, you should keep your dragonstone to yourself," he says.

Blinking, you open your eyes. "What?" you squeak.

The boy rolls his eyes. "You did a decent job of hiding it, true. I only noticed it yesterday, but you were always reaching into your pocket, even if you had everything you needed already." He raises a hand. "As I said, I cannot promise that I won't tell anyone about that, there are situations where I would be compelled to. However… in recognition of your rescue of Sypha, as well as the kindness you've shown… I promise that I will not willingly volunteer that information, and I will honestly attempt to convince any asker not to make me divulge it for honor's sake."

Sypha looks between the two of you, her eyes wide. "A dragonstone?" she whispers. "What-"

"Sypha, please," you say. "I will talk about many things, and maybe in the future I'll talk about this as well, but for now… please let me keep this to myself. I would also appreciate if nobody else heard about it."

The girl looks confused, but nods. "Okay…" she says. "I guess that makes sense, and I won't tell anyone until you say it's okay." She gives you puppy eyes. "Can I… at least see it? I've never seen a real one before…"

Sighing, you put your tablet away and hold up your dragonstone, crackling with lightning. "Okay…" you say.

"Wow…" Sypha says, staring at it with shining eyes. "It's beautiful…"

"It's certainly brighter than anything that's come from the Mountain," Bernard says, studying the stone curiously.

Something about what he just said… you get the feeling that it's important, but you want to get out of this awkward moment. "It is. It's mine." With that, you tuck it close to your chest, covering it with your hands as you let its power flow through you.

As you lift off once your transformation is complete, you look around. You've been careful to keep track of where you were on the map. You're very glad that you got that extra map from Agrithe. Without its direction, you're pretty sure you'd have wandered off course despite the little arrows you drew for yourself whenever you stopped. Then who knows how long it would have taken to get back on track!

However, Father taught you the importance of always doing the background reading, so you did.

"So we're doing well," you say, pointing towards the slight trails of smoke rising in the distance. "That should be the town of Newstand over there, which means we're not too far from the border on the wing. We probably won't reach Agrithe today, but we should make it tomorrow."

"Wow, we're going fast…" Sypha says. "I guess that's why Whitewings get almost as many jobs running important messages as fighting." Glancing back, you see her peering the way you came. "I hope everyone's okay."

"I'm sure they are," you say. "Robin's with them, and Sir Ector had that weird lance that hurt the wyvern really badly. They'll be fine." At least, you sure they hope they will…

Bernard nods. "I gave them a letter that would ensure they received sanctuary at Lord Warwick's hold, if they chose to take that route. Without my injury slowing them down, and with a silver bow and wyrmbane, they'll easily make it there." He frowns. "If they try to go straight back to Legerius… they still have a good chance, but it'll be riskier."

As the three of you fly onwards, you reflect upon yourself. You… are not as bad off, as you were on the way to save Sypha, but you are starting to feel the dark clouds gather in the back of your mind. Faint whispers of malcontent are beginning to leak into your thoughts, asking you why you're going out of your way to-

"Ryza, do you want to hear a song?"

Shaking your head, you look back at Sypha. "Sure!" you say, smiling. Neither human flinches. "What kind of song?"

She smiles. "It's an old Whitewing tune," she says, gesturing around. "I thought it fitting, since we're flying. It won't be as good without the instruments, but I hope you'll still like it."

"I'm sure I will," you say, banking to catch the light a little as there was no one on the road below.

Sypha leaned back against Bernard and began to whistle. You shiver happily: she really does have a good ear for tune.

"Before I got to flying, or when flying got to me," Sypha sang, bright and warm. "I looked to find examples in the skies of chivalry…"

There is no arcane magic in the song. Whatever humans are capable of it's clear Sypha doesn't have that gift. However, as she keeps going, seemingly singing across multiple human cultures as she makes you laugh, makes you aww, and even makes Bernard blanche as she launches into a strange but amusing "sea shanty" about a "drunken sailor," you find your dragon-self calming.

It seems that the old stories are true, that good friends are the best balm for a weary soul.

---

The next day, as the Mother's Light is reaching its peak, you're following the river that leads towards Castle Agrithe. It is so much easier finding places during the day!

"We're almost there, aren't we?" Sypha says. She's sounding a little nervous again, and her fingers are gripping your spines tightly.

"Yes, we're almost there," you say. "And we'll be fine, I promise!"

Sypha leans down and hugs your neck. "Are you sure?" she asks. "I mean, Mother-"

"What your mother did was not your fault," you say soothingly. "And even if it was, I promised I'd keep you safe and get you home. Artemis'll back me on that; she wanted to help you before we left. Everything'll work out, you'll see." As Sypha nods into your neck, you look down. "Oh, there we are!" you say. "Alright, hold on, everyone, we're going down."

As you circle down, you can't help but grimace a little: there are at least four groups of humans you can spot who are looking in your direction and pointing. Most seem to be common people who are working in the fields around the castle. However, as you angle towards the grove of trees you'd launched from, you spot a man in green Agrithian yeoman garb, holding a trio of nervous-looking horses steady and staring up at you.

Carefully, you extend your wings to shed speed as you float down into the trees. "Hello!" you say cheerfully as you land with a thump, causing the horses to nicker and pull against their ropes. You admit to taking a little pleasure in them being scared of you for a change! "I'm back, and I bring friends!"

The man swallows nervously as you settle and let the two noble children off your back. "L-Lady Ryza?" he asks nervously.

"Just Ryza is fine," you say, shifting back to heart-form. "And yes, it's me. Hello, I don't think we've met, what's your name?"

The yeoman glances at Sypha and Bernard, who both shrug slightly. "I- my name is Tuck, milady," he says. "And… wow, Lady Artemis said we'd know you when you got back, but I… I heard the rumors… didn't think..."

You land and walk over to him, letting your wings fold out of sight. "It's okay, Tuck," you say, holding out a hand. "I'm just Ryza, you don't have to be scared of me." You glance at the horses, who have calmed down somewhat but are still staring at you. "So, are you here to help us get back? Art-, sorry, Lady Artemis said that I shouldn't land in the castle itself, but Lord Bernard here could use a healer. The elixir and my herbs did their best, but he needs a specialist."

The boy grimaces. "My injuries are not that severe," he says.

Sypha elbows him. "You're still limping," she says reproachfully. The boy shoots her a look, but doesn't argue.

Tuck looks between the three of you. "Yes, yes young ladies, young lord," he says. "Lady Artemis set up a rotation of men to be on hand as soon as you got back, though we weren't expecting you for another few days at least, maybe even longer…"

You grin. "What can I say, I work fast," you say proudly.

"Of course, Lady Ryza," Tuck says immediately, blanching. "I didn't mean to cast doubt on your abilities…"

Sighing, you reach forward and pat Tuck on his nearest hand. "It's okay," you say. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt anyone. Most of my friends are here, and you all seem nice." Your eyes widen. "Oh, quick question, do you know Axton and Lancel?"

Tuck frowns. "I… we've met, though we never worked together closely…"

"Well, I'm sure they'd want everyone to know they're okay," you say. "I haven't seen them myself, but I trust the person who told me. Hopefully they'll be home soon." You rock back and forwards on your heels, bracing yourself for what's to come. "So, we should get going. I want to make sure Lady Artemis is okay and I don't have to rescue her again."

That gets a snort out of Tuck, though he tries to stifle it. "Her Ladyship's well," he says, untying the horses and leading one over to where Bernard and Sypha are still standing. "She just got back from Rignali yesterday, and she seemed in good spirits."

You let out a sigh of relief. "That's great," you say. "But wait, sorry, introductions. Tuck, these are my friends Lady Sypha and Lord Bernard. I'm not sure how much the Archduke told you, but I was sent to save them. Well, I was only sent to find Lady Sypha, but when I found Lord Bernard I couldn't leave him."

"Well met, young lord and lady," Tuck says, bowing. Sypha smiles and nods back, and you're slightly surprised to see Bernard to the same. "But… forgive me, La-" You give him a look. "…Ryza, but did you not go with Sir Robin?"

You kick at the ground. "I could only carry two people," you say. "So… So Robin stayed behind with Countess Mantrae's men; they said they'd make their own way back. Robin promised he'd be okay…"

Tuck grimaces, but nods. "Sir Robin trained us all," he says, holding the horse steady as Bernard helps Sypha up into the saddle. "If anyone can get through hostile terrain to safety, it's him."

"Yeah, he's really impressive," you say. "I couldn't have done this without him."

The man gives you an odd look as Bernard and Sypha get settled, before he returns to his own horse. "Do you wish to ride by yourself, or-"

"Nope!" you say immediately. "Nope, do not know how to ride, don't really want to." Sypha giggles, and you feel your face heat up. "I'll go with you," you say.

Finally, Tuck gives a small smile. "If that's your wish, milady," he says, swinging himself easily into the saddle before offering you a hand. Slightly grumpy, you flick your wings open and glide up to sit behind him. You almost immediately regret it as you see him flinch. "Sorry," you say, hugging Tuck around the middle. "I shouldn't take my embarrassment out on you."

"It's alright, Ryza," Tuck says, reaching out and grabbing the reins of the last horse to tug it into following along. "Alright, let's get back to the castle. His Highness said that he wished to see you as soon as you returned."

Thankfully, there's no need for galloping on the way back, so all you have to do is deal with the slightly uncomfortable swaying motion and bouncing of a trot. Soon, however, you're being let in through the gates of Castle Agrithe. You don't recognize any of the guards, but they seem to be happy to see you. Sypha looks a little nervous, but Bernard keeps a steady hand on her shoulder, icily meeting the eye of anyone who gives her anything other than a respectful nod or bow.

Finally, Tuck helps you off the horse in a building that seems to be full of them. "Please, this way," he says, handing the reins off to a pair of men, who lead the mounts away. "His Highness should be in his reception chamber. There are some preparations ongoing, but he said if you returned he would consider that a priority."

"Okay," you say as you follow him into the castle. "Lead the… the way…" Slowly, you cock your head, perking your ears... You hear an achingly familiar voice coming from a nearby corridor. "Artemis?" you whisper, automatically turning and hurrying towards the sound. You faintly heard Sypha and Bernard following after you, but for the moment you can't care.

As you round the corner, you see her. Artemis is there, leaning with her back against a wall, her arms folded as she stares dryly at a man about her own age leaning on his arm nearby, grinning at her.

Spoiler: Alejandro Rignali

"I'm just saying, milady, nobody was ever hurt by getting a few pointers in the… finer, aspects of swordplay," the young man was saying, wiggling his eyebrows. "And since I'm here anyways…"

Artemis rolls her eyes. "Perhaps not, Rignali," she scoffs. "But swords don't really help when a good archer could put an arrow between the wielder's eyes from fifty paces."

The man dramatically put a hand to his chest. "As fierce as ever, Lady Artemis," he says. "But you need not waste another arrow, as yours has already pierced my-"

"ARTEMIS!" you squeal happily.

The noblewoman's eyes widen as she looks at you. "Ryza?" she whispers.

You hurry down the corridor towards her, and a moment later she meets you halfway, wrapping you up in a hug. "Artemis!" you say. "It's good to see you again!" Then, you wave to the armored woman standing nearby. "Hi Phoebe, I'm glad to see you too! How are you doing?" She shrugs and waves back, starting to grin.

Artemis, meanwhile, is rubbing your hair gently. "Ryza, you're back," she says. "You're safe…"

"Of course I am," you say. "And Robin's okay too, even though he's not here. I could only carry two people back, and I had to bring Sypha and Bernard." Wiggling out of Artemis's arms, you step back and gesture at the pair as they approach. "You've already know Sypha, but I don't know if you've ever met Lord Bernard Rickman before."

Artemis raises an eyebrow as she looks them over. "I can't say I have, though I know of him. Second son of Baron Rickman of the Imperial Barony of Mt. Wyrmbone, I believe," she says, her voice cooling slightly. "Welcome to Agrithe, though I can't say we were expecting you."

The boy nods sharply. "Well, with my cousin being so kindly invited, Lady Cartese," he says, smothering the ice you know he wants to put in those words under a curtain of calm. "I felt it prudent to come along. Especially since the alternative was staying behind with the angry mercenaries who had kidnapped us. That seemed like a poor life choice."

You decide not to embarrass him by pointing out that he'd tried to do just that.

"You were taken too?" Artemis says, frowning. "But you're-" she shakes her head, glancing between him, you and Sypha. "Well, either way, I'm glad you're all safe. Have you spoken to Father yet?"

You shake your head. "No. We were just going to, and then I heard you and got excited." You glance past her, at the man who's watching you with interest. "Who's your new friend?"

Artemis rolls her eyes. "A bit of a reach there, Ryza," she says, standing and gently tugging you to stand next to her. "But he is a halfway decent man, if an irritating one. Ryza, this is Lord Alejandro Rignali, first son of Marquess Diego Rignali. Lord Rignali, this is my friend Ryza."

Grinning, the man stepped forwards and crouched down to be eye level with you. "So, this is the mysterious young lady that dear Lady Artemis alternates between singing the praises of and being secretive of," he says, offering a hand. "You must be quite something, if you were able to bring back young Lady Sypha, I had heard she'd been spirited away by some Imperial types." He glances at Bernard. "No offence."

"Some taken."

"Well, she was," you say, awkwardly taking his hand, only to squeak slightly as he tenderly grips it and plants a soft kiss on your knuckles. "Um…"

"Don't worry about him," Artemis says, though she tugs your hand out of Alejandro's grip and gives him a hard look. "He's an incorrigible flirt who spends too much time thinking he's the lead of some swashbuckling roma- tale. Leave her alone, Rignali."

He stands and gives a flourishing bow. "Of course, my dear hostess," he says.

Rolling her eyes again, Artemis looks back at your questioning gaze. "Father's convening a meeting of the Southern Kingdoms. It isn't happening for a few weeks, since most people will need more time to get the message and find someone to represent them." She jerks her head in Alejandro's direction. "In order to impress the seriousness of this, I was sent over to deliver the message to Rignali, and I happened to run across this one on the way. He sent his little brother back with the letter and invited himself along to attend the meeting as his family's representative." She gives him a dry look. "I am beginning to regret being talked into the idea."

He waves a hand, grinning. "You know you love my company, Lady Artemis," he says.

She looks to the ceiling for a moment before turning to Sypha. "Sypha, I'm sorry, I've been ignoring you," she says gently. "I'm glad to see you're alright."

Sypha smiles hopefully. "Really?" she asks.

"Of course," Artemis says, offering a hand. "I was worried about you. I know how good Ryza is at what she does, but it's still good to know that you're safe here. Don't worry, we'll get you home as soon as we can, I promise." Standing, she takes your hand. "Come on, let's go talk to Father, I'm sure he'll have ideas for what happens next. Then, Ryza, you should take a rest, you look exhausted…"

As you follow Artemis, you snag Sypha's hand, tugging her along. Grinning, you mentally pat yourself on the back. You'd done it! You'd gone and gotten Sypha and brought her back safely and everything was just great!

Father and Mother would be so proud of you.

---

You promised to keep Sypha safe, so you'll need to stay at Castle Agrithe as long as she does. This means that you'll almost certainly have a few weeks of rest time. Aside from cooling down from the days and days of stress and catching up with your friends, what are you interested in doing?


[] Downtime Plans: (Vote for as many as you want, top four will be chosen.)
-[] Knuckle down and get to learning White magic: it would have been really useful in helping Bernard! Besides, it'll be nice to have more peaceful magic to show people, rather than just lightning bolts.
-[] Re-read the scroll discussing your dragon-self and begin taking the steps towards Awakening. You had a few close calls on the trip to save Sypha, and you and your dragon-self will need to work together.
-[] Make more time for your friends. There are a lot of people you like here right now, and you want to make sure you don't neglect any of them.
-[] Try to meet new people. There are so many humans here! You are feeling a bit overwhelmed… but on the other hand, you have made a lot of friends. Maybe you can make some more.
-[] Put serious effort into figuring out what humans think about manakete. You're going to be meeting with this Mistress Flarestone at some point, and you want to know in advance what sorts of misconceptions you should work on correcting.
-[] Learn more about the rest of the world. While you won't be able to see it for yourself while your oath binds you here, from what you've heard, things are fascinating out there! Besides, the more you know, the more likely you might recognize the signs of a manakete enclave in hiding.
-[] Find some work to do to help keep Agrithe functioning. You don't feel like just sitting around. Artemis and her family are letting you stay here, it's only fair that you do something to give back to them. You don't know what exactly you'll find, but you're sure you'll find something useful to do.
-[] Focus on yourself. You've been under a lot of stress recently, ever since you woke up to find your parents dead, to the rush to Agrithe, then back into Legerius and the Empire, then back to Agrithe again. You… need to rest.
-[] Write-in (Plans)


You will, of course, take time to spend time with friends. As much as you want to speak to them all equally, you'll inevitably end up spending more time with some than others. Who will those people be?


[] Downtime Interactions: (Vote for as many as you want, top two will be chosen. Top three if "Make more time…" is chosen from Plans)
-[] Artemis
-[] Sypha
-[] Bernard
-[] Phoebe
-[] Archduke Letoro and Dione
-[] Pincana the Librarian
-[] Kopoi He seems to be away…
-[] Write In (Interactions)


AN: Obviously, I don't own Heather Dale's song, I just modified it a bit to fit with the Whitewings. Also sadly, Sypha doesn't have the Yellow magic to be a true Bard/Dancer. She's just a nice girl who likes to make her friends and family happy.

Last thing, if I could get a d6 to see if any unexpected guests show up before the big meeting.

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Downtime Plans: (Vote for as many as you want, top four will be chosen.)
-[X] Knuckle down and get to learning White magic: it would have been really useful in helping Bernard! Besides, it'll be nice to have more peaceful magic to show people, rather than just lightning bolts.
-[X] Re-read the scroll discussing your dragon-self and begin taking the steps towards Awakening. You had a few close calls on the trip to save Sypha, and you and your dragon-self will need to work together.
-[X] Focus on yourself. You've been under a lot of stress recently, ever since you woke up to find your parents dead, the rush to Agrithe, then back into Legerius and the Empire, then back to Agrithe again. You… need a rest.
-[X] Put serious effort into figuring out what humans think about manakete. You're going to be meeting with this Mistress Flarestone at some point, and you want to know in advance what sort of misconceptions you should work on correcting.
[X] Downtime Interactions: (Vote for as many as you want, top two will be chosen. Top three if "Make more time…" is chosen from Plans)
-[X] Artemis
-[X] Sypha

"As much or as little as you want. No one tells you how to mourn. And when someone says 'Move on,' you take their hand and say 'My choice.'"
-Wyrmguard Commander Avaline Gwythara


As you follow Artemis deeper into the castle, you can't help but notice people stopping and staring at you. There aren't that many, you suppose, compared to the crowds you'd seen outside… but there is a steady trickle. You blush slightly and try to keep behind Artemis as you walk, but you can't hide from their gazes.

Nor can you hide from their whispers.

"Who's that girl?"

"Could that be her?"

"Who?"

"The girl who saved Lady Artemis."

"Has to be, they're together."

"But she's just a child!"

"Who're the others?"

"She's so small!"

"I heard she glowed as she walked, but this one doesn't seem to do that."

"Did you hear what I just saw?! Out at the grove?!"

Artemis notices your nerves and puts a hand on your shoulder. "Easy, Ryza," she says softly. "Easy, you're okay."

You look up at her. "Everyone…"

The bigger girl grimaces. "Father and I did our best to clamp down on the rumors, and we kept anything major from getting out, but people talk. Are they making you uncomfortable?"

You pause to consider your emotions. They… are, a little. The gazes you've seen haven't seemed upset or angry or any sort of bad emotion, but it was a bit unnerving to have a bunch of people who don't know you staring at you like you're some sort of fascinating scroll found tucked away in a library. However, you also recognize that there's not much you can do about it. You're not a Black manakete, you can't just sneak everywhere for the rest of your life. You're going to have to get used to people looking at you funny.

"It's not too bad," you say.

Artemis clearly hears some of the emotions behind your words, and she sighs. "I'm sorry," she says. "Do you want a proclamation put out that you're to be left alone?"

You shake your head: the best way to get over the staring is for people to get it out of their system. Eventually, you'll just be Ryza, not "The strange girl who might or might not have saved Artemis and maybe glows possibly?" "I'll be fine," you say. "But thank you."

She frowns, but pats you on the shoulder again and nods. "Alright," she says. "But if you ever need space, there are a few places in the castle that almost nobody goes, I can point them out to you."

That sounds great. "Thank you," you say.

Before anything more can be said, Artemis looks up and approaches a pair of guards in heavier, more ornate armor standing outside a door. "Is my father still in his meeting?" she asks formally.

"He is, Your Ladyship," one of the men says politely, though he makes no move to get out of the way. The helmet grinds slightly as it turns to look down at you, then at Sypha, who's a few steps behind you. "However, he gave orders that if young Lady Sypha and her escort were to return, they were to be seen in immediately. A moment." Artemis nods, stepping back and gesturing you and Sypha forward. The knight knocks on the door.

"Yes?" Archduke Letoro's voice calls from inside.

"Your Highness, Lady Ryza and young Lady Sypha have arrived," the knight says.

"Send them in."

Steeling yourself, you nod to the armored man as he opens the door. "Thank you," you say. He nods back, the faint glint of his eyes behind his visor seeming calm as you lead the way into the room.

The Archduke is standing behind a massive desk. In front of him, looking back at you curiously, are a pair of men in similar outfits to his, though slightly less ornate. You can't quite see what's on the desk itself, but from the size of it you think it might be some sort of map: everything else had been pushed to the corners of the table.

"Ryza, welcome back," the Archduke says.

Clumsily, you curtsy. "Yes, thank you," you say.

Next to you, Sypha curtsies herself, far more smoothly and elegantly than you managed. "Your Highness," she says, sounding for all the world like this was just an ordinary meeting. You're not quite sure how she does it.

"Sypha Mantrae, it is good to see you well," Archduke Letoro says. Looking past you, he raises an eyebrow. "And it seems there are more guests. Bernard Rickman, isn't it?"

"It is, Your Highness," Bernard says, bowing formally.

A slight frown crosses the Archduke's face as he gestures to the men. "This is a matter that demands my attention, gentlemen. See that the initial patrols are sent out as we discussed, we will reconvene to discuss the second wave after I am done here."

Neither of the men argue. "Of course, Your Highness," one of them says, smoothly picking up the map and rolling it up. "By your leave?" Archduke Letoro nods, and the pair of them leave quietly.

Sitting, Archduke Letoro gestures for you to approach. "Come, sit, children, we have much to discuss," he says calmly. Nodding, you, Sypha and Bernard approach, and you hear Artemis, Alejandro and Tuck filing in behind you.

As you start to clamber into one of the big chairs on the other side of the table, the Archduke glances at Bernard. "Yeoman Tuck, go and find Healer Clara; it seems one of our guests has some lingering injuries that need to be seen to. No one else is to disturb this meeting."

"At once, Your Highness," Tuck says, turning to leave.

As he does, the Archduke turns an eye onto Alejandro, who's leaning against the wall next to the door. "Is there something you need, Alejandro Rignali?" he asks dryly.

The man shrugs casually. "Just a little curious about all this, Your Highness," he says. "Surely that's not so terrible."

The Archduke's eyebrow rises again. "Curiosity is no sin, of course," he says. "However, attempted espionage when you are a guest in a man's home? That is something else." He nods towards the door. "You may go."

You expect Alejandro to look upset or worried or offended, but he just gives an easy grin. "Of course, Your Highness," he says, bowing. "Can't blame a guy for trying. Father would be very upset if I didn't attempt to ferret out any Agrithian secrets while I was here. Now that I've done my due diligence, I'll be on my way. Your Highness," he bows slightly to Artemis. "Lady Artemis, always a pleasure." She simply rolls her eyes as he casually steps out and lets the door close behind him.

Sighing, Artemis slumps against the wall herself. "Irritating little…" she grouses.

"He is a guest, Artemis," the Archduke rebukes gently. "Besides, the more you react to men like him, the more they will be encouraged to continue." He shakes his head. "But we have more important things to discuss. Ryza, it seems your mission was successful." He glances at Bernard. "More so than I thought."

You nod, "Yes, Your Highness," you say. "But first, I'm sorry I didn't bring Robin back. He promised he'd be okay, but I could only carry two people, and everyone thought it'd be best if I brought Sypha and Bernard."

Archduke Letoro nods. "While I am curious about who 'everyone' is, I think they are right. You were charged with bringing Sypha to safety, and it is good that you ensured this young man was rescued as well." Leaning back in his chair, he frowns. "Of course, I was not expecting him. What happened?"

"Well, the flight to Legerius went pretty well…"

You quickly tell the story. How you flew back to Legerius, how Robin was able to track the Talons from the ambush point to their camp, the gravesite that told you who you were dealing with, how you found them, formulated a plan, and then blundered straight into the Mantraeans' plan and nearly started a big fight before you and Sypha were able to work everything out.

As you speak, the Archduke doesn't interrupt or question you, simply nodding and listening. Finally, as you describe your last flight back to Agrithe, he gives a small smile. "Once again, Ryza, you have exceeded all expectations. Well done." You preen slightly. "And Sypha, I am glad that you did your part in preserving the alliance between Agrithe and Legerius. Welcome, and rest assured you are safe here."

"Thank you, Your Highness," she says. "And… and I am sorry…"

The Archduke raises a hand. "Peace, child," he says. "You are blameless in these happenings." He glances between her and Bernard. "Now, I would know how the two of you came to be in that situation. I had thought these mercenaries would be targeting only Kingdom nobility, but it seems that is not the case."

Bernard frowns. "Your Highness, I am not sure that you were wrong," he says grimly. "I likely would have been killed myself during the ambush when the Talons took Sypha had their commander not recognized me. They fell upon us without warning or quarter as I was escorting Sypha home in a clearly well-prepared ambush." He growls. "They certainly were far more rough with me than they ever were with Sypha, as if I were not considered valuable. Though I will admit some of that was because I was deliberately keeping their attention on me."

"Bernie!" Sypha gasps. "Why would you-" She folds her arms. "You shouldn't have kept getting yourself hurt for me! I want you to be okay too!"

"I promised I'd get you home safely. I-"

"But-"

Archduke Letoro clears his throat pointedly. "Both of you have good points," he says. "It is the responsibility of a man to ensure the protection of his kin, especially if he has made a specific oath to do so. However, one cannot offer protection if they are killed themselves." Both humans looked down, shamefaced. "Did the Talons say anything to you about why they did this? Who might be behind it?"

Sypha shakes her head. "Not really," she says. "There was something about a northern wing of the operation, but I just heard that in passing…"

"A northern wing…" the Archduke says slowly. "…I will have to see a message sent to some of the Northern Kingdoms. If there is another Talon chapter operating in the north… then this is larger than I had feared."

A tense minute of silence passes before you speak up. "Um, Archduke Letoro?"

He looks at you. "Yes, Ryza?"

Swallowing, you push forward: you'd made a promise. "We should talk about how we'll get Sypha back home to her mother," you say.

"Indeed," the Archduke says. "I had held off; but now that you have returned, I will be sending a message to Countess Mantrae inviting her here. There is a meeting that I am calling among the Southern Kingdoms, and she and I can sort things out there."

You frown. "I thought that wasn't happening for weeks," you say. "I promised that I'd make sure she went home as soon as possible; isn't there a way we could do things faster?" Sypha throws you a grateful smile, and even Bernard looks slightly impressed.

