When next I opened my eyes, I was pretty confused. It had been quite a long time since I last slept, and it was a strange sensation. At first, I felt panic; for a split second I thought I was back in the hospital and everything I remembered had been nothing but an elaborate dream...
Then I heard an absolutely atrocious snore that shocked my brain enough to realize that I was looking up at a copper and gold canopy and a high, wooden, ceiling. I was in my bed back at the estate. My heart unclenched in an instant and I vowed to do my very best never to pass out and scare myself like that again. After all, if a girl can randomly wake up in a monster forest one day, then they can also wake back up in their former life too.
"... I wish he would not be so loud." I heard the familiar voice of Kishi sigh, and felt a warm form shift slightly next to me.
"Why?" Grouched another voice, dripping in irritation and contempt. "Is it not your wish for the girl to wake up? If anything will do it, it'll be this dragon rumbling." On que, someone let out another, rafter shaking, snore.
"All the same..."
I heard a feminine chuckle, probably from farther into the room, as the other voices had sounded next to my head almost. "Let the poor man sleep. He has been stressed enough for eight goblins. The sooner Lady Enna awakens the better." I recognized this voice as well, it was Trixie, The blonde haired, burgundy tailed foxmen woman that was the head maid.
"I'm awake now..." I said groggily, realizing that I was just staring off into space while people worried about me.
"Lady Enna!"
"Mistress!"
"About time..."
All of these heartfelt exclamations (...) were then followed by the clattering of some kind of furniture and a loud grunt. As I pulled myself up to a seated position, I felt a presence looming over me. Gazing up, up, upward I saw the inevitable form of Lagdon glaring down on me. Seriously, he was cranky right from the get go? Figures.
"Morning?" I said, slightly anxious but mostly just relived that he and the others were here and this had all not been a dream.
Lagdon's cold eyes narrowed, but then I saw the tension leave his shoulders and he sighed, sitting at the edge of my bed and rubbing his forehead. Compliments to who ever made this bed though, as Lagdon probably weighed the same as a juvenile elephant. Add to that the giant wolf, me, and the little black cat, I was impressed the floor could hold us all.
"I am so glad you have finally awoken my Lady!" Stated Trixie, who now stood next to Lagdon, pretty eyes filled with tears as she beamed at me.
Finally? Oh, well I guess I was back home now. That meant I was asleep for the whole trip back! That was a hell of a long nap. I guess they would be worried then.
"How long was I asleep for?" I asked, sighing as I settled myself back against Kishi's soft fur.
"A whole month, Mistress..." She said, blowing on Mitten's dark fur, causing the grouchy cat to glare at her and pad his way to the other side of the bed.
"A month!" I exclaimed, absolutely shocked. Was everything alright? Did everything go as it should? What about all that energy I had gathered?! Could it all redisperse itself properly all on its own?
"We have been managing fine, My Lady." Lagdon sighed, likely seeing the panic on my face. "I will be sure to have you fully briefed, but there have been no major issues."
"Oh," I sighed, relieved yet again. "So, what happened after I passed out?"
"The previous gods did as you asked, and returned whence they came." Stated Kishi. "Lagdon wanted to leave the cat, but Reihekiu stated that it would be better to kill him, but worried you may not be pleased with such an outcome..."
"As if some moldering, halfling, could do anything to me." Sneered the cat, prompting me to roll my eyes.
"You are not but a crotchy ball of fur now- Mittens." Sneered the guardian, making me think that she and the little cat- formally ghostly murder shadow- had been sniping at one another over the last month.
I watched as the cat's fur stood on end and he hissed at the fox that was easily eighty times his size. "If I had not had my power stollen from me, you all would nothing but fodder for my eternal reign!"
"That's enough of that." I sighed, chidingly. "I only took the power you stole from others and from the land. The mana used to create you is still a part of you, just sealed away." I told the skeptical looking cat. "One you prove you can be a good kitty, I may let you have them- and only them- back." Of course, that may never happen, or even take hundreds of years. I was essentially immortal now, and as far as I knew, so was my new little pet. But just killing the little screw ball would not have been an adequate punishment in my opinion.
"Far better than he deserves." Growled the fox. As for the Spe- er, Mittens- he merely made an agitated noise before tucking his- admittedly adorable- paddy paws under his belly and pretended to go to sleep.
I sighed and reached down, planning on petting the cat, because, I mean, how could I resist? But I froze mid stretch, because something did not look right. Not right at all... I stared down at the thin, pale arm, stretched out before me and wondered what was different. When it clicked in, I panicked and began examining the rest of my body, the others looking on silently as I patted my self down.
"Why am I tiny!" I squeaked out, eyes wide and heart racing. I was the size of a dang twelve-year-old!
