Aurae stepped out onto the balcony of her room to admire the early morning sunlight glistening through the snow-capped trees. From her viewpoint, she could also see the majority of the capital below her as it, too, began to come more alive as the sun rose higher.
Why did I have a dream about Thoma and Ysevel last night? Is it because they've been on my mind so much since their disappearance? She thought, observing a few children playing in the street as their parents opened their store.
It's strange. It's almost like I can still feel their presence, even though it was only a dream, Aurae thought, leaning on the naturally formed balcony railing as the sleeves of her robes folded beneath her weight.
"Your Majesty," one of the servants said from the doorway, snapping her out of her peaceful moment. "Good morning, Lisai. It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" Aurae asked without turning around. "It is, Your Majesty, but unfortunately, we do not have the time to revel in it much longer," Lisai said, moving over to the wardrobe to grab Aurae's clothes for the day.
"Oh, I'm aware, Lisai. I can feel the one Thoma called Ren drawing ever closer. They should be arriving soon," she said, pushing away from the railing. "I can't imagine what that must be like, Your Majesty," Lisai began, pulling an ornate green and silver dress from the wardrobe. "Doesn't it drive you mad at times?" Lisai asked, her genuine curiosity was evident in her voice.
"Not as much as one might think," Aurae began with a chuckle as she stepped into the open mouth of the dress. "On the one hand, it's nice to always know there are others like me in the world, few as we may be. But on the other hand, it adds a sense of fear knowing one of those presences could disappear at any moment," she said, sticking her arm through the sleeve and revealing her hand at the other end.
"What about Lady Ysevel? Aren't you always worried about her, even without being able to sense her presence, Your Majesty?" Lisai asked, holding out the other brim for Aurae to put her arm into. "Strange that you should ask me that today of all days," Aurae said distantly as her servant began to lace up the front of the dress.
"Strange? How so, Your Majesty?" Lisai asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, it's true that I worry about my daughter all the time. Even more so now that she's been trapped in the Underworld. However, I'm not so sure what you said about her presence is entirely true. I had a dream about her last night, you see, and since waking up, it's like I can still feel her, but it's so distant that I can't tell whether it's remnants from the dream," Aurae said, lifting her arms to do the buttons at the wrists.
"A mother's love and intuition should never be questioned, Your Majesty," Lisai said plainly. "You speak from experience? I wasn't aware you had fyn of your own," Aurae said, not bothering to hide her pleasant surprise, earning a shrug from her servant.
"Of course, Your Majesty. It was at least a century before I began working for the Palace. They've already reached their maturation points, though I still visit them from time to time in Soule," Lisai said with a bright smile. "I see. I apologize for never asking," Aurae said dejectedly.
"Nonsense, Your Majesty. There is nothing to apologize for, nor am I in any position to say whether there even was, to begin with," Lisai said with a bow. Aurae smiled warmly and put a hand on her servant's shoulder, prompting her to look up.
"From one mother to another, I think it's wonderful that you still keep good connections with them, and I would be happy to see you able to spend more time with them," she said warmly, staring into Lisai's bright green eyes with her own violet and red ones.
"Th-thank you, Your Majesty, truly!" her servant said excitedly as she was likely already making plans in her head. "Of course, now, can you tell me what your motherly intuition says about me still being able to feel my daughter's presence?" Aurae asked curiously. Lisai paused for a moment and put a finger to her chin.
"Well, what if she somehow acquired the same abilities you have, Your Majesty? That would make the most sense to me, anyway, though I'm not sure that's the right way to word it," she said, lifting her palms up to the height of her shoulders.
There's no way she could have done that. Unless… her thoughts trailed off as Haldir appeared in the doorway.
"Your Majesty, our guests have arrived," he announced promptly, dropping to one knee. "Thank you, Haldir. I will be there shortly to greet them. Make sure they are comfortable until I arrive," Aurae said warmly. Wordlessly, he rose and bowed before leaving the doorway.
"Well, Lisai, this has been a wonderful conversation, and I will make sure you get the opportunity to visit your children more frequently. Just be sure to send them my regards," Aurae said, giving her servant a warm smile. "I could never thank you enough, Your Majesty," Lisai said with a small tear forming in her eye.
