Marin was a good mother. She did what little any mother could to see that no one got hurt in the course of young love. Baron had finally matured enough to appreciate her efforts. It yielded an unexpected joy to witness how differently his mother treated Ariadra – her warmth and acceptance from the moment they first met. It convinced him more than any words that what he'd found was real.
At length, Baron pushed open the door slowly, both Marin and Ariadra turning to him.
“Where in the world have you been?”
“Just out for a stroll,” Baron replied with a smile. “Enjoying the cool morning air.”
“Cool morning air? You'll catch a cold for sure!”
Baron chuckled.
“Suriyans are a hearty bunch. Not your average Forthurian villager, I assure you.”
Ariadra's eyes narrowed as a slow smile grew.
“Just be happy he's keeping his feet on dry land, dear,” said Marin.
Baron threw his head back in laughter. For not many months had passed since every morning had occupied him with practice sessions for the Race of Skull Island.
“Thank you, Mother.”
Ariadra laughed also, coming at last to embrace him.
“Have some tea and warm up,” she said.
“Don't mind if I do.”
Baron approached the fire, Ariadra bringing him a steaming cup, followed not far behind by Marin with a plateful of eggs and toast.
“I could get used to this,” Baron said with a wide smile.
Ariadra couldn't help but return his grin, shaking her head and glancing to Marin who smirked and turned away, concealing her own smile.
“I could get used to a 'thank you' every now and again,” Marin's words trailed away as she returned to the kitchen.
“Thank you, mother dearest!” Baron called out over his shoulder.
But Marin brushed away his thanks and resumed her work. Ariadra laughed and sat beside him by the fire, taking his cup of tea in hand and sipping it slowly. Baron chuckled and poked at his eggs. But Ariadra's gaze grew distant and she watched the wisps of flame.
“What's wrong?” he asked at length.
She turned, surprised at the question.
“Nothing. It's just...being here in your hometown...the way you are with your mother and father...it makes me miss my own family.”
Baron put down his plate and embraced her warmly. Ariadra wiped a tear from her eye.
“I've tried to imagine what you had to go through to get here,” Baron said.
Then he pulled away and looked at her until she met his gaze.
“You're the bravest woman I've ever known,” he declared.
Baron's eyes showed his admiration. And though in the past he'd made bold proclamations, with Ariadra, it was real. She nodded and smiled, tearfully.
“Where do you think they'll station us today?” she asked, wiping her eyes.
“I'm not sure. There's not much left to do, really.”
“That's good,” Ariadra replied. “Sheabor must be desperate to have us back.”
Baron nodded slowly.
“There are plenty of other townships besides Suriya to rebuild though,” Baron said. “Echlin was almost completely destroyed by the barbarians. And Ilich...If you met the little boy whose inn I stayed at...”
“Granted, but surely the alliance has bigger plans than the rebuilding of every village in Forthura. Those will all survive until Corcoran is defeated.”
Baron took a deep breath.
“What Sheabor and the others must be going through...” Ariadra continued, shaking her head. “I left in such a rush and I didn't tell anyone where I was going. They probably think we're both dead.”
Baron still said nothing, he the one now gazing into the fire.
“What is it?” she asked.
Baron shrugged his shoulders.
“Nothing,” he said. “I just haven't given it much thought, I guess. With so much to do here, I haven't considered Sheabor or the alliance.”
Ariadra seemed struck by his statement and Baron felt a pang of guilt. For he more accurately should have said that he didn't want to think about Sheabor or the alliance. Once he and Ariadra went back, it would be to war. And the two of them would be the most hunted persons in the alliance.
Corcoran had been a step ahead of them from the beginning. Baron couldn't bear the thought of putting Ariadra in that kind of danger. Though he would never say it, he almost wished she had never unlocked her ability. Things were so perfect here. If only they could just hold on to what they had.
“I wish the others could be here for the wedding,” she continued. “I wish we had more time...”
“I know,” said Baron, squeezing her hands in his. “Me too.”
“Here you are, dear,” said Marin, setting a plate of food in front of Ariadra.
“Thank you!” Ariadra replied, beaming with gratitude.
Baron's mother returned Ariadra's affection with an equally warm smile, and Baron's snickering was met with a scowl from Marin who turned away to rejoin the kitchen.
“I think my own mother prefers you to me,” Baron said.
“Maybe if you were nicer to her...”
Baron shrugged his shoulders innocently but then glanced to the kitchen.
“What do you mean the food is cold?” he asked loudly.
Horrified, Ariadra struck him in the arm, doing little to diminish his glowing entertainment.
“Stop it!” she demanded in hushed sternness.
Marin shook her head but turned away to camouflage a smile and continued about her chores. Baron assented, holding up his hands in surrender, knowing how hard Ariadra still worked to make a good impression on his mother and father. It brought a wave of feeling, for his family had already more than welcomed her into their hearts. So Baron kept silent, passing the next few minutes without a word as she finished her meal.
