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The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Snowgate Keep, Snowgate Hall
Hasday, the Thirteenth Day of Tiger

Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Lyric, Anatoli, Eleni, Kasha, Kisa, Rishka, Slink, and TeeCee

The next day came early. For Cesare, it was a loud pounding on the door to his room. Definitely a Kasha sort of pounding.

"Ho! Rhoni guy!"

It was very definitely Kasha.

"Get yourself up. This is your morning summons to the east tower balcony. You weren't there, but your minstrel said to make sure you get up."

For a moment there was silence on the other side of the door.

"Are you up? I don't hear anything! Don't make me have to come in there and drag you out."

Then there was a second voice, quieter, softer and much more cutting.

"Oh, please, give us an excuse to come in and drag you out."

That must be Rishka.

* * *

Getting up early was not a problem for the elder Khorall and her Knight. That they could share morning prayers, that was an uncommon joy for Kisa. It was a simple thing, but it meant so very much.

It meant the day started not just well, but the best way possible.

"I... I... I could really get used to this."

And when Kisa blushed, it was like fire.

* * *

"My Lady, I know it is early, but..."

Bekkah's summons came from the Captain of the Guard herself.

"...if you don't hurry you, will be late for your minstrel's calling. On the other hand, I got this big basket of bread and pastries, wrapped in gingham and still warm from the kitchens, and if you do not bring it with you, your friends will go hungry. Breakfast is the most important of meals, da?"

For a moment there was silence on the other side of the door.

"I hope you don't mind, but I did claim a blueberry muffin for myself."

* * *

Lyric was not the first to her balcony. When she got there, she found that one of the crenellations was taken up with a sleeping Slink. Or, at the least, what looked to be a sleeping Slink. That, however, was a good omen. If the young Khorall's bodyguard was here, that meant that Eleni would not be far behind. Daxia and Kisa arrived next, as early mornings were part and parcel with the start of the day.

They were followed by Eleni, rubbing her eyes, looking blearily toward the far horizon, lit by the gray twilight of the approaching dawn.

"She isn't even really up, why am I?"

Anatoli looked even more worn than his liege, and perhaps even walked with a slight limp. But for some reason, it didn't seem to bother him. The usually invisible servant actually looked a bit more sure, a bit more steady than usual.

Then it would be Bekkah's and Cesare's time to arrive.

Last would be Tomomi. Now the little Mouse, she was exhausted, her travel cloak wrapped tightly around her. She would manage a smile, a true small smile, as if whatever had put her in such a state was well worth it. She walked up to Lyric to hand her something white on a long string of leather.

"One Fang says it grew back and then Broke gave him a funny look, said it just wasn't right and cuffed him hard. So he bit her tail. According to Lady, it was a grand tossing, only to end with Mister Renyard saying ‘come, come now, you have something to give to your girlfriend’ which then had Broke rolling on the floor not being able to stop laughing and had One Fang having fewer words than Wuff-Wuff.

"I'll never understand the Pack.

"They are very silly."

Tomomi just sat back down the balcony stones, leaning against the sturdy parapet.

"But they're some of the best of friends.

"They don't care if you are a Horse, a Rat, a Fox, a Young Master or even a Mouse."

The Minstrel was no stranger to waking before the the first rays of She Who Illumines the Sky brought color to the sky. This day was no exception in that regard. She thought about wearing the riding breeches and her boots as though she was committed to a journey. It was too soon to know whether or not she would be journeying with her companions or on her own again. It was too soon to know if she would have any time at all left to her once her friends were gathered around her. It was hard to know if they would remain her friends given what was about to occur.

She shook her head to cast away the doubts and worries. This was no time for idle thoughts. The Minstrel, who seldom cared about the time of day nor how long it took to do something or go somewhere, was working against a deadline of sorts. It was one measured in her head, balanced against the months of experience she now had with these dark morning awakenings.

What came next was a garment completely at odds with the tight fitting breeches and boots. Those would be less functional in their intended roles in the ensemble she planned. She merely needed the warmth to ward against the cold morning air, and the chill that held court in the stone floors. She laid out the dress upon her bed. Maybe it was more of a gown, one fit for royalty, meant to be worn in a Court of Queens, but not such a court as measured by the kingdoms of the Heartwood.

Her friends had all seen how she preferred to dress. Those light layers of diaphanous material that seemed oddly cut, teasing at the glimpses it offered of her body, wispy trailing fabric that gave her as much delight in the breeze as did the flowers she always paused to smell and pick. But this dress was not a simple shift of layers like that. No, it was elegant, more form fitting, and yet still layers and delicate pieces of silky fabric, heavier though, by subtle degrees. Those many layers created a cascade of colors like a waterfall of nature's own palette and then some colors that would have no name except for the similarity it might share with another, shades of colors that were exotic and unknown to the Heartwood. The Court dress descended from her neck to the floor, with an open back that was cut and formed in an asymmetrical fashion like the layers themselves. It shimmered in the flickering light, evoking the image of droplets of water that were held in suspension. Where it covered her arms, the layers were minimized and her arms could be seen through the fabric.

'Waterfall of Nature' was probably an inaccurate analogy. The dress that Lyric wore, when seen as a whole upon her body, was more like a spring rain falling through the boughs and branches of an exotic forest as glimpsed through the mists that rose from the forest floor.

Time was slipping away from her. Time was something she could never possess, nor ever understand. But she knew that it still had rules, just like her magic. They were rules that would not be broken.

She slipped into the delicate, ornate formal Court dress and cinched a few hidden gathers and adjusted herself to meld the garment with her curves. It had been crafted specifically for her when she was younger. She was going to appear before Khoralls... Queens and Princesses, 2 Priestess' as well, 2 Rhoni and an Emissary of Home. She wanted this to be right, more more importantly she wanted it to be true. They trusted her to travel with them. She wanted them to know she trusted them as well...

The last article of her outfit was a stark contrast to the delicate and elegant yet whimsical dress. It was her heavy, deep hooded, High Tarnan cloak. This was a device of convenience and comfort. It was never intended to be worn as part of this ensemble. In fact, she only came into possession of it when her Journey began. She had come to love the cloak despite those early days thinking it was going to choke her or suffocate her, or even drown her if she fell into a river by accident. None of those terrible things ever came to passe, but what it did offer her was warmth against the harsh winter winds and fought back the cutting chill in the journey here to Snowgate Keep, despite never being intended for this kind of severe weather.

This morning it would serve to conceal her as the moments passed and she came ever closer to one particular unyielding rule of her magic... duration.

*****

Moving quickly, light of step, the Minstrel raced the halls toward that upper balcony. Entering through the doors she could make out the form of the cat-like guard precariously curled up in a crenelated gap as though she was bound to honor her namesakes behaviors. Which came first, the slink in the girl... or the girl who acted the slink. It was a sure sign that preparations were underway to see the arrival of Eleni. Lyric adjusted the hood such that her face was hidden within the deep recesses. She glanced at the sky and the first hints of the morning to come.

Lyric stood very still, hidden in the depths of the cloak. The magic was fading now. Daxia and Kisa entered and she stood still, bowing her cloaked head to acknowledge them and whispered a quiet word of gratitude. She accepted that this would be disconcerting and appear mysterious but were they to see her now, she might never get to say the words that had filled her every waking moment for days now.

Next came Eleni with the manservant who loved her in tow. Lyric drew the cloak closed with her hands now. The sounds of Eleni's grumbling would have a profound effect upon Lyric's skin. She could will this away but that would ultimately defeat the intent she had resolved to reveal. The Minstrel simply kept herself concealed in the cloak. "Danka," she repeated.

The questions might come at this point, but her answers would be simply to let them know that when everyone who would come had come she would explain the reason for the gathering.

Bekkah and Cesare were next. They were among her original travelling companions. Only Keiko had known her longer. To them as well she gave her thanks for their appearance but offered no hint of the reasoning yet.

Then it was Tomomi. If she was tired from her travels, she hid it well with her chatter. Her update from Home was welcomed by the Minstrel. Either oblivious or unconcerned Tomomi approached Lyric. Her Mouseness was probably the only one in the room short enough, that when she got that close to Lyric, who could look up into the depths of the hood to see the Minstrel's face. But it would be the eyes she saw first in the shadows. Lyric smiled, somewhat sadly, as she accepted the gift of One Fang's tooth on a leather strop. She was so sure that he would have been very proud of it while he had it. Would Tomomi accept what she saw? Would it unsettle her? Or would Tomomi realize that she was not alone in the wider world?

Lyric would wait a little longer, hoping that her closest friend would find her way here.

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Someone more poetic might compare Daxia’s eyes when she looked at Kisa to the waters of Sapphire Lake when her Lady rose high in the sky. Some might have said those eyes looked like sapphires themselves.

“I could, too.”

Verchovai Yurisdotter would have said they were simply her eyes, and that her eyes liked to look at Kisa Allaine’s emerald green eyes.

Left unspoken was a statement of reality: Let’s not talk about why we can’t get used to spending mornings together...