Thankfully, the Archduke doesn't seem upset that you're pushing back against him. "A reasonable question," he says. "The most likely outcome is that Countess Mantrae or her representative will arrive well before the meeting, and Sypha will be returned to her soon after." He glances at her. "That said, if you are willing, I am sure the Southern Lords would welcome your first-hand account of what happened. And young Lord Bernard, I am sure your unique perspective will also be appreciated."

The two glance at each other. "We'll… keep that in mind, Your Highness," Sypha says in a small voice. "Thank you."

The Archduke gives Sypha a small smile. "Rest assured, I will see to it that young Ryza is able to fulfill her promise sooner rather than later. Until then, you will be safe here in Agrithe, I give my word." He glances at Bernard. "You as well. It has been some time since we have had an Imperial guest, but you are welcome here. Did you come of your own volition?"

Bernard nods. "I did, Your Highness."

"Then there should be no trouble. Hopefully, the healer will arrive soon to see to your injuries."

As if summoned, a faint knock is heard. "Healer Clara, Your Highness," the guard says.

"Send her in," the Archduke says. A moment later, an older, elegant-looking woman carrying a staff steps in.

Spoiler: Healer Clara

"Your Highness, I'm needed?" she asks, curtsying smoothly. You are really going to have to get lessons on how to do that properly.

"You are, Healer," Archduke Letoro says, gesturing towards Bernard. "This young man recently arrived and seems to have had some medical attention, but there are still injuries. No guest of Agrithe need suffer longer than needed."

"Of course, Your Highness," Healer Clara says, hustling over and taking a look. "Oof, looks like you were put through the ringer, sweetie," she says, lowering her staff. "But don't worry, I'll get you fixed up." As she closes her eyes, light starts flowing from the gem at the top of the staff and settling over Bernard. Fascinated, you watch as the White magic does its job, smoothly moving from point to point on his body rather than shining everywhere at once.

A few seconds later, she releases the spell, letting the magic flow away. "There, that's better," she says, smiling. "Are there any other pains, young lord?"

Bernard straightens up. "No, Healer," he says.

"Hmmmm…" she says, looking him over. "You're still sitting awkwardly on your left side…" Light plays from the staff again, caressing that side of the boy's body. "There, that should handle that cracked rib. Now are there any other pains, young lord?" She gives him a dry look as she says this.

"… No, Healer," Bernard says.

"Much better," Healer Clara says. "Is there anyone else who needs healing?" she asks, looking between you and Sypha.

You shake your head. "No, Healer, I'm fine," you say. "Just a little tired."

She raises an eyebrow. "More than a little if I'm to judge, young lady," she says. "As soon as you're done with your meeting with His Highness, I strongly suggest you go get some rest." Artemis nods vigorously.

"Okay, I will," you say.

"I'm okay too," Sypha says. "I never got more than a little rawness around my wrists, and that healed on its own. It was never bad."

Healer Clara smiles. "And there's an honest young lady," she says. "Is there any other way I can assist, Your Highness?"

Archduke Letoro shakes his head. "Nothing save your usual exemplary service, Healer Clara," he says. "Thank you."

"Of course, Your Highness," she says. "By your leave?" He nods, and she curtsies again.

"Thank you," you say, waving. She smiles and gives you a little wave back before slipping out.

"Healer Clara is the oldest and wisest of the healers here at Castle Agrithe," Artemis says as you throw her a questioning glance. "She's been here since I was a baby, and some days I think she'll be here long after I'm gone." She smiles. "If you ever get hurt, don't hesitate to find her; she'll get you patched up in no time." She pushes herself away from the wall. "Is there anything else that you need Ryza, Sypha or young Lord Bernard for, Father?"

"I would speak to Ryza alone for a moment," he says. Artemis frowns, but doesn't comment as he continues. "Please see our guests to their chambers, Artemis." His small smile widens slightly. "I am sure your mother is eager to make them feel welcome."

Artemis smiles too. "I'm sure she is," she says, but she doesn't immediately move. Instead, she glances at you. "Ryza?"

You wave. "I'm okay," you say. "Go on, I'll be fine. Sypha and Bernard need some rest too."

Your human friend rolls her eyes. "Not as much as you do, but very well," she says. "Father?" He nods and gestures lightly. "Alright. Sypha, young Lord Bernard, I'll show you to the guest chambers."

You and Archduke Letoro sit in silence until the faint echoes of the closing door have faded. "Is something wrong, Your Highness?" you ask.

He shakes his head. "No, not that I know of," he says. "Is there anything you wish to add to your report?"

You frown thoughtfully: you don't think so. You'd told him everything important that had happened. "No," you say.

The man considers you for a moment. "Are you certain? No worries or concerns?"

You shake your head. "Nope. I'm just looking forward to Sypha getting to go home, she clearly misses her mother a lot, and her mother misses her."

"Indeed," Archduke Letoro says. "Do not worry, Ryza, I am a man of my word. Countess Mantrae and I will have a discussion about ensuring something like this never happens again, and then Sypha will be returned safely."

Feeling brave, you meet his eyes. "And if you can't come to that agreement?" you ask.

He doesn't look away. "I do not foresee that happening. Legerius and Agrithe were allies even before Legerius split from the Empire, and we have remained allies since. My goal in this was never to strain that alliance. Indeed, a firm understanding between us will serve only to strengthen us both. I very much doubt that Countess Mantrae wishes for there to be any trouble. There will be an agreement."

The pair of you stare at each other for a few seconds before you're forced to lower your eyes. "Alright..." you say.

"Do not fear, Ryza. I will not test the promise you made to keep the peace. It was a good one, and I appreciate you going above and beyond to keep relationships friendly between Agrithe and Legerius."

You shrug. "I… I just didn't want to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it," you say.

"Hmmm…" the Archduke says thoughtfully. "Ryza, have you put any though into what you plan to do after this is all over?"

You shake your head. "Not really. I've… been kind of stressed, recently. With everything's that's happened, I mean."

The Archduke's expression softens a fraction. "You have had quite the few weeks since you woke up," he says. "What I said when you brought Artemis back still stands: you have a home here in Agrithe for as long as you wish it. In fact…" he leans back. "If you desire, I can grant you some official standing here."

"What do you mean?" you ask, cocking your head.

"You have done two great deeds for Agrithe," Archduke Letoro says. "Young though you are, relatively speaking, you have achieved things that few others could have dreamed of achieving." He meets your eyes seriously. "If you wish it, I could knight you for your victories. You would be given standing and respect beyond that which your natural talents have already won you, and it would be easy for me to negotiate for your home to officially be recognized as your domain. I checked the maps, and as best as I can determine it is currently considered part of Legerius. However, I do not believe Mantrae would begrudge your claim to it. Especially since you brought her daughter to safety."

You squirm slightly. "If you don't mind me asking… what would that mean? For me?"

Archduke Letoro nods. "A wise question," he says. "If you were to accept, you would become one of my vassals. We would create a contract that would lay out the rights and responsibilities we have towards each other. At its most basic, that would include my promising to support and protect you from any who would threaten you, and you promising to lend your strength to me in any campaigns I might need you in."

"I don't know…" you say.

"It is not an easy decision, I know," the Archduke says. "I do not expect you to answer immediately. Take all the time you need to think. Discuss it with anyone you wish to. If you choose not to accept, I will completely understand. I wish to be clear: your acceptance is not a condition to your being allowed to stay here. You have done many services for Agrithe already, you have a home here whatever you say." He studies you. "However, there would be benefits to you as well, so it is not a one-sided arrangement. Having an official standing in the world is not something to be taken lightly. You would be recognized as nobility, even the Empire would have to accept that." He leans back. "Just give it some thought, that is all I ask."

You slowly nod. "I will," you say. "Is there anything else?"

The Archduke shakes his head. "Not at the moment, Ryza," he says. "My wife and daughter will not be happy if I keep you from your rest longer than needed." He smiles dryly. "Despite what she said, I expect Artemis will be waiting for you outside, along with young Lady Sypha and young Lord Bernard. They all seem rather taken with you."

You feel your face heat up. "I just try to be friendly," you say, standing.

"And that, Ryza, is a thing all too rare in this world."

As you leave the office and indeed find Artemis lurking just down the corridor with Sypha and Bernard in tow, you think over Archduke Letoro's offer. It's going to be a hard choice to make, and you'll spend a lot of time thinking it over, but which way are you leaning right now?

[] You find yourself… liking the idea. How many times had you been worried about people not liking how friendly you are with Artemis? This way, they won't have any excuse! Besides, having some people who have promised to help you could be useful. You think you'll probably take him up on it.

[] You don't know if you can tie yourself that strongly to Agrithe. You like it here, you like the people, but you've only known them for a few weeks. Things could easily change over the years and decades. Best to just stay friends. Besides, it'd be weird taking orders from someone younger than you. You'll probably respectfully decline.

---

It's nearly midday of the next day when you finally poke your head out of the ridiculously warm blankets. 'Guess I was more tired than I thought…' you think, blinking slightly against the light leaking in through the curtains.

You'd been ushered back into the small room you'd slept in after bringing Artemis home. The scrolls and clothes you'd left behind had been exactly where you'd left them, and you'd taken some time just to read a bit before exhaustion finally claimed you last night. Grimacing, you realized that probably hadn't been the best idea: you should have just gone to sleep like Artemis suggested.

As you roll yourself over, you notice something new on the bedside table. Curious, you wiggle over, careful to stay mostly under the warm covers, until you can see it.

Written in Common script, it takes you a while to puzzle the note out, but you smile as you recognize Artemis's clear handwriting.

Ryza,

I see you're still sleeping. That's good, Sypha told me how much you were pushing yourself to get her safely here. I know that's what Father asked of you, but you should be sure not to hurt yourself while helping others.

Whenever you wake up, you can go and get some food from the kitchens, I told them to expect you. If you need help finding your way, ask any of the staff or guards, they'll be happy to show you around. I'm not sure exactly where I'll be, but if you just want to talk, I'm sure someone can find me.

If you're not ready to eat dinner with the whole castle yet, that's okay too. I've been trying to track down some of the rumors, but since other-you was apparently spotted landing yesterday… well, they have only gotten wilder. Father and I have made it clear that you are a welcome and respected presence in the castle, so if anyone gives you problems tell us and we'll set them straight.

Rest well; Sypha and Mother say hi.

Artemis

Rolling over, you think. You are hungry, so you should go get something from the kitchen… but a part of you just wants to lay here and sleep for a while.

You frown. It feels… almost strange, to have the hardest decision you need to make be whether you eat or sleep. With everything that's been going on since you woke up, it felt like you should be making more momentous decisions.

Although, maybe it was because of all the stress that you should be making easier choices. You'd done the hard work, you'd brought Artemis home and you'd saved Sypha and Bernard and made everything better. Maybe the Mother was pleased with you and giving you some time off.

Burrowing back into the blankets, you smile. Yes, that sounded about right. You'd done well, nobody could dispute that. It was only fair that you take some time to relax! Let Artemis and Archduke Letoro and others handle things for a little bit, you're going to take a nap. Then you're going to go get something to eat other than salty meat. Then maybe you'll curl up with a scroll, or just go flying for fun, or find something else that you enjoy.

There'll be time to save the world later, now it's you time.

---

In the end, after you wake up again near sundown and finally find your way to the kitchen to get your private dinner, you ask the nice guard who'd agreed to show you around to take you to the highest point of the castle.

"The central keep," he said, gesturing around. There's no garden up here, just cold stone and the odd man-sized notches that seemed omnipresent at the top of castle walls. "From here, a man can survey the entirety of Agrithe, or very nearly." He cocks his head. "Is there anything else you need, my lady?"

"Just Ryza, please," you say for what feels like the millionth time. It's nice to be respected, you suppose, but you do wish people wouldn't be so formal with you all the time. "And no, I don't think so. Do you mind if I just stay up here for a while, Keller?"

He bows. "You are an honored guest here in Agrithe, Ryza," he says. "Wherever you want to go, you may go." He frowns slightly. "It does get a bit cold up here…"

You smile. "I'll be okay," you say. "I've been flying around the country for the past few weeks, I've gotten used to the cold."

The man's eyes widen slightly, but he nods. "Very well. By your leave?"

"You don't have to ask me that," you say. "This is your home, yours and Artemis's and the Archduke's. I'm just a guest."

Keller chuckles. "Of course, Ryza," he says before going back down the ladder leading up to the roof, closing the trapdoor behind him.

You take a minute to just wander around the edge, marveling at how much you can see. It's even more spectacular than when you'd stood on the peak-balcony back home: some of the view had been blocked by taller mountains. Here, you're on top of the world. Hopping up on one of the high points, you just take a moment to spread your arms and let the wind billow your cloak dramatically. Laughing, you almost give into the urge to "fall" off and spread your wings to get some fun flying in.

However, after a moment, you drop back onto the roof itself and lay down, staring up at the stars and moon as they start to shine. Slowly, the smile slips off your face as you stare up at them. How many times had you done this with Father or Mother? Just curled up under the night sky and looked up, pointing out shapes and figures among the glinting lights?

"Hi, Father," you say to the silent night. "Hi, Mother. I hope… I hope you're both doing well. I'm doing okay…"

Slowly, haltingly, you tell the story of these past few weeks to the stars, and hopefully to your parents watching from the Mother's side. You laugh. ("And Artemis just started screaming! I know it was kind of rude to stare into her face like that, but it was kind of funny…") You cry. ("I just… what am I supposed to do now? What if I'm the last of our kind… what am I supposed to do?") You marvel. ("There's just so many of them! I can still hear them, all the way up here! How to they keep each other's names straight with so many of them?!") You plead. ("Mother… Mother please, haven't I been a good spiritual daughter? Haven't I done everything I can to make the world better? Can't you give me some sign of what to do?!")

You don't know how long you just been laying up here, under the stars. Finally, however, with an aching back and hands freezing from acting as pillows under your head, you stand up. "I… I should go, Father, Mother," you say. "But… I'll come back soon. I'll talk to you, tell you how I'm doing." Sniffling, you wipe your nose and look up at the moon. "And… I'll make you proud. I don't know how, but I promise I will." Swallowing, you turn to make your way back inside.

As you clamber down the ladder, you blink as you see Artemis sitting quietly against the door leading further down, her sad eyes watching you. "Hi, Ryza," she says.

"Oh, hi, Artemis," you say, forcing a smile onto your face. "What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you," she says softly, standing up. "I… I didn't listen in, after I realized what you were doing, but I figured I should hang around, see if you needed a friend afterwards."

You rock back and forwards on your heels. "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you-" you start.

"Don't. Don't ever apologize for taking time to grieve." Artemis opens her arms slightly, but doesn't approach. "I certainly did enough of it after you left, and I only lost a friend. You lost your family, I can't-"

Stepping forward, you wrap her in a hug. "Yes you can," you whisper. "You can imagine, because you have a big heart and we're friends." Squeezing, you snuggle your face into her stomach. "Thank you. Thank you for being my friend."

Kneeling down, Artemis embraces you fully. "Thank you for being mine, Ryza."

The two of you hold each other silently for a minute or two before you finally untangle yourself. "It felt good," you say. "Just… talking to them. I don't even know if they heard me, but it felt good."

"I'm sure it did," Artemis says. "Is there any sort of memorial or funeral service you want to hold for them? I'm sure we could set something up…"

Frowning, you cock your head thoughtfully. "That space up there… is it ever used? Would it be wrong to put… I don't know, some sort of shrine up there? I can put it somewhere else-"

Artemis smiles. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she says. "Although if it's anything other than stone, you might need to find a covering of some sort, so it doesn't get rained on."

"A lot of memorial shrines are carved outside," you say. "So they're almost always just formed from rock." You look up. "I'll probably have to find some new rock, since I don't want to damage the hard work you all put into building this place."

"Hmm," Artemis says. "Is this… shrine-building process a private thing, or can anyone help?"

"It's normally something a manakete family will do together," you say, a slow, hopeful smile spreading across your face. "Do you… want to help?"

"If you'd have me, then yes. Even if it's only helping you carry the rocks."

Swallowing, you hug Artemis again. "Thank you."

The two of you stand like that for a few minutes more before Artemis finally leads you back to your room. This time, you have no trouble getting to sleep.

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote:

[X] You don't know if you can tie yourself that strongly to Agrithe. You like it here, you like the people, but you've only known them for a few weeks. Things could easily change over the years and decades. Best to just stay friends. Besides, it'd be weird taking orders from someone younger than you. You'll probably respectfully decline.
-[X] You definitely need to talk about it with Artemis first. Hopefully tomorrow, if she has time.

"You get in the biggest fights with the people you care about the most because those are the relationships you're willing to fight for."


"Thank you, Phoebe," you say as you help steady the most recent block of stone Artemis is helping you pull up.

When Artemis had told you she could get you some rock, you'd expected a few small boulders from the garden. You had not expected some of the same smooth stone blocks that had been used in the castle's construction, which had apparently been kept around for repair purposes. No really big ones, but good sized ones.

"No problem, Ryza," Phoebe, who had offered to help carry the stones up to the top of the tower, calls up. "That's the last of them. Anything else I can get you?"

Artemis looks at the vial of ground-up topaz you're holding. "Probably some glue," she says. "Ryza wants to make this look nice for her family, so we should make sure nothing falls out."

"Yes, my lady," Phoebe calls before hurrying off.

Looking over to the notched wall (or crenellations, as Artemis calls them) you see three good-sized slabs of smoothly-carved stone, as well as several smaller slates. That should be more than enough for a small, personal memory-shrine.

"You're sure this won't be a problem?" you ask. "Sypha was talking about how stone needed to be brought a long way…"

Artemis wipes her forehead before smiling. "That was for Castle Legerius: they didn't have a good quarry nearby, so they had to source the stone from elsewhere. Agrithe, thankfully, is blessed with a very good quarry just a few miles to the north. Quality stone is very easy to come by here." She ruffles your hair. "Besides, after everything you've done, a few blocks of rock is the least we can give you."

It's the day after you'd talked to Father and Mother, and you'd actually managed to wake up at a halfway reasonable time today. It will be a while before you are fully recovered, but you're making progress. You've decided to at least get a start on the shrine today. Even if it takes days or weeks to truly finish it, you want to make a start.

Thankfully, Artemis'd made sure she was free for the morning at least, so she and Phoebe had worked together to help you get the rock up here. In your pocket you had the rune-wrighting tools Father had left you: you didn't have the background in Red magic to cast any stone-shaping rituals, so you'd have to do carvings by hand. You also have some sticks of charcoal and a bunch of scraps of old, worn paper that Pincana had said were no longer needed to sketch out designs.

As you and Artemis move the stones into the traditional covered-wedge shape, you frown. "Artemis, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, Ryza, what do you need?"

You ponder your words for a moment. "After you and Sypha left when I brought her to your father, he asked me if I wanted to be a knight."

The human girl freezes for a moment before slowly continuing her work. "I see," she says neutrally. "And what are your thoughts on the matter?"

You squirm slightly. "I… I don't know," you say. "Don't get me wrong, I like you, and I like it here. Everyone seems really nice… but I've only known you all for a few weeks."

"And that's nothing to someone who thinks in years and decades," Artemis says.

"It's not nothing," you say. "But… but I don't know how things might change. We'll be friends, I know that, but what about everyone else? What happens after your father… passes on?"

Leaning back, Artemis nods. "Well, after that I would become Archduchess," she says. "And after I die, my children will become Archduke or Archduchess, and their children, and so on." She frowns. "While traditionally an oath of this sort would last your entire lifetime, and the lifetime of your own children, I think that it'd be possible to amend that due to your age. Father's not unreasonable, nor am I, and it only seems fair that there are some accommodations for someone who will outlive us both easily. I'd push for that if Father doesn't bring it up."

That is… somewhat reassuring. After all, any family of Artemis would surely be as nice as her, right? "I'm just not sure. What do you think?" you ask as you start trying to sketch Mother's dragon-form from memory.

Artemis hums slightly as she lays out the slates. "As the future Archduchess, I should be doing everything in my power to convince you to take Father up on it," she says. "Having you as a long-term ally would be an enormous boon throughout the generations." She studies you seriously. "Father isn't even wrong about there being benefits for you. Right now you're in a… limbo. You are given respect and deference because of your connection to me and my family, but that only goes so far. There will be people who will try to take advantage of the fact that you are, legally, a commoner. I will do everything I can to help you, of course, but even as Archduchess my power will not be unlimited."

You continue your work, frowning. "What do you mean?" you ask.

"Well, legally, a commoner has to do almost anything a nobleperson tells them to. Good nobles don't abuse that power, but sadly there are far too many bad nobles. I don't doubt your ability to physically protect yourself, but that starts to get very messy, very quickly." She gives you a serious look. "As a knight, you would have protection from anyone who would try to force you to do something you don't want to. You would still be beholden to Agrithe, but even that, so long as Father is fair in the contract, will still give you leeway, and I will make sure he is fair."

Looking down at your sketch, you decide that you like it. It's not… perfect, but it captures Mother's elegance and strength, perched on a rocky outcropping and staring into the distance. "You don't sound enthused," you say.

"I just worry," Artemis says. "The duty of a knight is to fight, after all, and you don't really like fighting. Especially since… well, while wyrmbane weapons aren't common, they are a known factor. You mentioned that you felt uncomfortable around the one Mantrae's knight had?" You nod. "So it stands to reason that they would affect you. Maybe not quite as much as a wyvern, but enough of any weapon can kill anyone." She shivers. "I don't want that for you."

"Okay…" you say.

Artemis nods and continues. "You'd also be drawn into the sort of noble politics that I don't think you'd enjoy very much. Especially since I'm sure just about everyone would look down their noses at you at first; since you'll probably look like a child for longer than they'll be alive." She smiles sadly. "In the end though, I worry that you wouldn't be happy, but you'd feel you have to stick through it because you promised too, and that would build up resentment. That wouldn't be good or healthy for anyone, and you deserve better." She turns the paper she'd been writing on towards you. "What do you think? So that humans can know how great your parents are too."

It takes you a moment to puzzle out the fancy script Artemis had used, but eventually you can read it.

In Memory of _______: Beloved Mother, Gone But Not Forgotten.

"…Aithusa," you whisper. "That's Mother's name. Aithusa. And Fafnara for Father." Swallowing, you smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ryza," Artemis says. "Is there anything else?"

You re-read the message. "It should end with 'May She Fly with the First Mother,'" you say. "But other than that… I think it's good." You hold up your picture. "What do you think?"

Artemis smiles. "I think it looks beautiful. Is that your mother or father?"

"Mother," you say. "She was always bigger than Father: he always joked she had a bit of Red in her." You sigh.

"It's okay to be sad, Ryza," Artemis says. "That's part of the process of these memorials: to remember all those little things that made the people you love unique." Pulling one of the slates of stone over, she carefully starts arranging your combined work. "I assume you'll want to add the inscription in Draco- sorry, what was your written language again?"

"Makai," you say. "And it looks like there's space there."

As you start writing out the runes on paper, Artemis continues. "There is… another option, that could help you. It would have its own problems and hurdles, but it's something to think of."

You glance at her. "Yes?"

"Well, when I… when the Talons attacked, they didn't just kill Selena. They also killed Master Shadebringer, Agrithe's Head Mage. Father has replaced him with his eldest apprentice, James, but everyone knows that's a temporary arrangement until he can find someone accredited." She gives you a serious look. "You are an extremely talented mage already: you could easily make the argument that you can handle the position as Head Mage. You wouldn't quite be nobility, but in some ways that would put you in an even stronger position. From the time of Emperor Theodore Wyrmblood and the first Archmage, Lenora Thundercrier, there has been a mutual respect and understanding between accredited mages and nobility, without some of the compelled obedience of a knight. You would also be less directly beholden to Agrithe. While we would love to have you as long as you want, with a full mage-name, you could find a position anywhere in the world if things didn't work out here a few generations from now."

"Accredited?" you ask.

Artemis grimaces. "That would be the major problem, right there," she says. "Unlike knighthood, which Father can give unilaterally, to truly take over as Head Mage you'll be almost required to be recognized and accredited by the Marble Hall. Technically, Father doesn't have to have an accredited mage as Head Mage, but it's traditional. Pretty much every other Head Mage in the Kingdoms would raise a stink, and it'd make things harder for you."

Finishing your writing, you put it into place and start fiddling with the spacing. "What would becoming accredited entail?"

"Theoretically, all you need is an accredited mage in good standing to vouch for you. I'm sure Sypha would be able to convince Mistress Flarestone to do that, especially after she gets to see your talent firsthand. However, you would have to go to the Marble Hall itself to make it official, and they'll surely insist on their own testing in your… unique, case."

You perk up. "Your brother goes there, right? Apollo?"

Artemis smiles. "Yes, Apollo is a student at the Hall, and I do still hope the two of you get to meet: you'll like each other." Her smile fades. "You should be… somewhat… safe. Archmage Damien Stormspeaker is a well-respected man, and the Hall has always maintained some autonomy from the Empire itself and remained neutral. By law and tradition, all are welcome there. Still… I do worry. The last time someone from Agrithe went to the Hall, it didn't end well. You would have to pass through the Empire with only a minimal escort. If there's any place in the world where people would instantly attack you for being a manakete, it would be there."

You pat her on the arm. "Well, if I was careful, they would never know I was a manakete," you say.

"True," Artemis says. "I'm not saying it's impossible; I wouldn't have suggested the idea if it was, but I do worry. You're… precious to me, Ryza, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you." She sighs. "Anyways, it's something to think about. You certainly have the talent to keep the runes around here running and advise Father on magical matters. Father's offer is also a workable one, and you might grow into it, especially if there are some extenuating agreements put into the contract itself. Or you could simply remain a friend of Agrithe: you have a home here as long as you want it, no matter what." She shrugs. "I know my advice might not have been the best…"

"I think it helped," you say. "You gave me things to think about, and I like thinking."

As you and Artemis continue to work on your shrine, first lightly scratching the designs you'd made on the paper into the stone before you started carefully chiseling them in, you turn the ideas over in your head. You continue to think even as Artemis is forced to leave you to go do some noble-daughter's chores, leaving you to work alone. By the end of the day, as you continue to think, you've etched everything in, and are about halfway done with carving Father's slate more permanently. You'd even added a bit of topaz dust to some of the lettering to make it shiny and see if it worked for you.

As you settle in to sleep that night, you turn the thought of what to do over in mind, and you think you're on the track to a decision.

[] You will take Archduke Letoro up on his offer, despite Artemis's reservations. A deer in the claw is worth three in the forest, after all, and it will give you a place in the world. It will be a challenge, having to adjust to what human society seems to expect, but you trust Artemis to ensure that you're treated fairly. Hopefully you'll be able to keep the fighting part of your role to a minimum, or at least point it at deserving targets.

[] You'll follow through on Artemis's suggestion. You love magic, and you like to think you're good at it. Besides, you'd been planning on talking to Mistress Flarestone anyways. If you can become friends with her and the other Revisionists, they could probably help you get to the Marble Hall and get accredited, which would give you legitimacy in the world. You might even get to meet Apollo, and you think Artemis would like that. It'll all just take a while.

[] You decide to wait. You still have a long life ahead of you, you don't need to rush into anything. You may not have an official place in the world, but Artemis likes you, and she'll be around for at least a few decades, enough for you to get settled and find out more about the world. Besides, being able to do things your way is kind of nice.

