Whan had called Enoria's name in vain: the Igutu wasn't waking up and so, with the others, they had wiped away the blood from her face, covered her and carried her to her room at the Great Shrine. They encountered no one on the way as people had all gathered at the same place for the ceremony.
Whan had carefully laid her down on the bed but he was not a doctor. He knew some of the basics -as they all did- but as he didn't know exactly what was wrong with her, he didn't know what to do. He put a delicate hand on her forehead and, as she was burning up, he ordered one of his subordinates to go search for fresh water.
When water was brought to him, he humidified a piece of cloth and gently refreshed her forehead. A moment after, he checked her pulse and he didn't like how weak it seemed to be.
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Far from the worries of Whan and his subordinates, all Arthdal was festive. The people, on their knees, were shouting their joy and thanking the Gods for having forgiven them.
Tanya exchanged a glance with Tagon who gave her a satisfied nod. He was about to say something when he felt something falling on his head. He raised his eyes towards the sky and he suddenly realized what he had felt: a drop. The rain was starting to fall.
When the citizens realized too, they continued to loudly express their joy.
"You are really making the rain fall, Niruha," Tagon noted as he looked at her with a smile. She had told him that she knew rain would fall again, that she had seen signs and he was forced to recognize that the High Priestess was quite surprising.
"I don't have that power but the Gods do," she replied. She felt relieved at the first drop she felt falling on her face. The signs she had seen in the Fire Room had all become true and so, so far everything was going as planned. "It's your turn to speak," she told the King.
Indeed, it was his turn. Tanya's plan had worked and so he had no reason not to agree with what she had told the citizens. She needed him to support her words and he needed to take credit for what had happened.
"My dear subjects," the King started, making the crowd quiet, "the Gods are offering us a new beginning. The rain is falling again and our crops will soon be abundant again. Together, as one people, we will crush our enemies and we will make sure to make Arthdal a prosperous and peaceful city. We'll make sure our children and their children after them never forget how Aramun Haesulla's second coming and the descendant of Asa Sin worked together for all of you to live in the decent world you deserve to live in."
The people cheered again. Tanya didn't say anything, letting him take some credit was a part of their agreement. It didn't really matter if the people believed he truly had a role in what had just happened. As long as he had their love, she knew he would not be that dangerous for the citizens, or at least that was what she wanted to believe. For the newly renamed workers, Tagon had engaged himself into trying to make their lives better. And though Tanya didn't know if he was going to honor his engagement, she would still find a way to make him keep his promise. She was more worried about the people who weren't from Arthdal. According to what Saya had taught her, there were many tribes living independently and so she was afraid Tagon would consider them as enemies to crush.
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Under the rain, the festivities continued all afternoon. The important people had taken refuge into the Palace and the numerous conversations were filling the room.
Saya had taken back his place next to Tanya as soon as they had been on their way to the Palace. He had praised her, more than once, about what she had done and every time she had thanked him with maybe a bit of shyness. She was going from one conversation to the other, answering people' questions about what she had shared with them, soothing their doubts and worries, always with assurance but courtesy. She could feel, just like she could hear that everyone didn't agree with the words she had had and yet, no one had dared to publicly opposed her.
But even if she appreciated the atmosphere, there was something else in her mind. Behind her, her bodyguard's thoughts were pretty loud and she could understand why: despite Enoria having promised she would be back after having executed what she had been asked to do, the Igutu woman had not come back and Yangcha was so worried it almost showed on his usual impassive face.
Tanya didn't say anything to him, she was worried too but it wasn't like she could just leave the party to go check on her and he couldn't either.
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At the end of the day, when all the guests finally had come back to their respective home, Yangcha had only one thing in mind: to rush to the side of the woman he loved. But the High Priestess was taking her time to discuss with the King and the Queen about the day that had passed and it wasn't like he could have told them he had things to do.
"What a beautiful show you gave us today, Niruha," the Queen praised with a fake smile.
"I am glad it pleased my Queen's eyes," Tanya replied, "now if you have no objections, I would like to excuse myself, it was a pleasant but tiring day."
"Right, go rest, Niruha," Tagon said, "we'll see you tomorrow morning to discuss your upcoming marriage as well as ways to fix your words into the citizens' minds."
