Chapter One Hundred and Seventy: The Real Questions
It was like he was underwater.
His vision swam and flickered, but slowly grew clearer, full of muffled shapes and sounds.
Someone's arms were around him.
A masculine face framed by ridiculously curly black hair, a big grin that revealed even bigger fangs, and a twinkle that reflected off of two fierce slit pupils. He recognized this face... but not the expression, not with a smile so big... and the feel of those hands was different.
This vision of a man looked just like Vordt, but it didn't feel like him... in fact, his presence felt strange, although it was still more familiar than his uncle's.
Who was was being held by?
Who was this familiar stranger smiling up at him with such adoring eyes?
"My beautiful son," the winged man holding him crooned, finally pulling him close against his warm chest and cradling him tenderly. "My child... my blood. Lei, how is he still so beautiful to me even after two years? How could we have made such a beautiful, lovely creature?"
"Because of your love, Olag," a voice, achingly sweet and familiar, giggled. "Your love is what shaped him within me, but the love you're giving him now is what will shape him into an adult who can live honorably and do good for those around him."
"I care not if this beautiful child does good when he is older," the man instantly murmured, grinning even more widely. "As long as he is happy, that is good enough for me!"
Xaphile's heart clenched when he realized he was looking at his father.
Not Olag.
Olagrell.
A smooth, curled, ramlike horn met his gaze when he turned to look at something before facing him again: the faery grinned at him, looking giddy beyond belief, long ears wiggling happily.
"My son. My heart has never beat harder or happier than when I hold you in my arms. I love you."
Then, pulling his small body away from the warmth of his chest, his father threw him into the air with a laugh and caught him before spinning around in a circle. Even though Xaphile's heart was breaking, his mouth giggled madly, without restraint, his voice high and extremely young.
The laughter came from him louder when his father did it again, but then those strong, muscled arms held him close.
A clawed hand threaded through his hair, holding his small, talered ear against that broad chest, where a steady heartbeat throbbed in tandem with his own.
For several seconds, there was just a warm silence, broken only by that steady thumping and the deep, even breaths his father took.
He was almost lulled to sleep, but Olagrell suddenly shifted and let out a deep, familiar hum.
The auditory embrace passed through his body in a tingling, familiar wave, instilling within him that long-forgotten feeling of safety and love, that unique resonance passed from father to son, a way of saying "hey, I'm here, I've got you" without saying anything at all.
Olagrell Heseroph nuzzled the side of his cheek, letting out a small wistful sigh, eyes softening into kitten-like puddles of aquamarine that made his heart ache.
"My son," he murmured, kissing his forehead. "My beautiful baby. May your third year of life with us be just as bright and happy as your first and second."
Xaphile called out to his dad, but received no response.
"Ow..." his mother suddenly whined. "Phil, let go... you're... hurting me. Ow! My stomach!"
He snapped awake with a jolt and stared stupidly off at the darkness for a second, wondering why his father had suddenly disappeared, but then he remembered who he was and where he was.
He sleepily lifted his head off of Ella's and yawned, relaxing his grip on her belly.
It was pitch black.
Another day had apparently passed since the last time he'd checked, and he only knew that much because it was dark again and he'd asked just after sunrise.
He had no way of knowing how long they'd been traveling while he'd been out.
He looked around.
Behind him, Bruno and Ninira had swapped places yet again at some point, but both of them were sleeping, as were the three children riding in the wagon. The Sysh brothers were walking up ahead near Gus; Druthmar was in the middle of a very animated conversation with the hunter about some sort of rare animal from some northern mountain range in Adanac, while his brothers sat back and listened.
The older of their two prisoners didn't look amused by the conversation, but the younger one was out of it, eyes closed, presumably asleep.
Vordt was riding beside Xaphile, staring at him with an intense expression, mouth set and eyes hard.
"Something wrong?" he rasped, voice a little hoarse from sleep. "Why are you staring?"
Vordt didn't so much as blink in reaction to the inquiry.
"What were you dreaming about?" he asked lowly. "Your emotions spiked so heavily while you were sleeping that it actually winded me, and you very nearly crushed Ella a moment ago."
Xaphile jerked, then pulled back, staring at her in concern when she didn't actually deny it; she was definitely awake, although very tired if her posture was any clue.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked. "Are you all right?"
"I will be," she muttered, shaking her head without turning around. "You scared me for a few moments, though... your arms tightened out of nowhere and your breathing went erratic. I thought you were going to snap me in half. Your grip was that strong."
Every part of him flinched in horror.
"I'm so sorry," he breathed, mortified. "Oh, my God."
"I know you didn't mean it," Ella said, patting his wrist, "but I'm letting you know right now that if it happens again, I'm going to elbow you in the face as hard as I can for both our sakes."