---

The sun is shining. The air is warm, even this high up, and Mother be praised, you're having fun!

There are other things you could be doing, of course. You still need to take some time to read over The Dragon Within, as well as refresh what you already looked at about White magic. However, as you'd woken up and looked outside to see a truly glorious day, you remembered that you hadn't truly flown for fun in weeks (or centuries, depending on how you counted time.)

You'd dithered for a minute, but in the end childish glee had won out. You'd put in so much work these past few weeks, surely nobody could begrudge you a bit of playtime? You'd rushed up the now familiar path to the highest tower, spread your wings, and taken off with a whoop.

Spiraling and spinning through the air, you laugh as you feel the wind rushing through your hair. Far below, you're pretty sure you hear cries and gasps, but today… you can't really care. Let the humans have their whispers, the sky is yours today, and you're going to enjoy it!

In fact… Grinning cheekily, you fold your wings around yourself and plummet. Laughing at the pull of gravity, you spin and fall for a few seconds before spreading your wings again and catching the wind to shoot off just a few meters higher than the highest tower. Looking down, you see a few people pointing up towards you. Nobody you recognize, but people. You wave to them before flapping higher into the sky, letting the sun glitter off your wing scales as you twirl.

They wanted glowing? Let them see some real glowing!

You surrender to the urge to just be a child reveling in something you're good at again for another ten or fifteen minutes. Finally, as your wings begin to ache from the strain of the various tricks and maneuvers you've been doing, you spiral down towards the tower again.

One of the guards is standing up there, staring at you with an awe-struck expression as you easily glide in for a landing, calmly folding your wings out of sight as you settle.

"Hi, Kellen," you say, recognizing him. "How are you doing?"

The man blinks a few times before swallowing. "Lad- Ryza, I have seen an entire flight of Whitewings doing synchronized formation flying, but that's got nothing on what you were doing."

You curtsy. "Thank you," you say. "I was having fun, but I'm glad you liked it." You frown as you look up at him. "Is something wrong?"

He shakes his head. "No, no. I just saw you up here and figured Lady Artemis would want me to keep your landing zone clear." You notice that he's standing directly on the trapdoor leading down into the tower.

"Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you," you say. "Did anyone try?"

"A few people knocked, none of them were anyone I was honor-bound to let in, so I politely asked them to give you your space and they agreed." You get the feeling his version of "polite" and yours are slightly different. He steps aside. "Is there anywhere you want to go? After that… display, I feel it incumbent upon me to escort you until the hubbub dies down."

You slump. "I'm sorry I caused you trouble," you say.

He shakes his head. "It's no trouble," he says, pulling open the trap door and glancing down. "It seems we're clear now. We should go before too many people find an excuse to make their way up here." You nod, letting Kellen lead the way down.

As you walk, you glance up at the man. "Kellen, may I ask you a question?"

He cocks his head. "Of course," he says.

You dither for a moment before deciding to take the plunge: you still need to figure out what humans think about manakete, and you think it'd be a good idea to get a feel for what normal people think. "What stories have you heard about dragons?" It hurts a bit to use that word in the way humans use it, but you don't want to get into a long, drawn-out discussion about word meanings.

Kellen looks at you, then glances at the place where your wings would be. He slowly pales. "I… would not want to…"

"It's okay," you say soothingly. "I just want to know what people think. I promise I won't get upset."

---

It is… very difficult, to keep that promise. To the point where you eventually can't.

"It's awful!" you wail into Sypha's pillow. You're not quite sure how you found yourself face-down on the bed in her guestroom, but you're here now and you don't think you'll ever be able to show your face around humans again!

You feel the bed shift as Sypha abandons her harp and starts petting your back. "Surely it can't be that bad," she says.

"They think I eat princesses!" you cry. "I've been asking what people think of dragons and they think we think princesses taste good!"

After talking to Kellan, you'd asked a few other people you'd met what they thought about dragons. The answers had… not painted your species in a good light. At all! Why had Artemis not warned you just how bad-

A horrid thought crosses your mind. "Wait… Artemis is a princess, right?" you ask, remembering Lancel's words.

Sypha hems and haws for a moment before speaking. "Not… technically, but for all intents and purposes, yes." As you let out a strangled mewl of horror and disgust, Sypha's hand moves to brush your hair. "But no one who knows you would ever think you'd want to hurt Artemis! Or any other princess!"

"But what about all the people who don't know me!?" you cry. "There's so many humans I can't meet them all and tell them I don't want to eat Artemis!"

"Then those of us who do know you will set them straight!" Sypha says firmly. "I will not allow anyone to malign or disparage you, Ryza. You are my friend!" She continues stroking your hair. "And surely that's the worst of the stories, the rest of them can't be that bad."

You burrow further into the pillow with a moan. "They make us sound so stupid and cruel and illogical!" you say. "You know what else we apparently eat? Gold! Blegh! Why would anyone eat gold!?" Rolling over, you stare at Sypha. "And it gets worse! Apparently we're the reason monsters exist! That's just wrong, manakete hate monsters! They were one of the leading causes of manakete death! I nearly got killed as a child before Mother saved me! We'd never make something so… so horrible and evil!"

Sypha scoots over and lays down next to you, hugging you. "I'm glad you made it," she says.

"And then there are the people who think we sleep on piles of gold!" you say. "No, I do not sleep on gold, thank you very much! Gold would be very uncomfortable! I like beds to be soft!"

As you take a breath to continue complaining, you feel an odd shaking motion from Sypha. At first, you think she's crying at the travesty of it all, but a moment later you realize… "It's not funny!" you cry as Sypha starts giggling.

"I'm sorry," she chokes out. "I know it isn't, but I was just- You know how dragon-you looks like she's made of gold? All shiny and everything?" You nod grumpily. "I was just- the image of a big pile of gold- some treasure hunters finding it, only for you to burst out and start telling them off for disrupting your nap-" Sypha loses it, starting to really laugh. "I'm- I'm sorry-I can't-"

As you listen to her, the image plays in your mind, and slowly, you can't help but join her. It's just so stupid… but at the same time…

The pair of you laugh for a few minutes before Sypha finally brings herself under control. "I'm sorry, Ryza," she hiccups. "I know it's not really funny…"

"It's okay," you choke out. "It's… better, than some of the others."

"Oh come on, at least some of them have to be funny, right? What's one that's just so wrong you can't help but laugh at it."

As you think over the list, you blush a bit. "Well… there was one of the stable hands who was insisting that dragons hated the smell of horses so much that they acted as a natural repellant. He's not right; I don't really like the smell but it's not that bad… but he's not wrong, either, since I'm not super fond of horses."

Sypha squeezes you. "There. I know it hurts, to have people spreading nasty rumors about you and your people, but at least some of them are so dumb they're funny." She uncurls and clambers to her feet, offering you a hand. "Besides, you're going to talk to Mistress Flarestone, and she's going to get the Revisionists together and you're going to stop these stupid stories! Why don't we go to the library and see what the scholars think, so that you can start with something rational rather than… princess eating."

Slowly, you take her hand and let her pull you up. "Okay," you say. "Will you come with me? My written Common still isn't the best…"

She smiles. "Of course," she says. "Archduchess Dione has been visiting to make sure I feel welcome here, but it'll be nice to spend some time somewhere new."

A few hours later, the two of you are ensconced at one of the tables in the small Agrithian library, pouring over some of the literature about dragons.

It's… something. There's far fewer of the truly ridiculous stories, but what is there isn't much better. Dragons are consistently described as cruel, vindictive, murderous creatures that reveled in destruction. Tales of cities burned, towns wiped off the map… there are no stories of dragons doing anything helpful or productive or nice. Their homes are described as cold, dark caves, with none of the beauty or art or knowledge your parents worked to fill your home with.

You know your family wasn't the only example of manakete culture. Some of the other Tribes and other regions and other families did things differently. Still… you can't imagine that the rest of manakete-kind was so utterly, radically different. That they were all the monsters described by human literature. Something was missing… something was wrong…

You find yourself listening as Sypha reads The First Emperor to you. The language is too flowery for you to really follow it yourself, so she agreed to read it for you while you listened.

You listen as the story of Theodore Wyrmblood, the titular First Emperor. You hear how he lived his life in peace in a small human village, never dreaming of being anything more than a protector of his people. You hear how, after his pilgrimage to tame a wyvern, as was tradition for his people, he returned to find a dragon burning his home to the ground, slaughtering his family and friends for no given reason. You feel his grief as he howls to the sky, wondering why he alone was spared.

You listen to the story of Lenora Thundercrier, the first Archmage. A woman of great genius, she had been working to discover the secrets of magic. Her studies were interrupted as her home was assaulted by a pair of dragons, forcing her to flee as her friends were murdered. You wonder… had they not wanted her to learn magic? Had they not wanted humans to gain that power? You can't know for sure, but you're pretty sure that if Father had heard that a human wanted to learn magic, he'd have been willing to teach them, so long as they promised not to misuse it.

The two met. They didn't like each other at first, but they realized that they were not alone. In town after town, city after city, dragons were said to be running amuck. The pair determined that they were going to do something about it! They started rallying the humans to defend themselves against the seemingly senseless aggression of the dragons, eventually attracting the attention of someone known only as the Old Master.

He offered them weapons, tools to allow them to fight back.

Mjolnir… a gift to Lenora, a tome to allow her to channel magic. The Galeforce, a lance given to wyvern lord Mycelus, another friend the pair had picked up. The Fell Slayer, the Sword of Flame… Staring at the pictures in the book, you can't help but feel something's off about those weapons…

At this point in the story, the Fell Dragon himself appears. The dread overlord of dragonkind (you scoff, manakete didn't have overlords!) he murdered the Old Master and destroyed his forge, determined not to let his gifts turn the tide of the war. However, Theodore, Lenora and Mycelus survived and continued their quest to rally the humans.

Finally, it all ended in a great battle. Humans of every description banded together to find against the alliance of dragon and monster (another impossibility, if anything it should be the humans and manakete banding together against the monsters!) The Emperor defeated the Fell Dragon in single combat, killing him with his mighty flaming sword and claiming the Fire Emblem from his corpse.

Your eyes widen as you stare at the picture, that's a dragonstone! The Fire Emblem Bernard had said he'd swear by was a dragonstone! Those…

"Ryza?"

You look at Sypha, who's watching you nervously. "Sorry," you say. "It's just… that Fire Emblem, it's a dragonstone, isn't it?"

Sypha shrugs. "I think so? I've never seen it, it's the crown jewel of the Emperor, it never leaves Wyrmrise." She frowns. "Is that… bad? Humans using dragonstones?"

You nod. "Dragonstones are… they're really important to us. We're born with them, in many ways they're one of the truest reflections of us. They're not… they're not trophies!"

As you speak, Sypha grows more and more pale. "I… I'm sorry, Ryza," she whispers.

"For what?"

Swallowing, she pushes the books away and stares at you. "I… I don't know if I should be the one to say this…" she says awkwardly. "Spirits… Artemis would probably be better, she's your best friend. Or maybe Bernie? He's more decisive with his words, I'll probably muck it up. Or Mistress Flarestone…"

You put your hands on the table. "Sypha. Please, just tell me. I promise I won't get angry with you."

Sypha takes a deep breath. "You… you know tomes, right? The tools humans use to make magic?" You nod. "Well… the reason they work… the reason they work, is because there's a dusting of dragonstone in them. Same with magical weapons like Sir Ector's wyrmbane…"

It takes you a few seconds to truly grasp what she's saying. "Du… dusting?" you whisper.

"Yes…" Sypha says nervously. "I… I don't think it's much… at least for most tomes. Some of the bigger ones might need more." She gestures to the book. "The Old Master used whole dragonstones for his creations, but nobody else has managed to…"

She trails off weakly as your breaths start coming short and fast. "You… humans…" you say, anger and pain and grief and sheer unrelenting rage starting to fill you up. "You… you take our stones…"

"I'm sorry!" Sypha says, cringing away from you. "I'm sorry, Ryza, please…"

You stand. "I need to go," you say shortly, storming out of the library, barely keeping your spiral of emotions under control. Pincana calls after you worriedly, but you can't focus enough to hear her. Dashing through the castle in your own personal storm cloud, you burst out onto the nearest roof, spread your wings, and shoot into the sky as fast as you can go.

As you go higher and higher, as the air starts growing thinner, you stuff your fist into your mouth and scream!

How dare they?! How dare those bloody human BUTCHERS!? They murder your people! They take their hearts?! Take their SOULS!?

Anger and pain wash over you as you drop back towards the castle. Why had nobody told you?! Had they been afraid you'd do something!?

'THEY SHOULD BE!'

You had a bone to pick with Artemis. Landing heavily, you storm back inside, glaring at the nearest guard. "Where is she?" you hiss, not caring about the lightning starting to crackle around you. "Where is Artemis?!"

The man draws himself up, his hand clenching around his spear as he moves to stand in front of you. "I cannot-"

"It's alright, stand down."

Both you and the guard turn to see Artemis striding towards you, followed by a terrified-looking Sypha.

Stalking past the guard without a glance, you glare up at Artemis. "You knew." It's not a question.

Crouching down, Artemis nods. "I did," she says softly. "And you have every right to be angry."

Angry? Angry?! You're furiou-

'The most important thing is to recognize emotions, recognize what sort of actions they might drive a manakete towards, and then either resist that path or follow through with full understanding of what the outcome will be.'

You are angry. You don't even have to think about that. You understand your emotions. What will anger lead you to do?

You feel your hand clenched around the stone in your pocket. You see Sypha backing slowly away. You hear the grinding of armor behind you. You see Artemis swallowing and bracing herself.

You… if you follow this path, you will hurt Artemis. Either with evil, hateful words that cannot be taken back, or worse… if you truly give into your fury…

Fear flashes through you, and you slam your emotions down. You are a heart! Hadn't you just gotten through bemoaning about how senselessly cruel humans had painted your people?

You will not prove them right!

Swallowing, you close your eyes and breath in slowly, listening to your heartbeat. One… two… three… out. One… two… three… in.

You repeat this several times, feeling the static leaving the air around you. Finally, you open your eyes and stare at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Artemis takes a slow breath. "Because… I was selfish. I didn't want… after all the pain you've been through, I didn't want to be the one to add that burden to your already over-burdened shoulders." She shivers. "That was wrong of me. I'm your friend, I should make sure you know the things you need to know, even… even if it makes you like me less."

Swallowing your tears, you open your arms. "I… I don't blame you, Artemis…" you whisper. "This… this has been happening for centuries, right? Ever since the other manakete were all…" She nods. "I… it's not… your fault… I'm…"

Slowly, Artemis moves forward, allowing you to step into her arms. "I still should have told you," she says. "You deserve to know."

You nod. "I… I'm sorry, I almost-"

"But you didn't, Ryza, because you're better than that. Because manakete are not what the stories said they are."

Sniffling you lean against her, peeking past her shoulder to Sypha. "I'm sorry," you say. "I promised I wouldn't get mad at you…"

The younger human swallows before stepping forward. "I… it's okay," she says. "I guess it was quite a thing to be told, huh. After everything else…"

"Still, I shouldn't have taken it out on you," you say.

Sypha moves around Artemis to hug you from the other side. "I forgive you," she says.

The three of you hold each other for a minute before you speak. "I'm still mad, about what was done," you say. "That's not okay." You swallow. "I just… I don't know how to fix it…"

Artemis swallows. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, Ryza, but… I'm not sure you can. All magic depends on… on those stones, and humans won't give up magic. That healing staff Healer Clara used? It has stone powder in it as well." She frowns. "There are… rumors, that some snake-oil salesmen try to pass beaststone powder off as dragonstone, and it kind of works-"

"No. No I will not push the problem off onto another people, even if they're not people I know." You frown. "There… has to be another way. If humans want to have magic, that's fine, someone just needs to figure out another source… It won't be easy. It might take me a few centuries… but surely there has to be another way!"

After a moment of silence, Artemis pats your back. "You have a big heart, Ryza, and I wish you all the best of luck in finding that other way. I wish I could help you, but I'm about as magic-blind as they come." She gently extracts herself from you. "Are you feeling any better?"

You think about your emotions. "I'm still… not happy," you say after a moment. "But I'm calm now. I'm not going to do anything rash."

Sypha lets out a sigh of relief. "Do you want to hear some music?" she asks. "I find that helps me calm down."

You smile. "I'd like that," you say. "Thank you, Sypha." You touch Artemis's hand. "And you're still my friend, Artemis. I still like you."

The bigger girl smiles. "Thank you, Ryza," she says. Then, she looks up at the guard. "I want this… incident to be kept quiet. Very quiet."

"Of course, My Lady," the guard says. "But the Archduke…"

"I'll tell my father myself," Artemis says. "Nobody else is to hear about this."

He nods. "By your will, My Lady."

Sighing, Artemis looks to you. "I do have to tell him, if for no other reason than others probably noticed you were upset. Don't worry, I'll make it clear that things are worked out between us, at least." She nods to Sypha. "Thank you, for letting me know that my friend was hurting."

"She's my friend too," Sypha says.

Later that night, after a long session listing to Sypha playing the harp, you lay in bed. You're re-reading The Dragon Within and considering the words of Control of Emotions. You… had done that, today. You had been faced with overwhelming emotions, a dragon frothing and chomping to get out and make her rage known… and you'd stopped her. You'd done what the heart was meant to do, stepped back, and regained control of yourselves.

You would have to continue to practice, to make sure that this wasn't a one-time fluke, but… although you'd stumbled a bit, you'd taken a step along the Path.

At least something good had come from today's... unpleasantness. And the morning had been fun, too.

Spoiler: Gained: Control of Emotions

During a Draconic Transformation (but not Draconic Feedback) Ryza can force an instant de-transformation. Will damage relationships with her dragon-self.

AN: For those of you wondering, yes, glue was used by ancient people. It was lost in Europe during the Middle Ages, but since this continent never had a major (human) societal collapse, they'd probably still have it around.

Also, on the magic note, remember that not everything Artemis says is 100% true. Not because she's lying to you, she's not. However, magic is not one of her areas of expertise, and so she doesn't know everything.

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] You'll follow through on Artemis's suggestion. You love magic, and you like to think you're good at it. Besides, you'd been planning on talking to Mistress Flarestone anyways. If you can become friends with her and the other Revisionists, they could probably help you get to the Marble Hall and get accredited, which would give you legitimacy in the world. You might even get to meet Apollo, and you think Artemis would like that.

"Magic, in its simplest form, is the ability to solve problems. When you leave here, you will be able to help those who need help. To help heal this broken world."
-Archmage Lenora Thundercrier to her first class at the Marble Hall


"Please, I need to speak to His Highness," you say.

You're once again standing outside Archduke Letoro's office, facing off with a new pair of guards. This time, being alone and without a prior appointment, they're not quite as willing to let you in.

"His Highness is a busy man," one of the guards says coolly. "Honored guest though you are, that does not give you carte-blanche to go wherever you wish."

Pushing back a sigh, you smile. "Please, I don't think it'll take long," you ask. "Could you just ask if he's busy right now? It really is important."

Before the guard can respond, the Archduke's slightly irritated voice comes from inside. "Who is it?" he calls.

The guard opens the door slightly, blocking your path with his spear. "Lady Artemis's young friend is here asking to see you, Your Highness."

"Send her in."

The guard nods and immediately removes his spear. "Thank you," you say, nodding politely as you step into the office. Curtsying as best you can, you smile at the Archduke. "Your Highness."

He raises an eyebrow. "Ryza," he says, gesturing you to sit across from him. "Is there something you needed?"

You hop up onto the seat. "Well, I was talking to Artemis about your offer," you say.

"I assume before you became upset with her," the Archduke says mildly, but with some ice in his eyes.

You wince. "Yes," you say. "I'm so sorry about-"

He raises a hand. "Artemis made it clear that she does not blame you for what happened," he says. "And you reined yourself in before you did anything harmful." His eyes narrow. "However, be sure to keep your temper under control in future; not all will be as forgiving as my daughter is."

You nod at the rebuke. It's especially important for manakete to remain in control of themselves. "Of course," you say. "It won't happen again."

The Archduke nods back. "Then the matter is closed," he says. "You wished to speak about my offer."

"Yes," you say. "Well, I was talking to Artemis, and we both agreed that I probably wouldn't be very happy as a knight. I don't really like fighting, which is a knight's job."

"Very well," Archduke Letoro says, nodding. "I cannot say I am surprised, but I was duty-bound to offer."

You ponder for a moment over his wording before shrugging: humans do some odd things for duty. "Well, there is something else that Artemis and I were thinking I could do to help," you say. "Artemis said that the head mage was… isn't around anymore, thanks to the Talons."

The Archduke grimaces. "Yes, Master Shadebringer was killed in the ambush," he says. "And Artemis suggests that you might replace him?"

You nod. "Yes. Did she tell you that yesterday?"

"No, but the fact that you're bringing it up, along with the fact that she has described you as being very talented at magic, makes the point of this conversation easy to determine." He leans back in his chair, studying you. "I will further assume that she told you about the accreditation process?"

"Yes," you say, slightly wrong-footed. You're certain that Father and Mother often knew what you were going to ask before you asked it, but they would let you speak your mind before commenting. You're not sure if Archduke Letoro just wants to finish this conversation as quickly and efficiently as possible, or if he has some other reason. "She mentioned that I'd have to get someone to vouch for me, and I was thinking Mistress Flarestone from Legerius, since I was planning on talking with her about fighting some of the rumors about manakete."

"She will likely be your best contact, yes," the Archduke says. "Perhaps, when the time comes, you could escort Sypha home, as you promised to. That would also remind the Legerians of what you've done for them, despite the rocky introduction."

You wonder if all Archdukes are like this. Before you can think if it'd be a good idea to comment, Archduke Letoro stands and walks to one of the cabinets along the side of the room. "However…" he says, studying the contents for a moment before plucking something out. "As Master Shadebringer told me once, there is more to magic than just casting spells." He walks back to the desk plonks a fancy golden cup down in front of you. "What does this do?"

Frowning, you study it. Aside from the obvious purpose of holding liquids, you quickly notice the unpowered runes woven around the cup. Wincing at the knowledge of what is in those runes, you reach forward and give them a brief flare of charge, just enough to let you look at them in action. The reaction lasts much longer than usual, likely the result of the lingering magic from the dragonstone fragments (your stomach churns at the thought, but you force it down, you'd promised…)

You quickly determine that there are two rune-structures, slightly clumsily woven together. The top one, around the lip of the cup, shines with Black magic, while the main body contains White magic. You can't read them exactly, not at a glance, and Archduke Letoro is staring at you intently.

Thankfully, Father always said that a good runewright doesn't have to read every rune, so long as they remember the principles of magic. Black magic… too obvious to be illusion, and unlikely to be intended to weaken or harm… detection, then. It's looking for something, then it would send a charge to the White magic rune. White magic… healing? No, more curing… sending another flare of charge through it, you note that the energy is directed inwards, to the contents of the cup.

"It's meant to make the drink healthier," you say after a minute of checking for specific signs to confirm your suspicions, which is easier than reading the whole rune-structure from scratch. "The Black magic is looking for anything dangerous or unhealthy in the drink, and the White magic is meant to get rid of it."

A mildly impressed look crosses the Archduke's face. "Well done," he says. "Yes, that is the intended purpose." He smiles faintly. "Of course, the cup never worked as advertised. Can you figure out what went wrong?"

Frowning, you look back at the cup. The runes all looked stable, if somewhat inefficient. There are no chips or cracks or wandering grooves that would make it not work, and as you follow the lines you don't see any obvious errors. "It doesn't?" you ask, confused.

"Perhaps a demonstration will give you a clue," Archduke Letoro says, grabbing a bottle of the reddish liquid you've learned is called "wine." "If you would charge the runes fully." Confused, you do as ordered; you've seen people drink wine all the time. Even Artemis has…

As he pours the wine into the cup, you watch in horror as the Black magic flares in recognition and sends its warning signal and the White magic begins to clean the liquid. "Wait, that's-" you say, looking over at the other crystal cup filled with more of the wine that the Archduke had been drinking from! "Something's wrong with the wine!" you say. "We should get Healer Clara; I don't know what's in it but-"

For the first time since you've met him, Archduke Letoro laughs. It's a quiet thing, but genuine and full of humor. "Peace, girl, I am in no danger," he says. "The wine is perfectly safe in moderation." His eyes glint as he stares at you. "Does that help you with why the goblet didn't work?"

You look back at the cup as it continues to purify the wine that was apparently perfectly fine… in moderation… "It's overly sensitive," you say finally. "It takes anything that's even slightly dangerous and treats it like a threat."

You should have seen that coming. Hadn't Father always said that runes do what you tell them to do, not what you want them to do?

The Archduke nods. "Indeed. My mother had this made for my father, and the only thing it doesn't react to at all is water, and even that can trigger the runes if it's the slightest bit unclean." His smile returns, a soft one almost seeming to be at a memory… "Of course, knowing my mother, it could be that the goblet works exactly as she intended it: she never liked how much Father drank, and it would be in character for her to send a subtle message of displeasure."

It's interesting, to get a glimpse at the man Artemis's father is behind the title and the responsibilities. "So you're okay?" you ask.

"I am. In many places, wine and other alcohols are safer than water." Standing, the Archduke drains the cup with a grimace. "Diluted," he says, putting it back in the cabinet. "Come with me, Ryza."

"Where are we going?" you ask as he leads the way out of the office. You hear the two armored men falling into step behind the pair of you without a word, and you hurry up a little to avoid getting trampled.

"While you will not be able to officially assume the responsibilities of Head Mage until after you have been accredited, you should at least meet the people you will be working with. Master Shadebringer had two apprentices. Responsibility for them will fall to you once you take his place."

You frown. "I thought all mages were trained at the Marble Hall?" you say.

"All accredited, official mages with mage-names, yes," the Archduke says. "However, it is permitted for them to take their own apprentices to aid them. Particularly talented apprentices can be sent to the Hall themselves, while others simply become hedge-mages: not fully accredited, but useful to those who cannot afford a more skilled magic user."

The four of you make your way through the castle. Thankfully, nobody seems to notice you, they're too busy bowing to the Archduke as he passes. A few minutes later, you find yourselves outside a heavy wooden door lined with etchings that you quickly recognize as not being true runes, just decorations. The Archduke doesn't knock as he opens the door and leads the way in.

"Siri, that better be you and you'd better have those records," a boy's voice comes from inside as you follow the Archduke in.

You see a faint flicker of stiffness in the man's shoulders before he smooths it out. "Perhaps it would be best, young James, if you were to check who you were speaking to," he says.

As you look around, you can sense the threads of magic in the air. They're faint, but present, as if you were back in one of your father's laboratories. A line of thick, heavy books along the wall seem to exude most of the magic, marking them as tomes. You flinch as you wonder just how many stones went into making them.

Your thoughts are drawn from that dark place, however, as a young man who looks about Artemis's age turns from the rune-covered box he'd been poking at with a start.

Spoiler: James

"Y-Your Highness!" he cries, bowing. "I- My apologies, I thought you were Siri, coming back- I mean-"

The Archduke lets him stutter for a few more seconds before raising a hand to silence him. "I understand that you are still under a great deal of stress," he says. "But that is no excuse for carelessness or disrespect. I expect better from you, and so would Master Shadebringer."