"The workers too, you promised we'd talk about them too."
"We'll do that, naturally," the King said. They could talk about the workers as much as she wanted, it didn't mean he had to accept what she was going to propose.
Tanya didn't know if the smile the King had on his face was sincere or not but she heard nothing coming from his mind. She bowed to the royal couple and left the room accompanied by the Prince, her two bodyguards behind her.
"It's suspicious how our High Priestess almost ran out of here," Taealha started as she placed herself in front of Tagon, "perhaps, does it have something to do with the fact your precious Daekan Lady disappeared after Tanya's speech? Just tell me the truth, Enoria is not a random Igutu, is she?"
"She is special indeed," Tagon simply replied.
"How special?" Taealha asked, "special enough to make plants grow? Or to be the descendant of that First Son of the Moon we had never heard about before?"
Tagon just smiled at her without giving him any confirmation. He had promised Tanya he wouldn't say anything and so, just like she had respected their agreement, he would too.
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"I am going to slow you down, go first," Tanya told Yangcha when they finally left the Palace.
"He can't do that, Niruha," Saya immediately said, "there are still many people on the streets and you need to be protected. We are not sure everyone will truly agree with everything you said today."
"As he said," Yangcha thought, though he was thankful the High Priestess was walking as fast as she could.
When they arrived at the Shrine, the night guards were already there and so Yangcha excused himself, told the Priestess he would send Sana to give her news and he hurried to his room with the hope Enoria would be there.
Yangcha burst in the room in a way that made Whan jumped out of surprise. He didn't hear him complain about having startled him, his eyes immediately went to the one laying on the bed and he froze.
"She is alive!" Whan immediately reassured, seeing the worry in Yangcha's eyes.
The masked warrior passed by him and approached the bed. He sat near her, took her hand into his and even though he had his gloves on, he could feel how cold her skin was. He removed his glove, checked her forehead only to notice her face was as cold as her hands were, then he checked her pulse and though he wasn't a doctor, he knew it was weak.
"I know, I don't know what to do," Whan said in a low voice, "she was burning up a moment ago but now her skin is so cold it almost feels like she is de-"
Yangcha gave him such a dark look that Whan didn't dare to finish his sentence. He wouldn't allow him to say the woman he loved was as cold and pale as someone who wasn't alive anymore. He wanted to ask what happened and yet, a part of him didn't want to break his punishment once more. He had done it with Sana before but he had felt uncomfortable doing so. He thought about taking something to write on before he realized he also wasn't authorized to do that anyway and so, it would just be the same as directly talking, except talking would take less time. He took a deep breath, looked at Whan, hesitated but finally opened his mouth and let words out: "tell me what happened," he ordered.
Whan knew Yangcha was under the punishment of silence but he didn't comment on the fact he was breaking it, though it could have been something he would have teased him for if the circumstances were different. He explained to him she had been afraid because she had never pushed her ability that far and so, he thought she had probably overdone it. He thought her body hadn't followed her will and he shared with him what he had witnessed: from the nosebleed to her collapsing. He told him he had already sent a message to ShinWoo in case he knew what could help her but that it would take time for him to receive and then answer it and so, for now he thought they could only wait for her to regain consciousness.
Yangcha sighed before he turned his head to look at Sana who was frozen in place with tears in her eyes. "She will be alright," he tried to reassure, "go tell the High Priestess she is unconscious for now, then go rest."
"No, I want to stay by he-"
"There's nothing you can do here for now," Yangcha interrupted, "I'll go search for you if her condition changes but you need to rest. She'd scold me for not making sure you rest well."
Sana didn't want to leave but she had to recognize he was right. After having asked the two men to take care of Enoria, she left the room to go give some news to the High Priestess.
"How can you tell her not to worry when you are not even sure she is going to be o-," Whan accused.
"This is Enoria we are talking about," Yangcha interrupted, "do you know many women as tough as she is?"
It made Whan give a faint smile but even though Yangcha was trying to be reassuring, he was worried too. She had to wake up, they had promised each other they would see each other with wrinkles and white hair and so she couldn't break that promise yet. He sighed, removed the mask from his face, passed a hand in his hair and sighed again. The night was going to be long and he didn't intend to sleep until Enoria would have opened her eyes again.