Simple morning prayers would follow whatever Lyric was gathering her friends to share, so Daxia was dressed just as simply — quarter panel travel tunics, breeches, boots, and her Kierkegaard cloak. Armor would be donned later, before leaving Snowgate, but the ever-present Ironsilver blade was at her side.

The balcony was quiet when they arrived. Slink, watchful and pretending not to be, was curled up — or perhaps crouching — on her chosen crenellation. And Lyric...

Even cloaked in mystery, she couldn’t quite hide her nervousness. Daxia returned the minstrel’s nod, though it was anyone’s guess if she noted it, given the depths of her cloak. Whatever ritual elements the young woman brought to the balcony this morning to aid in the unburdening she had mentioned last evening... Well, the Dayalan was willing to trust that no harm would come to her liege.

An odd thought crossed her mind — What if Lyric is inviting harm to herself this morning?

Daxia couldn’t have said where that thought was born, but her fleeting glimpses of the Paths often brought to mind alternate scenarios. No matter where the thought originated, there was only one response.

It would be inhospitable and an offense to Dayala and the Allaines to allow harm to come to the young minstrel while in the Khorall’s home. That should go without saying.

She was unsuccessful in hiding her smile at Eleni’s comment, though it was Anatoli who garnered most of her attention. In allowing the sisters a moment together, it was natural to take a step back, to stand beside him, if only for a few moments.

“Whatever has spurred you to be limping,” Daxia murmured softly to the manservant, “it has strengthened your resolve, and is a story I would love to hear if you’d wish to share it.” She glanced toward the barely brightening eastern sky before adding, “Later, of course.”

And then, Daxia quietly waited and watched as others arrived. She did smile ever so slightly when Kisa reached out to twine her fingers with Dazi’s.

It would be so easy to get used to this...

Bekkah

Like all mornings, Bekkah was up with Her light. So she opened the door, wondering what was going on.

"MY Minstrel, you say?" She could only assume they meant Lyric.

"Interesting. I shall make my way there. Leave the basket and I shall bring it with me. Feel free to take another if you wish." she said with a smile.

With basket in hand, she arrived where she'd been summoned. Some might be offended, but Bekkah, as calm as ever, simply set down the basket and waited for Lyric to explain this meeting.

Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

There’s truth to the saying that a Rhoni can’t be found if a Rhoni doesn’t wish to be found. There used to be a lot more truth to it before Keiko met the Forest Folk... and Lady Emerald Korie, in particular.

She was in a surprisingly well-lit storage room, sprawled on the floor with her pots of pigments arrayed around the small rectangle of pasteboard before her. She tapped her brush against her teeth as she decided which color should be applied next.

When Emerald appeared, she’d sat up with a confused and surprised look on her face.

“But I’m not Lost, Miss Emerald! I’m right here!” A smile began forming, and violet eyes sparkled. “There’s a difference between lost and not being found. But... but... well, I suppose I’m still not accustomed to having a Forever Friend. I want to finish this painting...” She showed Emerald the multi-hued pasteboard and didn’t look like much of anything other than flowing colors. “...but if you’d be so gracious, let Tomomi know I’ll find her in the room we’re sharing.”

She smiled and shook her head as Emerald winked away. That was something she would have to remember — a Forever Friend isn’t a Rhoni, and therefore might worry about her. It was a new feeling... a very good one.

* * *

After stowing all the pots of pigments in her pack, Keiko slung it over her shoulders and picked up the nearly dry pasteboard. It was a simple matter to avoid other people as she headed back to the room she shared with Tomomi, at least until she arrived and found the quietest of Eleni’s Dayalans standing there, watching something further down the corridor.

“Have you been avoiding your kinsman?”

“What? No, of course not. I’ve been meeting people and painting...” She held the pasteboard out for Slink’s attention.

“What is it?”

“Snowgate.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Keiko shrugged. “Why did you ask about Cesare?”

“He’s been looking for you all evening. I’ve been making sure he doesn’t get into trouble. Again.”

“Oh. That’s strange. He ought to... well, maybe not, I guess.”

“Know better? You’d think. I might have found you, though.”

The Rhoni giggled. “But why would you look for me?”

“Exactly.”

She watched Slink continue down the corridor — presumably following Cesare — before entering the room. Tomomi was sleeping soundly, still wrapped in her traveling cloak. She smiled softly as she quietly set her belongings down, removed her boots, and crawled into bed.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” she whispered before curling up beside her Forever Friend and falling asleep.

* * *

The morning began earlier than usual when Tomomi rose for her visit to Home. Keiko didn’t voice her wish that she could visit again — when the time was right, it would happen. She did admire the gifts Tomomi had found for Lady and Girl. She sent her greetings to everyone with Tomomi and stood watching the space her friend vacated when she went away.

What a marvel! It was impossible to say who had the greatest gift among the residents of Home, other than the gift of a soul, of course. They were all so clever and so clearly a large and fascinating family. Watching a Mouse come and go in the blink of an eye might be the most remarkable gift in the young Rhoni’s opinion.

But just barely, of course.

She shook herself from her reverie to spend several minutes splashing cold water on her face, tugging on her boots, making sure all her belongings were packed for the journey Lady Daxia wanted to begin today, and straightened up the room to lessen the work of the Keep’s servants. Tomomi had said that Lyric wanted them to meet on one of the high balconies this morning. Keiko was looking forward to seeing her friends, to witness the glorious colors of Her rising, and to be on the road again. There was still so much of the world to see!

* * *

It seemed she was the last to arrive, right behind Tomomi, who was happily presenting Lyric with a gift from Home, from One Fang. That made Keiko smile. She liked One Fang. Well, she liked everyone who had come to the Waveriders Watch market, of course. She’d just been most fascinated by him and Broke. And all the Lil’uns. And Renyard. And Lady. And... well, fine. They were all as interesting as the people of Waveriders Watch itself!

She would wait and give Lyric her gift later.

Almost like a shadow, she slid into a spot where she could watch the Warrior Priestess and her Khorall, fascinated by their interactions and expressions of their feelings for each other. Kisa was so shy; Daxia was so serious — at least until a smile would spread over her features. The Rhoni suspected that neither of them would believe her if she told them they looked sappy and crazy in love. Maybe the “in love” part... Daxia seemed the sort to deny sappiness with her every breath. And when it looked like she was deep in thought, she was downright scary.

This morning was Lyric’s, however, so Keiko just waited patiently, taking in the view in the pre-dawn light, memorizing the lines and shapes and colors of the morning.

Cesare

His first sensation of the new day was warmth, contentedly curled within his blankets. The second, less pleasant, was noise. When the poundings cease and words take their place, he listens. He smiles, a small temptation to take the invitation, but it seems that Lyric wants him for something. And he still needs to reassure himself that Keiko is alright.

"I'm awake, getting up."

And certainly the noises he is now making do support what he has said. He takes no more care with his preparations than he usually does. Maybe a bit less as he is not sure how much time he has.

It is only a matter of minutes before he slips out of his room and along the shadowy ways towards this balcony wondering what all this is about. He has his knives, his wits and enough warm clothing to remain comfortable.At least he has a good idea how to find his way around now as he is fairly sure he had travelled over most, if not all, of the keep yesterday evening.

He slips onto the balcony, surprised to see the others gathered there. Something significant? He chooses a sheltered spot and lounges against a wall.

Léirigh'Amhránaí


Tomomi had offered the Gift from One Fang and Lyric had accepted it with a smile. No matter the appearance or the expression, the Minstrel was always the Minstrel. Her smile and the soulful eyes were always true. Behind her, Lyric could see the shadow of her Rhoni friend enter the room as well. Keiko had found her way to this place. It was a bolstering of Lyric's confidence to have Keiko there. Keiko was her first real friend... in her whole life. It surprised the Minstrel to realize just how important that was even though she had only known the Rhoni girl for a 'blink of an eye'. These connections, with all of them, had woven a special magic over Lyric and she guarded that feeling in her heart with a vengeance. In so short a time, if that actually meant anything more than the words themselves, she felt. She Felt. And she never wanted to live her life without that again.

Lyric moved to the middle of the room as her friends, companions, and those gathered around them by oath and duty. She stood like a statue for a long moment once she found the spot in the room to speak her words.

"I am... touched that all of you came up here, earlier than you might have otherwise awakened. Or, at the very least, not have your morning routines interrupted. But there was a reason for this. It is not so much in what might be done, but by what I chose not to do... This is very hard for me. I might lose everything that now means more to me than anything else ever has in my whole life, but you deserve to hear the truth and not just true words crafted to sound like a truth."

Another pause and the Minstrel collected herself again. She exhaled slowly and inhaled deeply. Courage was not as easy to come by as the cold bracing mountain air though.

"I am sorry. I have been selfish and at some level, scared... maybe untrusting. I feel that I have not honored the friendship all of you have given me. A deception at first, a path to self-preservation, became a convenience, a way to shield myself, protect myself from losing your friendship... all the while risking it more and more with each passing of She Who Crosses the Sky. Before we traveled again I felt I had to present myself in truth and submit myself to you for forgiveness."