Lagdon sighed as Trixie set about putting my blankets back to rights around me. "I started happening not long after you lost consciousness and the ancient gods dispersed to where ever it was they wished to go."
"We were alarmed at first." Stated Kishi. "And hurried to get you out of the forest. But Reihekiu looked you over, and thinks it is just your spirit doing all it can to keep its physical form while your power is depleted."
"Essentially, you did something foolish without first thinking of the consequences." Huffed Lagdon, back to scolding me. "Pulling in all that energy was one thing, it is yours to use as you wish after all... but you sent it all back, even though you depleted it first, and so some of your own stores went with it. The halfling woman thinks that your spirit wished to keep its physical form here, in this plane, and so your physical body shank in accordance to the smaller stores it held."
"Lady Enna wished to stay here with us." Smiled Trixie. "Instead of spending some unknown amount of time in the place of the gods, she instead, decided to take on a lesser form so that she might continue with us." The foxmen woman sounded so touched that it was a little embarrassing.
"Did Reihekiu mention how long I would be stuck this way?" I asked, voice a little higher pitched than normal with my distress. "And where is she anyway? She was hurt wasn't she?"
"The Smith is fine. You healed her just after the cat tried to kill you and you, you then imprisoned him. She is currently still in the Dark." Said Lagdon. "She claimed to prefer to stay there, but said that she had no way to know how long you would be in this reduced form, but that it all depended on you."
"I don't understand."
"You can either wait for the energies to restore themselves, or pull the power to yourself, as you did when taking on your true form, and returned to your previous shape when ever you like."
I sighed, relived that I wasn't forever stuck as a child. "True form?" I asked, a little confused. Had I really changed that much in that fight?
"Indeed, Mistress." Kishi said, sounding impressed. "You vibrated with the true power of a Land God, glowing with a terrible light. It was, without a doubt, a wonder to behold. The goblin known as Drazdon seemed highly enthused over my descriptions of your true glory, Mistress!"
I did my best not to groan out loud. Great, I am sure that I could expect another, highly stylized, stained glass window added to his current collection. No doubt he and his sons were working over time with chronicling my latest endeavors. Oh well, at least I would be able to see exactly what I looked like. And I wouldn't have to suck all the energy to myself just to look in the mirror... yeah, that would never happen.
"How are the kobolds?" I asked, shaking myself back to reality.
"As per your previous request, a small temporary settlement had been set up for them, just aways along the lake..." the way Kishi said that made me think that that was not the entirety of the issue.
"And?"
"The kobolds seem to rather like living here..."
"And they wish to stay?" I asked with a small smile.
"Well, yes my Lady."
"I figured you would not mind, but we all agreed that it would not be made official till you awoke." Said Lagdon. "But winter has set in, and we could not let the kobolds stay out their in nothing but tents-"
"It seems that your other attendants thought you would be highly displeased if you woke up, and the kobolds were shivering in their tents, or forced to return to their own village, having to travel in poor weather."
I chuckled softly. "Yes, I suppose that would have been the case. I'm glad that they aren't left in a hard spot. So what was decided then?"
"My brother sent out an emergency force, and we had more permanent structures built." Lagdon said, sounding calmer now. "Margund made sure they were built with the future in mind, and will be easily disassembled when warmer weather sets in, so we can either scrap the settlement, or make it more permanent if that is your choice."
"Yes, that is all fine by me." I said, reaching out and scooping up Mittens, ignoring his little cat growl and petting his soft fur. "It is probably safer for them to keep living here, than to go to the Dark, even if there is no longer a soul sucking moron there any more." I felt the cat tense, but he kept his mouth shut, though i did feel some little claw pricks through the blankets that made me chuckle.
Over the next hour Lagdon brought me up to speed on the basics of what had been happening while I slept. I have been told before that, as the land god, I really did not need to know about the day to day, but I really did like to be kept up to speed, even if I still left the particulars to everyone else. After all, what the heck did I know about managing anything, much less goblin kingdoms, various villages, and even just my own estate. But if I am kept informed, I can at least know where I may or may not be needed.
Over the next three days I stayed in my room, still tiny, and appeased Lagdon by resting. I did meet with several of my worried people, but Lagdon's now astronomical, over protectiveness kept the visits short and sweet. I'd have to train him to loosen the apron strings again, eventually.
It was at the end of the third day, as I sat out on my deck, wrapped in a new, fur lined, copper robe over a thick and warm short dress, that Reihekiu reappeared. I was sitting there, petting the still grouchy Mittens, and looking out over the partially frozen lake and river, when she just seemed to appear.
I sensed her coming, of course. Here at the estate, a person would really have to work at sneaking to get past my senses. Outside of my mind space, this was the center of my power, after all. But she did seem to appear out of no where. And I was pretty impressed that she made it past all the guards and then up to my balcony. Lagdon was going to be tyrannical when he found out later.
