Ardrin stepped through, inhaling the fresh air deeply as he closed his eyes. When he reopened them, his face immediately scowled at Taegin, but he showed no other sign of hostility. However, the tension in the air between them could be cut with the dullest butter knife, and we all felt it.
The portal quickly dissipated behind him, leaving only a faint trace of its mana behind. "Well, now that we're all here…" I trailed off, trying my best to diminish the tension. "Hello, brother," Ardrin nearly spat, but said nothing else as he stepped behind Irun. "You look well," Taegin said with as much honesty as he could muster.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say well, but I'm alive, thanks to Thoma, Ysevel, and Lady Kalia," he groaned. "I see," Taegin nodded, maintaining his cordiality. "Walk with me and tell me everything that happened. Thoma, Ysevel, Lady Kalia; I'll see you later," he motioned for Ardrin to follow. "Of course," Kalia dipped her head, knowing just as well as I did that their conversation would not be a light one.
"Come on, Thoma. Let's get you cleaned up and out of this cold," my mother tousled my hair as we watched the two silently walk away. I was suddenly grateful that Ysevel had taken it upon herself to keep my hair at a reasonable length, teaching me to keep it loosely gathered behind my head.
After a long bath and a fresh change of clothes, we gathered for dinner. I let Irun know to try to keep Athar's comments to a minimum, as we were in the presence of royalty, but a handful still managed to slip out. Aurae chuckled, already having heard an earful about everyone from Ysevel, though Elhael was obviously uncomfortable with his quips.
Ysevel and I sat beside Kalia and my mother. We tried to teach her how to use the set of utensils properly, but she ended up bending nearly every one she grabbed. "Don't worry about it. I'll have Maikell forge you some that will suit your strength," my mother managed through a hearty chuckle.
It reminded me of the time we'd spent in the dome. Irun and Athar were silently bickering or whispering obscenities that Elhael couldn't help but hear. Ysevel and I sat together, trying our best to not scarf down our food as we had over the past decade. The only new addition was that it was Kalia's turn to try to learn and try new things.
The chefs brought out a vast selection of meats and other such delicacies that Kalia, poor thing, simply couldn't identify. "Here, try this one. Oh, and this one, too," my mother and Ysevel began, filling her already large plate with the various new foods. She gingerly took a bite of a pheasant that was specially prepared for the occasion, and while she struggled to admit it, the fact that her faceplate retracted to fit more food in her mouth told us all what we needed to know.
"Gods above, you're stunning, aren't you? I'm almost jealous," my mother quipped, accidentally drawing attention to something Kalia hadn't even noticed happening. "Egeshe krag," she blushed, quickly covering her face with her hands. But like me, my mother gently pulled them away and gave her a warm smile.
Kalia was dumbfounded, blankly staring at her with a lost look. "It's alright, Kalia. I met your family, but this is mine," I smiled, gently touching her armored forearm. "Well, almost all of it, anyway," I shrugged, getting a giggle from my mother and the others.
We readjusted to life in Caegwen for the next few days, before a messenger came to find us in the training yard. Kalia and Ren shared techniques, while Ysevel and I helped guide my mother in using her Wraith mana.
"Being a fifth stage is fucking cheating! Do you know how long it took me to do that?" I threw my hands in the air, then gestured to the massive crater in the ground left by her dagger. Ysevel chuckled at my frustration, while my mother stared at me blankly. "How long did it take you?" she asked bluntly. "A hell of a lot longer than five days, that's for sure," I sighed, then chuckled at the ridiculous gap between a fourth and fifth stage.
"Commander, Bernar has returned from his mission in Harut with Queen Leona and a score of others," a messenger called out from beyond the limits of the training area. "Bring him here! I want to show him what Thoma taught me," she grinned wryly. Kalia and Ren were too busy to notice the messenger, as she helped correct his form for an attack he thought he'd created.
I've never seen his eyes glisten like that, I sent Ysevel, who turned to look at them, then chuckled softly. Better get used to it, I suppose, she replied with a smile.
Nearly thirty minutes after the messenger arrived, my brother, followed closely by Leona, Thorsen, Gwili, Wyrran, and two others I didn't recognize, trotted towards us on horseback. I sheathed my training sword and greeted them alongside my mother and Ysevel.
"Thoma, you look like a bag of smashed assholes," he noted after dismounting his horse and giving me a strong hug. "While you look like a ballsack freshly plucked from a leper's crotch," I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "You've put on weight, little brother. I see your time in the Underworld wasn't idly spent," he looked me over.
"Ah, well, about that…" I trailed off when I noticed Leona's shocked expression. "Y-You weren't joking, were you, Bernar?" she stammered, moving closer to see if it was really me. "You told her about me?" I glowered at Bernar. "Well, yeah. Why the fuck wouldn't I?" he raised an eyebrow with a scoff. I sighed, but turned my attention back to Leona.
"It's good to see you again, I'm glad to see you're in good health," I said with a warm smile. "Good health is a bit of an overstatement, but I'm glad to see you, too," she smiled nervously. Raising an eyebrow at my brother, he only gave me a dismissive wave, indicating that whatever happened there in Harut would be a story for another time.
"Thorsen, Gwili. It's good to see you, too," I added, seeing the two of them approach. "The elf wouldn't shut up about you on the way here," Thorsen shrugged. "I'd say the same about the big man here," Gwili jabbed his elbow into Thorsen's hip, immediately regretting his decision as he rubbed it.
I chuckled and turned to the other two behind me. "Leona, this is Ysevel and my mother, Siraye," I gestured openly to them. "It's an honor, Your Majesty," my mother said, her tone mimicking Aurae's as closely as she dared without being offensive. "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, too," Leona performed an elven greeting, but the way she said it suggested Bernar had already told her about my mother's true demeanor.
That's going to be fun to watch, Ysevel sent with a mental giggle, almost making me laugh. I cleared my throat before continuing, as Bernar and Ysevel stepped aside to catch up with the others. "Who's that over there?" Leona asked, gesturing to Kalia. "Oh, that's…" I halted, immediately shifting into my fourth stage and leaning into the paths that would lead me to her side.
I formed my kataki blade just in time to catch Bernar's sword aimed at the back of her neck. Kalia, of course, hadn't flinched, sensing my intent, but the shockwave from me blocking his blade kicked up a massive cloud of dust behind me. "What are you…?" Bernar began, but cut himself off when he looked into my scarlet eyes.
"That's my battle-sister, mentor, and friend, Lady Kalia of the Iron Plume Clan," I managed, still feeling the weight of his attack nearly shatter the bones in my arms. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Bernar Fayren. Your brother has told me so much about you," I heard the chestplate shift as she bowed behind me. What the fuck is happening? Bernar asked through our mental connection.
"Brother, we need to talk," I grinned, foreseeing how the next few weeks, if not months were about to go.