Within a few moments, Aurae met up with Elhael and descended the stairs that led to the Great Hall, where Thorn, Ren, and Nenvalur were speaking with Haldir, Vyra, Derion, and Eirenne. "I'm glad to see you all getting along after so long without seeing each other," Elhael said with a warm smile as she approached.
"Your Majesties," they all said in unison, dropping to one knee. "Please, rise," he said with a gesture as she regarded the three newcomers. As they all rose, Aurae immediately caught sight of Ren's scarlet eyes.
He smiled in return as they exchanged a knowing nod.
"Welcome home, sons of Caegwen. It's been too long since you've been here," he said, glancing over at Nenvalur. "Now, tell me: How was your journey? Uneventful, I hope?" Elhael asked warmly. "Bah, there wasn't much of a threat on the road, Your Majesty," Nenvalur said dejectedly. "He means it was uneventful, Your Majesty. Also, it's an honor to finally meet you, King Elhael. Nenvalur spoke highly of you," Thorn chimed in briefly.
"Of course he did! He was his personal protector for over three hundred years, after all," Siraye said from one of the hallways, approaching them at a jogging pace. "Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesties, but these three are my cousins. It's good to see you again after so long," she said, greeting them warmly and earning stares of surprise from her squad.
"It's good to see you too, Siraye! How long has it been, a hundred and fifty years?" Nenvalur asked, clasping her forearm in his. "Probably longer than that, but you haven't changed at all," she replied with a hearty laugh. "While you've gone and earned yourself Commander status. You'll likely be able to teach me a thing or two while we're here," Nenvalur said wryly.
"If you're challenging me to a duel, I've been itching for a rematch, you know," Siraye retorted wryly, turning to the others. "Thorn, Ren. It's good to see you, too! Thoma has told me a lot about you while we were training together," she said, greeting them in a similar manner. "Ren, when did you reach the fifth stage? I didn't even know you could with your preferred type of mana," she said, not bothering to hide the look of surprise on her face as she regarded him more carefully.
"It's been too long, Siraye. I see you've been well enough, given the circumstances," Thorn began, noticing Ren was a little uncomfortable with how close Siraye was to his face. "I'm sorry that things turned out the way they did," he continued with a respectful gesture.
"It's my fault they were in that mess to begin with," she began with a sigh. "But like Nenvalur and Her Majesty have never failed to remind me: There is no use in idly weeping when something can be done about it. Which, frankly, is why I asked for your help," she said humbly.
"We'll do our best, Siraye. You have my word," Ren said, surprising Thorn. "I just don't know how we'll be of much help," he continued bashfully. "I can explain that, but first, let's move somewhere a little more suitable for such conversations," Aurae said with a warm smile.
She led them all to her personal study which was filled with books, scrolls, and other such manuscripts all neatly organized and in their place. The bookshelf on the far wall was as tall as the room itself, with a ladder readily available for those on the top shelf. Her desk melded into the floor as it was of the same material as the rest of the palace.
In front of the desk, there was a wide table reaching about the height of their knees and a pair of long chairs on either side, with two large chairs for herself and Elhael.
"Please, sit. There is much to discuss, though Siraye and I will try to keep it short given your long journey," Aurae said with a gesture as she summoned in the servants who carried plates of dried meats, fruit, and jugs of juice, which Nenvalur looked at curiously.
"It's too early for Ale, you cheeky fuck," Siraye whispered jokingly, noticing his expression. "Fair enough," he replied with an upturned lip.
"Now, you're all aware of the situation at hand: Thoma and Ysevel were dragged down to the Underworld by Irun, Thoma's former comrade at Codrean," Aurae stated clearly. "A shame we weren't there to help," Nenvalur said as the last servant was leaving the room, knowing he could speak more plainly. "You had other matters to attend to in Codrean, I'm sure," Elhael said plainly.
"I'm not sure I would've lasted much longer, though," Nenvalur began. "The only people I could spar with were these two, and I've trained them since they could wield a sword," he said, jutting his thumb over toward Thorn and Ren. "In any case, how can we help?" he asked, returning to the conversation.
"Of course. Ren, I'm sure you've been able to sense me from a long way off, just as I have been able to sense you," Aurae began with a smile. "However, something has come to my attention that you've probably noticed as well," she said, getting a raised eyebrow from Siraye.