Day 452
I've spent the night in a horribly awkward position. As accustomed as I am to sleeping to avoid crushing my wings, my balance is thrown off by the sheared stump of my missing limb. It takes some effort to sit up and swing my legs down without lurching off the bed...the lightness and ease of movement is there but undirected and unfocused. I have to concentrate to keep myself still.
Fortunately I can sit easily as I read the letter that arrived in the night informing me that Drakken was no longer a threat and that Lyssa and Uncle have things under control. The message takes much of the urgency out of the morning and I lean on Kaide as she appears beside me to support my injured side. It has been a long while since I held my staff with anything but a light touch but today I grip it out of necessity.
I shoot quick notes to Hella, Miriam, Nina, and Dawn asking for their status and if they would like to pass along anything to anyone in Whitewater while I am here. And I convince myself to use one of the Emerald Beads of Rebirth from the Grotto. Wing regrowth is, after all, exactly the sort of injury they help with. Having come through this assault on my small Empire safely because of those healing resources I am determined to send some back to Doraal in the hopes of clearing his eyes of light.
Downstairs I find Yneir perched on the mantle sipping at a mug of soup and I eagerly accept some as well from Ellen. She and Del are eager to hear about Hella and I try my best to give them a coherent and reassuring description of the last several months. Fortunately I can also hand Ellen a letter from Hella and give her a letter bird as well. I hope to not pass letters back and forth too often but I certainly want several people here to have a way to reach me and my family.
She busies herself gathering the families of all the youngsters who've apprenticed themselves to me and my family in order to get updates. Deep in my mug of soup I feel sluggish considering how exactly I'm going to explain Dawn to her parents and whether I should at all. I have no idea if Dawn will ever want to come back here. My letterbox remains disturbingly empty until finally a note in shaky dragonback handwriting arrives from her.
Tell them I'm happy and I'll visit soon!
I have to chuckle a bit. Inevitably I ought to prepare them at least a little bit for the daughter who will fly into the village. Miriam is the last remaining youth I don't have a recent status update on and I send quick letters to Camellia and Liliales in Dreamfall. Liliaeles writes back quickly:
Miriam is injured but Camellia says she'll be okay. She says it's better than it looks.
At least I have the information I need to not inadvertently lie to these parents. They file in and I notice Yneir fidgeting, eyes locked on Annette. Fortunately I can still pull her aside as we set up a receiving room and pointedly tell her to talk to me before she dares to say anything to the otherwise clueless Annette. Miriam's tearful story of stealing her sister's magic is not one that I would share without her permission, let alone Yneir.
She's missing a piece. She's empty! It needs to be filled by something and she can't have human magic anymore. Dwarf, fae, troll, whatever, she needs a nice teacher who will help her fill that emptiness or she'll be sad. And most importantly, her sister needs her!
Yneir seems nervous in a way I haven't seen from her before. I can't argue with what she's saying - I have no interest in leaving a trail of empty people behind us and this is an easy fix. There are plenty of teachers I'd entrust Miriam's sister to, as long as we can persuade her. I expected relief when I accept her guidance but she still looks nervous.
I know I don't have any right... but I want to be part of your family and help take care of him...
The golden crow looks so uncertain that I'm curious if fate really looks so unclear at this juncture. Even exhausted and injured as I am, how can I see such a naked expression of care for Bran and reject it? She might not be
family but it's clear that we're all entangled somehow. Even someone blind to fate can see that.
I give her hand a squeeze. I have no quarrel with her, no problem with her being near. She has done enough of a service to Bran and our family that she's earned my gratitude. The only thing I think she needs to work on (still) is her tugging of strings. Perhaps it's a cultural divide but elves tend to spin fate delicately whereas I've been told that she yanks and pulls at it. That part warrants some change.
I think she looks relieved as she leaves...it's hard to tell beneath her mask.
Nina's parents enter first and we have an almost banal conversation about the upcoming nuptials and how their daughter has grown into herself. They had intended to depart for the wedding very soon and so I offer to fly them back to Solace with us.