"Sorry, Your Highness!" James says, bowing again. "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

Archduke Letoro gently grabs your shoulder and pulls you to stand next to him. "I am here to introduce you to someone. Ryza, this is James, Master Shadebringer's elder apprentice and acting Head Mage of Agrithe." You wave. "James, this is Ryza. Perhaps you've heard of her?"

The young man studies you for a second before his eyes widen. "Wait, isn't she- isn't she the one who saved Lady Artemis? Siri was talking my ear off all of last night about her, something about her flying around-"

You nod. "Yep, that's me," you say. "It's nice to meet you, James." Stepping forwards, you look at the box. "Whatcha working on?"

He grimaces. "This is one of the Healers' storage boxes, the ones meant for sensitive, short-lived things," he says. "It's been acting up for a month, and I-" he glances at the Archduke, who's listening quietly. "Well, I was hoping for Master Shadebringer's guidance, but… well…"

You pat him on the arm sympathetically. "I'm sorry," you say. "I never met him, but Artemis always spoke highly of him." As he splutters slightly, you look over the box. "Is it safe to pulse magic through the runes?" you ask.

"Yeah, but you won't get far. Pretty sure the dusting's worn out, it's been slowly dying all month."

As he continues to speak, you send a pulse of magic through the runes. As you watch it, you notice something. "I think this is your problem right here," you say, pointing to the spot where you see magic bleeding out. "Looks like someone banged it and chipped the structure a bit, right there."

The boy crouches down and peers at the mark. "A chip that small shouldn't do anything," he says. "Runes are tougher than that."

"Normally, yes," you say. "But unless I'm misreading this, this is a major central feedback amplifier. Any damage to that causes issues down multiple arcane streams, and with that many streams failing, the rest get strained trying to keep working." You quickly check one of the unaffected branches of runes. "Yep. Early burnout signs further up this one, though not too bad yet. We can probably get another few months out of this before it needs to be reworked if we just fix that one issue."

James stares at you. "How-"

"Father didn't have time to teach me everything," you say. "And I haven't had time to do some of the reading yet, but I watched him a lot when I was younger, and I remember a few things."

As the pair of you sit for a moment, Archduke Letoro speaks up from behind you. "Well, it looks like the two of you have things well in hand here. James, be sure to show Ryza around, you'll be working together a lot in the future." With that, he turns and leaves.

After a minute, James sighs. "I'm guessing you're replacing me, huh," he says.

"Sorry," you say.

"It's alright," he says. "Master Shadebringer never had the chance to teach me everything, so I knew someone was going to be coming to clean things up." He glances down at you. "Wasn't expecting her to be shorter than me, though." He looks you up and down. "Is it true you're a dragon?"

"Manakete," you correct. "But yes I am. How did you know? Artemis said she and her father were keeping the rumors down."

He swallows slightly. "Siri," he says. "She's always got her ear to the ground for rumors. No matter what His Highness and Lady Artemis have done, there've been whispers. Some guys swear they saw a dragon landing up at the hilltop grove a few days ago, and next thing we know, you're around, and Lady Artemis and His Highness are saying that you're an honored guest and nobody's to give you any trouble." He's scooting slightly away from you as he speaks.

You scoot closer determinedly. "It's alright," you say. "You don't have to be worried or nervous: I'm just Ryza. I'm not going to do anything bad; those old stories aren't true." You smile. "I hope we can be friends, James. You and Siri. Will she be back soon?"

After a moment, the boy sighs. "Spirits only know with that girl," he says. "She's nice, she's bright, but her head's stuck firmly in the clouds." He gestures. "Alright, let's see if we can fix this mess."

It takes the two of you nearly three hours to figure out how to fix the chip into the feedback amplifier. You even have to run and get Runewrighting. After all, not having had time to read it yet, you don't know how to fix the problem you diagnosed, so you and James have to puzzle over it and some of Master Shadebringer's own books before you finally sort everything out.

However, despite the challenge… it's fun. It's been so long since you've gotten to play with runes, it's nice to spend time with them again. Besides, as one of the healers smiles warmly at you both when she and a few servants come to pick it up, you feel like you've done something good. You don't know what things will be like at the Marble Hall, but this… you think you can enjoy this.

---

Over the next few days, you fall into a routine that gives you some much-needed stability. You've finally started eating in the main hall with everyone else, though the sheer amount of noise can sometimes be overwhelming. However, it is nice to feel like you're part of the tribe. The large, loud, chaotic tribe.

People seemed to be getting more used to you. The first time Artemis walked you to the table at the front of the hall, a hush had slowly spread as people stared at you, making you squirm uncomfortably until Dione had pointedly cleared her throat. She hadn't said anything else, but her meaning had been clear, and slowly the conversation had restarted. Now, aside from some furtive glances as you pass, most people will simply give you a nod and be on their way.

After eating, you would always be sure to spend some time with James and Siri. You didn't want to completely step on their toes, at least not until you actually got the job as Head Mage, but they seemed to enjoy your presence. As the older of the two, James took it upon himself to show you around the castle. While there aren't as many runes as there were at home, there were still quite a few. Thankfully, you're not being asked to make any more: you'll need to do a deeper reading of Runewrighting to be able to make any runes of your own.

Siri, meanwhile… well, that had been an experience.

…​

You're whistling as you walk into the magic room. You'd had fun yesterday, helping James fix the healer's box, and you were wondering if there was anything else interesting-

"GASP!"

You stumble back as a blur crosses the distance and skids to a halt in front of you, very nearly running you over.

Spoiler: Siri

"Oh spirits it's you!" the girl says, only looking a decade (year, you remind yourself) older than you. She's wearing a bright, eager grin as she bounces on her feet. "Hi, you must be Ryza, I've heard so much about you! My name's Siri, and James said you were going to be working with us now! What kind of magic can you do, I'm learning how to use lightning and James can't really help me because he does dark magic like Master Shadebringer! What's your favorite color? Are you really a dragon? What's that like? How old are you anyways?"

You gape at the vibrant girl in front of you. You'd met a fair few humans by now, but none of them had been this energetic! None of them had seemed this utterly fearless.

James looks up, sighs, and walks over. "Hey, do you think you could take me flyi-Owowow!" the girl whines as James grabs her by the ear and starts dragging her back to the desk she'd been sitting at.

"No bothering Ryza until you're done with your lines," he says, pushing her down into her seat.

"But I've wanted to talk to her since she got here but Lady Artemis said nobody was to bother her but now she's here so surely-"

"Lines. Now."

Huffing, the girl turns and starts copying from a big book at the top of the desk, though you spot her sneaking glances at you every now and then.

James, meanwhile, walks back over to you with a sigh. "Siri," he says, somehow understanding the question behind your wind-stunned expression. "Sorry about her. She's a good kid deep down, but she does not know the meaning of the word restraint or subtlety."

"I can hear you!" Siri calls.

"Lines!" James shoots back. "Master Shadebringer would have given you a whack for disrespecting a guest!"

You squirm. "That's not needed," you say quickly. "She's just trying to be friendly."

"Nosy, more like," James says, but you see him smile slightly. "Well, we should probably get going: the blacksmith is complaining about his forge again." He lowers his voice. "Besides, we should get out of here before she starts rushing and making mistakes so she has an excuse to talk to you again."

"Okay," you say. Still, you feel a little guilty as you spot the dejected look on Siri's face, so you give her a wave as you leave. She grins immediately and waves back enthusiastically.

"You've done it now," James says as the pair of you leave. "You've encouraged her: now you'll never get rid of her." However, you hear the fondness behind his grumbling, so you're not worried that your new friends are actually fighting.

New friends… you've been blessed with so many new friends…

…​

In the afternoons, you would still take some time for yourself. You'd chat with Artemis and Sypha whenever you could, but you would also take time to read Practical Magic. You'd promised yourself that you'd learn White magic, so that you could help people who need it. As a bonus, it'd be nice to show Mistress Flarestone that you could cast more than one color of magic.

Step one, of course, is figuring out how to bring out the White magic itself. You were born for and of Yellow magic, so even when you were struggling to control it, conjuring up lightning came nearly as easily as breathing to you. White magic, however, requires a very different mindset. Peace, happiness, serenity… these aren't exactly easy things to come by. For all that you're welcomed here, for all that you like and love some of the people here… this isn't your home. This castle doesn't have nearly a century of memories built up. Maybe one day, you will truly be able to call this place home, but not today.

However, you persevere. Father and Mother wouldn't want you to wallow in sadness; they would want you to be strong, to find joy again. So you seek out happiness in the little things.

You find it in Artemis coaxing you onto a horse to try and teach you how to ride, the uncomfortable swaying mitigated by her gentle arms around you.

You find it in Sypha's music as she tells you stories from her past. Sometimes Bernard even drops in. He doesn't say much, but you can tell he feels more at ease around you now.

You find it in Dione helping you get out some of the tangles and snarls in your hair from weeks of inadequate care just as Mother once did.

You find it in Archduke Letoro's respectful nod as he drops by to see how you're doing in the magic lab, after hearing about how you and James have been working together to keep everything running.

You find it in Siri's laugh of joy as you help her cast a spell from her little practice tome, your churning stomach mitigated somewhat by the fact that at least the stone that went into the book is bringing happiness rather than sorrow.

You find it in continuing to work on the shrine to your parents' memories, talking to them as if they were there. Maybe it's not healthy how you occasionally pretend they're answering you, but you think you're due some fantasies.

Day by day, you find your joy, you find your peace. You search within yourself… until finally you find your Light.

You're sitting on the roof of one of the towers around Castle Agrithe, watching with interest as Archduke Letoro and Artemis greet another arriving noble. You're not close enough to hear exactly what's being said, and you're okay with that. While it's nice to meet new people, it's also really nice to just sit in the sun, let your wings soak up some rays without anyone staring or pointing.

As you watch the portly man follow Archduke Letoro into the castle, gesturing animatedly with his hands, you notice Artemis giving you a wave. You smile slightly; it seems that no matter how far away you are, she almost has a sense for you. You suppose that's what it means to be best friends: Father and Mother always seemed to know where to find you when they wanted to talk to you.

Basking in the sensation of being loved and loving in return, you feel a soft tug in the back of your mind. Focusing, you follow it, deep within yourself, just as the scroll told you to. You'd sensed it before, several times, but it was stronger now…

Reaching into yourself, you finally find what Practical Magic had described: a steady thread of gentle light coiling through your soul. Carefully tugging on it, you ease a little piece off, not a lot, but enough that, as you pull it to your hand, a shimmering light flashes into being. Softer and smoother than the glaring, harsh shine of your lightning balls, the raw White magic makes you smile just looking at it. You love being a Yellow manakete, but there's something just so soothing about staring into the light…

Shaking your head, you pull yourself out of your stupor. Letting the light fade away, you rest for a moment before reaching in and finding it again. It takes you a little longer, but as you repeat the process time after time for the next ten or so minutes, it gets easier and easier. Never as simple as calling lightning, which you can do without a thought, but easier.

Finally, when you feel confident, you take the final test: you need to go find Healer Clara. You'd read the lesson on casting Healing magic, but from experience you know that no scroll is a substitute for a teacher. Carefully cradling your light, you glide down from the tower and go looking for her, carefully keeping both trails of your mind working. Keeping the light in the palm of your hand as you focus on other things.

If you can maintain your concentration while you focus on other things, then you'll be ready to use White magic.

The light flickers a few times as you search, especially when people stare at it in awe when you ask them where to find Healer Clara. Finally, after a few false starts, you find her near the training yard.

"-really sorry about this," a young man dressed in the heavy, clumsy-looking padded armor that seems designed for training says as she uses her staff on another trainee. That one's sitting in a chair, clutching his head as if trying to hold his brain in. There's no wound anymore, but from the bloodstains on his hand and face he must have taken quite a wallop.

"I will remind you that this is a training yard, not a smash your opponent's head yard!" the older woman says sharply.

The other man groans, but smiles wryly, "Can't really blame Van, Healer," he says. "All the boys get a bit overexcited when Lady Artemis shows up to practice, we tend to go a bit overboard… if he hadn't done it to me I'd probably have done it to him."

You nearly abandon your plans to go see how Artemis is doing, but as the light flickers in your hand again you stabilize yourself and wait patiently.

"Well if that is the case, I will have to impress upon Lady Artemis to never visit again while you are in session! You are training to be soldiers, you are not little boys with sticks anymore!" The two men look down, shamefaced, as Healer Clara continues to tell them off.

As you hop up onto a table to wait, you watch the magic play along Healer Clara's staff. Now that you look closer, you see the thin runes carefully etched into the metal, channeling and amplifying her magic. As you study it, you realize that, aside from a little bit of modification at the end, Healer Clara is actually not doing a lot of shaping of the spell. She puts a small amount of White magic in at the base of the rune-structure, lets it flow down the runes to amplify and weave it into a healing spell, then directs it out of the large crystal at the top to finish the spell. Idly, you start trying to weave your own light into a similar shape, but it all gets tangled in your hands.

Something must have drawn attention, however, as the standing guard (Van?) looks over and stiffens. "Lady-"

"Just Ryza," you cut him off immediately. "Sorry to bother you all, don't worry about me, I'm fine," you say.

Healer Clara looks over to you, her eyes widening as she sees the unruly knots of magic coiling around your fingers. "That's-" she shakes her head. "Just stay there one moment, I need to finish with this one."

"Sorry to bother you," you say.

She nods before looking back at the injured soldier, her own White magic continuing to play over his head. After a minute, she nods. "There," she says. "Now I'm confining you to bed rest for at least a few days, head injuries are not to be taken lightly. Van, take him to the barracks and make sure he stays there."

As the two soldiers leave, throwing you glances as they go, the older woman hustles over to you. "I didn't know you knew light magic, Ryza," she says. "From what young Lord Bernard has said in his checkups, you're a lightning mage."

You nod. "I'm a Yellow manakete, yes," you say, still trying to untangle the spell. "But I can learn all colors of magic. I've been working on White magic, and I finally got it to come out." You give the botched spell up as a bad job, dismiss it, and then resummons a fresh batch of White energy and show it to Healer Clara proudly. "I was hoping you could help me learn how to actually heal people with it."

She stares at you. "Incredible…" she whispers. "I've never seen such a strong light before…" she shakes her head. "I wouldn't say no to more healers, but I'd thought you were more interested in being a mage."

"I can do both," you say. "I probably wouldn't heal full time, there are a lot of runes around that need maintaining, but if something happens and I'm nearby, I'd be able to help and save you some trouble."

The woman nods. "You're a good girl, Ryza," she says. "Very well; I do have other people I need to visit, but if you want you can come with me. I can show you a few tricks. Do you want to try channeling through the staff-"

"No!" you say, sharper than you intended. "I… no. Please, I don't want to use that, I want to heal without it."

Frowning, Healer Clara pulls a chair over and sits down, brining her to eyelevel with you. "You don't like the staff?" she says quietly.

You squirm a bit. "You… know what I am, right?" you say. She nods. "Well… you know what goes into those staves and other magic things, right?"

Her eyes widen. "Oh," she whispers. "Yes, I suppose that would be very upsetting for you."

The pair of you sit in silence for a moment before you speak up in a small voice. "How many lives has that staff saved?"

Healer Clara considers for a moment. "I don't know how many it helped before me," she says. "But lives saved… five. With many more permanent injuries averted." She jerks her head towards the door. "Those two foolish boys… it's likely Robb would have had ongoing issues for years, if he ever recovered, had I not been able to heal him."

It… makes you feel a little better. You still feel sick whenever you think too much about what happened, what was done… but you hope whatever poor White manakete's stone went into that staff can take some comfort in knowing that they're saving lives. At least until you can figure out a better way. "Thank you," you say.

Healer Clara glances out the window before standing. "Do you still want to learn from me?" she asks.

"I do," you say, sliding off the table. "The more I understand, the more I'll be able to help people, and one day figure out how to make everything right."

"You don't think small, do you child?" Healer Clara says, smiling warmly. "Well, anything you need from me, feel free to ask." She offers you a hand. "Now let's go show you how to use light magic."

For the rest of the day, and even into the night a little, you follow Healer Clara around, watching as she cures the sick and injured. There are a lot of sick and injured around! How do humans keep hurting themselves like this!? No wonder Ardan was so convinced nobody was going to hurt her: if humans are this accident prone you're surprised that the healers don't run everything themselves from being the most needed people around!

Thankfully, you're making progress in taking a bit of the burden off the healers' shoulders. By the time you go to sleep, you've learned to weave a rudimentary healing spell under Healer Clara's guidance. It will be some time before you're able to do it without her right there, but thankfully not too long. The same magic-weaving skills Father taught you for lightning can be used for White magic as well, meaning you don't have to start at step one. You also have a good teacher, and permanent runes on the staff that you can follow.

Maybe in a week or two, you'll be able to do it yourself.

Hopefully before anything else goes wrong.

---

It's almost a week after your return when your routine is disrupted.

You're sitting next to Artemis at the long lunch-table, staring at your hand. Or, more specifically, the faint light weaving itself between your fingers. You're practicing your Healing spell, and it's not quite right. Frowning, you undo a few connections and rework them: there are subtle differences between the human healing spell and the one described in Practical Magic, and getting them mixed up can cause the whole thing to-

The bigger girl nudges your arm. "Trying to burn a hole in your own hand?" she asks playfully.

You blush: Father and Mother always told you not to play with magic during meals, but with so many other people around, it's easy to feel overlooked enough that you can get away with doing it. "Sorry," you say, letting the White magic fade away.

"Does it feel different?" another voice asks from your other side, and you start as you remember that Alejandro was your other lunch-neighbor today. This table didn't seem to have any set seats, other than Archduke Letoro always being at the center. Otherwise, everyone seemed to move around based on some strange ritual you couldn't fathom, save for the fact that the newest arriving lord or lady from the other Kingdoms always had a seat next to the Archduke on the first dinner they arrived. You always just focused on getting a seat as close to Artemis as possible.

You've had several odd conversations with some of the visitors. They never tell you exactly what they want, but they poke and prod with their words. No matter how you answer, you get the feeling that they're taking something else from the conversation, especially when you start falling back on old habits of not talking too much about your manaketeness. Artemis never really liked it, occasionally interjecting herself if you started getting overwhelmed.

Alejandro… he's okay. Artemis clearly finds him annoying, but you never get the same weird, uncomfortable feeling of being judged from him. He smiles, he jokes, he sometimes even makes you laugh. You haven't spent much time with him, more focused on other things, but you don't dislike him. Better than that Lady Tremaine you'd sat with at dinner yesterday, certainly! She'd made feel positively slimy with her leading questions about your plans and what you thought about everything, her cold eyes seemingly trying to stab into your brain and drag all your secret feelings to light.

"Yes," you say. "I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but it feels… fuzzy? I guess? It's hard to describe."

The man smiles cheekily. "Fuzzy, huh? Very fitting for you, it seems," he says with a grin. You flush a bit, but pat Artemis's arm as you hear her faintly growl.

Before you can say more, however, a throat is cleared behind you. "Artemis, Ryza, with me." Archduke Letoro says shortly. You hadn't even noticed him getting up! His eye falls on Alejandro coolly. "No testing my patience today, Rignali."

Alejandro swallows slightly. "Understood."

As you and Artemis get up, you glance at her in confusion. She frowns, but shakes her head: apparently whatever's going on isn't something she knows about. "Father?" she asks softly.

"Not here," he says, continuing down the table. You glance back at Dione worriedly. She doesn't seem upset, and indeed gives you a soothing smile.

Meanwhile, the Archduke stops by Sypha and Bernard, who are talking with another Kingdom noble. "Lady Miranda, I'm afraid I need to borrow young Lady Sypha and her escort for a moment," he says. The woman nods immediately, though Sypha looks at you and Artemis in confusion.

"Is everything alright?" she asks as she falls into step with the rest of you and you make your way out of the hall, flanked by several guards.

"I do not know," the Archduke says. "We have a guest."

Sypha's face lights up. "Mother?" she asks.

"No, I'm afraid," Archduke Letoro says. "Mistress Jenna Flarestone is here. However, she did not ask about you." His eyes turn onto you. "From what she told the guards who met her, she is here to see Ryza."

"Me?" you say. You hadn't met the woman when you were in Legerius, Sypha had told you about her, of course, but you hadn't expected to meet her this soon?

"What does she want?" Artemis asks, her eyes narrowing and her hand gripping your shoulder slightly.

"She didn't tell the guards. She simply presented herself under the flag of parley and asked to be allowed to speak with her."

You frown. "That's what Robert tried to do, right?"

Artemis growls. "Yes, that's what he tried to do," she says.

"… please don't shoot an arrow in front of her. I actually want to talk to her."

That gets a laugh out of Artemis. "I promise I will not shoot an arrow in front of her," Artemis says. "Especially since you're the one she wants to parley with. You'd be the one who would be permitted to reject the meeting with prejudice."

Sypha, meanwhile, is frowning. "Why wouldn't she ask about me…" she asks in a small voice. Bernard pats her on the shoulder. "I…"

You frown: that is kind of a mean thing to not ask about. "Let's go ask her," you say.

Archduke Letoro, however, puts out an arm to stop Sypha and Bernard just as you reach the door to the entrance courtyard. "Wait here and let Ryza speak with her first," he says. When you start to open your mouth to object, he meets your eye firmly. "Mistress Flarestone came for you. As soon as she sees Sypha, whatever she wanted to say will be forgotten. It is important that we determine why she came, and why she felt the need to come under parley. That choice tells me she thinks you will be actively aggressive, and I would know why."

A part of you wants to argue with him, but he's using the sort of tone Mother does, when she's enforcing her authority not only as Mother, but as Matriarch and the one who deals with outsiders. Not even Father could talk her down when she used that tone. "Yes, Your Highness," you say in a small voice.

Artemis frowns, but doesn't push back either. "And myself?" she asks.

"I thought it prudent to provide a united front," the Archduke says. "Besides, you have a personal stake in this, and I am not so foolish as to try and keep you from supporting your friend." Turning, he pushes the doors open. "Let's go see what Mistress Flarestone wants."

Following after Artemis and her father, you get your first look Legerius's Head Mage, standing next to a covered wagon with a white flag sticking out of the top.

Spoiler: Jenna Flarestone

It's a bit mean, maybe, but Mistress Flarestone… doesn't look all that different from anyone else. She's pretty enough, with bright, curly red hair and a face with plenty of smile lines. She's wearing a nice dress and a fancy red cloak that was probably hard to make. However, she seems like an ordinary human.

As you approach, however, you start to notice the weaves of Red magic around her. It's subtle, more so than the Black mage in Miau, but it is there. She's staring at a book in her hand, but you can tell she's not actually reading it, as she looks up the instant you and the others enter her line of sight.

"Your Highness," she says carefully, curtsying a little less deeply than others you've seen.

"Mistress Flarestone," Archduke Letoro says coolly. "Welcome to Agrithe. I must say, I was not expecting a response to my invitation just yet. Nor was I expecting a mage to be Countess Mantrae's representative."

The woman blinks. "Invitation?" she says. "I-" She takes a breath. "That must have been the pair of riders I saw not long after I left. I'm afraid I cannot speak for any request you might make of my lady."

Archduke Letoro nods slowly. "I see," he says.

Mistress Flarestone looks past him and meets your eye. "Might I presume this is Ryza?" she asks. There's an odd mixture of fear and… longing? Interest? You're not quite sure how to describe the emotions on her face. She starts to open her mouth, only to glance at the few guards that are loitering around and remain silent.

As the silence starts to become awkward, you realize that the Archduke is letting you take the lead. "Yes, I am," you say, stepping forward. "And you're Legerius's Head Mage, right?"

The woman nods, crouching down to be eye-level with you. "I am," she says. "I… hope, that you are well."

Okay, what does she want? "I am. I've made a lot of good friends here in Agrithe." You want to add that Sypha's among those friends, but as the Archduke shifts behind you, you remember he wants to figure out what's going on before that lightning bolt gets dropped.

"That's good to hear," Mistress Flarestone says, and you hope that little smile is an honest one. "I will admit, after I learned you were in Legerius, I did want to speak to you…" she grimaces. "Of course, before I could, you… left. I… do apologize, for the less-that-gracious greeting you were given…"

"I was treated fine," you say mildly. "I think Artemis needs and deserves your apology more than I do."

Mistress Flarestone pales slightly, but forces a smile. "Of course," she says, looking up at Artemis. "I… am sure more will need to be said, depending on what the message His Highness is sending to my Lady… but I apologize for your treatment." Looking back, you see Artemis's jaw clench as she nods but doesn't say a word.

Another long moment of awkward silence fills the air before you speak again. "How are Lancel and Axton and Actaeon?"

The woman lets out a breath. "They are all well," she says. "As well as can be expected, given the circumstances, but they have not and will not be harmed. That was never… something that was going to happen." She shakes her head. "But I am probably not the best person to ask; I came for a different reason."

You want to keep pushing about your friends, but after a moment you decide to let the Archduke's message sort things out: he knows Sypha's mother better than you do. "You came to speak to me," you say.

She glances around again as she nods. "It is about… your nature. I do not know how much you have said, but if you would prefer we speak privately-"

"Anything you want to say to me, you can say to Artemis," you say. As you're speaking, however, you notice the Archduke giving a few quick gestures to send the guards backing away, giving a ring of relative privacy.

"Of course," Mistress Flarestone says. Taking a deep breath, she continues. "After you… escaped, Countess Mantrae was very curious as to how exactly you'd done that. Since you and Lady Artemis were gone, and the yeomen were not speaking, the best source of answers was to look at where you came from. She tasked myself with following that trail."

You frown. "You went to my home?" you ask.

"I did," the woman says, a smile starting to cross her face. "And it was incredible! We only were able to explore part of it, and I have so many quest-" she stops, clears her throat, and softens her voice. "My apologies, I… sometimes get overexcited. I've been studying ancient draconic culture for most of my career, and-"

"Manakete."

She pauses. "What?"

"Manakete," you repeat. "That's what we're called. Manakete."

She nods slowly. "Manakete," she says, opening her book again and flipping through pages, fiddling with a wood-wrapped piece of charcoal. "How do you spell that? If you don't mind me asking?"

You start to open your mouth, only to pause. "I… actually don't know, in Common," you say. "I can tell you in Makai-"

The Archduke clears his throat.

You and Mistress Flarestone both flush. "Sorry, got distracted," she says, closing her book. "I… well, I found a lot of things, but one of them made me think that I should probably back off and come talk to you." Grimacing, she pulls a bag out of her pouch. "I… maybe shouldn't have taken this, I'm not sure if it was part of some burial ritual, but when I found it I wasn't alone, so I was worried if I left it it might not be there when I got back…" she holds the bag out to you. "And… well, I was hoping to smooth over any hard feelings…"

Confused, you take the bag and open it, glancing in.

Your eyes widen as you see a faint yellow light glinting from within.

Mistress Flarestone is still talking, but the blood is rushing through your ears so you can't hear her as you carefully, with trembling fingers, pull out the two pieces of a dragonstone.

Dragonestones are unique. Everyone's is different. As you put the two pieces together, as they fit smoothly, you know who this is… who this was…

"Opsôla…" you whisper.

Father.

This is Father's stone!


[] You dash forward and hug Mistress Flarestone. "Thank you thank you thank you…" you whimper into her shoulder. She brought a piece of your family back to you, she kept it safe, and you're so grateful…

[] Swallowing your pain, you push all the feelings and hurt into the back of your mind. You have to be strong. "Thank you," you say, tucking Father's stone into your pocket next to yours. "We… should talk elsewhere. There's a lot to be said."