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Yangcha had tried to send Whan to rest too but the young warrior hadn't obeyed. He was determined to keep Yangcha company and he pretended not to be tired though Yangcha had caught up discreetly yawning.
The night seemed to pass too slowly for them and the one they were watching over was showing no sign of awakening.
As much as he had fought against his sleepiness, Whan had finally given up and without realizing it, he had fallen asleep on the chair.
Yangcha hadn't. Enoria's hand in his, he was keeping a close eye on the woman he loved.
Whan woke up suddenly a while later, confused about having fallen asleep in the first place. "My apologies," he mumbled, "I didn't mean t-"
"Don't play tough," Yangcha teased him, "sleep if you need to."
Whan didn't reply to that. He was embarrassed enough to have succumbed to his sleepiness while his leader was unconscious. He glanced at her but it didn't seem there had been any change in her state. "Is she better?" he asked.
Yangcha shook his head. "Not better, nor worse," he replied in a low voice. The fact her state had stayed stable was already a good thing for him.
"You should rest a little too," Whan said but Yangcha just shook his head again, he wasn't that tired. "Don't play tough," he teased, using his own words against him, "she told us you were both as stubborn as the other, I guess she didn't lie."
And without even realizing it, the side of Yangcha's lips raised in a small smile.
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The morning after, Sana had paid a visit to the men watching over her leader but she was saddened by the fact Enoria still hadn't woken up. She had informed the High Priestess who had already been joined by the Prince and the latter ordered one of the night guards to go inform their King.
Yangcha and Whan had spent the night watching over Enoria. They had talked a little, Whan leading most of the conversations, feeling glad to be able to get to know better the one he only knew through his leader's words while Yangcha still felt weird talking to someone who wasn't Enoria. But even though it was an unusual feeling to really talk to someone else, he had to recognize it made the time pass more quickly.
Whan was proudly narrating one of the successful missions he had participated in by Enoria's side when Yangcha cut him off. "Wait, someone is coming," he suddenly said as he turned his head towards the door, "hide and be quiet," he ordered the young warrior who obeyed without asking question.
Yangcha stood up, quickly putting back his mask on his face. A knock on the door and it was the King himself who showed himself inside and the warrior bowed to his leader.
"Saya had made me know she wasn't well," Tagon said in a low voice before his eyes went to Enoria, "could it be because of what she had done yesterday?" he asked, looking at his warrior again.
Yangcha nodded, of course it was because of that. It had probably drained her out of her energy and she would need time to recover.
"Should I summon a doctor?" the King questioned.
Yangcha took time to examine the proposition but he finally shook his head. It wasn't like they could explain how she had ended up in that state. Moreover, as an Igutu, it was risky to call for someone who would maybe not know anything about the species or who could tell about her blood. The High Priestess had maybe said everyone was the same but they couldn't know how people would truly react if they were confronted to someone with purple or blue blood.
Tagon asked a few more questions to which Yangcha silently replied then, he told his warrior he could stay by Enoria's side until she felt better and that he didn't have to worry about his duties towards the High Priestess: he would send other warriors to assure her protection. Then, he told Yangcha he wished Enoria would recover well and he left to go back to his activities.
Whan left his hideout just after Tagon was gone. "Does he truly care about her or is he just faking it?" he almost immediately complained.
"Believe it or not, he cares," Yangcha replied before he went back to sit next to the bed. He knew Tagon more than well, he wasn't faking the interest he was showing towards Enoria, a part of him truly cared for her. And funnily enough, even though she wanted him dead when she was younger, Yangcha knew a part of Enoria cared about Tagon as well.
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Leaned on the edge of the balcony of her office, Tanya felt the fresh wind caressing her face and she shivered. She had barely slept, guilt preventing her to truly rest. After Sana had announced her Enoria was still unconscious, she hadn't been able to push away the thought that it was her fault if her friend was in that state, because she was the one who had asked her to push her ability. Saya had tried to reassure her but his words hadn't convinced her and she knew she would only feel better when Enoria would have regained consciousness.