“What say we get to work?” Baron asked at length, standing to his feet and taking her by the hand. “Can't leave the laborers waiting all day out in the cold, can we?”
“But I want to help clean up from breakfast a bit first,” Ariadra said as she stood, glancing to Marin.
“No time for that,” Baron replied. “That's peasant's work, after all.”
Stunned, Ariadra turned to Marin, who shook her head in a vain attempt to suppress a smile.
“I just keep telling myself how glad I am he's back to normal,” Marin replied. “You wouldn't believe how he moped about before you arrived, dear.”
Baron burst out laughing and came to give his mother a hug, which she accepted at first. But as Baron continued to hug her, letting the gesture carry on into absurdity, she pushed him away at length.
“Go and make yourself useful somewhere!” Marin said, shoving him from their family home and slamming the door behind.
“My goodness! That child!” came the muffled voice.
Baron and Ariadra laughed into the cool morning air.
“What's the matter with you!” she demanded.
“She deserves it.”
“I can't imagine what you deserve then!”
Baron lifted his head back, his trailing laughter transforming into vapory puffs. At last, he sighed, lowering his head and smiling fondly.
“It's alarming how similar the two of you are,” Ariadra observed.
“Are you calling my mother masculine?” he asked loudly.
“You're completely ridiculous!”
Ariadra rushed at him, pulling him from his family home, the combined forces of laughter and slick snow nearly knocking him off his feet. Baron rested his hands on his knees, still fighting to catch his breath. At length, he arose and gazed once more at Ariadra. Already the cool morning air had turned her cheeks rosy and he was struck again, as for the very first time, by how wonderful she was.
But soon he was pulling her by the hand through the streets and byways of Suriya, still laughing as they went. Those they passed briefly paused their affairs, genuine
ly happy to watch. Baron and Ariadra had become the sweethearts of Suriya and they knew it.
They arrived at the town square, finding the representative from Eulsiphion overseeing the rebuilding of Suriya.
“I wasn't expecting the two of you today,” he said. “Surely you have other planning to do. Your wedding is in less than a week.”
“Thank you,” said Ariadra. “But we didn't want to assume.”
“The main structures have all been completely restored,” the representative said. “Looking at it now, you'd never know a battle was fought here only months ago.”
“What about those additions to the town hall we talked about?” Baron interjected.
The representative seemed surprised at Baron's eagerness.
“There will always be more to do, of course. But people of your talents shouldn't be grinding out every little detail. You have more important things in front of you, I'm sure. The whole town is much looking forward to your wedding.”
Baron could feel Ariadra's gaze. He turned to her with a smile.
“They won't be disappointed.”
Estrien
Estrien awoke to a commotion nearby. The sun shone brightly through the fabric of her tent and the air was close and warm. How long had she been asleep? She sprang up quickly but a searing pain in her side from the blow Durian, or rather Corcoran, had dealt her in the archival building sent her back to her pillow.
She had hoped to attend the important morning meeting. Was it over already? Slowly, she arose and pushed open her tent flap. The sun stood high in the sky, it's warmth caressing her face. It was nearly midday. All around her the city was bustling. She hadn't seen it like this since the first days.
“Excuse me,” she said, stopping one near her. “What was decided at the meeting this morning?”
The man showed a hint of confusion.
“You mean yesterday's meeting.”
Estrien was taken aback. Had she really slept a day and a half? Estrien stood there, mouth open but words unforming.
“I'm sorry. I really have to be going.”
“It's fine,” Estrien replied.
Then she was alone again. A rush of mixed emotions hit her. Clearly a plan of some kind was underway. Only a day ago, Estrien had been the leader of the alliance city. Now, it was as though she didn't exist. Where was Straiah? Why hadn't he come to visit her and tell her what had been discussed?
The last thing Aravas had spoken to her flashed through her memory. I will see to it that for as long as I live your deeds this day will be remembered and honored. It was a strange thing to choose a warrior's death – to be remembered and regarded – but then to live on and watch the world go forward without you.
Estrien closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing away her despondent thoughts. She knew Sheabor didn't intend for her to feel this way...there was so much to do. He couldn't attend to everything. And she was glad to have him back in command. But something was nagging inside her that she couldn't quite shake. Why hadn't Straiah come to see her? She had barely spoken two words to him since his arrival back in the city.
Estrien took another breath and calmed herself. Straiah and Cora had been in the Westward Wilds, pinpointing the locations and strengths of Corcoran's forces. Relaying those details to Sheabor was clearly more important than checking on her. She was a warrior, after all. She understood the need for such sacrifices.
Estrien decided to go for a walk, setting off from her tent in the warm midday air. Winter had truly passed, and the scent of the first wildflowers was on the breeze. As she went, everyone she passed by greeted her. It lifted her spirits, for she could see the respect they had for her in their eyes.
As she wandered, she thought she saw something along the western wall, a solitary figure standing motionless. Estrien maneuvered towards it. Nearing, her suspicions were confirmed. It was Straiah, standing alone, seemingly lost in thought. It brought a wave of emotion. What could he be thinking about? What so occupied his thoughts that it would keep him here instead of coming to her?