[] A flare of anger weaves its way through the hurt; for all that she brought this to you, this human should not have been in your home! "What do you want?" you ask sharply. Your tolerance for niceties is exhausted.

[] Write-in

AN: For the vote, you're deciding Ryza's basic feelings. She'll always talk to Flarestone, but what form will that discussion take?

 

[SoaringHawk218]

AN: Slight warning for some really depressing thoughts.

Spoiler: Winning Vote:

[X] Write-in: A deep sadness wells up in you. To wake up knowing your parents must be dead is vastly different from holding proof. "Please excuse me, for just a few minutes," you say quietly. Your eyes are already filling with tears.

"Why does it still hurt?"
"Because some hurts never go away. Some sharp edges never get fixed. You just learn to use them to ensure that nobody else gets broken as you were broken. Now stand up, we have feral beasts to put down."
-Theodore Wyrmblood and The Old Master


You know that Mistress Flarestone is still talking. You should be paying attention, you should be responding, you should be saying something! If for no other reason than you're pretty sure you're making a very bad impression for Archduke Letoro about your ability to be polite. You try to, honestly you try to talk, to thank her, to ask why she was in your home, to make words come out of your mouth…

You… just… can't!

You'd thought you were getting better. You'd thought you had come to terms with the fact that your parents were gone, never to return. You'd thought you'd made your peace with that fact as you continued working on the shrine. By all logic, you should be okay.

However… as you stare down at your father's shattered stone, you realize that waking up knowing that your parents must be dead is vastly different from holding proof. That knowing is different from knowing.

"Ryza?"

You swallow as Artemis puts a hand on your shoulder. "Please excuse me, for just a few minutes," you finally force yourself to say. You can already feel the hot prickle of tears in your eyes. Not waiting for a response, you tug your shoulder out of Artemis's hand and hurry away.

"Ryza!" your friend calls. You faintly hear Archduke Letoro saying something to her, but you can't focus. You have to keep your attention on not crashing into anyone as your eyes start to cloud up. Ducking out of the circle of guards, you hurry towards one of the quiet spots Artemis had shown you after you arrive. Right now, you just need to be alone.

Alone is hard here. There are so many people; you hear voices everywhere, both calling for you and just shouting to and at each other. Sniffling, you barely suppress the urge to just spread your wings and get away, that will cause even more hubbub and you can't handle hubbub right now! Finally reaching a relatively quiet part of the castle, you fly up to the alcove several meters up a wall, duck into it, and curl up as far back as you can get.

Finally, away from all the humans, you fall to your side, hug your father's stone to your chest, and let out the keening cry that had been bubbling its way up your throat.

It hurts. It hurt so much! You don't care as you feel a warm wetness leaking from where you cut your hand on the sharp edges of Father's broken stone, what's a little physical pain that you can wash away with a thought compared to the whirling torrent of emotional agony threatening to tear you apart. Sobbing, you rock back and forwards, cuddling the stone. "Opsôla…" you whimper. "Opsôla…"

Why hadn't he stayed with you? Why hadn't you and Father and Mother all just gone to the shrine together! Obviously the mad manakete hadn't found it, or they'd have killed you too. Just like Father and Mother. For a horrible moment, you wish they had. That they'd found the wall, torn it open, ripped your frail heart-form apart so that you could be dead and together with Father and Mother rather than alive and alone alone alone…

You can't do this. You can't keep… keep pretending that everything's okay. Artemis isn't your sister, she's just another human who's going to be dead in a few decades no matter what you want. You're going to feel this pain again and again and again! Constantly left behind. Constantly abandoned by the ones you love… what's the point… what's the point…

As you sob, struggling with the whirlwind of emotions and pain dragging you down into the darkness of despair, a strange warmth settles over you. Desperately, you imagine that it's Father, holding you after a really bad day…

"Surely, it can't be all that bad, my child," he'd say soothingly.

"It is!" you cry. "You're gone, Father! You're gone, just like Mother's gone…"

"From this world, yes," Father's memory whispered. "But we will see each other again one day, Ryza."

"But I want to see you now!"

A gentle sigh fills your mind. "Patience, my child, patience," Father says. "Your Mother and I want to see you too, to hold you again, but not yet. Only after you've had the full, long life we always wanted for you." The warmth seems to ruffle through your hair like a hand. "Besides, don't you want to make things better? Didn't you want to show the humans a better way of casting magic?"

"How!?" you wail. "How am I supposed to do that I'm not you you're-"

"No, you're not me. You're the combination of your mother and I. Her strength, determination and will, combined with my knowledge and studiousness. You're the best of both of us, Ryza, and I know you can do it."

"How!?" you ask again. "I don't even know where to start-"

"The same place you start every problem, my child: with patience and the knowledge of first principles. You know how humans cast magic, now you just need to either find a new energy source for them to use or find a way to increase their natural reserves." The warmth embraces you more tightly. "Not easy, I know, but few things worth doing ever are."

Sniffling, you curl yourself tighter. "I… I guess so…"

"Good girl, Ryza," Father's voice says softly. "You're doing great, and your mother and I are so, so proud of you. We love you, Ryza."

"…I love you too, Father. And Mother."

"We know, Ryza, we know. Now dry your eyes, my child, and be brave. We know you can do it. Oh, and be sure to heal your hand: you know how your mother fusses whenever you or I get injured."

Giggling weakly, you nod. "I will, Father."

Father's voice doesn't answer, but the warmth does not fade. Slowly, you open your eyes and look around.

You're forced to squint at the bright sunlight shining into your hiding spot: it had been an overcast day earlier, but the clouds had parted, allowing the Mother's Light to shine directly onto you. There's no sign of Father, of course, but… but his voice had sounded so real…

Looking down at the stone, you can't help but wonder… it should be impossible. Even if an echo of a manakete stayed in their stone, something that there was no evidence for, his stone was broken. The most obvious explanation was your grieving mind had just been desperately embracing a comforting delusion… but it had all seemed so real…

The sharp ache in your hand drew your mind from wondering to look down at the blood bubbling out of it. Ouch, you'd cut yourself worse than you'd thought… Carefully summoning up your White magic, you carefully run a finger along the wound, sealing it shut. It's not as clean or smooth as Mother or Healer Clara would have managed, there was still a thin scar along the bottom of your palm, but you've come so far in a week…

Maybe… maybe you could do it. You're good at magic, Father always said so. You can make the world better. You can make it so humans can have the tools they need to stay safe without having to plunder your people's tombs to do it.

You can make Father and Mother proud.

Sniffling and wiping your eyes, you pull out a handkerchief and carefully wipe your face and nose. Then, after carefully turning to a clean portion, you wipe your blood off of Father's stone (and is it just your desperate imagination, or is it shining a little brighter than before…)

Finally, after a few minutes of centering yourself, you tuck the pieces of Father's stone into your pocket next to your own. You'll have to find a safe place to store it at some point, but for now you want to keep it near you. Maybe you'll glue it back together: there was that old technique you'd read about once of mixing some gold or another shiny material into the glue to make a fixed break look beautiful. True, that had been a northern Manakete method of fixing pottery, but the same process could apply here…

As you slip out of the alcove and glide down to the ground, you blink as you see Artemis sitting against a nearby tree, watching you. "I'm sorry," you say, landing next to her and tucking yourself into her side. "I… I just needed a bit of time."

"I know," Artemis says, hugging your shoulders. "Father told me it'd be best to give you that time, but I wanted to be nearby, in case you wanted to talk afterwards."

You're grateful she didn't barge in. You like Artemis, you really do, but… well, you'd needed some space. "I hope I didn't mess anything up with Mis-"

"Don't worry about her," Artemis says. "Father's dealing with her: from what I heard as I was leaving, he was telling her Sypha was here, so she'll be thoroughly distracted for a while.

"I thought he wanted to figure out what she wanted before he told her about Sypha," you say, confused.

Artemis shrugs. "It's pretty obvious: she was here to try and mollify you about what Countess Mantrae did to me. Since she left before Father's message arrived in Legerius, she didn't know that Father had already declined to use that casus-belli in the interest of unity among the Kingdoms." Her smile turns thin. "I personally would have let her sweat for a while, especially if she was poking around your home without permission, but I'll admit I've always a been a bit vindictive."

You frown. "I don't want to upset her," you say. "I'm going to need her help to go to the Marble Hall so I can become Head Mage so I can fix everything."

"You're also a lot nicer than I am," Artemis says, ruffling your hair.

"You're plenty nice!" you say, hugging her tighter.

The human laughs a bit. "Only to people I like," she says. "When people get on my bad side; well, Selena always said my temper'd get me in trouble one day. You, meanwhile, are a forgiving little light-spirit who's very good at letting go of things that upset you. I'm still shocked you're not more furious about the whole stone-magic thing."

You sigh. "I'm not happy about it," you say. "But I'm not going to take my anger out on you or anyone else who doesn't deserve it. Besides, far better to try to solve a problem than just get mad about it."

Artemis smiles as she rests her cheek on the top of your head. "And that's why you're nicer than me," she says.

The pair of you sit in silence for a minute or two before you untangle an arm and carefully pull out the broken pieces of Father's stone. "This is my Father's," you say softly, showing them to her. "It's not quite the same as really meeting him, but I'm sure he'd love you and want to thank you for taking care of me…"

"You've been taking care of yourself, Ryza," Artemis says. "I'm just giving you a place to live. But thank you for the thought." She looks down at the stone, frowning. "So… what are you planning on doing with it?"

You frown too. "I… don't know," you say. "The proper place to put this would be at the shrine…"

"…but you can't be certain nobody'd take it," Artemis says. "I wish I could say that of course nobody would, but…" her frown takes on a thoughtful air. "You know… while you're still welcome in the room near my family's, there is that room just below the top of the tower. It'd take a bit of work, but it could be converted to a new bedroom for you. It'd give you good access to the top of the tower, where your shrine is, and also a place where you can take off… You could even transform pretty easily up there, if you ever needed to."

You slowly nod along, it's not a bad idea… "Let's think about it for a bit," you say. "I should probably go talk to Mistress Flarestone."

"Do you want to? Now that she's been reassured that she doesn't have to somehow prevent you from ravaging the countryside of Legerius, she can wait a bit if you need more time-"

You shake your head. "No, I want to talk to her," you say. "There are a few things that need to be said, and then… well, then we need to sort out the whole mage thing…"

Artemis pets you on the shoulder. "You don't have to do everything at once, Ryza," she says. "You can set up another meeting with her later: she'll probably be willing to stay around for a bit, if only because Sypha's here." She smiled grimly. "Besides, as much as I hate to give her credit, I think she feels genuinely bad that she upset you, though that might have just been the fear talking."

You poke Artemis's side. "Stop being so cynical," you say. "Sypha likes her, so she can't be all bad."

The bigger girl rolls her eyes, but nods. "If you say so," she says. "Well, if you want to, everyone's probably in one of the antechambers off the hall; let's go find them."

The two of you get up and you follow Artemis back towards the castle. A few of the humans on the way glance at you, and you hope it's not just your imagination that they look sympathetic. However, as always, nobody approaches you. You're not sure if it's just a human thing, or just because you're with Artemis.

It takes the two of you a few minutes to find Mistress Flarestone, it seems Archduke Letoro had seen fit to make sure none of the guests still in the main hall realized anything was going on. You're not quite sure what's up with them; isn't everyone here friends? When asked, Artemis simply sighs.

"We are not a unified nation," she says. "We all have a common goal in remaining independent of the Empire, and that brings us together in times of trouble and threat, but many of the men and women here have skirmished with each other. Some have even fought minor wars, despite Father's best efforts. Father wants to provide a calm, steady standard to rally around, and that means keeping some of the… thornier, disagreements out of the public eye."

You guess that made sense. You were starting to get the feeling that humans were far more comfortable with fighting each other than manakete had been. Maybe on account of there being so many of them.

Finally, however, you find the Archduke's guards loitering outside a room. "Your Ladyship, young lady," one says, nodding to the pair of you. "His Highness is expecting you."

As he opens the door, you hear Sypha's animated voice coming from within. "And then Ryza started telling everyone off for arguing with each other, and we worked together to come up with-"

The young noble girl was sitting next to Mistress Flarestone, who was really smiling for the first time since you'd met her. Bernard was leaning back in his chair next to Sypha, seemingly content to listen to his cousin tell the story. Across the table from them, Archduke Letoro and Dione were also watching, though their eyes snapped to you as soon as Artemis led you in.

It took Sypha a few seconds to notice you, but when she did she stops mid-word. "Ryza!" she cries, and a moment later she's leapt up and dashed over to you. Before you can think to do anything, she throws her arms around you. "Are you okay?"

You awkwardly pat her on the back. "I'm alright," you say. "Just… got hit with something I knew but hadn't really internalized, I guess."

Sypha pulls back to look at you. "Are you sure? You look like you were…" She hesitates.

"It's okay," you say. "I was crying, but I'm feeling a bit better now." You hug her again. "I'm glad you and Mistress Flarestone got a chance to talk."

The girl smiles. "Yeah, I was just telling her about how you rescued me," she said, leading you back to the table. "I was just about to get to the part where you flew Bernard and I back here."

Mistress Flarestone nods. "It is certainly a fascinating story," she says. "Thank you, Ryza. Thank you for saving my lady's daughter. We were all very worried about her."

"I couldn't just leave her," you say. "She didn't deserve anything that'd happened to her, and it was the best way to make things right. That's… all I really wanted. It's why I helped Artemis get home, and it's why I helped Sypha get home." You meet her eye. "I was never mad at Legerius or Countess Mantrae. She was put in a horrible situation, and honestly, if I had to do something horrible to get my parents back… I don't know if I'd be able to stop myself from doing it. The right thing for me to do is to make it so she doesn't have to do something horrible." You pat Sypha on the shoulder. "Besides, I like Sypha. She's my friend."

Bernard rolls his eyes a bit, but Mistress Flarestone smiles. "I am glad to hear it," she says, before her face falls a little. "I am… sorry, that I upset you. Is there-"

You shake your head. "It wasn't you," you say. "I… you just gave me proof of something I already knew, and it hurt me more than I thought it would, but it wasn't you." You meet her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for bringing my father's stone back to me. I had feared it lost forever. That being said, with all due respect, please never sneak into my home again without my permission."

The woman blinks before grimacing. "I suppose that's a fair thing to ask. I already suggested to my Lady that no further stu- intrusions, happen until we've had a chance to talk with you." She glances at Sypha. "After everything you've done, I don't think it'd be hard to convince Countess Mantrae to recognize your claim to your home."

You glance at Archduke Letoro. Hadn't that been what he'd said he'd do if you became a knight? Maybe he was worried she'd still be mad about you breaking Artemis out? You put the thought out of your mind for the moment: humans have weird ideas of who can have what, you know that already. "Thank you," you say. "Will she be coming here? I know there's a big meeting happening."

"I cannot speak for her, but I can't imagine she wouldn't," Mistress Flarestone says. "Her daughter is here, so here is where she'll want to be."

You nod, that make sense. "I'm glad to hear it," you say. After a moment, you continue. "Can I… ask you, for something?"

"Of course," Mistress Flarestone says. "I will do everything I can to help you! What do you need?"

"Well, while I've been here, I've been helping James and Siri work to keep the runes running, which is what the Head Mage does. I offered to do that, but I won't be able to if I can't get accredited as a mage. Could you help me with that?"

The woman sits back, nodding thoughtfully. "I can sponsor you, yes," she says. "I'll have to have some sort of test, of course. From what Lady Sypha's told me, it won't be a problem for you, but the Hall insists on it. You're a lightning mage, right?"

You nod. "Yep. I'm a Yellow manakete, so that's my main color, but I also have been learning some White magic." You light up your hand. "I'm not as good at it as Yellow magic yet, but I'm making progress. I can heal cuts." You show off your little scar.

Mistress Flarestone's eyes widen. "Impressive… usually it takes years of careful study to attune to more than one type of magic, and even then to use it quickly and in great enough focus to be useful in an emergency usually requires a Guiding Ring." She studies you with interest. "It'll probably take me a day or two to come up with the test, then once you've passed that, we can go into more detail about the accreditation process." She hesitates. "I… do have some questions of my own, but those can wait."

"Thank you," you say. "Maybe later. Will you be staying here for a while?"

"If His Highness will allow it, then yes," Mistress Flarestone says. "My Countess will likely be coming here soon, so if she has any new orders for me it would be most efficient to wait here for her." She glances at Sypha. "Besides, although Lady Sypha is clearly safe here, her mother would want me to stay and make sure she has everything she needs."

A moment of tension flashes around the room before Sypha scoots over and takes Mistress Flarestone's hand. "Thank you," she says. "I'm doing well here: Bernie and Ryza have been great at keeping me company, and everyone's been really nice. It will be nice to be able to spend some time with you as well, and I think you and Ryza'll have a lot to talk about."

"Very well," Archduke Letoro says. "Welcome again to Agrithe, Mistress Flarestone. I do hope your time as a guest will be without issue or trouble." He stands, and everyone else stands with him. "With this settled, we should return to the Hall. I am sure there are already questions and rumors starting to circulate, we should head them off as soon as possible."

"I'm fine," you say. "I… I'm going to go to my shrine for a while." Artemis starts to open her mouth, but you wave her down. "Really, I'm okay," you say. "I just… need some time to think. I promise, I'm doing okay."

The bigger girl nods. "If that's what you want, Ryza," she says.

Sypha leans over and hugs you again. "I'm sorry," she says.

"Thank you," you say. "But I promise, I just need a little time to think."

After finally convincing everyone that you were okay, that you didn't need someone to hug you all the time (as nice as hugs were,) you made your way up to your shrine. Carefully putting the pieces of Father's dragonstone onto his half of the shrine, you kneel quietly, letting your mind drift over your memories of him, of Mother, of your family that was. You'll… have to ask Mistress Flarestone, at some point, where she found Father's body… Mother wouldn't be far, and if his stone survived mostly intact, then hers…

As you consider the past, present and future, you also find yourself thinking about what you're going to talk about with Mistress Flarestone. You only have a few days before the big meeting among the Southern Kingdom lords, and you get the feeling things will get tense after that. However, for now, you have some peace, so you can choose what to focus on in regards to the Legerian mage.

[] You want to focus on one thing at a time. While you'll always take her test and set up your eventual trip to the Marble Hall, you want to know as much as you can. What are the people there like? What sorts of things should you expect and worry about? What is human magic like?

[] You want to start trying to combat the lies and slander about manakete. This is clearly something she wants to talk about to, and together the two of you should be able to start making a dent in the misinformation. You'll also probably find out more about the rest of the "Revisionists" who can help you teach humans that manakete were not monsters.

[] There is still some tension in the air about what happened at Castle Legerius. What Countess Mantrae did was wrong, of course, but you want everyone to move past that. Work on trying to convince everyone to stop being tense around each other. Who knows, you could probably really become friends with Mistress Flarestone, she seems nice enough.

[] Write-In


OOC Side-vote: do you want me to come up with ideas of other things Ryza could ask Countess Mantrae for in return for saving Sypha, or do you just want her to ask for her home to be recognized? Asking for the home would be an option.

[] Ask for home
[] See other options first

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote:

[X] You want to start trying to combat the lies and slander about manakete. This is clearly something she wants to talk about to, and together the two of you should be able to start making a dent in the misinformation. You'll also probably find out more about the rest of the "Revisionists" who can help you teach humans that manakete were not monsters.
[X] Ask for home

"You say dragons were all evil monsters. I ask this: how you know that? You've never met one, since they were all killed. But the funny thing about stories is they can live beyond their tellers, and the stories these walls tell me are the stories of a people not so different from us."
-Caiaphas Whisperwind in a request for funding for further study of the Silent Aerie


The next day, you make your way towards the rune lab, still pondering what you're going to do about Mistress Flarestone. You take some comfort in the faint clinking of your stone against Father's in your pocket. You wouldn't be ashamed to say that you'd held it as you slept last night, and surprisingly you'd slept quite well. You'd have to find a proper place to put it eventually, but for now, having a reminder of family, of being loved unconditionally, was… peaceful.

Drawing yourself back to the moment at hand, you're not surprised to hear Siri chattering as you approached the room. You're not sure if she's had to train her lungs to be able to hold enough air to never stop talking, but she certainly seems to have the talent. She's fun to be around, if a bit tiring sometimes.

You are surprised, however, to see that she seems to have somehow cornered Mistress Flarestone just outside the rune lab. "-and then Ryza told me that rather than try to pull energy out of the tome, I should put some in!" she says happily as you approach, almost bouncing as she smiles up at the redhead. "And it worked! I was able to make some sparks; do you want to see?"

The older mage smiles. "Impressive work, young one," she says. "But I wouldn't want to take you away from your chores."

Siri makes a face. "Blegh," she says.

Mistress Flarestone chuckles. "I know it's no fun, child, but it is important. Not only are you learning, but you're also making things easier for Ryza and your fellow apprentice. Don't you want to be helpful to them?"

The girl nods. "I guess…" she says.

"Then why don't you get to it, Siri, that's a good girl," Mistress Flarestone says, glancing at you. "Ryza, are you well?"

"Yes, I am," you say. "How about you? Did you get a chance to talk to Sypha more?"

"I did, yes," Mistress Flarestone says, gently nudging Siri towards the door to the lab as the girl tried to loiter. "She told me all about how you rescued her. Once again, you have my gratitude."

You rock back and forwards on your heels. "It was the right thing to do," you say. "But thanks." You glance around. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The woman smiles. "Well, I was wondering if you felt ready to take the test I mentioned," she says. "If you want to wait or study a little, that's alright, but from everything I've heard it should be pretty straightforward for you."

"What would it entail?" you ask. Mistress Flarestone gestures for the two of you to walk down the hall a little. You wonder why for a moment before you glance at the door to the lab you realize it's cracked open a little. "Please go help James, Siri," you say.

As the sound of the girl's shuffling feet moves away, you follow Mistress Flarestone, who shakes her head ruefully. "A curious apprentice is both a blessing and a curse," she says. "But I'm sorry, you asked a question. There are several things I need to document you as being capable of. First, I'd get a feel for how well you understand the nature of magic; the five elements, how casting works, runes, that sort of thing."

You kick at the ground. "What if my answers are different than human ones?" you ask. "I learned magic differently than you did."

"I'll be sure to take that into account," Mistress Flarestone says, nodding thoughtfully. "But that's a good point. If there's any discrepancy, I promise we'll talk about it and work out the differences." She looks a bit excited. "I'm sure it'll be fascinating to see how human and dra- manakete magic differ from each other."

That does actually sound kind of interesting, and maybe you'll be able to get some ideas about what the basic principles of human magic are so you can follow Father's advice! "Okay," you say. "Anything else?"

"Well, I'll also have to see your casting: how good your control is, how long you can hold a spell together, how well you can judge burnout risk." She grimaces. "Though you probably won't want to do that last one, with your feelings on tomes…"

"I can still do something close," you say. "I have a tablet that can enhance my Yellow magic, and it follows some of the same principles."

"Great," Mistress Flarestone says. "For the basic accreditation as a mage, that's all that's needed. There are a few other things that count towards specialized credits: being able to make runes, casting multiple elements, designing spells, particularly advanced spellcasting, but those are all bonuses rather than requirements." She looks at you. "So, do you need a little time, or are you ready?"

You steel yourself and nod. "I'm ready," you say. "Let me just go grab Thunder's Cry. Where's it happening?"

"Well, most of it can probably be done anywhere, so why don't you choose. We will need some targets and space for the combat portions of the test, but we can do that at the end if you want."

You consider for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Why don't we go to the library, just in case we need to look something up." Plus, you get the feeling that being in a more scholarly environment will help you focus.

The human woman nods. "That sounds like a great idea," she says. "Well, if you're ready, then let's get going."

As you and Mistress Flarestone settle down at one of the tables at the back of the library and start talking, you find your nerves starting to calm. As different and disconcerting as their methods are, the human understanding of magic seems to be mostly the same as the manakete way. The five colors are the same, and while humans focus more on the obvious elements they do recognize the other aspects of magic. The nature of Yellow magic as commanding energy, the duality of Red as creation and destruction, Green's desire to chart its own path… it's all the same.

You find yourself wondering if the first human mages might have learned from manakete. The similarities are… uncanny. Maybe Archmage Lenora had been taught by a manakete, but that fact had gotten lost in history?

'Or maybe humans just dug through other manakete tombs and stole their research notes.'

You force that last thought down; it's not helpful right now.

You have a few difficulties when it comes to describing the tools that humans use to cast magic, not truly needing them yourself. Thankfully, you've been able to piece together the basics enough to satisfy Mistress Flarestone's test, and she's happy to explain the specifics from there. "A lot of humans do have magic in us, we just don't have enough to be useful," she says, making a tiny, spluttering flame appear in her hand. "So, we need to enhance it, which is where tomes and staves come in."

"But why don't you just set up feedback loops?" you ask, pulling out Thunder's Cry and showing it to her. "I can use this to enhance my Yellow magic, but it's not magical itself."

The woman nods. "It's a theory that's been tried a few times, but everyone's always run into the problem that the sheer amount of feeding back that needs to happen causes the tool to burn out almost immediately. The closest anyone came was when Archmage Lightning-lash alloyed gold and platinum and etched the runes into that, but all she could reach was the power of a basic Thunder spell before even that burned out." You nod, you suppose that makes sense. "As it is, one of the reasons combat magic is done through tomes is because they do burn out from the stress of having to cast when your life's in danger, so rather than have one tool that burns out and is expensive to replace, having a lot of pages that burn out quickly but are easier to replace."

You flinch at the likely inadvertent but still painful dismissal of your people's essence as easy to replace. "That explains why staves are more permanent; less risk of overloading it in panic," you say, trying to distract yourself.

"Exactly," Mistress Flarestone says. "Plus, well, at this point it's a cultural thing. Aside from a few criminals and assassins who'll make staves that can hurt someone directly, staves are seen as non-violent in and of themselves. They're the tools of priests and clerics, not warriors." She frowns. "Do you need to take a break? I know this can't be an easy topic for you…"

You shake your head. "No, let's move on," you say. "I don't… want to dwell, on this." Mistress Flarestone frowns, but nods and indeed moves on.

You cheer up a bit as you get to talk about rune-work. You're able to easily describe the basics of how runes function, as well as how to recognize them. Mistress Flarestone seems impressed by how easily you puzzle out the function of the few minor tools she shows you.

"Can you make runes?" Mistress Flarestone asks curiously.

You shake your head. "No, I'm afraid not," you say. "I have a scroll that can teach me and some tools to do it with, but I haven't had a chance to read it. I've had… a lot on my mind, these past few weeks."

"I completely understand," Mistress Flarestone says sympathetically. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Don't worry about it, anyways. Making runes isn't part of the basic test. Some mages do specialize in it, but for most just understanding them is good enough."

"That's what Father did," you say. "He was a Runewright, a manakete who designed and made runes. He made the shrine that kept me safe until Artemis woke me up."

Mistress Flarestone's eyes light up. "Really?" she says. "Was that a common profession, or did-" she stops herself, closes her eyes, and takes a breath. "Sorry, we should finish this up first before I get distracted." She glances down at the paper she'd been scribbling on as she asked you questions. "Well, we've gotten through the theoretical stuff: now I just have to make a record that you can actually do magic." She smiles dryly. "A bit of a silly test, in your case, but let's see what you've got."