"It's time now," Saya told the High Priestess. The meeting to discuss their upcoming marriage as well as what was being said in the Kingdom after the announcement made during the Ceremony the day before was coming soon and they had to head for the Palace.
They silently walked to the Palace and Tanya felt a lump in her throat when she turned to see Sana's gloomy face. The young warrior was always cheerful but that morning, she was unusually quiet and her thoughts were full of worry and fear.
When they arrived in the reunion room, the councilors stood up and greeted the High Priestess but she didn't even truly pay attention to them and just sat on the chair Saya had pulled for her. Discreetly, Saya put a reassuring hand on her shoulder before he turned around the table and sat in front of her. She gave him a faint smile she quickly lost and she saw in his eyes he was encouraging her to regain composure. She understood that well. She straightened herself, put on an impassive face and stared back at the councilors who quickly lowered their heads. She looked back at Saya who smiled at her before Tagon entered and they all stood up to respectfully greet the King.
They sat again after the King had taken his seat, marking the beginning of the meeting.
"How are people reacting?" Tagon asked.
"From what had come to our ears, my King, the people are quite reserved after the ceremony of yesterday," one of the councilors started to explain, "despite the Gods having blessed us with rain and what happened at the field, some have expressed some worries concerning what has been said about Neanthals and Igutus."
"Why?" Saya questioned.
"My Prince, Igutus and Neanthals have been considered monsters for years and so pretending that our dearest First Great Mother may have copulated with a beast i-"
"Pretending?" Tanya interrupted, "the Gods themselves showed me the truth but here you are, accusing me of "pretending" what it is the truth that should be respected."
"But Niruh-"
"Tanya Niruha said yesterday that the color of one's blood didn't matter, which part did you misunderstand?" Saya asked to give support to Tanya, "Asacho Haseuni fell in love with a Neanthal, gave birth to Igutu children who continued the lineages. Insulting the First Great Mother of having 'copulating with a beast' is insulting the whole lineage and so Tanya Niruha herself. Do that again and your head will end on a pike for treason and blasphemy."
"Of course, my Prince, we understand that very well and it had never been our intention to doubt the words of the Gods but it won't be easy to make the people accept that new truth."
"If the indirect descendants of the Asa Clan had made people believe a lie for a hundred years, there's no doubt that the words of the direct descendant of Asa Sin's will be more than well welcomed," Saya said, "won't they, councilors?"
"The thing is: we fear people may try to rebel," one of the councilors answered before he looked at Tanya, "if I can allow myself to say that, Niruha, you can't expect people to accept something that goes against all they had believed so far."
"Are you telling me that people can't easily accept the words that I, Asa Sin's descendant, the High Priestess of Arthdal and messenger of the Gods have shared with them?" Tanya asked.
"No, not at all, Niruha, bu-"
"Just in case it wasn't clear enough: everyone who refuse those changes will have to assume the consequences," Saya interrupted.
The tension in the room felt heavy and the councillors were shut silent before Tagon let out a small laugh. "Our Prince and our future Princess are showing us great teamwork even before their marriage," he said to lighten the atmosphere, "those two take to heart to reestablish what has been forgotten. The faith of the White Peak Mountain's hearts, similar to the teachings Asa Sin received from the First Great Mother and that she had passed down through the Wahan Tribe and our High Priestess, will now be the official faith. Enough time will be given for the people to accept the truth but soon enough, every person who would dare to question the words we had spoken would be, indeed, arrested for treason and blasphemy. So please, councilors, be careful with your words."
The councilors were not fool enough not to hear the disguised threats behind the King's words and so they had no other choice but to agree with what he was saying. "Yes, certainly, my King," they replied before they exchanged awkward looks between each other.
"Gilseon," Tagon started, making the head of the guards of the Kingdom bow his head, "the guards will ensure that the truth is well accepted. If one decides to go against the words of his King, they should be punished."
"Understood, my King," the warrior replied before he looked at Tagon in a way that betrayed he had something else to say.
"What is it?" Tagon asked.
"To be honest, in addition of their worries concerning the truth behind the sacred lineages, people are also worried about you," Gilseon started, with a point of hesitation he was trying not to let show, "since Tanya Niruha said that Aramun Haesulla was an Igu-"
"And so?" Tagon interrupted, "would it matter? Do you want me to cut myself in front of you right now, right here, to prove something? Why would I do such a thing? I am your King and I have nothing to prove. Let people talk, it doesn't matter."