"It's nice of you to visit." I said, not bothering to look away from my pleasant wintery view. Apparently the snow never piled up here, but it did get pretty cold. It made for a rather pretty sight. Besides, no reason not to make the half-elf-half-dwarf woman, believe I was omniscient.
I heard a small, irritated noise and then the white hired halfling stepped out onto the porch herself. "Aren't you cold in that?" I asked, laughing slightly, as I saw that she was still dressed in her potato sack, only enhanced by a cloak that looked just as raggedly.
Reihekiu shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "You don't have much room to talk. That dress gets any shorter it would be a tunic." She said sardonically.
I laughed. "True. But the cold doesn't really affect me like it used to."
"At least there are some bonuses in being a slave to an entire nation..."
"I take it that, given the option, you would not want the job then?"
"Never." She said with an exaggerated shiver, sideling up next to me and sitting, her feet dangling off the edge of the balcony. She saw the cat in my lap and glared, Mittens deftly ignored her. No doubt he felt that since he had defeated her once, she wasn't worth his time. "I see the prisoner is suffering horribly in his punishment."
I laughed again. "Three meals a day, unlimited naps, and cuddles from every maid in the joint! He is positively miserable." It was funny because it was true. Poor Mittens hated every moment of it, but kept his high and mighty attitude through it all.
"I saw the oaf about, but where is Kishi?"
"She is out with the hunters. I had to promise her and Lagdon I wouldn't leave the room to get her to go. Even a Guardian needs to eat more than a bowl of soup. I was close to threatening her to go out and get fed." I turned to look at her, and saw that she wore a kind of contemplative look behind her ageless features. "Not that I will ever mind a visit, but what brings you here?"
It took a few minutes for her to answer; in the mean time we both just watched the water of the falls rush past the ice accumulated around the edges of the river.
"I was not sure at first..." She said eventually. "But now I am positive. I am not of your people; I'm not even a monster, but still, you saved me." She looked down at her hands, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Not only did you save my life, but you gave me your blessing and returned to me the gift I had thought lost to me forever."
Genuinely lost, I blinked at the woman in confusion. "I vaguely remember healing you..." I said, trying to think back. "But much of my memory after Mittens tried to take over my mind is hazy at best. I remember it, but the details are fuzzy.
She chuckled quietly. "So it was unintentional? Well, that makes it all the more surprising then... Have you wondered why I was living in the Dark?"
Honestly, not often. She seemed eccentric enough in her potato sack and falling out of trees, that it all just seemed to fit. "Why?"
"Some years ago I became ill. It is a rare illness, one only contracted by elvish halflings. It is why the race almost never has children outside their own numbers, despite the elf race being the smallest in number."
"And what is this illness?"
"Hmmm. I was a pretty well renowned smith," She said, and I hoped that it was a tangent that would lead to the answer to my question. "Among even my father's tribe of dwarves, who are the most famous metal smiths around. Halflings, no matter the mix, tend to be seen as lesser beings, but my talents transcended those misconceptions. But my illness was one that sapped away a person's magic. An elf's whole life revolves around the use of magic, so it is particularly devastating. I could have still continued my smithing, but my craft was more than just the noble art of metal crafting. I was also known for enchanting my works, being both the smith and the enchanter in their making. It was something almost unheard of before I came along."
"That does sound highly impressive." I knew next to nothing about weapon smithing, and even less about enchanting. But I had been told by several people now, that Reihekiu was, indeed, a famous person for both.
"My sickness took that all from me... Feeling lost I simple desired to fade away and chose the Dark as the place to do it. Why there? I couldn't say for sure, other than it was pretty in line with my personality to take up residence in a land where I could be killed just for existing.
But now my gift has retuned to me... I did not fully realize it at first, but over the last weeks I am positive. I can apply my craft once again."
"Er, isn't that a good thing?" I asked, unsure why she sounded so serious.
Now she looked me in the eye and smiled. "I think so. And it is why I am here now."
"Oh?"
She nodded, and then shifted her body so that she was now facing me, on her knees, and bowed low, her silver hair piling up on the lacquered wood. "I have come to ask that I be allowed to enter your service, Lady Enna. It would be the greatest honor to serve you and your future endeavors as both an advisor, and as a smith."
Feeling flustered, all I could manage was an, "Umm!"
"I swear that my talents will only be used to further your goals. From today, till the eventual day I pass from this world. I am but a servant to you, Lady Enna, Goddess of the Monster Nation of Aeros." She slowly raised her head as I tried to find my words, and I saw that she had an amused look on her face. "And, as my first bit of advise? You may want to change the name of this land..."
calming down, I laughed. It would appear that my family was growing once again. "Any suggestions?"