This part of the test is… genuinely fun. You've always been good at magic; even for a Yellow manakete if your parents are to be believed, but recently you haven't had much opportunity to just play around with it. Mistress Flarestone watches with delight as, when asked to make a shape out of lightning, you weave and maintain a respectable representation of Castle Agrithe. "Incredible!" she cries. "How long have you been able to do that?"

"With details, only about a decade," you say. Mistress Flarestone starts, but not as much as most people would.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" she asks, leaning in closer to study the model castle you've made.

"I'm ninety-three," you say. "Not counting the time I spent asleep."

The woman hmms slightly. "This is really detailed," she says. "Was this sort of skill common?"

You shrug. "I don't really know, I'm afraid," you say. "Mother and Father could do it; I loved it when they'd make little shapes and animals for me to chase when I was very little. I'd guess most manakete could do it, but I can't say for sure."

"Fair enough," Mistress Flarestone says. "Well, there are a few other things I'm supposed to ask you to do, but after seeing this it seems a bit superfluous…"

"I can still do it," you say eagerly. "It'd be bad if someone at the Marble Hall got upset with you because you hadn't done the test properly. Besides, this is fun!"

The woman grins, and over the next few minutes you play around with your lighting castle by making it move (flags waving in the breeze,) adding and subtracting to it (your dragon self flapping around the highest tower,) and even putting it right next to a table without scorching the wood.

"Well, now that we've dotted the i's and crossed the t's of that part, all that's left is combat testing." The woman reads your frown and sighs. "I know, you've already done a lot of that, but while you probably meant it as a joke you made a good point earlier. There are going to be people at the Hall looking for any excuse to deny you accreditation. I have faith that Archmage Stormspeaker will treat you fairly, but best not to give any detractors ammunition." She stands. "I'm sure Alexander Shadebringer had a space where he could test tomes in his lab, let's go find that so we can finish this up."

As the two of you make your way back to the rune lab, you consider. "Why is fighting a requirement for accreditation?" you ask.

Mistress Flarestone ponders for a moment before answering carefully. "It goes back to the time of Archmage Thundercrier. As part of her deal with the first Emperor Wyrmblood to ensure the Marble Hall could be autonomous, she had to promise that all of her students would be ready and able to fight, in case… well, in case there were ever more problems with dragons." You wince, and she sighs. "I know, it's a cruel reason, but from their perspective, they'd just survived a war that devastated just about every human nation of the time…"

"At least there were human nations left," you cut in, feeling your father's stone bump against your side.

The woman grimaces. "Yes, that was a stupid thing to say," she says. "I'm sorry." The pair of you walk in tense silence for a minute before she speaks again. "After the test… do you want to talk about manakete? The other Revisionists and I have been trying to prove that things were more complicated than the old stories make it seem, but it's been hard to get through the swamp of myth and dogma." She frowns. "It doesn't help that most of our evidence is honestly circumstantial. We've done our best, but there was so much chaos back then that the only written records that survived are Emperor Wyrmblood and his allies'. Anything else either never existed or was destroyed, save for some old ruins. Honestly, what I saw of your home was some of the best preserved I've seen."

You think back to your home. To the libraries filled with countless scrolls and tablets that tell the stories of generations of your tribe. There's no way other tribes and holds didn't have similar libraries. The thought of all that knowledge being lost… "I'd like to help you," you say quietly. "I can give you real evidence to prove that those stories aren't true."

"Thank you, Ryza," Mistress Flarestone says.

After another moment of silence, you glance up at her. "So… how did you decide to become a Revisionist?" you ask.

The woman frowns for a moment, clearly thinking. "There are a lot of different things that mages study at the Marble Hall," she says finally. "A lot of them, especially rune-crafting and the development of spells, try to study ancient manakete culture. We've known for ages just how good your people were at magic, something you've proven today, and so we were trying to learn from that."

You get the feeling she's painting this study in a bit of a rosy light, but she's at least trying to help prove that manakete were not princess-eating monsters, so you let her keep talking.

"As part of one of my studies, I went to the Silent Aerie, the largest known manakete ruin." Her eyes go distant. "It was… incredible. Spread across a series of mountains, it was full of wide open spaces so large it took wyverns to get anywhere quickly… but the thing that stuck with me was a massive relief carving of a little girl being hugged by an old woman." She sighs. "I just couldn't see any culture, any species, that would carve such a tender image with such care, put it in such a prominent spot, as being the monsters from the stories. It just didn't make sense to me. So I started asking questions, and I started finding out that others thought the same way. There aren't many of us, at least not in the Empire, but we do exist."

As you ponder her words, the pair of you reach the lab. "I'm glad you found it," you say. "It's… nice, to have someone think like that without having to get to know me first." You nod to the door. "Let's get this test done, then we can talk about it more."

"Of course," Mistress Flarestone says.

As the pair of you enter, you find James and Siri working together to transcribe something. "Oh, hi Ryza, Mistress Flarestone," Siri says cheerfully. "Are you all done?"

"Not quite yet," you say. "I just need to do one last test that needs a room where I can cast magic without fear of damaging anything too badly. Did Master Shadebringer have anything like that?"

James nods. "Yes, just down the hall a way, on the left. It's not a big room; if you need to do range testing you'll have to go outside, but there are a few stone targets that can survive magical hits."

"Oh, oh, can I watch?!" Siri asks. "You're going to be casting lightning magic, right? Maybe I'll be able to learn something by watching you go all out!" She gives you hopeful puppy eyes. "Please!"

You dither for a moment before nodding. Mother had usually let you watch when she was doing something cool with magic, and you had learned a lot from just following along with what she'd been doing. "Okay, if you want to, but then you have to go back to helping James." The girl cheers as jumps to her feet. James rolls his eyes, but you see him smiling.

The three of you quickly find the room that James had mentioned. It's empty of everything except a few roughly-carved stone disks, many bearing the signs of magic scoring. "Alright, so I just need to show I can zap them?" you ask, pointing at the stones.

"That's right, Ryza," Mistress Flarestone said. "First just by yourself, then with your tablet."

Nodding, you turn to look at the stones. Choosing one of the more damaged ones, you focus on the strand of yellow in your soul, call it out, and send it towards the rock in a bolt of lighting. The jolt of arcane energy carves another black mark in the stone.

After Mistress Flarestone hurries over and checks it, she gives you a nod. "Excellent; that's comparable to a well-cast Thunder. Let's see if you can get an Elthunder out with the tablet." Pulling out Thunder's Cry, you feed some energy in, let it build, and then send four bolts into the stone.

You're not sure if you hit it in just the right way, if the damaged stone had simply been overworked, or if you've just gotten stronger, but as your attack slams into it, you jerk as the rock shatters at your strike, sending shards everywhere. Siri squeaks and covers her head, while Mistress Flarestone starts to move to stand in front of you. Thankfully, the explosion turns out to not quite be big enough to hurt anyone, but you do see a few of the pieces skitter across the ground near your feet.

"Is everyone okay?" Mistress Flarestone asks.

"Yes, I'm fine," you say, looking at your feet. "Sorry, I guess I just hit it harder than I thought…"

The woman pats your shoulder. "It's alright," she says. "These things happen, it's part of the testing." She glances at the pieces before making a note on her paper. "Well, I think that just about covers it: you can produce both Thunder and Elthunder. Accredited mages are required to be able to cast only the basic spell of their element, anything else is a bonus." She blinks. "Oh, right, you can also do light magic, right?"

"Uh-huh," you say, drawing White magic to light up your hand. "So I guess even if someone had gotten hurt, I'd have been able to heal them."

Mistresss Flarestone studies the light as Siri oohs appreciatively. "Without an actual injury, I can't fully judge it, but the mere fact that you can get light magic to work is worth some more bonus points." She smiles. "And with that, I can officially say that you fulfill all the requirements to be an accredited mage of the Marble Hall. You'll have to go there at some point to fill out some parchment-work and make it official, but with the display you've shown, nobody can rationally argue that you're worthy of a mage-name."

"Thank you, Mistress Flarestone," you say.

"Just Jenna," she says. "The Mistress part is a sign of respect for those who're accredited by the Hall. Since you passed the test, as far as I'm concerned you don't need to use it anymore."

You cock your head. "Does that mean people'll start calling me Mistress Ryza now?" you ask. You're not sure how you feel about that.

"Well, you'll have to come up with your mage-name and they'll use that," Mis- Jenna says. When you give her a confused look, she nods. "Another old tradition from Archmage Thundercrier's time; all accredited mages choose a name that suits them; usually something to do with their element." She gives you a wry smile as you puff up your cheeks. "I'm sorry, but it is a requirement. We accredited mages have to have standards, you know."

You sigh. "Okay, I'll think of something," you say. "Come on, Siri, excitement's over, you need to go back and help James. Jenna and I have to talk about a few more things."

The girl pouts, but doesn't argue as she leads the way out of the room and trots back to the lab. You and Jenna turn the other way, meandering back towards the library.

After a minute, Jenna speaks up. "So… do you need some time, or do you want to talk about your people?"

You look up at her. "If I tell you… do you promise to get the real story out? To tell humans what manakete were really like, so that they know they don't have to be afraid?" A small, vindictive part of you also hopes that they feel guilty about what they and their ancestors had done, that they understand some small fragment of the pain you feel, but you don't put that into words. You don't want to feed your vindictive side.

Jenna smiles sadly. "I do," she says. "It won't be easy, but I know some people who'll be able to help get the word out." As she continues, she touches her tome, draws some flame from it, and forms a rough map of the continent and points to the north-eastern part of it. "There aren't many Revisionists in the Empire, but there are plenty in the Divine Realm. While the Church has no official position on manakete, unofficially, the Sun-speakers been trying to erode the legitimacy of the Emperor for centuries, so combating the idea that Theodore Wyrmblood saved humanity and charged his heirs with continuing to protect it lines up with their interests."

"Do you know any of them?" you ask.

"I met a few Realmers when we attended the Hall together," Jenna says. "And I still occasionally corresponded with them. I could write to them, tell them that something big has come up." She points to the western part of the continent. "The Marble Hall is around here: there are several Revisionists I know there, but you or I could talk to them directly when we go there, so we don't have to worry about writing them." She glances at you. "There are… a few other Revisionists, that I've corresponded with in the Empire. I trust them, and they'd be thrilled to hear about you, but I'd understand if you're not willing to risk them knowing yet by writing to them."

You hmm thoughtfully as the two of you enter the library and return to your seat. "So, what do you want to know?" you ask.

"What do you want to tell me?" Jenna asks softly. "You know your people better than I do."

The two of you sit in the library for the rest of the day as you just… talk. You tell her about being a manakete. About the way your heart and dragon intertwine, how you are both and neither and everything in between. You talk about your family structure, how family feeds into tribe which feeds into Tribe which feeds into a people. You speak of home, how hard you and your family and tribe worked over centuries to make it beautiful and comfortable, not the dark, grim things from the stories. You speak of diets and sustainable hunting patterns. You speak of love and stories and family and home. You speak of the Mother, the guiding light and ideal of your people.

You don't speak of power. That's not how you want humans to see you: as sorcerers and dragons and dangerous. You want them to see you as people, with hopes and dreams and fears and loves just like humans.

Jenna listens. She takes notes. She asks questions, but accepts wherever you guide the conversation. Neither of you really eat the meal Artemis has sent up to you, you're too deep in scholarly discussion. More than almost anyone else, she truly seems fascinated, and she even shares some things you hadn't known before. The two of you puzzle out that the Aerie was almost certainly a Green manakete community: a place of culture and dance and music.

As you talk, in the back of your mind you ponder Jenna's offer to write to her friends and tell them about you and what Manakete were really like.


[] Ask Jenna to write to her friends in the Divine Realm. You haven't heard anything bad about that place, so it should be safe enough.
-[] Let her tell them that she's met a living manakete who wants to get her people's story out.
-[] Ask that she only mention she's discovered new evidence about manakete, not the source.

[] Ask Jenna to write to her friends scattered around the Empire. She trusts them, and you do want to start rooting the misinformation out at the source.
-[] Let her tell them that she's met a living manakete who wants to get her people's story out.
-[] Ask that she only mention she's discovered new evidence about manakete, not the source.

[] Ask her to write to both. The more people who can spread the news about what your people were really like, the better. Jenna said that they're all trying to prove the same thing, and more voices lead to bigger echoes.
-[] Write-in: What level of detail does each group get told?

[] Ask her to write to neither. You want to see how your meeting with the Revisionists at the Hall goes before you give anyone else information.

---

Two days later, you're sitting quietly on a tree-branch in the grove of trees atop the hill outside Castle Agrithe. You've come here a few times just to get away from everyone for a while, and you've found that it's a nice place to meditate.

"How are you feeling, Ryza?" Artemis asks from the bottom of the tree. She'd come with you when you'd said you were going out here, bringing the pile of arrow-shafts she'd been working on with her. When you'd asked why she was making them, she'd said the Archduke had insisted that the castle's stock be increased, and it was something she could do to help while still taking a break from some of the more… pushy nobles wanting to talk to her.

You consider her question for a moment. "I think I'm doing well," you say. "It's nice to be able to talk to someone about magic, and Jenna's nice."

Your friend grimaces. "She was poking around your home without your permission," she reminds you.

"She was told to," you say. "Besides, if I held a grudge against everyone who'd ever done something that annoyed me, I'd have no friends." Artemis grimaces, but nods. "Besides… she did bring Father's stone to me. True, she was mostly doing it so I wouldn't be angry, but she did do it. That has to count for something, right?"

"You are entitled to your feelings, Ryza," Artemis says. "You don't have to let my cynicism affect you if you don't want to."

Glancing down, you frown slightly. "Are you doing alright?" you ask. "You seem tense."

The bigger girl sighs. "Just had a fun get together with Mother and some of the other ladies that came, both the landed ones and the wives of lords. It honestly wasn't that bad, until we got onto marriage prospects." Her lip curls. "Sypha was there, but she was spared the worst of it since as far as everyone knows she and Apollo are still betrothed. I, on the other hand, was bombarded with a stream of subtle and not-so-subtle suggestions as to various young men that would be just perfect for me."

"Aren't you a bit young?" you ask. "Mother would fight her way down from the Mother's side and scold me if I even thought about getting married before I was three hundred."

Artemis snorts. "Lucky you." she says. "Not that that stopped some of the women from making a few suggestions and offers about you, though Mother and I shut them down." As you blanche, she rolls her eyes. "Tremaine wasn't even offering a good match for you, just some third cousin she's been trying to get rid of for the past decade. It was an insult, frankly, and I might have lost my temper at her a bit-"

"Why were they even talking to you?!" you squeak. "If I was interested, which I'm not!" you say to the sky, "why wouldn't she come talk to me?"

"Nobles typically arrange marriages, and the general consensus among the nobles here is that you're functionally a ward of Father's, so they figure that he'll set something up for you." Artemis says.

"NO!" you splutter and as you faintly hear the noise of a horn from the castle. "No, no, no thank you I will make my own decision when I'm good and ready!"

Artemis laughs, but nods. "I understand that, and so does Father. We're not fool enough to try anything like that. It's just something nobles think about. For us, marriage a way of making alliances between families and kingdoms stronger. The only reason I haven't been betrothed is because I'm heir-apparent, and so-" She cuts off suddenly. Frowning, you look down to see her going ridged, staring back towards the castle.

"Artemis? Are you okay?" you ask, gliding down to land next to her and look at what she'd seen. A group of mounted people were escorting a carriage with a symbol on the flag flying from it. You frown; you recognize that symbol…

Artemis shakes herself from her frozen position and swiftly stands. "It's Mantrae, in person if the banner is to be believed," she says, a thin but deadly coating of ice forming in her words. "We should head back."

You frown as Artemis unties the horse from its tree and swings herself into the saddle. "Please don't shoot an arrow in front of her either," you say as you hop up behind her.

Some of the tension fades from Artemis's body as she gives a dry laugh. "You're never going to let that go, are you?" she asks as the two of you start back towards the castle.

You hug her. "Well, you are annoyed with her…" you say.

"Do I have to start warning you every time a spider might be around?" Artemis shoots back, but there's a lightness to her tone.

Still, you feel your face heat up. "That was one time, and I didn't expect it to get in my hair!" you pout. Artemis laughs gently, squeezing your hands at her stomach, and you can't help but be pleased that, even in embarrassment, you've managed to calm your friend a little.

A minute later, the two of you arrive back at Castle Agrithe. Mantrae and her people have already been admitted, and as Artemis helps you off her horse you see the Countess carefully descending from her carriage and starting towards where Archduke Letoro is standing at the top of the stairs.

You've seen this sort of meeting a dozen times over the past week, but this time the ceremony and decorum are interrupted as a blur darts out the door behind the Archduke, dodging guards. "Mama! Mama!" Sypha squeals, leaping down the stairs. She nearly stumbles as she lands, but she dashes determinedly towards her mother and throws herself into the woman's arms. "Mama!"

The woman's tense, upright pose crumbles as she wraps her daughter in a tight hug. "Sypha…" you faintly hear her whisper as she buries her face in Sypha's hair.

You can't help but smile: Sypha'd been waiting for this moment a long time, and you're glad nobody seems to be moving to stop her enjoying it. Archduke Letoro and his entourage keep their position at the top of the stairs, watching quietly as mother and daughter hold each other. Next to you, you hear a faint motion. Tearing your eyes from the scene, you see Artemis hurrying towards a horse without a rider, one that it takes you a second to recognize. "Actaeon…" your friend says as the horse tugs his reigns out of the hand of the yeoman who'd been leading him and trots over to her, nickering happily.

Meanwhile, you spot two more familiar faces. Grinning, you bounce over to Lancel and Axton, who're standing off to the side next to two more horses. "Hi!" you say cheerfully, wrapping your arms around Lancel's waist. It's one thing for Kelton and Jenna to tell you that your friends are okay, but it's another thing to see them. They're both tired-looking, but neither seems to be hurt.

"Ryza…" Lancel says, seemingly frozen as you squeeze him. "You-"

"You're my friends," you say, letting him go after a moment and moving to hug Axton too. He tenses slightly, but makes no move to push you off. After a moment, you step back and smile up at them. "I'm so glad you're okay," you say. "And… and I'm so sorry I left you there…"

The two men glance at each other before Lancel crouches down. "You made the right choice, Ryza," he says, a faint smile reaching his eyes as he holds out a hand for you to take. "I won't say that it was an enjoyable time, but compared to the bandits on the mountain, the Countess's guards were… civil. They questioned us, but there were no repercussions for refusal to answer, and after a while they just let us be."

You feel your shoulders slumping. "Still, I could have gotten you out too, when I was helping Artemis…" you say. "I should have…"

"Maybe," Axton says, "but there'd be no guarantee. Both of us would have told you to get Lady Artemis out, that she was more important, and you did that."

"You're both important to me," you say.

The men glance at each other again. "While that's nice to hear, Ryza, we weren't the ones at risk," Lancel says. "Lady Artemis was, so she needed the help the most."

You sigh. "I guess that's true," you say. You even know that it is, but it still hurts a bit to have the shameful reminder of your dragon's panicked flight in front of you.

The three of you stand in silence for a moment before Axton continues. "So, you're a-"

"Manakete," you cut in, having heard that sentence begin many times. "That's my term for myself: I'm a manakete, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you in Miau, but Artemis was nervous enough that I didn't want to make anything worse…"

Lancel nods. "Hey, it's okay, it makes sense," he says. "I don't know about Axton, but I probably wouldn't have taken it very well." Personally, you're not sure how honest he's being: Axton was always the more paranoid of the two, but you accept his reassurance. "I… did become concerned, when Her Excellency told us about you."

You cock your head. "Countess Mantrae told you?" you ask. Why would she-

Axton bares his teeth slightly. "I believe she was trying to figure out if we'd known all along," he says. "She was also likely trying to see how angry you were going to be. As always, we refused to speak."

"So you're… okay, with me?" you ask.

"You saved Lady Artemis," Axton says. "And from what we've been able to piece together, you were also instrumental in saving Lady Sypha and getting us out of the dungeon." He grimaces. "I won't deny that I still have some concerns, but they are the same baseless ones that I've always had."

Artemis's voice speaks up from behind you. "You don't need to worry about Ryza," she says, leading Actaeon over to the three of you. The big horse leans down and pokes at you with his nose, and you're able to force yourself to pet him. "She's my friend, and a friend of Agrithe."

The older yeoman bows. "Lady Artemis," he says.

The girl frowns. "Axton, Lancel… I'm so sorry," she says.

"It's not your fault, my Lady," Lancel says. "We were the ones who suggested that Countess Mantrae would be the safest place to go, and it made sense at the time."

The four of you stand in silence for a few seconds before the sound of footsteps causes you to turn. Sypha's leading her mother towards you. "Hi everyone!" she says, grinning happily as she looks around. "You must be Lancel and Axton, Ryza told me about you, sorry about all this, but it's nice to meet you. I'm Sypha, Countess Mantrae's daughter."

As the giddy human girl chatters, Countess Mantrae studies you for a moment before looking at Artemis. "Artemis,"

Your friend seems to be barely restraining herself from grinding her teeth as she nods sharply. "Countess Mantrae," she says, barely above a hiss. Sypha's smile slowly fades as she looks between Artemis and her mother. Frowning, you step over and gently touch Artemis's side. The bigger girl glances down at you, swallows, and looks back at Countess Mantrae. "Welcome to Agrithe. By your leave, Actaeon needs some proper care." Mantrae nods, and Artemis turns and leads Actaeon towards the stable.

"I see she's still upset," Countess Mantrae says softly.

You glance up at her. "I think she has a right to be," you say. "She trusted you, and you hurt her. A lot. You had your reasons, I know, but you still hurt her." You kick at the ground. "You know, you could have saved everyone a lot of pain if you'd just asked for help."

Countess Mantrae raises an eyebrow. "Perhaps had I know that there was a dragon-"

"Manakete," Sypha says.

Her mother nods. "Manakete," she continues smoothly. "I would have known there was a better option. However, with the information I had, I only saw one path that gave me a reasonable chance of saving my only daughter."

You frown. "I know," you say. "But still, you should have at least asked. If people don't know there's a problem, they can't help you."

Countess Mantrae sighs. "I am sure that Archduke Letoro will say much the same," she says. "However, before I go and speak with him, I must first thank you for what you did. You brought Sypha to safety, and for that I will be eternally grateful for that."

"Well, Robin helped, along with Sir Ector and the rest of your men," you say. "I couldn't have done it without them."

The Countess smiles slightly. "Your humility does you credit, but you were the one who carried Sypha to safety. Honor demands that I repay you."

You consider for a moment, but in truth you already know what you want from her. "Please never send someone to look around my home again without my permission," you say. "It may be a bit of a mess, but it's still mine. Father and Mother left it to me."

Countess Mantrae nods. "Very well," she says. "We will have to sit down at some point and figure out the boundaries, but before this grand council of Archduke Letoro's is over, you will have sole legal claim to your home, and I give my word that I'll respect it." You blink, that was easier than you'd expected it to be.

Sypha smiles. "I'm glad everything worked out," she says. "And I hope to be able to see your home someday, Ryza, if you'll let me."

"Of course," you say, smiling back. "Hopefully I'll be able to get it cleaned up before I have to entertain guests." Sypha giggles, and even Countess Mantrae smiles slightly.

Still, she glances back to Archduke Letoro, who still hasn't moved from the top of the stairs. "Come, Sypha, we should go and speak to our host. Well met, Ryza." With that, and a final wave from Sypha, Countess Mantrae leads the way towards the Archduke.

You let out a breath and look up at Axton and Lancel. "Well, that went well," you say.

"As well as can be expected," Axton says. "There'll be some tension between Legerius and Agrithe for the foreseeable future… but thanks to your efforts, the alliance survives intact."

You smile. It may have taken you a few detours and a lot more time than you'd planned, but you'd succeeded in your original mission of bringing Artemis and all her friends home safely.

Everything's going just great!
A shadow moves beyond your sight.

---

Wyrmrise, Three Weeks Earlier

Atop the ancient Grand Spire of The Wyrm's Castle, two men stood in silence, staring at the moon. After a moment, the first sighed and waved a tired hand. "Leave me, my friend," he said quietly. "I would be alone tonight." The second man, an armored giant wearing a wyvern-winged helm, bowed and stepped out of the door, closing it behind him.

Thaddeus smiled dryly as he tugged his thick, rich red robes around himself: for all that they were in the center of an impregnable fortress, in the safest city in the world, at the heart of Wyrmblood Empire, Salvador would not go far. In fact, Thaddeus thought as he began to quietly pace around the edge of the battlements, it was quite likely he had not taken one step farther than going over the threshold.

It was… comforting, to know that there were still people who took their duties seriously, even if it was due to caution bordering on paranoia.

The man sighed as he leaned against a crenellation, looking out over the Empire. He was tired, and he felt old despite for being only forty-nine in a bloodline that often reached a hundred. He had often wondered, as a boy, why his father looked so much older than other men his age, why his hair seemed to be greying before his very eyes. Now, as a man himself… well, it all made sense. Thaddeus chuckled sadly as he ran a hand through his own grey hair. The stresses and trials of his station and his father's station were overwhelming. Countless thousands of men, women and children looked to him to keep them safe, to see to their needs and guide them through their troubles. Others looked to him fearfully as the source of their troubles, as the looming menace that threatened to gobble them up if they so much as blinked.

Sometimes, he wondered if his ancestors had ever felt as overwhelmed and tired as he did. Or had they simply been greater men than he?

Of course, some of his stress could be traced back to the most recent setback in his plans. Today, he had just heard back from his diplomatic outreach to the Sky Marshal of the Whitewings. Which was to say, he'd heard that the fool had somehow gotten it into his head to suggest to the highly matriarchal society that had built its mythos around standing up to people who took advantage of them that they would be so much safer and happier if they just accepted the Emperor's generous protection. Quite frankly, Thaddeus was surprised the man hadn't been sent back to him in pieces! A decade of work, of careful negotiations and ego-soothing and reassurance, blown away in a moment of blithering stupidity! It was almost like the man had been trying to ruin everything!

Thaddeus frowned, turning the thought over in his head as he started pacing again. Arnold was loyal, Thaddeus knew that, but no one man could run a diplomatic mission alone. Who else had been in that entourage, who might have whispered in Arnold's ear? After all, this was not the only diplomatic mission that had blown up spectacularly in Thaddeus's face in recent memory. Thaddeus had very nearly gotten Sun Father Mathias to agree to meet face to face before-

The man's ears perked as he slowed to a stop… he thought he'd heard… "Who's there?" he asked, turning to look around the tower. There was no one in sight, and surely no one could have gotten past Salvador, but Thaddeus's family had always had sharp hearing, and he could have sworn…

A shadow moved.

"Who's there!" Thaddeus demanded again, drawing himself up proudly. "Show yourself!"

A long moment of silence stretched into two, then into three… had Thaddeus just imagined it? Had his lingering fears of betrayal and whispers that there were those who would see his ambitions for a stable, peaceful Empire fail grown into full-blown paranoia? He started to take a step forward…

A figure stepped out of the shadows, appearing as if from thin air. "Who-" Thaddeus started, only for his eyes to widen as he saw a glinting light beginning to gather at the tip of an outstretched finger.

Before Thaddeus could cry for help or try to draw the sword at his side, a single blinding bolt of Light magic, tighter and brighter than any the man had seen before, struck him in the chest. Thaddeus stumbled back, started to fall… he felt… cold…

He was…

…so…

…cold…

Emperor Thaddeus Wyrmblood the Second, Lord Protector of Man and Heir to the Fell Slayer, widower and father of one, was dead before he hit the ground.