"Ah yes, naturally. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I just wanted to share with you the concerns of the people."
"And I am thankful for your honest report, Gilseon but you will all have to look above that. In the new Arthdal, the color of one's blood would not determine who they are. People will only be judged through their acts," he stated before he exchanged a quick look with Tanya who had well noted he was repeating words she had exchanged with him and was pleased to notice that the King actually listened to her. "Anything else on that matter?"
No one dared to say anything else and so, as there was no answer, Tagon led the discussion to another topic: the marriage of his son with the High Priestess.
Tanya took a deep breath when the date was announced. Three weeks. That was the time she had left before she would become a married woman. She exchanged a glance with Saya and she was troubled by the look in his eyes: it was almost reassuring. It soothed her heart a little and she wondered since when his look had started doing that to her.
She lost herself in her thoughts while the people around her talked about the war to come. The Agos weren't part of Arthdal and so, they had no reason to be included in the unity they would try to create in the city. Tanya pulled herself together when she heard Tagon announcing the end of the meeting while they still hadn't covered the workers subject. "What about the workers?" she asked.
"Ah, that's right, I almost forgot," Tagon said with a small smile before he invited his councillors to sit down again.
Tanya didn't like the smile on his face. He hadn't forgotten, he just didn't judge the subject important at all. "We need to offer them more freedom as for, one day, they will become part of the Kingdom, the same way the citizens are."
"Niruha, since you announced they had to be treated with respect, and so even before yesterday Ceremony but since you casted a spell on the people, the slav- workers have been asking for more and it's not pleasing the citizens," one of the councilors reported, "they do not mind for their name to be changed but they do not wish for more things to change. The majority of them do not understand why they have to treat them differently from how they had always done and feed them more than necessary."
"More than necessary? If the people of that city eat three times a day then why should the workers be fed less than them when they are the ones working the most?"
"You need to understand, Niruha. We know that there was no such thing in the Wahan Tribe, slaves have always been considered at the bottom of the social hierarchy here. Treating them with respect or feeding them three times a day are not things that are natural for our citizens."
"Then our citizens will have to learn. The workers are people too and as I already said: they deserved to be respected for what they are: human beings. They will be treated like ones and the guards of the city will make sure of that, won't they, my King?" she said, looking at Tagon.
"Sure," the King replied.
"And the workers should be allowed to rest, two days a week," Tanya continued.
Tagon let out a small laugh. It made Tanya frowned and it confused the councilors who didn't know if they had to laugh too or not. "I appreciate your determination, Niruha," Tagon said, "but that is not something I can agree with, at least not for now. I can make their lives a little easier but I won't give them too much. We will assure they will be well fed and not mistreated too much but that is all I will allow."
"But my Ki-"
"That discussion is over," he interrupted before he stood up then left the room, followed by his warriors.
The councilors left after Tagon as well and when Tanya was left alone with Saya, she sighed.
"You did what you could," Saya tried to reassure, "you got the support of the King but we can't free the workers overnight," he continued as he stood up and walked around the table. "Changing things will take time, so be patient. I'll talk to him later. Come," he said as he extended his hand for her to take, "I am taking you back to the Great Shrine."
Tanya gave him a faint smile. She knew that but she wondered for how long the workers' lives would be considered being less worthy than the others. It seemed to her Tagon hadn't in mind to truly include the workers in the city to create unity and it pained her to realize she couldn't do much to force him to include them. She accepted Saya's hand and got surprised when he dropped a soft kiss on hers. He smiled at her, she gave him back a small smile as well, then he led her outside of the reunion room while keeping her hand in his.
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It was with a smile that Saya went back to the Palace to talk to his father. He had accompanied the High Priestess back to the Great Shrine and she had surprisingly accepted the fact he hadn't freed her hand from his and it was hand in hand they had walked to the Shrine. He liked the complicity they had had for the past few weeks and he hoped they would be even closer once married.
"Father," Saya started after having closed the door of the office behind him.