The Minstrel turned in place as she spoke, slowly. She could see her friends gathered around her in the room. The dim light in the room might reveal a portion of her lower face, enough to see her mouth moving as she spoke. She kept her head tilted forward to preserve the concealment for

"I still don't know the right way to do this... To say what I need to say... To be who I truly am before you, openly. The shock of revelation might sunder our relationships, and that scares me because all of you mean so much to me, but I can't allow you to continue to remain in ignorance of the dangers you might face in my presence. You have the right, as I believe friendship affords, to know that someone who cares so much for each of you, would also trust you as much as you trust her. That is my failing. And so, please understand that everything I tell you now, here, is from my heart. I never expected my deception to grip at my soul as it does. I have never had friends before... in all of my life. It is very new to me and I have tried to hide how different it was to feel what I feel because... because I am so very different."

Lyric paused in her slow turn as she spoke from under the shadow of her hooded cloak. She was facing the balcony's edge. She walked toward it, turning to face everyone in the room.

"I want to tell you a story. I will start this story at an end, before a new beginning."

"The woman was so tired. Exhausted. Wounded. Still bleeding. She lacked the strength to pull the arrow from her thigh. An arrow that was never meant to kill, only to injure, to lame the quarry, to break her spirit. Her magic was gone from her. She could no longer heal her injuries. It had been like this day after day now. Hunted, chased, hiding, found, chased, wounded, running, hiding, healing, running, chased. wounded again. Over and over. She had run for days beyond count. She had hidden herself many times, only to be discovered again by those who chased her. Hunted her. She no longer trusted those who were once her allies. Betrayed too many times in the chase. She feared those who openly declared themselves her enemies. She was their prey now. Many dark nights alone, scared, crying, hurting. Hungry because there was no time to find food except for a few berries, She dare not set a fire for warmth because she would be discovered again. It didn't matter though. She would be discovered again and have to fight and run when she couldn't fight. When her magic was gone, all that was left was to run. Every day she carried more weariness and more marks that would become scars if she could find a way to escape her fate.

"Where once she had oaths and bindings, an order of fealty between the peoples themselves that secured her place among her kind, she was now stripped bare of these protections. Without the Oaths and Promises, the only things that kept her society at peace... and the magic that made them real, she was an outcast. Less than those who were once her peers, less than those she once stood above. Her titles were taken from her and she no longer had a place among her own kind. She was no longer a Princess in the Court of Rain. She was no longer of her own kind. She was exiled from her people, an enemy now to everything she once knew. So now she ran, and they hunted her."

"The woman was so tired. Exhausted. Wounded. Still bleeding. She lacked the strength to pull the arrow from her thigh. An arrow that was never meant to kill, only to injure, to lame the quarry, to break her spirit. Her magic was gone from her. She could no longer heal her injuries. But it no longer mattered either. This would be her last day. This would be her last fight. She had run as far as she could but the hunters surrounded her now. She could have given up, given in, accepted her fate, but she refused to die. Life had meaning to her now. All those stories and songs she had heard and learned and believed in... from a land beyond her own land's borders, a land she had never seen but so dearly wanted to explore had given her Hope that Life was worth Living, and not just existing. Hope that life meant something to other people and that they formed relationships not based on Oaths and promises but on feelings and friendship... and love."

"Her swords in hand, she was prepared to make her final stand. She limped between the towering sarsen stones. The Stones were 'shaped' into a ring and together they formed a powerful place of magic, but none of it was within her reach. She didn't have the strength nor the skill to wield the forces that these stones were meant to channel. To the woman it was just a ring of obstacles to slow her enemies as they closed in around her. She refused to surrender and vowed to die believing that her people could have a better life if they would just realize there was more than just existing. She swung valiantly but in futility. Her every step she took, around every stone pillar she dodged, the Prince of Ice was waiting, slowly closing the snare around her. He lingered over the prospect of his kill because his was a matter of revenge. You see the woman, in her foolish youth, had embarrassed the prince in a contest of wit and word and song. He was an arrogant man, prone of violence. But now, she was no longer afforded the protections of her station in the Court and he eagerly accepted the role of executioner."

"Maybe it was his own arrogance, toying with her among the stones, that drew this final fight out further. Perhaps it was his innate cruelty. He enjoyed making his prey suffer. In fact he was well renowned in his own Court for hunts he led beyond the borders of their own lands. Stories would be told of these hunts on both sides of the border. These stories were so vastly different because of the perspective from which they were told. He was cruel, without mercy, and had a need to make his quarry suffer. It was how he chose to find Life in living. She had believed he deserved to be embarrassed before the Queens, but I told you before, she was foolish in her youth."

"But here she was now. However she had come to be in this place, whatever the choices she had made before this day, she had a an understanding that this would be her last and she was determined to fight until her last breath. Life had meaning and she would never give up one breath of it voluntarily. She was surrounded, there was no escape. She would probably bleed out before the Crimson Sun set that day. The Prince of Ice maneuvered to cut off every avenue of movement, stalking her even now that they were face to face. No more bows, he too had his sword in hand. He forced her from the stones and into the center of the ring, her breathing labored, her head light from blood loss. She was weak and weary, barely able to keep two swords in her hands."

"But why this cruelty? Why hunt her as though she were game? A 'Just Punishment' for her crimes it was declared. It's easy sentence to render when life has no value to you. She believed that there was something to be learned from the people who lived beyond the borders of the only land she had ever known. She believed that those people valued life and that despite their penchant for wars and strife and conflict, they cherished life and defended life. They lived life because life was finite. It had a beginning and it had an end. It mattered what they did with their lives. She railed against the hunts that the warriors of both courts took for amusement and sport, simply because the people beyond the border were considered inferior. She screamed against the cruelty of it. She had read the words and sang the songs of these people. She had felt their lives in how they lived and what they believed, their triumphs and their failings as well. She believed that no matter how short their lives were, they were people with souls, and that life was precious to them. If life wasn't precious to her own people then it was her own people who were inferior. These were the arguments she made among her people, before her clan, before her Queen. She challenged her people to embrace this new thinking. To them all she spoke words of sedition in telling her people that they needed to rejoin that world that they had hidden themselves away from so very long ago."

"The woman was so tired. Exhausted. Wounded. Still bleeding. She lacked the strength to pull the arrow from her thigh. An arrow that was never meant to kill, only to injure, to lame the quarry, to break her spirit. Her magic was gone from her. She could no longer heal her injuries. But it no longer mattered either. This would be her last day. This would be her last fight. She had run as far as she could but the hunters surrounded her now. The Prince of Ice stalked her, pushing her further to the middle of the circle of stones, monuments to a time when the world was Shattered. Testaments to a choice made not to be the pawns of Order and Chaos. A reminder that all magic, even stolen magic, had a price that had to be paid. Her people just never realized that they had been paying that price since that very day when they fled the breaking of the world. This far and no further, she said to him. She challenged him again to hear her words, to understand her meaning, to know her heart as a heart meant for the future of her people. He laughed. She was no longer 'OF' her people. She was an Outcast. To him her words has no more value than the screeches of game birds caught in the clutches of falcons. He taunted her. It was an irony to him when no one would listen to the words of a Voice. Fate can be cruel and fickle but it answers to no one."

"In that moment the Prince and the Princess were no longer the only ones standing inside the Circle of Stones only the lonely distant hill. The one thing that actually had little meaning to her people was what would now keep her alive... Time. The Prince, in his arrogance, basked in his impending revenge. The princess, and her stubbornness, refused to die."

"But it was a different woman's voice that he heard next. ' ... and what are the Courts doing hunting one of mine?'

"I have said a few times since we have traveled together, that I am banished. But that word doesn't describe my status among my people. I have always used the word as a title."

Lyric reached up with both hands and loosed the clasp of her High Tarnan Cloak.

"I am Banished. My name is Léirigh'Amhránaí." That first part sounded quite like how Lyric said her name... Lyric. "I owe my life to the BorderGuard. I am Lady Kethysynthia's Third."

Lyric bowed her head and pushed the cloak off of her shoulders such that it fell behind her to the floor. The dress she wore was not a simple shift of layers like that which she so often wore right up until it was too cold to wear anything less than her riding clothes and cloak. No, this was elegant, more form fitting, and yet still layers and delicate pieces of silky fabric, heavier though, by subtle degrees. Those many layers created a cascade of colors like a waterfall of nature's own palette and then some colors that would have no name except for the similarity it might share with another, shades of colors that were exotic and unknown to the Heartwood. The Court dress descended from her neck to the floor, with an open back that was cut and formed in an asymmetrical fashion like the layers themselves. It shimmered in the flickering light, evoking the image of droplets of water that were held in suspension. Where it covered her arms, the layers were minimized and her arms could be seen through the fabric.

'Waterfall of Nature' was probably an inaccurate analogy. The dress that Lyric wore, when seen as a whole upon her body, was more like a spring rain falling through the boughs and branches of an exotic forest as glimpsed through the mists that rose from the forest floor.