"Fair enough," Xaphile said with a wince. "Go right ahead."
"Which brings us back to my question," Vordt snipped. "What were you dreaming about?"
It took him a moment to respond, but when he did, it was only because recalling the dream sent a blissfully warm feeling through his stomach. He smiled before his brain could catch up.
"My papka," he said softly, "but I think it might have actually been a memory... a real memory of my second birthday on Atlas."
"What?!" Ella gasped, instantly whirling around; her pink eyes were wide with shock. "You remembered something?!"
"Yeah, for once, I think I did," he murmured, still smiling warmly. "I saw my dad, and my mom... they were so happy... and in the dream, my dad loved me."
"Really?"
"Yeah," he confirmed, "I could see it in his eyes... unlike my father on Earth, I think... my Atlas dad loved me."
Vordt's face twitched and he grimly looked away.
"Of course he did," he murmured, speaking in a low, languid tone. "Lei wanted children more than anyone else in the world. Zelphira once told me that she and your father tried for you and Adariel for over a span of eight hundred years before things finally went right."
Xaphile's jaw dropped.
"Eight hundred years?!" he squawked, shocked. "Why did it take so long?!"
"Many reasons," Vordt said vaguely. "Make no mistake, Nephew. Your true father adored you far more than the one you remember, the one from that strange otherworldly place. You were his offspring, his blood... and that, in our society, is the fourth strongest bond that one of our kind can have."
"Bond?" Xaphile asked, ears involuntarily raising a little higher. "I thought there were only three?"
"Technically speaking, there are only three," his uncle reiterated, then closed his eyes, "but the bond between parent and child is something extremely powerful, and it's rather similar to an imprint in nature since it is an emotional connection that forms even if one does not intend to have it."
"But still," Xaphile protested, staring at him with wide eyes, "eight hundred years?!"
"This should not shock you," Vordt said flatly, giving him a stare. "We are different than mortals in the ways of romance, coupling, childbirth, and even feeling the simplest of emotions; if I must compare to give you an idea, our capacity to feel is like an endless river that goes deeper than any ocean."
"Really?"
"Yes, and the same holds true of the bond between a parent and child," the man finished. "We have a different connection to our offspring than mortals do. Very different."
"I find this to be interesting," Ella said, glancing at him curiously. "Tell me, how is it different?"
Vordt looked at her, tilting his head with a suspicious stare.
"For one thing, our bodies are different than yours," he grunted. "We are ageless creatures, and as such we have differences in our physiology. One of those is our ability to reproduce."
Something inside Xaphile's heart went still around the same moment that Ella froze.
"What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly feeling nervous. "Are you saying that my ability to have kids has changed from the way it was back on earth?"
"Indeed I am," Vordt grunted with a nod. "As I've already told you, our kind go through phases of being in heat. Males, such as you and I, have to endure it on a regular basis, once every other fortnight for the duration of our lives, but females... they only go into heat once every six to twelve months, and having a child is damn near impossible during it."
"Impossible? Why?" Ella asked, eyes wider than marbles. "I don't understand!"
"Efamilie only have the chance to conceive during the first day of their heat," Vordt explained, shrugging nonchalantly, "but being touched during that stage of extreme sensitivity, even if its a non-intimate place like the arm, cheek, or shoulder, is practically agonizing. Many of our females cannot go through with it, and that is why it is such a struggle for those of our race to bring children into the world."
"And they can't have children without being in heat?!" Ella scoffed, stunned. "Is that what you're saying?!"
"Yes," Vordt reluctantly confirmed. "Unlike mortal females, who run the risk of bearing children at any point in time if they so much as allow themselves to couple with a male even once, our females cannot have children without going into heat."
Xaphile couldn't deny that everything he'd just heard made total sense: if it were that easy for his people to have kids, Atlas would probably be extremely overpopulated with primordial faeries since they never had to worry about dying of old age.
Amelia had covered mating rituals and stuff when she'd still been giving him lessons along the road, but she'd never gone into detail about how things like childbirth. He still felt more than a little embarrassed after hearing the truth, of course, but he was more awed than anything since it meant that his parents on Atlas had been trying for such a long time to have him and Adariel.
Eight hundred years...
His father on earth never would have gone that far.
He was different than the faery version, very different indeed.
"My beautiful son..."
"Shut up, Xaphile. Your birth vas a mistake."
He winced.
They rode in silence for a time after that, but even as he swayed on Skitsy's back, arms wrapped around Ella, he was thinking about the dream... about his father's smile, and how he would never get to see it again since his dad on this world was dead.
He felt extremely depressed for a few moments until Adariel's question about their mother came back to him, and like before, everything inside him went still.
"Vordt," he said carefully, turning his head. "My dad is dead on Atlas... I accept it even though it hurts, but what about my mom?"
The faery's head whipped up to stare at him intently.