"If it's to talk about the slaves, it's unnecessary," Tagon said even before Saya had the time to add something else, "I understand that you are siding with Tanya to win her heart but giving too much to the slaves will only create unnecessary problems. We need to focus on the war to come, we'll deal with secondary subjects later."
"So you are not that opposed to what she suggested, are you?"
Tagon looked at him in silence for a moment, then the corner of his lips slightly raised. "I am not. It's not just the right time," he replied, gesturing to Saya to sit, "one thing at a time and the war comes first. I am sure you are smart enough to understand that, aren't you?"
"Yes, I understand," he replied, nodding his head and accepting the seat he was being offered, "and I am sure Tanya will too."
"She better. Or else you'll have to make her. After all, she is your future wife. I don't want her to act on an impulse anymore. She can't walk the streets and decide to cast deadly spells on my people."
"Yes, she won't do that again," Saya reassured, "but in the end, it benefited you."
"I would not have let her try what she had done if it hadn't benefited me."
Saya gave him a faint smile. He knew that, if things were to go wrong, Tagon would put the blame on Tanya, he was capable of having her arrested, or worse. "You'll keep your promise to protect her when I'll be away for the war, won't you?" he asked.
Tagon didn't reply right away. He scrutinized Saya's face on which he saw real worries. His adoptive son was more than fond of the High Priestess. "I'll appoint trusted guards. Tanya is more valuable alive than dead. And I do not dislike working with her for now, she is becoming interestingly bossy so as long as she knows how to keep her place and does not take too much liberty, I hope I'll continue to appreciate our collaboration."
It made Saya smile. He had noticed too that Tanya was more and more confident in her role and it was a great thing though she couldn't forget to be careful.
"How is your training going? Have you made some progress?" Tagon asked.
"It's going well and I did make some progress though Enoria still thinks I am not good enough."
"A good teacher never tells his student he is being too good, or else he stops making effort," he said with a smile, "is she being nice enough? That woman has quite a temper only Yangcha seems to know how to deal with."
"Well, she is quite strict and she raises her voice easily but I kind of got used to it," he replied, making Tagon smile again.
"I heard she sometimes trains you outside of the city."
Saya's eyes seemed to silently ask him how he knew that when they always climbed the wall to escape the training ground without being seen but he didn't ask with words. He guessed it was probably Hae Tuak who had reported that day when she had caught them coming back from the forest. He lowered his head, fearing to be scolded. "Father, I-"
"It's a good thing," Tagon interrupted, "though she should have gotten my authorization before doing so. A good warrior knows how to fight in every field, not only on a training ground. But please, son, don't develop a taste for breaking the rules."
"I won't," Saya defended himself, "but the truth is, she is not training me only for swordsmanship. She is teaching me how to to develop my capacities as an Igutu," he explained, and seeing the frown on Tagon's forehead, he felt the need to justify himself: "it's because I don't know how to control when my eyes turn purple and so she thought it could be a problem on a battlefield."
"Are the two of you being careful enough? It could be dangerous if you were seen. You understand that you'd have to kill everyone who could find out, don't you?"
"But now with what has been said about the true history of Arth-"
"Don't be a fool, Saya. It won't change a thing for people like us, at least not immediately. Your blood must stay a secret."
"The Daekans know about Enoria's blood but they acc-"
"They accepted it because I told them to do so," Tagon interrupted, "they would have killed her if I hadn't put her under my protection."
"You said it yourself, they would have, but would they now? They like her, maybe not all of them but some of them successfully see above her purple blood, why would it be different for us?"
"Telling about our blood is not a risk I would take. Enoria is just a warrior, I am the King and you are my son, things are different for us."
Saya was about to argue again but he saw in Tagon's eyes that it was unnecessary: he wouldn't change his mind. "Yes, I understand," he said as he lowered his head. Enoria and him were different: they accepted what they were while Tagon seemed to see the color of their blood as something that had to stay hidden forever. But he hoped that, one day, Tagon would be free from that burden of having to hide what they were.
"I am glad she is doing that for you," Tagon said, "and I am sorry too. I should be the one doing it. You call me your father but I do not know how to act like one."