Of the woman herself? It would be hard to describe the woman that stood before her friends. Words were linear in their delivery, and what all those gathered might see was a person unlike any they had ever seen before. Even if they had seen another of her kind, they would probably not have a benchmark to compare in this moment.

Her face was familiar, but those deeply blue eyes seemed to gather the thin morning light and reflect it outward in a deep azure glow. Her features were angular, a little more so than that which they would remember about Lyric. There were so many elements that there was no way to see them all at once. So many differences that made Lyric very different and very unique. Her hair was darkly black, almost green when the light hit it just right, but there was something more in the darkness of that color black. As if it were woven in to her tresses, fine delicate feathers, silky and black themselves, framed her face. Her ears were pointed and protruded from just behind the feathers and hair at an angle away from her head. Lyric brushed back the locks on one side, pinning therm behind one ear so that it was better revealed. Whether or not any one feature was more prominent than another was up to each person who saw Lyric as she truly looked for the very first time. That being said it must be pointed out that she had two horns emerging from just above her brow, also emerging from the thick hair. These horns resembled goat horns, the type that were ridged, and they followed the contour of her skull back over the top of her head with the points flaring outwards. The horns were gray black in color and stood out from the coloring of her hair. They could not be overlooked.

Her body was much like that of any human that everyone would be familiar with. Bronze colored skin, but not metallic. She had hands and feet, arms and legs, and all the parts and curves that made her feminine in appearance. There was a beauty in the exotic nature of this woman. She radiated an aura about her now that she was not concealed by the cloak. That aura emanating from her was a swirl of light in mist and it was responsive to her own words, and those of any who would soon utter them. Reactive might be a better description. Her skin seemed reactive to sound as if her whole essence was magical.

Lyric tried to meet the eyes of everyone staring at her now. She wanted them to see her. To see her eyes and know that she was Lyric.


"I am Fae. And I am Lyric."

Cesare

This is silence that even one of his Rhoni blades would have trouble denting.

Unexpected yes.. but at this moment he feels closer to his father than he ever has.

**Like father, like son..**

It almost makes him chuckle.

Pushing himself off his bit of wall, he looks at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Well you look different, I'll give you that. But my guess is that the inside is still the Lyric we know."

He smiles at her.

Then he turns to Bekkah.

"There food in that basket?"

[This post should be read directly after Phoenix’s post and before Gypsy’s.]

Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

The Rhoni’s expression was a mask of puzzlement, even confusion, as Friend Lyric told her tale. It was hard to understand the apologies Lyric was offering — wasn’t she one of the most open and guileless people Keiko had known? What could she possibly have to apologize for?

But her friend seemed genuinely distraught, much more so than Keiko had witnessed since meeting her outside Waverider’s Watch.

So very different? Well, wasn’t each person different from every other person? She was Rhoni and different from her traveling companions — even Cesare, a Lost Rhoni. She had that in common with Lyric. And the Rhoni are different from the people of the Mainland, different from the people of the East.

Keiko found it an odd speech but listened attentively all the same.

She couldn’t even tell her friend that she was being silly — Lyric was far too serious in this moment to hear a dismissal of her concerns. And a serious moment deserved acknowledgment.

Magic... around the stone pillars...

There was History in the words Lyric spoke: stone pillars, although not in rings. Still... the Stories and Lore told of place and people beyond the pillars, behind the Gates. Stories of the Rhoni, Stories of who they were as a people, Stories of their beginning...

And then, and then, and then...

Perhaps it was a truth that Lyric’s appearance was so different as to not be seen as a whole. Perhaps.

But the Fates had not put Keiko kha’Chiyo kha’Masuyo kha’Tsukiko kha’Chouko khal’Nakano Hoshiko — Lore Master and Card Reader — in this place, at this time for no good reason. No, indeed. She was meant to be here.

She gasped as Lyric’s cloak dropped from her shoulders to the floor, a sound that echoed in the pre-dawn air. Her delicate hands covered her mouth — politely hiding what one might imagine was a gaping mouth. Her eyes were wide, but with shock or disbelief, it couldn’t be said by the others on the balcony.

She was meant to be here. To witness, to see the Lore come to life.

No one feature was more prominent than another as Keiko’s gaze took in the ethereal beauty Lyric had chosen to share with them.

She blinked once and lowered her hands to her side, revealing a smile that seemed, if possible, more radiant than any she had shared since leaving her home.

She blinked a second time and bowed deeply, respectfully, almost reverently.

“Lyric Seitama-soshi.”

Words of no known language the others could understand paired perfectly with the deference Keiko showed her friend.

“Ancestor.

“You honor us.”

Anatoli, Eleni, Kisa, Slink, and Tomomi

About halfway through Lyric's story came, perhaps, the very first reaction. Kisa took a step backward and then a subtle shift to one side, placing her Knight between herself and the Minstrel. And then it was like the fall of stone tiles. Anatoli took an opposite step forward, or at the least, he tried to.

A soft hand on his arm stopped him.

And when the story had reached its climax, Eleni took a step forward... to see clearly. She then made her hands into little fists, rubbed her eyes, and then held one to the side, palm vertical. Just like she had silently stopped Anatoli, that motion stopped Slink. Her bodyguard frowned, no no longer pretending to be asleep, grumbling something about not seeing certain things every day.

"I told you..."

Eleni smiled.

"I don't care what you are.

"Just who."

However, someone certainly had an opinion on what the Minstrel was.

"What's a Fae?"

Tomomi looked up with wide eyes.

"Is that just a fancy name for goat-folk?"

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Daxia listened to Lyric’s tale, a much more artistic presentation of Something That Happened than she had managed in Talantal — by a very large measure! — her most ambitious Storytelling event to date. It was fitting, of course, that a minstrel presented a story more eloquently than a Dayalan knight...

Even if that Dayalan knight was trained by Kassia Dariansdotter.

Kethysynthia? Kethysynthia?! Surely there can’t be more than one person with that name! Could there? It’s not a common name. And I’ve only heard it uttered by one other person. The world is very small sometimes. It would explain a few things, though.

Kisa moved first, almost immediately followed by Anatoli. As Eleni held both him and Slink back, Dazi’s hand hovered near the hilt of her sword. Kisa’s instincts couldn’t be discounted, of course, but her knight didn’t see anything dangerous.

To say that she was surprised by Lyric’s appearance would have been a disservice to the truth and the reality of the current situation. In fact, Dazi felt just a bit annoyed by how much “surprise” wasn’t a part of what she felt. Her hand dropped back to her side.

Oh. Yes, of course. Let us just throw one more thing at poor Dazi, something that should send her into fits of, at the very least, a day’s worth of consternation! Well, I’ll simply have none of that! First an Easterner. Now a Fae? Fine. The life of a Wild Dayalan must be filled with enough Chaos to counter Her creation of Order. Gilly did hint at something of that sort.

It wasn’t as though she could assign any blame to any single entity for this turn of events. Although, perhaps, she might take up the Rhoni philosophy of giving credit and blame to the Fates. Except that Dayala ought to be given credit for things. And She certainly wasn’t to blame for this.

The Fates it was, then.

Not that she showed any of that in her posture or facial expression. At the most, she showed a countenance of expectation, as if to say, Yes, and when will the second boot drop?

In that, the Card Reader didn’t fail her. Keiko’s reaction was not at all expected — well, Daxia had gauged the friendship between the two women to be something very sure, able to withstand the tumults of life. The “Ancestor” bit was unusual, enough so that Daxia was far more curious about the Rhoni than she likely ought to be. They were private people who held their secrets close. She had to respect and honor that. Still... it was an interesting comment.

And a princess? Really? I leave home not knowing anything beyond Imperial and Noble family titles and have now met two princesses? Clearly, the reality of the world is a stranger place than we can possibly imagine.

She glanced at Kisa and rolled her eyes, but didn’t quite sigh.

When the minstrel caught her eye, the warrior priestess merely smiled and gave her a nod. Whether Lyric needed it or not, whether Lyric wanted it or not, she had acquired the friendship of Khorall Eleni of the Noble House Allaine. It was something her elder sister would have to accept.

Then she circled her own head with one hand and gestured to Lyric’s... horns? That’s what Tomomi was getting at, wasn’t she?

“I have questions. Of course.” She did sigh then when she looked once more at Kisa. “But I suspect others will have more pertinent ones.”

Léirigh'Amhránaí

One of the hardest things for Lyric to adapt to was the speed at which life comes at you in the realms beyond the borders of Faere. In general, everything moved at a quicker pace. Life's little moments actually meant something because time was not bound in magic. Time actually meant something, beyond the construct that help people separate one moment from the next and kept everything from happening at once... or not at all. Just like the way ears kept your hat from falling down and covering your eyes. Or something like that.

She told her story and focused on that as much as she could. She could feel their tension and their nerves. She was a Minstrel, a Bard, trained to feed off of her audience. trained to 'know' what her audience was feeling and what they needed. But this story had to be told, it had to be told this way. The consequences rendered would have to be endured.

Kisa stepped back and behind Daxi.

Anatoli moved forward.

Eleni stopped him with a hand upon his arm.