AN: I had planned to have the meeting begin this chapter, and the news of the Emperor's death to reach Ryza there, but I'm having trouble with that meeting, didn't want to delay the chapter too much, and wanted to let you know the consequences of your votes what's going on elsewhere so you can make an informed vote.

As for Ryza's mage-name, you will have come up with one at some point, probably when you get to the Hall. Might as well let you start thinking about it now.

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Ask her to write to both. The more people who can spread the news about what your people were really like, the better. Jenna said that they're all trying to prove the same thing, and more voices lead to bigger echoes.
-[X] To both: Ask that she only mention she's discovered new evidence about manakete, not the source.

"Running anything means meetings. Lots of meetings, where everyone feels the need to express their opinion instead of doing something. Then when they do decide on a plan of action half the time they come up with the worst possible solution. All while you have to sit there and look like you're paying attention."
-Sky Marshal Leia


You feel emotionally drained as you leave the library. You know that it's a good thing in the long term to get all this information out, but every time you need to start explaining something that's obvious to you, you remember why it's novel to humans. Remember that they think everyone like you is dead.

That's why you had to ask Jenna to be discreet. She promised she would be. The thing she recommended using as the centerpiece was the rough but functional dictionary translating between Human Common and Makai that you'd made. It's not perfect, if only because you've only been working on it for a week, but it has a lot of the most important words and concepts.

This is something that Jenna assures you will distract the other Revisionists from asking too many questions about her source as they started going through any fragmentary records and scrolls they have to figure out what they say. "I'll just hint that it came from an old scroll or tablet I found at a new site, and they'll be busy for a good long while," she says. "Hopefully, by the time they get around to actually asking questions, your mind will have been put at ease enough that we can share more." She smiles comfortingly. "Only if you're willing, of course."

You hope you can get comfortable with the idea of sharing. You don't like being paranoid and suspicious, you want to spread knowledge; but Mother and Father would want you to see to your own safety first and foremost. While you'll bend that rule to help friends like Artemis and Sypha… you're not willing to do it for a bunch of strangers. Not yet, at least.

Still, you remind yourself, it'll all be for the best. You'll convince the humans not to be afraid of manakete, one stupid false story at a time if you have to. Then you'll show them the don't have to use your people's remains as a source of magic, and then everything'll be better. Then… maybe all the other manakete, the ones who're hiding, because there has to be others, there just has to be… they'll know they don't have to be afraid anymore, and they can come out, and you won't have to be alone anymore.

You believe that.

You have to believe that.

So distracted are you by your own thoughts that you don't notice you're walking past Artemis until she wraps an arm around your shoulders. "Hey Ryza, are you alright?" she asks.

You jump a little before forcing a smile. "Yes, I am," you say. "I just needed to talk to Jenna for a while. We finished the test, so I can go get accredited, but… well, she has friends, who can help tell people the real story about manakete."

"The Revisionists," Artemis says. "I've heard of them, but I'll admit I never really thought about them much before I met you. They're not a big group, but they're a noticeable one. I suppose if anyone would be able to start telling the real story, it's them, though they'll have their work cut out for them…" She shakes her head and starts guiding you down the hall. "Well, it's a start, I suppose, and you have time. But we do have something to do tonight: Father was asking for you. I was able to convince him to let you finish your talk with Mistress Flarestone, but it is important."

You wince. "Sorry…" you say.

"Your business is important too," Artemis says. "Especially getting accredited. The sooner that gets done, the sooner Father has someone he can officially turn to on magical matters."

"So what does he want to talk to me about?" you ask.

Artemis grins. "You'll see," she says playfully, making you cock your head in curiosity. Artemis isn't usually this mysterious. However, you don't question her further and allow her to guide you along the now-familiar halls of the castle towards Archduke Letoro's office. Sometimes, you wonder if he ever does anything other than eat, meet visiting nobles, and work. Surely he has to have some hobbies; it's not healthy to dive too deep into work that you neglected yourself.

These thoughts are driven from your mind, however, as you enter the room and see the Archduke speaking with another familiar face while two more linger in the background. "Kelton! Robin! Belle!" you cry happily. It's always nice when people who've left you come back safely. "You're back!"

The soldier grins. "Yep, and it's nice to know you're able to get out of your very important magic bu-" Belle casually kicks him in the shin. "Which is to say it's good to see you too."

"So how did you get here?" you ask.

Robin glances at Archduke Letoro, who nods. "We followed young lord Bernard's advice, and we made it to Baron Warwick-Lightbringer without issue," he says. "After being interrogated by him for a while, he was generous enough to provide an escort back to the Kingdoms, and we made our own way back here."

You frown. "Interrogated?" you ask worridly.

Robin raises a placating hand. "Just a precaution on his part, nothing hostile. Thankfully, the man was grateful enough that we'd saved his ally's son that he did not push too hard on the how. I was able to get away with telling him you were simply a powerful magic user who could move young lady Sypha and young lord Bernard more safely on your own." He grins. "Which is completely true, if you think about it." He glances at the others. "It is possible that some of Countess Mantrae's men said more, but I do not believe so. These two have assured me they did not either."

While Kelton bristles, Belle grins easily. "You paid me for my silence, and a deal's a deal," she says casually. "Though if I'd known what sort of secret you were asking me to keep beforehand, I'd have charged more."

You rock back and forwards on your feet. "I'm sorry I lied to you, back at the Talon camp," you say.

The woman waves a hand. "Don't worry about it, kid, I'd have lied to me too," she says. "Besides, I get the feeling I did more to save the other guys than you. With the amount of damage you did while tiny-"

Archduke Letoro clears his throat. "As fascinating as this is, we do have important things to discuss," he says firmly. Belle immediately shuts her mouth; it seems she's a bit scared of Archduke Letoro as well. The man looks back at you. "The conference I called will be beginning tomorrow," he says. "And as such, it is important for everyone to be on the same page. Artemis has attended meetings like this before, but from what I understand of your background this will be your first time in a large gathering. Is that correct?"

You nod. "Yes, Your Highness," you say.

"Very well. The most important thing to know about meetings like this is that it is imperative to stay focused. Our goal is to remind everyone of the Kingdoms' need to stand together in the face of outside danger, to convince them of the severity of that danger, and to set forth tasks that all can accomplish to keep us all safe. I will handle the first and third parts, you need not worry about them. However, for the second phase you, Artemis, Sypha and Rickman will have to testify about what you saw." You nod, slightly confused.

"That seems easy enough…" you say. "I just tell everyone what happened, right? I've done that before."

The Archduke sighs. "Sadly, it will not be that simple. You've told the story to small groups: speaking before larger gatherings will be much different. You will need to be careful with what you say and endeavor stay on topic. There will be those among the nobles who will try to make your testimony about you, rather than the matter at hand. Don't let them distract you. Stick to the relevant facts of what occurred. You're not here to justify yourself or your manaketeness, you're here to tell them what happened."

Why did he have to make it sound so intimidating? "Okay, I will," you say.

He nods. "Very good," he says. "There are a few strategies that might help you, if you would hear them." You nod, and over the next few minutes Archduke Letoro gives you some ideas and tips for how to deal with a crowd.

You wonder about the fact that a fair few of them include just ignoring the crowd and keep talking. Whenever you and Father and Mother talked, you would all listen to each other. You hope it's just a big group thing and not a human thing.

After he's done, you sit back to digest the ideas. "Alright," you say. "Thank you, your Highness." He nods. A moment later, you remember something. "If you don't mind me asking… how did the meeting with Countess Mantrae go?"

The Archduke nods. "Thank you for reminding me about that. It was productive, and Countess Mantrae and I came to an agreement that should prevent anything like this from happening again." He gives you a dry look. "You will not have to launch any more daring rescue missions." You wince a little, but nod. You'll have to check with Countess Mantrae to make sure you've fulfilled your promise, but it's looking hopeful. "She will be staying for the meeting, and since she does not seem willing to let her daughter out of her sight for the foreseeable future, Sypha will be staying as well."

"I'm glad everything seems to have worked out," you say.

"As am I," Archduke Letoro says. "Which means that, as far as anyone else is concerned, there are no and have never been any issues between Agrithe and Legerius, and it shall remain that way." Confused, you cock your head. "It would be best, for Agrithe, Legerius and all the kingdoms, if you did not speak of any conflict between us. If you are pressed on the issue, Countess Mantrae asked for your help finding Sypha and I allowed it, but do not speak of it at all if you do not have to.

You blink. "You want me to lie?" you ask.

"If necessary, then yes," the Archduke said bluntly. "The matter is concluded, but if others find out about it they will try to use it for their own ends. It's possible some know or suspect already, but so long as it is not aired too openly there is little they can do." He meets your eyes firmly, forcing you to look down after a moment. "Honesty is a virtue, yes, but there are times when even virtues can be twisted to destructive ends, by those who see the opportunity. We must not give them that opportunity, understood?" You nod meekly. "Very well. Moving past that, has your testing with Mistress Flarestone been concluded to both of your statisfactions?"

You force yourself to nod again. "Yes; I passed Jenna's test, and she said she'd sponsor me at the Hall. We also talked a bit about what manakete were really like, and she has some friends she can talk to to help spread the news."

"Very well," the Archduke says. "If there is nothing else, I have a few last things I need to discuss with Robin." Recognizing the dismissal, you stand up and try to curtsy again. You like to think you're getting a bit better at it.

As you leave, you hear Artemis, Kelton and Belle coming with you. "Hey, Ryza, could we talk for a moment?" Kelton asks once you're out in the hall.

"Sure," you say. "What do you need?"

He and Belle glance at each other. "Well, we were wondering if you'd be alright with us sticking around with you for a while," he says.

You hear a faint intake of breath from Artemis, but you can only cock your head in confusion. "Shouldn't you be asking Archduke Letoro about that?" you say. "This is his home, so he'd get to decide if you're allowed to stay."

Belle smiles thinly. "I think what the boy means is we're wondering if you want us to stick around and be ready to help you out if you need it. There's a fancy term for it nobles use, but basically we're there to watch your back in case someone tries to stick a knife in it." As you gape at her, she sighs. "Kid, you've got some good friends here by the looks of it, but not everyone's gonna be your friend. There are gonna be people who look at you and see a mark of one sort or another and will act accordingly."

"Are you on that list?" Artemis asks icily.

The cloaked woman meets Artemis's eyes firmly. "I'm not gonna lie and pretend I'm a perfect woman. I'm not," she says. "But one thing I don't do is fu- mess with kids. That's why I went along with the big lady's crazy plan even when the smart thing for me to do would've been to bail or turn on her." She looks back at you. "Look, we can help each other. You're decently sneaky, but in the sense that nobody's gonna think you're up to anything. That won't last. I can help you with anything that requires stealth; I'm very good at it."

You cock your head. "And how can I help you?" you ask.

"Well, I'm at a bit of a crossroads right now," she says. "I got a full pardon in Legerius, but that doesn't mean they want me around anymore. You, meanwhile, seem like you could use some help, and we've worked together before. So I got to thinking that if I stick around I'll actually be 'respectably employed' for once." She shrugs casually. "Up to you."

You look at Kelton, who shrugs. "She did stick around even after everything went pear-shaped," he says.

"Thanks," you say. "But I was more wondering about you. Don't you want to go home?"

The soldier pauses for a long moment. "Well, the Countess promised she'd make sure Miau stays safe," he says. "And you did save my sister, so I need to pay you back for that…"

You're still learning about dealing with humans, but even you can tell that there's something more going on. Folding your arms, you stare at Kelton until he sighs. "Okay, I'll admit, I kinda want to stick around since things are never boring with you around, and I also kinda want some distance between me and… Legerius, for a while. Might as well help a friend while I'm at it."

As you digest his words, Artemis speaks up quietly. "Don't worry too much about where any payment would come from," she says as you turn to face her. "You're functionally Head Mage already, and there's a budget that can easily afford hiring some help for you. The only question is: do you want them to be your retainers?"

As you glance back at Kelton and Belle, you ponder. It would be nice to have some friends who stick around, rather than having to leave if the Archduke tells them too. On the other hand… well, are you really still friends if you're paying them to be there? It seems weird…

[] Hire Kelton as a permanent party member
[] Hire Belle as a permanent party member
[] Hire both
[] Hire neither

---

The next day, your nerves are fluttering in your stomach as you follow Archduke Letoro, Dione, and Artemis into the great hall. For all that it's less crowded than usual, with only the nobles, their trusted advisors, and some guards around, it feels like there are even more eyes on you as people look you over. Swallowing, you force yourself to stand up as straight as you can, just like Artemis's father told you to and you practiced last night. You're wearing your shiny outfit, and you're very glad you brought it as otherwise you'd feel horribly underdressed.

Finally, as Artemis subtly guides you to stand with her and her mother off to the side of the raised area near the head table, Archduke Letoro moves to stand in the center, facing the crowd. Almost immediately, everyone stops talking, turning to face him expectantly.

Still, he waits for the last echoes to fade away before he speaks. "Lords, Ladies, and Representatives," he says firmly. "Welcome to Agrithe. It is heartening to know that the bonds our ancestors forged live on to this day." He pauses and looks around. "Four hundred years ago, the forefathers of many in this room came together, determined to chart their own destinies. They knew then, as we know now, that while our Kingdoms might not always agree on everything, that our numbers might fluctuate over time, that occasionally we even quarrel and fight, we shared a common bond and a common destiny. They knew that they shared, as we share today, a duty and a responsibility to come together against our common enemies. Today-"

A voice rises from the crowd. "What could possibly threaten one who has claimed a dragon as a pet?" a man calls.

You cringe back as the crowd explodes into noise. Denunciations, agreements and questions fly back and forwards too fast and too loud to track, but still you can clearly track the glare of the man who'd spoke. After all, he's staring straight at you.

You'd never spoken to Count Boris Redward before, but you certainly knew his opinion of you. At dinner four days ago, you'd been seated two chairs down from him. He'd never addressed you directly, but his vivid description of the Lake of Pillars, his musings about just how many people had died in "dragonfire", the fact that his voice was carefully loud enough to be impossible not to overhear…

It hadn't taken a genius to figure out he was trying to make you feel unwelcome. It had taken a lot of self-control not to either start shouting at him or run off crying, but you hadn't wanted him to think he'd gotten to you. Instead, you'd just swallowed and done your best to ignore him.

However, it seemed he wasn't done yet.

Archduke Letoro's hand slammed down on the table behind him with a sharp crack. "Count Redward, you forget yourself," he said icily as the shouting faded away. "You are a guest in this hall, but if you cannot be a respectful one, you will leave. And if you cannot be trusted as a guest, you cannot be trusted should the Empire come knocking."

A tense silence filled the hall, the two men glaring at each other. After a few seconds, however, Alejandro Rignali speaks up from his spot leaning against a wall.

"As a member of the demographic currently at threat of being randomly kidnapped, I'd rather like to know more," he says casually, "As would my lord father, so why don't we focus on why we're actually here." He throws a look at Count Redward as he says this, and a wave seems to move through the room.

Finally, after another second, the count nods. "I apologize to you for disrupting your speech, Archduke Letoro," he says. He does not look at you.

Artemis's father nods to Alejandro before continuing. "As the honorable representative from Rignali reminded us, we are here to discuss the acts of war taken against two of our numbers," he continues as if he'd never been interrupted. There are few murmurs as he speaks, but he does not pause, instead continuing over them. "Four weeks ago, mercenaries of the Shrieking Talons ambushed two traveling parties without provocation, murdered the knights and soldiers escorting the noble heirs of Agrithe and Legerius. They successfully abducted Sypha Mantrae, as well as her cousin, Bernard Rickman of Wyrmbone Mountain."

Another ripple of murmurs filled the hall, and you glance over at where Sypha, Bernard and Countess Mantrae are standing. She swallows, but gives you a nod and a smile.

"The group that ambushed my daughter, meanwhile, were denied a similar victory only by quick thinking, sacrifice, and the aid of an unforeseen ally." People glance your way, but the Archduke continues before anyone can think to speak. "Therefore, we must first understand the true scope of events, from the voices of those involved. Then, we shall decide how to respond as a united front." He turns to look at Artemis. "Step forward, Artemis, and tell us of what occurred."

Your friend nods and strides forward without a hint of nerves. You hope you'll be as brave as her when your time comes, just standing here is nerve-wracking.

Artemis clearly and concisely tells the story that you've heard before: how she, Selena, Master Shadebringer, and the others were traveling through the pass underneath your home. There, they were betrayed by Robert and ambushed by the Talons. She spoke of her climb up the mountain, finding your home, finding you, and your escape into Legerius.

She leaves out Mantrae's betrayal, smoothly passing over it by saying she made her way home from Legerius without further issue. Thankfully, nobody seems to question it. Instead, the gathered nobles ask a few questions about Robert, as well as if there was anyone in Empire might have known the path she was taking.

Finally, once Artemis is done and she's returned to your side, Archduke Letoro turns to the Legerians. "Sypha Mantrae, if you would."

The girl looks up at her mother, who gives her a gently nod and pat on the head. Swallowing, she ascends the steps, turns to face the crowd, and tells her story. Just like Artemis, she leaves out any hint of trouble between Agrithe and Legerius, instead focusing solely on the Talons. On the way they attacked without warning, killed almost everyone, and took her away to the Empire. She must be stressed, but she once again speaks with the calm dignity you saw when she stood by your side in the forest near Glenhaven and convinced her mother's men that the best choice was for her to go with you.

You wonder how long she spent practicing last night.

Thankfully, after she describes your rescue of her and the flight back to Agrithe, there are few questions asked of her. One woman asks why you didn't take Sypha straight home, but your friend is able to spin a story about going in a different direction than expected to throw the wyvern off that you'd have believed if you hadn't been there. Soon after, she was allowed to go back to her mother, and Bernard took her place.

He swiftly corroborated everything Sypha had said, but then his reception was more contentious. "It seems obvious to me," a noble from a place called Fallrun says snidely, "that the Empire is behind these events. Why should we trust you, boy, when you are of the same nation that has sought to enslave us for centuries?"

Bernard's fists clench for a moment, but he speaks with an icy calm. "I bled for my cousin, sir," he says coldly. "And I would do so again, as she is my kin. Whatever troubles might exist between the Empire and your Kingdoms, that would not break the bonds of family." He glares around. "My father had nothing to do with this. I have also heard from Baron Warwick-Lightbringer, and he stands with my father. Together, they intend to petition the Duchess of Southlands to carry out a full investigation. Whoever is behind this heinous betrayal, they have made nothing but enemies among the Southlands."

The baron of Fallrun glares, but does not comment further. A few more questions are asked as the council picks Bernard's brain about who he thinks might be responsible, but in the end they let him go.

Swallowing, you stand up straight as Archduke Letoro turns to you. "Ryza, if you would share your view of events," he says.

Suppressing the urge to say "no thanks, I'm good," you walk forwards to stand where the others stood. "Hello," you say. "My name is Ryza…" A few people start calling questions at you, but since they're not too loud you do as Artemis's father suggested and just keep talking over them. "Well, I got involved when Artemis woke me up…"

Several times during your telling of the story (where you scrupulously stick to Artemis's telling of events), you're forced to raise your voice to speak over some of the nobles. You're pretty sure that, had the Archduke not been looming behind you, the crowd would have shouted you down. As it was, it took you a long time to tell everyone everything, and you're proud that you're able to keep your voice from going hoarse. Finally, however, you finish with landing back in Legerius and getting Sypha and Bernard back to the castle. Bracing yourself, you look around.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

Another explosion of sound, not as bad as when Count Redward shouted out of turn but still overwhelming, nearly makes you stumble back. "One at a time, please," you call in vain. You glance back at Archduke Letoro, who nods.

Looks like you're going to have to use the emergency silencing strategy he suggested. You'd really hoped you wouldn't have to.

Sighing, you turn back to the crowd and extend your wings as fast as you can. A sharp crack fills the hall, and everyone goes silent.

You let your wings shine for a moment before folding them away. "One at a time, please," you say again, your eyes scanning the crowd before picking out a man near the front. "Yes, Lord…"

"Ostensien," the man says. "And where were you during the Fell War-"

You raise a hand. "Please, Lord Ostensien, that is not the purpose of this meeting," you say tiredly. "We are here to discuss the present threat, not the past." Before the man can argue his case, you move on. "The lady in the blue dress, please-"

It takes a few more refusals before you realize that people aren't taking the hint that you're not going to talk about your nature. Finally, fed up, you turn to Alejandro, who's been waiting patiently. "Lord Rignali?" you say. 'Please, please…'

"On the topic of the wyvern, the one the Talons had," the man asks, and you wince, hadn't you just ignored a question about whether you could talk to wyverns?! "Where did it come from?"

You blink, confused. "My lord?"

Smiling, Alejandro elaborates. "Which direction did it come from, when it was flying back to the camp? If the Talons thought they were safe, it would likely have flown straight to and from its destination; which could give us a clue as to the ones responsible."

You grin: finally, a good question! "It came from north-west-west," you say after a moment of thought. "I was on the south-east-east side of the camp, and it came from almost directly opposite me."

"That's the direction of Castle Southguard," someone says after a moment of consulting a map. "Could the Duchess herself be involved?"

"Unlikely," someone else cuts in as Bernard starts to bristle. "She's only recently ascended; all signs are that she's still shoring up her power base. She would not be thinking of expansion so soon or in such a risky fashion."

Thankful for the break, you let the nobles talk about whether or not it's likely Duchess Callista of the Southlands is involved in the plot. In the end, they decide it's unlikely, and so the questioning continues. However, they seem to have gotten over the messenger, and now they're actually asking questions that make sense. You give the best answers you can to how much your efforts degraded the Talon's strength, how many of them there had been, whether you could corroborate Sypha's memory of a "northern wing."

Finally, as you finish giving your recollection on what exactly Robert had said about there being a broader threat, the room is silent. After a moment, Archduke Letoro steps forward, giving you the opportunity to begin retreating. "If there is nothing else, then we shall-"

"One last question."

You desperately try to restrain a wince as Lady Tremaine's sharp voice cuts the air. Turning with all the dignity you can muster, you meet the cool eyes of the iron-haired woman. "Yes, Lady Tremaine?" you say.

The woman stares at you for a long moment before speaking. "It is a simple question, but an important one: what is your stake in all this? You are not of the Kingdoms. You are not even human. What business is it of one who will live for centuries what happens today?" Her eyes narrow. "Why do you care, dragon?" You expect some outcry, but the hall goes silent as everyone looks at you.

You know you should reject the question as you had others about your nature, but as a flicker of lightning flashes through your soul, you meet her eyes as firmly as you can. "Manakete," you say. "I am a manakete, and I care because my friends care. I care because people were getting hurt, both physically and emotionally, and helping them was the right thing to do."

The silence stretches on for several more seconds before she slowly nods. "I shall accept your answer," she says.

You nod back and, trying not to seem like you're rushing, return to Artemis's side. "You did wonderful, Ryza," she says softly as her father speaks again. Dione smiles gently, patting you on the shoulder as you turn to face the room again.

You start as you realize Kopoi is standing next to the Archduke. When had he gotten here, you hadn't seen him at all?!

"-will give his testimony as to the most recent movements of the Talons," Archduke Letoro is finishing before gesturing to the spy.

"Of course, Your Highness," Kopoi says, his quiet voice somehow reaching every corner of the room as the crowd stares at him. "I arrived at Glenhaven approximately a day after Ryza's successful rescue of Lady Sypha. From there, it was easy to discover that, after an aborted attempt to pursue Sirs Robin and Ector, likely believing they still had Lady Sypha and Lord Bernard, the Deathwing Chapter retreated towards the south-western portion of the Empire, which is their usual operating area."

His eyes swept the crowd as he pauses for a moment, but nobody interrupts. He soon continues. "Ambush and interrogation of the rear echelons of the Talons provided insight into their movements, both before and during their attack. The Deathwing Chapter has only existed for two years, and yet they were paid an exorbitant amount of money. Far more than would be usual even for a job of this magnitude. Likely, that amount was to buy their utter silence on the matter. Even their mid-level officers knew little of their reasons for being here or who hired them. All communication was done through intermediaries. Whoever's hand was guiding them, they wished to protect their identity not only from us, but from others within the Empire. They seemed especially keen on avoiding interactions with the Southlands nobility."

"Could have just be for plausible deniability," you hear a nearby noble mutter, but his words are thoughtful rather than scathing.

"I also determined that the Talons were specifically tasked with attempting to abduct as many members of the Southern Kingdoms' nobility 'as practical,'" Kopoi continues. "This is the reason for their split operation agains both Legerius and Agrithe, they determined that Robert's betrayal would allow them to use minimal force to abduct Lady Artemis while their primary force moved against Lady Sypha." He glances at you for an instant. "Unfortunately, due to either deliberate destruction or damage during the distraction fire of the rescue mission, any records were lost, limiting our knowledge of the reasoning behind this."

There are a few mutters before the spy's voice raises slightly "Based on the level of secrecy, it is most likely that such records were deliberately destroyed. It would be in keeping with the level of obfuscation on display. As of this moment, the Deathwing Chapter has finished its retreat into the southwest, having lost one quarter to one third of their numbers. While they remain an effective force, they are a diminished one that does not seem eager to continue operations against us at this time."

A long moment of silence passes before Archduke Letoro steps forwards. "If there are no questions, then we shall take a short break so that we might all discuss events with our own advisors. Then, we will reconvene to speak about what actions we will take in response." A general murmur of agreement fills the hall, and everyone breaks apart into small groups, talking quietly to each other.

The Archduke moves to join you, along with Kopoi. "Well done, Artemis, Ryza," he says. "You handled yourselves well."

"Thank you, Father," Artemis says. "But Kopoi, when did you get back?"

"Just recently," the spy says, studying you. Then, after a moment, he gives a deep nod. "You did well, Ryza," he says with a subtle but present note of respect. "A very successful operation. Well done."

"Thank you," you say. "I'm glad to see you're alright too. I was wondering where you'd gone."

"I go where I am needed," he says quietly, his face smoothing back into his mask. "Though the need was not so great as I had originally thought it would be."

As you digest that line, you watch as a Legerian guard enters the room and quietly approaches Countess Mantrae, who's speaking with Sypha, Bernard and Jenna. She takes the letter he offers her, opens it, and reads for a long moment. You watch as her stance goes tense, she swallows, and gently disengages from her daughter to approach you all.

"Cartese, we have a problem," she says, and her voice is… shaking slightly.

You feel a chill as you glance up at Artemis. This doesn't sound good.

The Archduke also seems to pick up on it. "Something to be addressed in council?" he asks.

"I believe so."

The man nods and steps back to the center of the raised area. "Lords, Ladies, Representatives, a moment," he says. "Some new information has just been received, that we would all benefit from hearing." He steps aside, allowing Countess Mantrae to take the fore.

The woman unfurls the letter. "This was rushed to me by Pegasus-courier, from my cousin Baron Rickman of Mount Wyrmbone," she says, her voice once again steady. "It contains information that I believe this council must hear at once." Taking a breath, she reads aloud.

"The reason I send this message in haste, however, is because I have just learned of an event that may be related to our shared troubles," she says. "Three weeks ago as of my writing this letter, His Majesty Emperor Thaddeus Wyrmblood the Second was assassinated by parties yet unnamed and uncaught."