Wayla and Annette are next. I've always liked Wayla and I continue to respect her brusque questions about whether her daughter ran off, got into trouble, or otherwise caused chaos. With Wayla I can be direct - her daughter is a talented alchemist, refractor of magic, and baker. She and Alder have grown into siblings and she is well-respected, well-liked, and valued. I avoid discussing her injury or upcoming plans to cross the mountains. Particularly as Wayla tells me that she'll be representing New Whitewater in the Summit (I expect Torrick has been arranging a meet for the members of this Empire), I imagine the little family will have opportunity to speak in person.
When Wayla leaves I ask for a moment with Annette alone and she looks at my with surprise but acquiesces. It's a more delicate conversation than with Wayla but I describe the structure of magic and how everyone has a little bit...but she has none. She's more thoughtful about it than I realize, pointing out that her own mother clearly has some sort of fire magic but is unwilling to recognize it as such. She has always thought it was fine to not have magic. There's no easy way for me to tell her that her magic was stolen (and again, not my story to tell). Instead, I allude to things my Fatespinners have seen and suggest that sometimes an opportunity arises from out of nowhere. Would she like to learn magic?
I was expecting resistance but instead, she seems interested! Annette admits that after Bran left, there were no young men in the village who caught her eye and she has been thinking of a reason to leave and see new places. I have to laugh at this - it is as good a reason as any to go beyond the confines of one's hometown. She thinks that Wayla intends to give her the bakery when her new political position really picks up but Annette hasn't really decided if that's something she
wants. I tell her to take her time thinking and promise to help set up time to speak with Miriam about it. The two of them really need to talk before Annette can make a decision and I want Miriam to have the opportunity to tell her sister the truth now that they have both grown.
The last visit is with Dawn's parents. When they enter the room I notice Agatha knitting and think that perhaps we have a hope of getting through this conversation. It's not exactly one that elves or fae are used to...
How's my boy?
The conversation quickly becomes a dance between Dawn's father, Martin, and me. Agatha mostly focuses on her knitting and occasionally jabs her husband with a needle to force him back into the proper pattern. I describe how their child has chosen a new name (immediately decried by Martin as some sort of "fairy" name, to my horror and amusement). I tell them how Dawn is currently quite far up North helping one of the dragons heal and heading off a small army of fae. Her father looks sort of confused but blusters about how he knew Dawn had potential and asks something about grandchildren. Again, Agatha jabs him and points out that their daughter would have been better off without Hamman beating her and abusing her at Martin's behest.
All you did was delay happiness!
My blood boils but I continue the conversation as though I have ice in my veins. The last thing I need to tell them is about her fae nature. I describe how sometimes people shift and change, fanning out my own single wing to illustrate. I tell them Dawn is fae now, but entirely fae. Not like me, but smaller and coloured like the night sky in a way that suits her. Martin reddens but Agatha nods promptly and glances at her knitting, a blanket with the beginnings of fire magic showing in it. She shushes him and asks me about whether a scarf would be a more appropriate gift, asking for help picking up yarn. It is a relief to lock eyes with this elderly human woman and make small talk about yarn while her husband seemingly has an aneurysm beside us.
Eventually Agatha ushers the two of the out and asks me to tell her daughter to visit. It is clear to me that she knew all along and I'm glad that Dawn will have her mother on her side when she returns.
With all the families tended to I can finally make my way out into the village to handle the other tasks that need my attention. I need to pay respects to Nisset's family and Belle, make sure that I leave letter birds with people here (Annette and Wayla can share but I want Vedrah to get one as well). In the common room I see Annette and Kaide talking about magic and jewellery happily while Yneir and Wayla chat about "your path to glory" and being "queen of this place". At another time I might have wanted to hear these conversations. Right now, I want to be outside.
I'm partway across town when Onyx wings his way overhead and drops into the town square like a stone shaped like a dwarf. Upon seeing me he hurries over to inspect my wing and commiserate over how horrible wing injuries can be. My mind is still hazy with work and plans so I send him off to Kaide and the inn while I continue onwards.
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