Slink was no longer a warrior pretending to be a cat Even though she wanted everyone to think she was still pretending. Lyric saw her audience and felt the energy that gave off. If was how she tailored her stories and her songs. She was a Voice. Every sound in the room touched her and her bare skin revealed that as the misting swirling light played against her skin as if someone touched a still surface and ripples of light reacted and and interacted.

Daxia's hand fell to her sword, as much instinct and reaction as it was clear thought and intent.

Tomomi was spellbound by the story.

Keiko was confused as her sense of understanding and knowing was being challenged.

Cesare was impassive, as though he had already seen so much despite his youth. Life comes at you fast...

Lyric continued with her story, trying to hold back any of her immediate and mixed emotions and tell the story as it should be told, allow the emotions that existed at that time, be the resonance of them fill the room so that those who listened, and heard, would know her heart.

At the end of the story, Lyric made the reveal of her true self. She had not cast her illusion this morning as she had done very morning, so very early, even before the Dayalans attended to their prayers. Every morning without fail. One day, one passage of She Across the Sky, and again and again before the Sun rose, again, every day, for months now.

Life still comes at you fast and there was still so much happening in the room, even if it was just the held and bated breath of a warrior wondering what else go happen this morning.

Keiko was the first to accept, even though she was still coming to grips with what the story meant in relation to what she now saw before her, but there was more to Keiko's reaction to Lyric. There was a merging of her own lore and myth. Lyric did not understand, could not understand.



Lyric did not understand. Could not understand. She was no one's ancestor. Lyris's light=reflective blue eyes were wide, irises fully filling her eyes now, save for narrowed pupils. It was her turn to be off-balance. She glanced to Cesare who was pushing off the wall to cross toward Bekkah, who had been passive, motionless, devoid of any emotion. Her countenance placid and serene as always. He spoke.



Keiko was still bowing in front of her. Lyric answered the young Rhoni man. "I am," she said quietly, hopefully. "I have always been Lyric. I will always be Lyric."



Lyric bowed her head as the words of the Khorall touched her heart.

"You have a gift that is stronger than your eyes will ever be. A gift that reveals a truth better anyone's eyes ever could. You have learned to hone that gift because you faced the challenge early in your life that you could not trust your eyes to be your best guide. That gift has given you an insight that exceeds any reading of cards and tiles. You see the truth of what is real in everyone around you. Not in what the possibilities could be but Who someone truly is... I am so grateful for that. It was your words that gave me the courage to find a way to do what I needed to have done a long time ago... Be myself."

Somewhere in the infinite realities there was a great philosopher whose words on the subject of Life would surely ring true at this moment... Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Keiko was still bowing in front of her. Lyric looked at her and wanted to speak to her. Even if it was just to release her from this posture of deference. But Tomomi, with wonder and joy, and hopefulness stepped up right in front of Lyric. Lyric was about as tall as Keiko, and even Bekkah. But Tomomi was shorter than them all. That seemed a right thing though. From that viewpoint the little mouse girl could see the world in a way that made more sense than anyone else who saw it straight it on.



Lyric nodded and shrugged, conflicted in the 'truth' of those whimsical words. She reached out with her fine slender hands and cupped Tomomi's cheeks to look into her eyes. As she spoke, her skin radiated the glowing swirls of lights, energy, magic dancing just beneath the surface, or maybe just across the top of it. In truth Tomomi's words had merit. Lyric's appearance gave her something more in common with all the Forest Folk of Home.

"Lyric is Lyric is Lyric, someone keeps telling me," she said with a glace at the bowing Keiko. "I will tell you everything I can about myself. Lyric is Fae is Lyric. And I am many things I think, but I was made by Magic, like you, born as a babe, like them, sweet Tomomi. I am everything, and and I and none of it as well. I promise you we will sit and you will teach me to make lace and we will talk about Fae things and Fae places. But, you now have something wondrous and amazing to tell our friends and family back at Home... Yes?"

If that could last forever, Lyric would not complain. But Life does move fast, too fast for the Minstrel some days. Today? Lyric fought to carve out individual moments where she could isolate herself with those who spokje to her, one by one. Freeze that moment, like an idyllic day near the edge of a deep and wide creek in the Great Forest of the World and listen to birds sing and watch river otters play as though they had not a care nor concern.

Keiko was still bowing in front of her, and she took a deep breath and a small shift in her stance in that direction, but Daxia was watching her and it was a draw of her gaze compelling her to never fully connect with Keiko yet again. Maybe it was easy for Lyric to turn to the Dayalan warrior priestess because she had not the words to convey her sadness for the deception that lasted longer than it should have, especially with regard for Keiko. Maybe it was the confusion she felt at her friend bowing before in some sort of respectful submission. It was Lyric who owed Keiko a servile gesture to seek forgiveness. But it was Daxia who spoke...



"I will honor all of your questions friend Daxia... if I may still call you that. All that I can answer, for you may want to know things that I do not know. But if I can answer them I will."

She too glanced at Kisa, who had not spoken yet, Lyric nodded to the Khorall, accepting that she was welcome to compose her thoughts as she she saw fit, and that Lyric would make herself available to the Noble Ruler of the Vale. And Keiko was still bowing before her...

Lyric would neither delay nor be delayed any further at this moment. She would slow her world down and within the boundaries of this tiny universe there would be room enough for only herself and Keiko. She walked to the Rhoni woman, reachin out to grasp her shoulder delicately.

"Please stand up," Lyric said. Her emotions began to refine themselves from the chaos of feeling everything she could possibly feel all at once to feeling love and joy and regret and melancholy. Tears began to well in her eyes, tears for each of those emotions. Her throat tightened and that was a struggle for Lyric. She was a voice, but this terrible and wonderful feeling threatened to choke off her words and keep them confined as thoughts. She used to hands to urge Keiko to look her in the eyes.

"I wanted to tell you so many times. I came so close... twice. Once at Home, the other in Wave Rider's reach." She paused to swallow hard, and drew Keiko tightly into an embrace. "I thought if I could get you to read your cards, that might be a way to overcome my fear of losing you when you knew the truth. I thought if I could ask the perfect question you would understand and the truth would be revealed to you. But no question ever came to me. Because no question could ever replace what honesty between friends means. A hard lesson to learn."

"You were my first real friend. You believed in me and spoke for me before the others and assured them that I could be trusted. Even when I knew in my heart that I was hiding all of the truth from everyone. You trusted my heart."

"You were a friend when I needed one the most. The earliest days of my travels when Ser Pietro was the very first human I had ever met in all of my life. I was so scared. I carried so much weight on my shoulders and so little confidence. You made me believe I could face the this new, strange world... a world I had only heard stories of, had only read snippets of papers when a scholar had deemed it worthy enough to translate."

"I walked alone for days along the trail near that poor shattered remnant of the Great Forest of the World and I felt my heart breaking for it, but I felt joy in how hard life fought to find a way to survive in the shadow of the evil that was done to it. I realized I needed that kind of strength. And You helped me find it. You accepted that I was so very different and I didn't know how to be anything but myself. You helped me realize I could be that one scraggly little flower that strugled to live in dangerous world."

It was just a wash of thoughts and feelings made into words, lacking order. It was the inner workings of Lyric's Chaotic mind.

She tightened her grip in the embrace, speaking to Keiko cheek to cheek. She couldn't fend off the tears and she didn't want to. She fought for each word, making them heard.

"I was scared, certain I would fail in my quest before it ever began. 'Save my people.' How?

"I met you and you made me feel... Just feel. I felt things. It has been so long since I felt things... emotions that were real, and not created, pretended. All of my life was one layer of deception upon another... I love every emotion, the happy ones and the sad ones. Grief hurt so much and it still does... because I don't know how to handle it. I struggle with them all, but I love that I can feel them for real. You gave me that chance. You held me when I couldn't put anything into order within my heart. You told me it would be okay. And it was okay... You helped me believe I could find a way to save my people and that I could help people in this world as I journeyed. I had hope that I could one day be a better example of my people than they had ever done for themselves. That began with you, Keiko."

"I am still Lyric. I am your friend. I will always be your friend and if you will have me as yours I would be so... happy."

Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

There are certain customs among the Rhoni that are, if not exactly unique to them, unquestionably sacred. Family is everything.

Everything.

And so the young Card Reader did not move until Lyric bade her to do so. The tears in her friend’s eyes were mirrored by Keiko’s — tears of wonder, tears of joy, tears of having been blessed yet again by the Fates and the Ancestors.

She wasn’t certain how it came to pass that she had been given the gift of her Journey by the Grandmothers, the gift of touching a living Dragon, the gift of meeting a kinfolk of the First Mothers...

But here she stood, in the dawn’s pale light of Her rising, thrice blessed.

As Lyric drew her into an embrace, Keiko understood the most significant lesson: Everything and everyone had their place in the Great Weaving of the Fates. Learning to deftly ride the waves made it possible to begin understanding even those who differed considerably from one’s own self. And that made differences seem so very small.