The corner of Saya's lips slightly raised. Didn't Tagon know he was, at that exact moment, acting like the father he had always wanted him to be? Those moments when they were both simply chatting about things were quite rare but he cherished every one of them. "Why didn't you just leave me in the forest that day? Twenty years ago. What made you decide to entrust me to Taealha while you hate so much the color of our blood?"
Tagon stayed silent for a moment. His mind went twenty years back. That day, they had just killed a Neanthal man. He had shot the final arrow that had stuck into his target's neck. He was accompanied by two Daekans when they found a little crying boy on the ground. His companions assumed it was the Neanthal's kid but the color of his lips was familiar to Tagon. It was the same color of his own lips he was hiding behind lipstick. He had slightly cut the baby's arm with his dagger and the baby hadn't even cried. The blood running out of the wound was not blue but purple. The same purple running through his veins. His companions had looked at the baby with disgust: he was a monster's child, a cursed child birthed by a woman stupid enough to copulate with a beast. Tagon had killed the two Daekans accompanying him on the spot after they had seen the boy's blood color. And that day, Tagon had decided that the cursed child he was holding would live. He had hidden him and at night, he had entrusted him to Yangcha so that he would bring him to Taealha. Tagon wasn't a fool, he knew how Taealha had treated Saya when he was a kid. She had raised him the way she had been herself raised: in a strict and harsh way. And yet, even though he knew the boy was maybe not the happiest boy on Arth, he had been glad to know he was living because he had been glad knowing he wasn't the only one left with purple blood, knowing he hadn't killed every single one member of his own species. "I am not too sure," Tagon simply replied.
Saya was about to ask something else when a knock was heard on the door. Reluctantly, Saya excused himself for Tagon to receive the guest and headed for the door.
"Son," Tagon called out when Saya had his hand on the door handle, "I do not regret having taken you in. You would have die if I hadn't."
Saya gave him a faint smile and thanked him before he left. In the corridor, he lost his smile. He would not have died, his mother would have come for him and she would have taken him to Iark just like she had taken Eunseom there. He would have grown up with Tanya by his side, with a brother, in a tribe where the color of his blood wouldn't have matter that much. And yet, even knowing that, he couldn't just hate Tagon. His adoptive father didn't know all of that and so, he couldn't hate him for having deprived him of the life he hadn't been able to live.
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Another day passed. And another one after that. Then two more and to Yangcha's despair, Enoria wasn't giving any sign of awakening.
Whan had stayed with him, to keep him company but also to look after Enoria when Yangcha had to resign himself to rest a little. ShinWoo had answered his message but except from a few things like making sure she stayed hydrated with a nutritive concoction, there wasn't much he could do from where he was and even if he had been close, he wasn't sure he could have done something as Enoria's abilities were still a mystery for him.
Tanya had visited Enoria every day, but each time, she didn't allow herself to stay for too long because she couldn't help but to think she was responsible for the state Enoria was still in. She had had the opportunity to hear that in Yangcha's thoughts as well, though they were private thoughts he had not intended to share. She felt guilty and yet, there was nothing she could do except praying and she did, every day, whenever she had the time.
Sana was still by her side every day but even though she didn't seem to blame her, Tanya had noticed she wasn't as cheerful as usual and she disliked it.
That day, at the beginning of the afternoon, after having lunch with Saya, instead of going for their usual walk, the High Priestess asked for some time alone.
The Prince accepted to give her that time. He knew she was worried. He asked her not to blame herself too much but stubborn as she was, he also knew his future wife would spend that alone time praying to the Gods for them to help Enoria or at least to send her a sign on how to help her.
Tanya spent a long time dancing in the cold water of the Fire Room. She had just finished her dance when she finally received the sign she wanted: in front of her, between the flames of the Flame who never stopped burning, she saw a big black wolf. His eyes seemed closed and when they suddenly opened and she heard the beast growling, surprised, she took a step back and fell in the water.
When she came back to her senses, Sana was calling her name from the edge of the water she hadn't authorized herself to walk in. "Niruha, what's wrong? Are you feeling fine?" the young warrior asked.
Tanya looked at her then nodded. She looked back at the flame but she couldn't see anything in it anymore.
"Niruha?" Sana called, worried.
"I think Enoria may be awake now," Tanya finally said, looking back at her bodyguard.