He seemed different from the man who once risked the fate of the world to take Sheabor's hammer and rescue her in the Squall Highlands. A quick thought entered her mind – the way she had seen him with Sheabor's wife, Cora. They'd been so familiar, almost like family. She couldn't shake the feeling that maybe there was some history there...a history that now drove him to seek solitude.
Estrien lingered a moment, watching him. But she slowly ambled up the steps and came to stand beside him along the wall, gazing outward. A warm breeze hit her, swirling in her hair and bringing the scent of springtime. Straiah turned to see her, and was taken aback. He opened his mouth to greet her but something in him seemed to realize what she was feeling and he sighed deeply.
“I'm so sorry,” he said, his eyes showing his sincerity. “I wanted you to get your rest. But I should've come to see you, all the same. Please forgive me.”
Estrien nodded and smiled warmly, then turned her gaze back onto the sweeping plains. It really was beautiful here, the grasslands of Kester stretching far beyond where eye could see. The spring brought a sense of new life and hope.
“They told me what you did,” Straiah said. “How you trapped yourself inside the archival building with Corcoran.”
“It was the only way.”
“I know,” Straiah replied. “I just want to say how much I admire you for your selflessness. I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you, but I respect you for it all the same.”
Estrien could see the sincerity in his eyes. But she didn't quite know how to take the compliment. It seemed to come warrior to warrior. Her selflessness could very well have led to her demise. Without Blair stepping in and saving her, she'd have died. Estrien opened her mouth to ask for something more from him, but she didn't know what to ask.
The way he was looking at her, it wasn't quite as before. Could he see in her eyes that part of her had wanted the escape of a warrior's death? What would she tell him if he asked her?
“I won't be here long,” he said. “I have to coordinate with the resistance in the Westward Wilds. We're trying to form a strategy to keep Corcoran's advancements at bay.”
Estrien nodded, giving him her best smile. He sighed, words unforming, and Estrien grew uncomfortable in the silence.
“What was it like in the Westward Wilds?” she asked.
Straiah considered her question for long moments, turning his gaze back onto the plains.
“You can almost feel the remoteness there,” he replied. “It's like the landscape, so unfamiliar with the ways of man, stops to watch and wonder.”
Estrien was surprised by his manner of speech.
“You've grown more thoughtful,” she remarked with a smile.
He smiled back.
“I spent a lot of time in solitude,” he replied. “With such a small party and such a large area to cover, I scarcely spoke with another soul for over a month. There was this one stretch of shoreline I would pass on my patrols – the most beautiful I've ever seen. The water was a bright emerald green and the sands were golden yellow. I would stop there often, and it always made me think of you. One day, when this is all over, I'll take you there.”
She smiled warmly at his declaration, wishing for the same. But still, his sentiment seemed to spring more from a place of peace than passion, as though desiring to share a favorite spot with an old friend. He opened his mouth as if to say more but only took a deep breath and sighed.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It's nothing. I just...”
“What?” she pressed.
“I wrote something for you while walking along the beach one day. With all the beautiful things King Euthor wrote, it inspired me I guess. Now it just feels silly. It doesn't even rhyme.”
“Can I see it?”
Straiah hesitated. Her heart beat quickly and she was surprised by how anxious she was to see what he had written for her. Was it a thoughtful sonnet of crashing wa
ves and shoreline? Or was it borne from real passion – raw and emotional? But as Estrien waited, before he responded, a figure approached up the staircase. It was Bowen.
“Straiah,” Bowen said with a formal bow. “Estrien.”
Another bow, even lower. Estrien gave a nod.
“Good to see you on your feet,” Bowen continued. “I don't know that I've met another warrior so prone to near-death encounters.”
“I'll take that as a compliment,” Estrien replied.
“I was just on my way to my new assignment,” Bowen continued. “I saw the two of you standing idle and thought I would say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” Estrien inquired. “Where are you off to?”
“The lands of Aeleos. Thanks to you. That stunt you pulled getting Commander Rovak and Drogan together made me the new ambassador of Kester to the mythical lands of the Bearoc.”
“Beats a prison cell in K'venneh, I'll wager,” she countered.
Bowen smiled.
“Not if you hate politics.”
“Any time you like, we can have Blair fashion you quite an impenetrable room for you to live in. Well, nearly impenetrable at least.”
Bowen's smile widened further.
“No, my fate is sealed,” he replied. “I'm off to who knows where. What can the giants be hiding that's so amazing? That's what I want to know. They didn't exactly need a massive wall to keep us from it. They're twice our size! A simple 'stay away' posted at their borders probably would've sufficed.”
Estrien and Straiah laughed, casting sidelong glances at one another. And just then, Bowen seemed to realize he might have barged in on a private conversation.
“Well, I best be on my way then.”
“Good luck,” said Straiah, hand extended. “Stay out of trouble.”
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