That’s what it meant to be Rhoni. Riding the waves across the High Tarn and in the depths of the Black Mountains and, as the Lore reminded them, in the Lands of the Fae. It had been generations since her Family had made that journey.

“Oh, Friend Lyric, I think the Cards could only share their wisdom about your Journey here, not your nature. They were created after the First Mothers stepped away from the Shattering and the Chaos and the Gods. You, our distant kin, had already taken your leave of this world.”

She hugged Lyric tightly.

“We all must hide truths at times. Your fear held the truth from us... the Grandmothers have bid me keep some truths from the world. Your truth is one that spans realms. Mine... well, it’s so simple and almost insignificant compared to yours.”

Keiko giggled nervously.

“I must still keep my own counsel on the matter, however, for the Grandmothers’ canes are too swift even for one with my skill at the Dances.”

She paused, her emotions threatening to burst from her chest, and took a deep breath.

“I could say so much of what I have learned about feelings and emotions and how to live through them. We feel deeply, we Rhoni. But my words would have far less meaning than your heart can give them. Please remember that everyone struggles at times. Even if it seems easy, effortless for some of us, it so often is not.

“And grief? That is the hardest thing to hold inside of us. It is a knife wound that even the greatest Lady of Attera cannot heal. It is the deepest, darkest well from which it seems there is no escape.

“Only time can dull the pain. It always remains as a reminder of those who have been important, of events that have been significant. It mutates into a dull ache, and can sometimes still surprise us with another shocking stab to the heart.

“It’s a sign that we are alive and that we can still feel.

“And this is how we find the strength to wade through all these emotions: with our friends and our family.

“Lyric, I have been, and always shall be, your friend.

“Even if realms separate us, even if our Journeys mean that someday we must ride different waves, you will still be my friend.”

She smiled through her tears and leaned back a bit so she could look at Lyric’s face.

“To carry the burden of trying to save your people will wear you to exhaustion and despair if you try to do something that heroic all on your own. It’s a good thing you don’t have to do it alone, isn’t it?”

Bekkah

[ooc: In my usual not really understanding all things that Bekkah should, I'll probably write all kinds of things wrong. Such is life.]

Bekkah had remained quiet, letting Lyric tell her tale. She had never completely accepted the tale she had told them upon meeting. In fact, she'd often wondered if Lyric had been other than she'd claimed. She'd even wondered if she had been fae, even though Bekkah knew little of such folk, other than the tales she'd been told by the families of those she'd healed in remote villages.

She had no fear of the girl. Not when she was simply Lyric, not now that she knew she was a fae princess. Of course that was not unusual for the healer in white.

"I'll not speak for others, but like the Forest Folk before my Lady's gift, or the people I've met in all my travels, I view you no differently and if you should be in need, then I would aid you like any other. My lady does not ask me to turn away from any and I have never willingly chosen to do so."

"You are among friends princess. Welcome."

Dazi for sure, but probably all who knew the blond healer would have expected these words from her.

[ooc: And didn't Bekkah ask her if she was Fae, way way back in the beginning? ]

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Although Daxia couldn’t quite put her finger on what Lyric was doing as she spoke to each individual on the balcony, she was fairly certain it was some sort of Fae magic. The internal tension between her Lady’s dawning presence and Lyric’s magic made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

But was that enough to condemn the minstrel?

Of course not. It was, however, enough to pay as much attention to this meeting as anything Kassia had made her watch in Linnell’s court. The upside was that her teacher wasn’t here to rap her on the back of the head. The downside... well, there didn’t seem to be one at the moment.

When the minstrel’s gaze held her in that odd space, the hand that had previously strayed to the hilt of her sword now rested over the double star necklace hanging between her collarbones.

“Of course, you may still call me ‘friend,’ Lyric.”

It was enough to say that and only that. Her questions were more likely to stray toward frivolous and personal things that Lyric could answer readily if she chose to — at least, that would be the case if Kisa posed the sort of questions she usually did in uncertain situations.

As Lyric’s attention moved to Keiko, the feeling of things crawling under her skin diminished. It was hard to say if it was because she wasn’t the focus of Lyric’s magic or if it was because her Lady was rising further in the sky. In any case, Daxia was able to give some of her attention to Kisa.

Her eyes told the story here, and Dazi smiled as she took Kisa’s hand.

“First, trust me,” she murmured softly. “Second, trust your sister. Third, you can pelt Lyric with questions, lay out your tiles, and consult the Card Reader... all in due time.

“Yes, the Captain’s work is all caught up in this. But none of that outweighs the evidence of Lyric’s heart — she has the best interests of her friends and her people in mind. And is her quest any less important than mine was when I left the Vale? We are both trying to save the worlds we know. It’s no easy task, Kisa.”

She squeezed Kisa’s hand, hoping to reassure her, before giving her attention once more to the minstrel and the Card Reader.

The warrior had trusted her heart and her instincts when common sense that was forged by her education seemed to counsel against that trust. She befriended Jvrillians, Rames men, Coveners, a Hunter, Forest Folk, an Easterner, and a Korie. It was hard to say today which one would have surprised her the most prior to her departure from the Vale — Romana and Dominic were equally as unlikely. To add a Fae, and a princess at that, to the growing list of her diverse collection of friends didn’t seem at all out of the ordinary. For Daxia Yurisdotter, at any rate.

Her only reactions to Keiko’s last comment to Lyric was a philosophical shrug. If her Lady and her liege pointed her in the direction of saving Lyric’s world in addition to her own, then that’s what she’d do.

Of course, unless either Dayala or Kisa had strong objections to the matter, Dazi would probably help Lyric without prompting. She was, after all, the sister of the most generous and kind Lady of Attera on the Heartwood.

Léirigh'Amhránaí

Lyric

It was only the barest hint of a ripple of light across her skin that revealed that Lyric's 'silent' acknowledgement of gratitude actually did have sound, just not enough to be heard. She mouthed the common use word she had learned early in her travels, "Danke" to Daxia while lowering her eyes to look at the the dayalan's feet for a moment.

Bekkah's response was the most the Atteran had spoken directly to her in some time. Bekkah always seemed so distant, so reserved, so deep in her own thoughts, maybe prayers, that Lyric had not been able to form a bonded friendship with her. Lyric found herself unsure of just how to approach Bekkah. She was never unkind to Lyric, just withdrawn from the whimsy and mercurial nature that the Minstrel was so often prone to display during their travels. She listened to her words and there was one in particular, one that Lyric herself had used in the telling of the beginning of her Journey that caught her attention in hearing it spoken back to her. Princess.

"I felt in my heart that if anyone understood who or what I was in those earliest days, it was you. I often tried to look into your eyes to see if you understood, to learn if you knew that I was Fae. I saw you watching me, and sometimes I wondered what those expressions might reveal if they had words. But you never asked. Over the months it became less worrisome to me, because if you knew then you accepted me, if not... then it no longer mattered to you to watch me so closely. Either way, I felt that you accepted me enough to trust my actions and intentions without forcing an explanation. Danke."

'Oh Keiko. You might never know just how precious this gift is, friendship.'

It was an emotional struggle to keep composure. The very expression of Keiko's emotions loosened Lyric's grasp over her own. It seemed they both cried because each other was crying now. There weren't words for her alone in this moment. But Lyric knew she must address the concepts of her beliefs in Lyric's people in a respectful and careful manner. Lyric felt awkward with the intensity of her beliefs in the concept of 'Ancestor'. Lyric knew nothing of this though and she wouldn't be able to answer the kinds of questions Keiko might ask to bridge the gaps from the reality of fae to the Lore of them she had been taught.

"In all of my life, I have never had a friend. I think the closest my people come to having something like this is a word you call... Ally. But having one, and feeling what it means to have one, to have two, to have all of you tell me that I am a friend to you and you to me is more important to me than all the allies I have ever known... and 'ever' is a long time I think, maybe older than the stones of this keep."

When the time for emotions had given way to the reality of unasked and unanswered questions, Lyric presented herself before those assembled with a dignified shake of her hair, a straightening of her formal Fae Court dress and a wiping of her eyes. She smiled and nodded to the royalty in this room within their Keep, in a land of their heritage and Right of Rule.

"I know there are many questions, But I should say a few more things that might answer some, or maybe create more questions to be asked. I am Fae, Greater Fae. There are many kinds of peoples and creatures among the Fae, and we are all beings of Magic. Magic is not something we do, it is something we are. I am not 'doing' magic to cause my skin to react to the sounds all around me. It is a part of who I am. I told you that I am a Voice. It is a particular talent, a Gift of my birth. My magic, infused, indwelling in me, is a part of me. That you see it is what is called an Aura. It reflects my personality and my Gifting, like Lady's Bekkah's smile of kindness reflects the essence of her personality and the Gift of her Goddess, thus the nature of her Goddess. I can hide this aura but that is an actual act of magical manipulation. I am not doing it for showy, performance reasons. That would be arrogant and disrespectful. I do not do it to intimidate anyone, although it can be done for those purposes by my people. It is just a part of who I am and why I am a Voice. I wanted you to see me, the real me, as I am. Does that make sense?