Gasps filled the hall, and suddenly everyone was paying rapt attention to Countess Mantrae.

"His only son, Thomas Wyrmblood, being not yet of age, has requested that the Lord Chancellor Justinian assume the position of Regent until such time as he is ready to rule in his own name. The Lord Chancellor has agreed, and while no official proclamation has been made, the quiet word is that the Regent is on the trail the ones responsible for the Emperor's murder, and he intends to bring them and any who have aided them to justice by any means required."

"Whether it was due to a message that was not passed on to me, or simply caution, Duchess Callista has begun a quiet mobilization of her personal forces, and has 'encouraged' her vassals to do the same. This is not yet a full mobilization, and at this moment it seems to be precautionary in nature. However, both of these facts could change in a matter of weeks."

"Normally, I would not speak of these things, blood though we are. However, due to recent events, I cannot help but fear that there is some connection between the attack on our children and this sudden change. Perhaps I am wrong, but if I am correct I cannot in good conscience let this pass without giving you some warning." Countess Mantrae looks up. "Who you inform of these events is up to you, cousin, but I encourage you to be careful."

"Spirits watch over you."

A long, tense silence fills the hall before Alejandro speaks up, his voice devoid of its usual humor.

"Well shit."

The hall explodes into noise again.

As Archduke Letoro tries to restore order, you look nervously up at Artemis. "Is this bad?" you ask.

"It's certainly not good," Artemis says worriedly. "For all that I don't like the Empire, even I admit Emperor Thaddeus has been a moderate. He's been trying to ease tensions between the Empire and everyone else. If he's dead…" she shivers.

"Who would want to hurt him?" you ask.

"In my opinion, the most likely option is someone in the war-hawk faction of the Empire," Artemis says. "If we're lucky, the Regent realizes that and is going to try and clean house. If we're not lucky… then he's a member of the war-hawks and he's going to take advantage of this to try something rash." She looks at you seriously. "Ryza, what are you thinking of doing? You'll probably have time to do it, though depending on what exactly's going on things could get very messy very fast."

As the Archduke finally restores some measure of order and the gathered nobles jump immediately into a debate on whether they should start raising troops immediately or wait for more information, you ponder. What are your plans for the near future?


(Please vote by plan)

Path Forward:

[] You need to go to the Marble Hall to get accredited. The fact that the Empire is apparently having problems means that you need to do this sooner rather than later, so you don't get caught up in anything. (Gain one extra Learning option)
[] 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)
[] The fact that the Emperor who wanted peace died just as someone seemed to be trying to provoke a war… makes you nervous. As much as you want to go and do something, you don't want to be elsewhere if something happens right away. You'll stay here in Agrithe, to stand by your friends. (Gain one extra Social option)

Time Options (I'm testing out the new idea of splitting Social and Learning. You currently have 2 of each)

[] Social Options: Who do you get to know better?
-[] Artemis
-[] Sypha
-[] Kelton
-[] Belle (Only available if hired as Retainer)
-[] Jenna (Only available if going to Marble Hall)
-[] Archduke Letoro and Dione (Only available if remaining in Agrithe)
-[] Axton and Lancel
-[] Robin and Kopoi
-[] Write-in (subject to veto)

[] Learning Options (Can choose the same option multiple times to focus on it)
-[] Continue learning White magic
-[] Continue learning Yellow magic
-[] Continue along the Path of Awakening
-[] Begin learning Red magic
-[] Begin learning Green magic
-[] Begin learning Black magic
-[] Begin learning Runewrighting
-[] Write In (subject to veto)

Boon and Bane (Take one free Boon since Ryza's been doing well, but you can vote for additional Boons beyond the first by taking Banes on a 1-to-1 basis.)

[] Boons:
-[] Your nature is warmly received by the Kingdoms.
-[] The North receives a blessing.
-[] A pleasant dream offers hope.
-[] Unexpected but welcome allies arrive.
-[] The world at large receives good fortune.
-[] A boon unique to your path forward appears.

[] Banes:
-[] Your nature is coldly received by the Kingdoms.
-[] The North suffers a setback.
-[] A terrible nightmare rends your soul.
-[] Dark forces march at the worst possible moment.
-[] A shadow moves beyond your sight.
-[] A bane unique to your path forward appears.

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Hire both

[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.

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Accept some escorts from Countess Mantrae: preferably ones you know and have worked with before.

"Home is where you leave everything you love and never question that it will be there when you return."


As you look around the flattened area just off the mountain pass beneath your home, you get a strange sense of deja-vu. Oh, you've almost certainly been here before: you used to run and fly and play all over the mountain. However, after a thousand years a lot had changed; aside from occasional major landmarks you didn't remember much.

This place, however… maybe it's just because you know what happened here, but you can almost feel a lingering aura of pain.

"This is the place," Sir Octavio says softly, looking around. "This is where Lady Artemis and her men were ambushed." He looks over to Axton, who's clenching his fists hard enough that you're surprised he's not drawing blood. "There's a py-"

"Do not speak to me of that pyre," the yeoman growls. "I was there when it was burned. I helped build it!"

A tense silence passes. Carefully, you make your way over to Axton and pat him on the arm until he slowly lets out a breath. You don't begrudge him his pain: you remember how much it hurt to walk through the ruined remnants of your home, still fresh off the realization that you were alone. The man lets out a slow, shuddering breath, giving in to a moment of what he'd probably consider weakness as he grips your hand.

It seems, for all this place is your home, it has traumas enough for everyone.

Lancel looks around. "I think this is all the farther we can take the cart, Mistr-" You frown at him. "-Ryza."

Sir Octavio nods. "Mistress Flarestone and I weren't able to find a way to get ours any further," he says. "If you wish, I can leave some of my men here to look after it, so that Lady Ryza can have people she knows and trusts more accompany her on the final ascent."

"Thank you," you say. You'd agreed to let Countess Mantrae send some escorts: it was only neighborly, after all, but you weren't quite ready to let everyone into your home yet. Especially the ones who had sort of broken in once already. However… "You can come up if you wish, since you've been here recently. Jenna also mentioned some things that were set aside."

The cavalier bows. "Of course," he says. "Claire, set up camp here, we might be a while."

Silently, the woman nods, gathering the Legerian soldiers and starting to set up a small camp around the cart. You halfway consider suggesting that she come along as well, you'd been hoping to get her and Kelton to actually talk about their problems rather than hiding from them like children. However, your time here is going to be tense enough without needing to babysit them and their hurt feelings. Maybe on the way back, you'll be able to get them to actually use their words.

As you start to lead the way up towards where you partially remember the main entrance being, you see two of the Agrithian yeomen splitting off towards a ridge overlooking the campsite. When you glance at Axton, he lowers his voice. "Best to have some light movers to carry a message through rough terrain, in case things go wrong down here," he says.

You get the feeling he's not being completely forthcoming with his reasons, but at the same time you don't want to call him out on anything in front of Sir Octavio. He has the right to his suspicions, after everything that has happened.

The trip up the mountain is harder than the trip down. You remember a thousand years ago that there used to be finely-carved stairs leading up to the main entrance to Kepesh-Okar, but today all that's left is the occasional jagged rock. Tangled plants and moss cover the countless boulders and stones that cover the area, occasionally forcing you to spread your wings and fly as the others work their way through the messy path. It's incredible that Artemis was able to find her way up safely, especially at night while being chased by the Talons.

Finally, however, you stand before the front door to your home. Your heart sinks: it's one thing to know, intellectually, that a thousand years is going to leave its mark. It's another to stare at a doorway that you can barely recognize as more than just a cave entrance.

"There used to be doors," you hear yourself saying, struggling to contain the prickling in your eyes. "Big, stone doors, so big I couldn't move them without the magic runes Father put in them." You run a finger along the edge. "They were beautiful… they were supposed to be the first things guests saw, and the tribe's ancestors wanted to make a good impression…"

Kelton pats your shoulder as you realize they're shaking. "Hey, kid, you okay?" he asks.

Sniffling, you look up at him. "This was my home…" you say. "This was my home, and look at it."

"I am," he says. "I'll admit, it's a bit of a fixer-upper, but buildings can be rebuilt. I've lost count of the number of times various parts of Miau were put back together after something went wrong. Dad always said that, so long as the people survived, the stuff could be fixed." He ruffles your hair. "It'll take a while, but eventually this place'll look as good as new. You can make a new door, just as nice as the old one."

You smile wanly. "Thanks, Kelton," you say. Taking a deep breath, you lead the way forward. "Alright, let's see what we've got here."

As you step into the darkness, you look around. It's clear that, whatever battle took place a thousand years ago, it was centered here. You can still see the scars of elemental breaths, the marks of claws on stone. They're faint, true, and in places they've been wiped away by time, but you can see them, especially as the humans light up their lanterns so they can see too.

After a minute of silence, Axton looks around. "This was where the Talons set up camp," he says. Focusing on the moment, you note the signs of old fire-pits, the marks of places where pegs were driven into the stone to anchor tents.

"We did too," Sir Octavio says. As the remaining helpers start moving around, looking for spots to set up tents, he looks at you. "Lady Ryza, do you… do you wish to see where we found your father?"

A part of you doesn't. Wants to cling to some faint, desperate illusion that he was still alive. However, you force yourself to be brave, his stone is in your pocket, you know he's gone. "Yes, please," you say.

The cavalier silently leads you down a few corridors, still covered in the ancient signs of battle. Charred patterns on the stone, barely visible but still present, mark the points where elemental breaths went off course. A cratered wall still holds the faint pattern of a dragon's body-shape, and as you pick at the rubble you find the remnants of a broken scale.

Finally, however, Sir Octavio turns down a corridor that ends in a pile of rubble, covered by a large cloth. "We were looking for any sorts of secret passages or signs of habitation," he says stiffly. "And we found… well, we found this. My apologies if this was an intentional burial…"

You shake your head. "No, it wasn't," you say, not moving. "We have proper tombs for that; I've been to them a few times; they're down below." You gesture vaguely towards where you think the stairs are. "This… this is just… where he was left…"

"Do you want some time?" Lancel asks.

Swallowing, you nod. "Yes, please." Kelton starts to open his mouth, but you shake your head. "Alone. I want to be alone with him."

"Sure thing, Ryza," Belle says, grabbing Kelton's arm and starting to tug him back. "Come on, let's go before the official clankers take all the good spots."

You wait, silently, until the last echoes of footsteps have faded from the corridor. Finally, you step forwards and grab the corner of the tarp. Swallowing, you pull it off, revealing the hole that had been dug into the rubble… the hole leading to the empty stare of a dragon-form's skull.

"Hi, Father," you say weakly, pulling his stone out and setting it on his bony snout. The faint line of gold-colored paint and glue is barely visible, but you can still spot it easily. "I… I'm sorry I didn't… I couldn't…" Feeling tears beginning to leak from your eyes, you reach in and start petting the bone. "I…"

You don't know how long you stand by the impromptu grave. You cry and babble and try to make sense of how this all happened. The skull is silent, no warmth or light leaks this deep into the cave with the mirrors broken, but still, you cling to some desperate comfort that there's something physical, something real.

Finally, wiping your eyes, you light up the cavern with an orb of White magic. "I've been practicing, just like I said I would," you say. "I should probably go and find the shrine; I remember there being a tablet of White magic there; that'll help me, even if I don't yet have full control of it. I can use the others, but it won't work as well until I can take the time to really study the other colors." Carefully, you remove the stone and pull the tarp back over the hole: it's not much, but until you decide what you're going to do it's at least somewhat respectful.

"Rest well, Father," you say softly, before finally retreating back towards the entrance.

You find the humans having set up a camp. Sir Octavio is talking quietly with Belle, Kelton, Axton and Lancel as they look down at a bag. As you move over to join them, thankfully nobody asks you if you're okay. You're not sure how you'd be able to answer. Kelton just wraps an arm around your shoulder.

"I was just telling your companions how, after we realized just who's home this was, Mistress Flarestone ordered that we stash all the relics we found," Sir Octavio says, gesturing to the bag.

A flash of anger crosses your mind at the idea that a bunch of strangers were picking over what was yours by right, but you force it down: anger won't help you here, and so you will control that emotion. "Thank you," you say, crouching down and sifting through the pile. There's not much of interest, a few fragments of carved stone, a scrap or two of scroll with legible writing, not much. It is, however, a link to your home, and so you carefully close the bag. "I'm going to my father's shrine: the place where I was sealed away. There's a box that I'll need some help carrying."

"Of course," several people say at the same time.

Smiling faintly, you stand and hold up your ball of light. "Come on, this way,"

As you walk through the halls, the signs of damage become less noticeable. They're still there, of course. Everywhere you look, the signs of wear and tear are mixed with signs that look… almost like deliberate destruction.

Frowning, you pause, running a finger along a groove cut into the remnants of an old mural, one that depicted one of your ancient ancestors first founding this place. At first, you think it's a claw mark, but the pattern isn't right… "What's this?" you ask.

Axton studies it. "I can't be certain," he says after a long moment. "But it looks like a pick-ax mark. There was something there that someone wanted, and they carved it out."

Your blood runs cold. Searching your memory, you think about this mural in its true form: that point… "Someone carved out the topaz gems that stood in for Miakuroisi's dragonstone," you snarl. Looking over the rest of the mural, you see similar marks anywhere else there had been gemstones or other valuable materials. "Someone did this deliberately."

"Grave-robbers," Kelton says darkly. "Some people have no respect for the Sentinel's wards, and will steal from them even after they've gone to the Wall." Belle starts to open her mouth, but seems to think better of whatever she was about to say and closes it.

Breathing slowly, you force your rage down. This was probably done decades if not centuries ago, and as horrifying and insulting as it was they were just gems. They weren't something to get worked up over, especially not at the people who'd had nothing to do with it. "Let's go," you mutter, continuing your path.

It takes you a while to find your way, but finally you stand in front of the wall that hid your sanctuary. You can't sense anything, Father's protections are still in place, but you recognize the wall. "This is it," you say softly. Gently pressing your stone to the wall, you watch as Father's spell transports it to the back of the shrine, opening the way.

"Wow…" Belle whispers as she looks around, her lantern panning across the spiraling runes. "This place is incredible!"

"And so well preserved," Sir Octavio says. "More than anything else." He frowns. "Even accounting for the lack of thieves and vandals breaking things, time should have worn away at this place."

You cock your head thoughtfully. He's… not wrong. Looking about, you consider the crispness of the runes: even away from the elements, there should have been some wear or tear or burnout. Especially since there would have had to be magical energy flowing continuously through the system to maintain the stasis spell on you.

Something was going on here. Something that you aren't thinking of.

Shaking your head, you make your way to the alter where you'd slept. "This was where Artemis found me," you say, vaulting over it and opening the box. "And here's the stuff I wasn't able to carry out." Grabbing your blanket, you wrap it around yourself; even with your cloak it's a little chilly in here.

You faintly hear some snickers, and you look back. "What? Mother made it for me," you say, fumbling with it to make a second hood for yourself.

"We know," Belle says, struggling to keep a grin off her face. "But you've got to admit, it's kind of funny, seeing you like this. Like a little kid wandering around after bedtime."

Pouting, you glare at them. "I will remind you all that, even discounting the thousand-year nap, I am older than all of you put together!" you grumble.

This has less of an effect than you'd hoped, as everyone simply laughs. "Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that you're cute, all bundled up like that," Kelton says.

Muttering about betrayals most foul, you look back into the box. "So these are the things Father and Mother left me," you say, reaching in and digging out Mother's Hymn, putting it into your pocket next to Thunder's Cry. "We can probably leave the food behind; while we can eat it while we're here, it's a bit heavy and we don't need to bring it out now."

The humans, having finally gotten over their stupid giggling, gather around. "That… is a lot of scrolls…" Kelton says.

"Father wanted to make sure I had all the knowledge I'd need if something happened to him and Mother," you say, rooting through the pile to see if there's anything interesting you'd missed. "Oh, I didn't notice this the first time!" you say as you dig out a fancy tablet. "Ha! This is the Claim Stone to the mountain! Even if Countess Mantrae hadn't agreed that Kepesk-Okar is mine, this says it is!"

"That's probably useful to have, though I'm guessing not a lot of humans would acknowledge it, sadly," Sir Octavio says. "So, is there anything else in there?"

"Lots of stuff," you say. "Do you think we could carry the whole thing?"

The humans look at each other. "I don't think so," Belle says, studying the bottom. "It looks like it was made out of the ground itself, probably by magic."

You sigh, it would have been simpler to be able to just carry the box, but you trust that Father knew what he was doing. "Alright," you say. "I guess we just start moving scrolls."

"Ryza, please don't take this the wrong way, but do you need all of them?" Kelton asks. "I mean, I'm sure they're all nice, but there are so many of them."

"But if I leave them, and someone else finds this place, I'll probably never get them back!" you cry. "Besides, Father left them for me. There has to be some sort of meaning to them!" You start digging through the pile. "I at least need these ones," you say, pulling out the remaining elemental tablets and the scrolls that you'd considered bringing along when you were preparing to leave with Artemis. Those, at least, you had to take along!

Lancel nods. "That looks like a reasonable start," he says. "For now, why don't you just take those ones, and you can think about what else you'd like to bring. We have some time; it looks like nobody's been here since Mistress Flarestone left." You nod gratefully as everyone murmurs their agreement, opening their backpacks so you can spread the scrolls and tablets around rather than having to carry them all yourself.

As you re-seal the shrine and start making your way back towards the forming camp at the entrance to your home, you ponder what exactly you're going to do here. Kepesk-Okar is big, especially considering there are some lower levels that you were forbidden from entering. Mother had never gotten around to telling you why exactly you weren't allowed down there, but you'd trusted her to have her reasons. However, now…

Frowning, you consider something. "I want to take a quick detour," you say, turning down another corridor.

"What is it?" Belle asks.

"My home goes deep into the mountain," you say as you follow the halls towards the central stairway. "And I wanted to check to see if I could still go down if I want to."

"What's further down?" Kelton asks.

"A lot of stuff," you say. "Kepesk-Okar was home to a lot of manakete, once upon a time, and some of the living spaces are deeper in than what Father, Mother and I used. There might be some-" your voice trails off.

In front of you is the central stairway. It's still there, which is better than your worst fears, though it is somewhat crumbled. However… as you stare at it, you can see the signs of piles of rubble and broken furniture blocking the way further down. Not completely, it'd be pretty easy to go over it, but something about the way it's arranged… and there's an odd smell on the stagnant air…

"This is recent work," Lancel says, stepping forward and playing his light over the barrier. "Look at the scuff marks: these stones were deliberately dragged to make this wall." Stepping to the edge, he shines the light down into the blackness. "There's something down there…."

Moving up to join him, you peer into the darkness. As his light fades away, you see what he means. "I can't get a good look at it, it's too dark," you say, staring at the dark bundle laying on the stairs, far down below. "I can go get a closer look-"

"Ah ah ah, you don't go first," Belle says, grabbing the back of your cloak and blanket. "Kelton and I'll check it out first." The soldier nods immediately. "You stick with the other ranged-guys and cover us."

You dither for a moment before nodding. "Okay, be careful," you say as the pair clamber over the barricade and make their way carefully down the steps. A minute later, they reach it, only to recoil a moment later.

"Sentinel preserve us…" you hear Kelton mutter, sounding genuinely scared for the first time since you'd met him. "Well, I know why the way was barricaded…"

"What is it?" you ask. Running out of patience when they don't answer immediately, you shuck your blanket, spread your wings and glide down the stairs. "What do you see?"

A moment later, you get your answer.

Laying on the stairs is a dead human body. It's clearly the source of the stench, it looks like it's been rotting away for years… but there's something else about it. Black magic… or at least something very like it, seems to coil faintly around the corpse like a miasma cloud, and you can see the fingers of the corpse have thickened and warped into long, jagged claws. The head is twisted at an impossible angle, leaving its blotchy, rotten face to stare at you. Its teeth, those that remain, are sharpened like fangs. Several broken arrows are jutting out of its torso.

"Revenant," Belle hisses, backing warily away. "The walking dead." She looks up. "Whoever made that barrier must have had a run-in with them, panicked, and built it to keep them out." She looks warily at you. "It's said that where there's one revenant, a horde isn't far behind. We should be careful."

As she speaks, your attention is drawn to the wall a few steps above the revenant. Crouching down, you watch as faint flickers of lightning flash through the runes engraved along the wall. They're… weak, faded, and you can almost see a coiling darkness in them, but they're there. Slowly, you reach out and feed some energy into the runes, and you're rewarded with a steadier glow. "I'm not sure…" you say, staring at the runes. "But I think these are some sorts of protections. They're weak, almost burned out, but they'll give us some protection. I think."

"They can keep the undead out?" Belle asks nervously, peering down the stairs into the darkness as if expecting a swarm to come clambering out of the shadows.

You shrug helplessly. "I can't be sure," you say. "Even if it wasn't too complicated for me, they're worn and faded enough that I'm almost hesitant to leave them running." Seeing the flickers of panic across your friends' faces, you relent. "But I guess it can't hurt." Looking back at the creature, you grimace. Mother does it smell! "What is it?"

"Revenants are the least of monster-kind," Kelton says. "They're slow, dumb, and don't use weapons beyond their claws and teeth. Even most militia-soldiers can handle one or two, especially with a good lance to make them keep their distance." He shudders. "But there's almost never just one or two. When fell magic causes them to rise, they do so in hordes!" He stares down into the blackness. "I'm worried there're more down there. Especially if someone was worried enough to make a full barricade."

You frown. "That doesn't make any sense," you say. "I was down there plenty of times. We didn't live there, but there's a lot of old storage chambers and things like that, as well as some living space from back when there were a lot more people living here. Mother never would have let me go down there if she thought it was dangerous!"

"Maybe it wasn't, a thousand years ago," Belle says. "Maybe back then the magic kept the monsters out, so it was safe to move around, but over time the spells faded." You slowly nod, that actually makes sense. She hesitates. "You say there's stuff down there? Is it anything you want?"

"Possibly. At least, I know there's one big storage room that probably has a lot of odds and ends that might be useful."

The thief and soldier glance at each other. "Well, if you do decide to go down there, it can't be alone," Kelton says. "You at least need to bring the two of us with you, preferably with Axton, Lancel, and Sir Octavio. Revenants may be slow and dumb, but they're relentless, and if there's a lot of them they can surround you before you realize you're in trouble. And that's not even considering that there might be worse monsters lurking below."

You nod. "Okay, I promise," you say. Glancing at the spluttering runes, you feed some more magic into them. "There, that should keep them going for a few hours at least, maybe a day," you say. "We should head back to the others. Can revenants go out during the day?"

"They can," Kelton says. "A lot of people think they can't, but they're perfectly capable of acting during the day, just like all monsters."

Your face goes cold as the three of your hurry back up the crumbling stairs. "Then we should warn Claire and the others to be careful too," you say. "I don't think there are any entrances to the lower levels directly, but that was a thousand years ago, something could have opened up."

"What's wrong?" Sir Octavio asks as you rejoin him and the yeomen.

Looking back down the stairs, you're somewhat reassured to see that the rune is still glowing. "There was a monster down there," you say. "A… what did you call it? Rev-"

"A revenant," Kelton answers. "It was dead, looks like it'd been for a while, but it was a revenant, not just a body. It had claws."

The cavalier curses. "And the magic?" he asks, pointing towards the faint light of the recharged runes.

"I'm pretty sure it's the remnants of an old warding rune-structure my ancestors set up," you say. "It should keep the monsters from coming up these stairs, but we should probably have some people stay here and keep an eye out. The runes are really faded and could burn out at any time."

Axton nods sharply. "A good idea," he says. "I'll go grab some of my men." He glances at Sir Octavio. "Was this here when you were poking around?"

Sir Octavio shakes his head. "I don't know, I'm afraid," he says. "We never made it this far, Mistress Flarestone had us leave as soon as we found Lady Ryza's father." He glances at it. "I don't think it was the Talons and their bandit pets, either. It looks older than that. There were other people here, once, and they were worried enough about what's down there that they put some time and effort into making sure that this barricade would not fall easily."

As Axton hurries away, you turn and gaze down the stairs. Is it just your imagination, or do you see something glinting further down… You raise a hand and send a jolt of White magic down the stairs. There's nothing there, nothing but ruins and scars.

Still, as the darkness reasserts itself, you can't help but despair at what has become of your home.

---

You have returned to your home. You don't feel comfortable trying to repair and make this place livable now, what with the Empire right next door. However, there are still plenty of things that you can find that will bring you aid, comfort and information in the coming days. You can spend as long as you want searching. You can even search the same place multiple times, which will give you better results.

However, you get the feeling that the longer you spend here, the more things will happen during your stay. Not all of these things will be bad, surely, but they will happen. You will have to balance missing important supplies and information if you don't search hard enough with the risk of being blindsided by events if you stay too long.

What do you want to do? (Please vote by plan)

[] Upper Floors: This area seems mostly safe. A bit run-down, a bit dirty, but now that the Talons and bandits are gone there doesn't seem to be any actual threats. However, this makes it more likely that thieves have stolen most things of use.
-[] Visit yours and your parents' rooms. These places may be destroyed, but they were some of the most important places of your early life. Maybe you'll find… something… to remember your roots by.
-[] Dig through the main library. This was where the scrolls and tablets that your parents used on a regular basis were kept. While you have plenty of scrolls from the box in the shrine, there might be other things here.
-[] Make a proper grave for your Father's body, as well as Mother's if you can find it. You have already made a shrine to your parents, and you know you can't bring their bodies to Agrithe even if you wanted to, but you're not just going to leave them laying where they were killed.
--[] Make a new burial spot
--[] Take them to the Crypts (only available if you explore the Crypts)
-[] Look at Father's Runewrighting labs. These were the places where Father carried out his experiments and made his runes. Maybe there's something here that could prove useful
-[] Visit Mother's study. As the Matriarch of the family and tribe, Mother used the ancestral study of the Matriarch and Patriarch when doing official business. Maybe there's something here that can give you some answers as to what happened a thousand years ago…
-[] Your Shrine. Not only do you want to get the rest of the scrolls, you want to try and figure out how that place survived as long as it did. If other manakete have survived, surely it is by some similar method, and so knowing the signs to look for will be useful.

[] Lower Floors: Past the ward and the barricade, you fear that you will start running into monsters, possibly the revenants your human friends fear, possibly more dangerous ones like baels or doogs. However, if humans were afraid of going down there, then it is more likely that useful materials survived.
-[] Visit the Deep Library. A massive storage space for all those scrolls and tablets that were rarely used, you're sure there's something interesting and useful here, if only you can find it.
-[] Main Storage: Another titanic cavern, where countless odds and ends were packed away in case they might ever prove useful. Rune-structures, tablets, maybe even elixers… you're sure you can find items here.
-[] The Crypts. The ancient burial place of your ancestors. Not only might this be a place to bury your family, but perhaps you will be able to find some peace or wisdom among the memories of those who came before.
-[] Even Deeper. Down in the darkness is a passage beyond which you were forbidden to tread. You don't want to go through it… but maybe, if you look at it, you can figure out how the monsters got into your home.
-[] The Ward. If you spend some time, you might be able to reinforce the warding runes so that they at least won't fail. At least, not anytime soon.

AN: A bit of a short update, I know.

For the vote, please remember to vote by plan. Also, to make the mechanics clear: you can vote for as many different things you want Ryza to do or search for, but the more things you do, the more other events will happen, either elsewhere or at Kepesk-Okar.