"I ask because I do not always know if I am choosing the right words to mean what I am thinking. And just so there is no misunderstanding, this language, Colonial, that I have worked hard to learn, is not my native tongue. Learning it from my own side of the Veil or Border is different than actually hearing it spoken by those who live on this side. Certain words elude me and I struggle to understand them. I sometimes pretend I do, and I nod and smile. Some words I use, or have translated, mean something different to me than they do to all of you it seems. It may be that I am just using them wrong, or it might mean that my concept for the word I am translating is different enough that the word I choose is wrong. Please allow me to speak to one such such word."

"Princess. Like the word friend, the Fae do not really have a word that means a daughter of a King or Queen. Not exactly. It's complicated and I know someone will ask the pertinent question and it will make more sense. I am... No, I was born into a House and Clann... Clann is a very old word, older than the Fey, from before there were Ages I think. Clann is Family. I was born into a Clann that was... still is... sworn by Oath and bound by magic to serve the Clann of a ruler and Queen is the best word to use for her. All such Clanns bound this way form a Court, a Court of Royalty, but it's not the same I think. There are two Courts and the Magic of these bindings keeps things in a balance. Two Courts who... must coexist but there is no... no... kindness between them. The Court of Rain and the Court of Ice. Each has a Queen, but each is so very different. Each Queen is served by those Clanns sworn and bound to them. The mother who gave birth to me leads her Clann and her bindings to the Queen are what binds the Clann... but no, that's not exactly it either. I say these words and I struggle to express the actual thoughts. The bindings are truly individual, each of us to a leader and each of us to the Queen, but the interconnections form the Clanns. Those with more bindings are elevated. The mother and the father who... conceived me... are highly bound by many others and thus their connections to the Queen are very strong. It is through that that I am called... Banphrionsa."

"I am no longer Banphrionsa... Princess... All of that was stripped away, severed, by the Queen of the Court of Rain. She has the authority to undo and unwind the Oaths and bindings. I am nothing to my people now. I have no ties, no claim of heritage, no connections, no title, no standing in the Clann nor Court."

"Please ask your questions. I want... I need you to understand that I am the person you knew and that I want nothing hidden between us if it is within my power to reveal it."

Bekkah

Bekkah stepped forward.

"First off, I apologize for my quiet nature if it ever made you uncomfortable. My sister has always been the more outgoing of the two of us. I have always been the calmer, more contemplative of the two of us. Perhaps it is because of the Gods we serve, but I suspect it's simply the way we are and probably the reason we follow the Gods we do."

"My question to you, is will others follow you here? Do you and they maintain all their powers when they cross over to our side?"

Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

No doubt Kassia could be credited with Daxia’s ability to observe and see past the surface of words and actions. The priestess herself would not disagree, and yet she wouldn’t quite agree either.

She followed her heart.

The connections among the Fae were something that had slight correspondence to the relationships among the Noble Families and the commoners in their little kingdoms. And yet, there were some similarities. After all, couldn’t the compact a Noble made with her people be called an Oath? It certainly seemed that way, at least for the Allaines and the Larsens and the Corliss. Or a type of oath, at any rate.

Daxia believed that finding the similarities between herself and others made alliances that much easier to make. Acknowledging and trying to understand differences was the basis of friendship.

The Fae seemed to have created a tense and tenuous balance in the pocket outside of Time where they’d fled the Shattering after She first rose over the Heartwood. It seemed to the Dayalan a painful and challenging way to live, but she had to admit her perception was born from having spent her life knowing love, having friends, and having one-sided conversations with the One who had started the whole Time and Order understanding of life.

Ultimately, while her thirst for knowledge might make her question everything about Lyric and her life prior to meeting Bekkah and the others, her purpose... her duty as a Dayalan priestess, as the Knight of Dawnview Castle was to accept the reality of the Fae’s presence here and now.

Tomomi had made some comment about the belt she’d picked out for Lyric — that she, Daxia, would be better able to keep Lyric from wandering off. The Mouse Girl may have meant that only in the literal sense, but if Lyric truly were unaware of some customs outside her Land, perhaps part of the knight’s duty to the minstrel was to help her avoid cliffs less literal that she might inadvertently tumble over.

Well, she could be a friend. That seemed a fair enough bargain.

She tilted her head as Bekkah spoke up, not bothering to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes at her sister. Again.

“You know, you weren’t always as quiet as you are now. You’ve been mopey,” she teased. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you get to see your Finn again. Should I remind you each day that he thinks fondly of you?”

Dazi did, however, take Bekkah’s question seriously.

“We are aware, most of us anyway, that Captain Koromov deals with the... unpleasant factions from the Fae Lands. What many may not know is that she has had a relationship with a Kethysynthia, whom I suspect is the same Kethysynthia that Lyric mentioned.”

She furrowed her brows, glancing between her sister and Lyric.

“What I heard in Lyric’s story was a recounting of how she became nothing and no one to her own people. I heard that they are, for lack of more precise terminology, ‘stuck in time.’ I’ll grant that I don’t see the Paths as well as Kisa does, but it looks less likely that they might follow her — she is beneath their notice, so to speak — than otherwise. I’m sure you will correct me if I have misunderstood your words, Lyric.”

The knight shrugged. “What we know of the Fair Folk comes to us in the form of children’s stories that talk of people being abducted by them, or in dire warnings to stay away from certain areas on the Heartwood,” she said to both of them. “Who has had the most contact with them?

“Captain Koromov. And who might she have confided in? Priestess Kassia, perhaps. Khorall Linnell, perhaps.

“And perhaps she has kept her own counsel, leaving it to those of us who gather information for examination and analysis to piece together her truths. And I don’t mean the Brothers of Hastur, either.

“I mean us — the Allaines and the Dayalans.

“I certainly have more questions for my Temple Sister, for she may hold the most thorough view of the Fair Folk of anyone, surely of anyone in this side of the borders between the lands.”

One thing that Lyric had said stuck out above all else, and it caused Dazi to smile. She looked at Keiko first, and her smile almost became a grin, before she looked around at those assembled again.

“You have no ties?” she asked Lyric as she gave her attention to the minstrel once more. “You have no connections, no standing, no titles?”

She gestured with her free hand to everyone surrounding Lyric.

“I beg to differ, Léirigh Amhránaí. You may have left all that behind you when you came here. But now? Now you have ties to us. You are connected. You have standing, and to look in Keiko’s eyes, it is a good and safe place to be.

“Of course you have a title.

“You’re a friend.”

Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

To hear a Tale about the manner in which the First Mothers’ kinfolk had arranged themselves and their families after leaving the Heartwood was a treasure in and of itself for the youngest Lore Master. She committed to memory everything Lyric said, silently tasting the unfamiliar terms and names.

Eventually, whatever displeasure the Eastern princes were feeling about the Rhoni would pass — although, given the reason for their vexation, it might take a generation or more. But somehow, she would be able to share this story with the Grandmothers. Someday.

It never occurred to her that anyone might follow after Lyric. She had made it clear over the course of their journeys together, at least to Keiko’s ears, that her home was small and isolated and virtually devoid of anyone curious enough to leave. But Lady Bekkah’s question did pique an interest in the Rhoni.

Perhaps there was a Good Question to be found in that. Though the best answer to potential conflict and similar unpleasantness was always to be where the conflict is not.

And yet, Lady Daxia cut through the cloudy thoughts of speculation so adroitly that she might have used that frighteningly sharp sword at her hip.

Keiko would be happy enough to believe along with the Dayalan, although she understood that life was generally not so simple. Not that the priestess made it seem simple, of course.

Experiencing the force of the knight’s gaze — if one could call it a force — gave Keiko pause. As Daxia’s gaze moved around the assemblage, Keiko could not help but glance between the two Allaine sisters... finally staring appraisingly at the Dayalan priestess.

She is Allaine, too... she holds both gifts in smaller measure than either Khorall, but she is part of that Family.

Well, surely the Ladies Yurisdotter must know that! Wasn’t Lady Bekkah even more empathetic than Dama Eleni?

It didn’t surprise her that she discovered she held Lyric’s hands in her own as Lady Daxia finished speaking.

She smiled and nodded decisively.

“You are Lyric. And Lyric is Lyric is Lyric! Who you were is not the same as who you are, and is not the same as who you will be.

“But you are always Lyric.”

Léirigh'Amhránaí

Lyric


The degree to which Daxia was misunderstanding the words spoken by Lyric was inconsequential and would matter little if this were just the understanding of a story that were at stake. But Lady Bekkah asked questions that would be more normally associated with those she expected from her sister, and they were important ones, not in and of themselves, but rather when taken as a whole consideration of the strategy and preparedeness.

She looked between the sisters and then to the Khoralls, and again to Keiko and finally at the holding of hands between them. It seemed friend Keiko had a further reassurance to add to her earlier words and to those offered by the Yurisdotter sisters.

Keiko's words were like a salve to her heart. ...and not the same as who you will be... Did Keiko understand the importance of that wisdom to Lyric. In many ways it summed up the nature of her entire of her entire quest to save her people. She smiled at her friend before taking a deep breath and responding to Bekkah and Daxia as the thoughts came to her.

"Maybe Lady Bekkah. I have no knowledge if they will or won't, but they can... are capable. The magic in the crosssing is a learned aspect of a natural magic we possess. Few are taught it, many don't know it exists, but enough do. Do I think it likely... No. It is the general position of my people that there should be no contact between us and they fiercely guard their side of the border. You might enter, but you can not elude them nor deceive them for very long. The realm is magical and beings that are not are noticed quickly, like a disturbance... the way a pebble leaves a wake and ripples when passing through water. So No, my people are unlikely to cross any more or less than they have in the past. To your other question... Yes, I still possess my magical abilities... all of them. I can cross back into Faere at will with a manipulation of a particular kind of battle magic I possess. Which was it first? veil Crossing or Combat Art? I don't know."

Lyric squeezed Keiko's hands and shifted her attention to Daxia next.

"This does not mean that certain individuals who thirst for revenge and had it snatched from their grasp will not make a bold venture to continue the hunt on this side of the Border. How many of like mind, angered over a hunt that has not been fulfilled and thus glory ungathered, still roil with an unquenched thirst for my promised death is unknown to me. But know this, these who would come across looking for me have already been across enough that sad lamentations are sung to grieve and mourn the poor terrified souls that meet these dangerous Fae."

"I thank you for a tile gifted from your heart. But I want to be clear so that you might consider things properly. I am exiled, sentenced to the Hunt, and have no titles, Oaths or Bindings... Within the Clann and Courts. That is an important qualifier. I am Banished. That is my new title, as Kethysynthia's Third, and I am part of the Borderguard now, tasked by my Master to Find a Song to Save My People."

"I am honored to add Friend to the list of things I cherish. I would call that a prized possession indeed."

Lyric returned her attention to Keiko. "i know there are many questions, and I hope I can answer them. Please understand I mean no disrespect to your heritage and your culture, but the idea that I am anyone's Ancestor is a little bit overwhelming. I have never had a child of my own in all my life... The concept of Ancestor is a vague notion to me, a wisp of whimsy in words that I can only imagine a people who can look back upon their history through the tales of those who came before them. We will learn together, things each of us knows."

Lyric let Keiko's hands slip from hers.

"I remember Captain Koromov well enough from our brief encounter at the Inn in the Border Town," she said to Daxia, and to all the Allaines. "I would accept her presence, knowing enough about her reputation, now that she is a face connected to a name for me, if she deemed it a matter worthy of her attention. But I would hope she would be informed that I travel under the Authority of my Master whom I also believe she knows quite well... BEFORE we come face to face. Misunderstandings with her could prove to have permanent and unalterable consequences for me."

Lyric awaited further questions, especially those of Kisa and Eleni, even Cesare should he choose to stop eating all the food in the basket.

Cesare

The subject of Lyric's last thought, unbeknown to him, was munching through his second pastry, feeling much better having had something to eat to compensate for his forced early rise. He brushes a few stray crumbs from his tunic.

He listens to the odd question and to the things that each of those gathered had added, content that Lyric had an acceptance here. It cannot have been easy to except banishment from her people. He understands that. His life was not a banishment but an exile but in many ways amounts to the same thing.

But he does have a question.

"So I think we have established that our friendships stand.."

He smiles at her.

"..so as one friend to another, what do you want from us?"

He spreads his arms to forestall any immediate denial which he felt might be coming automatically, a last piece of pastry still held in one of them.

"And don't just say nothing. As a friend tell us your truth, tell us what your heart would wish of us even if you think you shouldn't ask it."

He notices the last stray morsel and pops it in his mouth.

Léirigh'Amhránaí

Lyric

Lyric cocked her head in consideration of Cesare's question. Before she could answer, he qualified what he... expected? Hoped for? ...in an answer from her. She smiled and shrugged, feigning a little guilt.

She wasn't going to say nothing, not exactly. It would take a few more words, mean a whole lot more, but essentially still say the same thing.

"I don't know how to begin my quest. I may already have. I don't know where to go to find what I don't know I am looking for... and so, I think I should do the thing I so often have done through the days of my life thus far. I think on it... And I suppose, that if I wander a bit while I think, then maybe I will learn, and if I learn then I might know. So, for now, wander with me, and I will go where you go, if that is well and good with you? And if we wander far enough and see enough things, I believe that my Quest will eventually come to me as I finally walk up on it..."

"There, I did not say nothing."

Cesare

He grins.

"Though you might well have done."

He nods.

"Though I understand a little more now. You have nothing specific to do at this time that you might want help with but that may change later? Yes?"

Léirigh'Amhránaí

Lyric

"I think that is a fair interpretation," replied the Fae Minstrel... with a shrug and a smile, of course.

The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Snowgate Keep, Tower Balcony
Hasday, the Thirteenth Day of Tiger

Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Anatoli, Eleni, Kisa, Slink, and Tomomi

Tomomi's nose wrinkled.

"But that still doesn't answer my question! All this just makes my head spin round and round.

"Does any of it matter?

"It is like when I was Homesick. I didn't know where I belonged and I was so tangled up and had forgotten who I was. Keiko reminded me I had value for just being me. You helped save the Forest Folk, you've been our companion from Forest to Mountains. You sing real nice and pretty, even better than the raccoon sisters.

"I know folks with whiskers, tails of all sorts, thick fur and thin.

"So are horns all that different? Fine. Maybe they are. But different in the same way.

"I saw you and Broke at the Young Master's wedding."

Tomomi looked down for a bit, gnawing on her lower lip.

"Maybe I'm just a simple mouse. We aren't the smartest of the Forest Folk by far.

"But maybe, simple is not only enough...

"Maybe it's just right?"

Kisa then took a half step forward. It signaled a more relaxed posture, leaning a little bit against her Knight.

"I should add a Mouse tile to my double-bluff collection."

She was quiet and scholarly as she made her observations. It was her manner and what she was most comfortable with.

"I am also one of the few people in the Heartwood who keeps a blank tile in my set. It is a new addition to the game. If it is discovered before the Black Cavalry tile it wreaks havoc on you. If the Black Cavalry is already in play, it wreaks havoc on your opponent. It is a truly scary token, strategy-wise. When I asked my mother its name, she told me it was the Fae tile. Why is it blank? Because we don't understand them enough to give them a proper sigil.

"Things you don't understand are scary.

"They shatter patterns."

She reached forward and wrapped both arms around Daxia's one.

"Fae raids. Captain Koromov and your Kethysynthia. Did you ever think to ask why I wanted to see the Sea of Opals? Why Daxia agreed to my very improper request? Da, I saw how pretty it was to see Her set over the water, scattering the waves with diamonds of fire. With each step, I saw something new, something different, and now I understand the ways of the world far better; I have understandings my Mother can never hope to have and it is probably why she didn't send the Temple troops out after me.

"Sometimes, Lyric, a quest is not in the goal...

"But in the journey itself."

The elder sister looked to her younger sibling.

"Your turn."

Elini crossed her arms and grumbled.

"She knows I hate it when she does that. Especially because she knows exactly what I think of that stupid, mischievous, absolutely chaotic blank tile. She says it's an important piece that cannot be forgotten and I say it's not. It is exactly what it is, a blank tile, and being a blank tile it is absolutely, completely, and like a Jvrillian in a grandmother's quilting bee, totally useless.

"Do you know why?

"You can draw anything on a blank tile, Lyric. And because you can draw anything, nothing you draw can be better something else. You can have all the coin in the world, but if you did, nothing you bought would be more valuable than anything else. If you have all the time in the world, nothing you do has meaning, because, eventually, you'll have done everything. And when you can do anything and everything, any promise you make cannot be..."

Her head tilted, looking between Daxia and her sister before returning to look to Lyric.

"By your own words, Lyric, your clans are doomed."

"You shouldn't need a vow or an oath to bind you to someone. By the time you say it, you should already hold it in your heart so that the saying of such things is only an acknowledgment of what already is. And if you make an oath and it is not already in your heart it is a recipe for disaster. And if those chains of Clann you described are anything but that, one day one of them will break and then the whole thing will start unraveling and your entire world will come crashing down. It will be like biting down on a late winter apple only to find that it's rotten inside. And it will, it can't help to, because if your home is truly outside of time, then, just like before the Shattering, it will happen, it can't help but happen, because if you have all the time in the world eventually everything happens.

"Are your Clanns something to be cherished or are they chains?

"Do they exist only to hold your home together?

"What are they replacing?"

Eleni smiled then.

"Tomomi is absolutely adorable, you know that? Maybe it's that simple.

"Look at your life.

"Look at those here on the balcony.

"What value did you have before becoming a friend? Look at what you hold in your hand. That's someone's tooth. And yet it's a gift to you. Do you understand how much that means? How much more that is than any oath?

"So maybe this is what your Kethysynthia sees. But as our Mother says, to both Kisa's and my consternation, it's one thing to know, one thing to really understand, and a whole other thing to do something about it."