"Why... do you ask?"
"Who wouldn't?" Xaphile countered with a frown. "I was told my father on Atlas died ten years ago---"
"Almost eleven, now," Ella interrupted, drawing his eyes for a second. "We've been traveling for about four months, and the anniversary for the fires is a month from now."
"He died almost eleven years ago," Xaphile corrected, then looked at Vordt and said, "but back on Earth, Adariel and my mother died around the same time. As you can see, my little brother is obviously alive and in the memory you pulled out of me back in Gwyradyll Hollow... so was my mom."
His uncle stared at him stoically.
"I know not the fate of your mother," he said simply, facing forward. "That sort of knowledge is not privy to me. I assumed that she went looking for your father during the chaos of eleven years ago, but if something happened to her because of it, I'm not sure."
His heart skipped a beat and hope unlike anything he'd ever felt rose up his throat.
"Do you think she's alive?" he whispered a little shakily, mouth trembling. "Do you think my mom might actually be alive somewhere?! That she could have survived up until now?"
"I know not," Vordt hissed, glaring at him. "Ask your little brother if he remembers anything, fool. He would know more than me, and these questions are... difficult for me."
Xaphile paused and finally pulled himself out of his own head long enough to realize that waves of emotional pain and anger were radiating through the bond he shared with his uncle. He felt guilty, then, and swallowed hard since he hadn't been thinking.
His dad may have loved him, but he'd also hurt his uncle deeply and done a lot of terrible things.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, looking at the man with a cowed expression. "I was being selfish."
Vordt deflated slightly, but he didn't turn.
"Fool... wanting to know if your mother yet lives isn't selfish, it's rational," he grimly muttered. "It's simply difficult for me. If anyone is being selfish... I am."
"Hate to interrupt such a heartwarming moment," Gus called back, making them all look forward, "but we're only five kilometers away from Chisago."
"Eh?!" Ella squeaked, jumping in the saddle. "It should have taken us another full day of traveling, Gus! You said so yourself!"
"Well, I either miscalculated," he said with a shrug, then lifted the map, "or this map really is an outdated piece of junk."
"What can I say?" Ella sighed, shrugging, "you bought it for a Trinimac and two Pennets."
"Ah, right," Xaphile said, raising his eyebrows. "I wanted to ask back in Atka, but the fuck is a Trinimac and why did the receptionist at the hotel you took us to look so shocked?"
Everyone stared at him.
"Trinimac is a form of Aerikan currency," Ella eventually sighed, glancing back at him. "Basically, its the gold coins we've been buying things with. Coppers are called Pennets, and the three types of silver coins are called Sickles, Quarts, and Dhymes. Then, there's Trinimac. Our gold coins."
Xaphile felt a wave of goosebumps rise on his arms and neck.
"Pennies, nickles, quarters, and dimes," he muttered. "Wow. Scary."
"What?" Ella asked, frowning.
"Just thinking out loud," he muttered, waving her off. "Continue."
"Well, there's nothing more to say aside from the fact that a thousand Trinimac is the equivalent of our most valuable coin, Latinum," she said with a shrug. "Latinum coins are rare since they're only used by the wealthiest of nobility."
Xaphile nodded.
Everything was quiet for a few minutes, save for the clomping of their horses' hooves through the dirt path, and the sound of the wagon wheels rustling, and... the world around them, as a whole.
He felt a pleasant tingle run down his spine for a few moments.
He'd felt it when they'd first crossed the border into Nimika's forests, but this part of country was alive, more alive than anywhere else he had ever been.
There were grasses and trees everywhere, with many small lakes and rivers... and it was never silent: there were always insects humming or birds singing, or animals calling, or squirrels chattering.
It made him feel alive.
Not to mention, he had seen more wild animals along the road during his waking moments than he'd ever seen in his whole life. He felt like an insignificant child when he was surrounded by so many different creatures.
Each time he woke up, new animals would come out from their hiding places and peer past his companions to stare at him and Adariel. Racoons, foxes, deer, elk, moose, squirrels, birds... all of them lived in Nimika, and he had the strangest feeling that if he hadn't been riding with a bunch of people, they would have come running over like pets who were happy to see an owner who'd been gone for a long time.
Here in Nimika, he felt more at ease and it was easy to push the sad thoughts from his mind, so he did so and relaxed.
The first days of traveling from Ordin had been awkward and clumsy since neither he nor Ella had been feeling like their usual selves, especially after all the intimate moments they'd shared.
He knew, deep down, that he was in love with her. He'd been falling ever since the night he'd marked her in Calcoon, when she'd ignited the ember.
And that flickering ember had been fanned into a flame during the mission to rescue Adariel, when she'd put herself at risk for his happiness
Her words had made him want to cry, but instead, he'd said what words couldn't and kissed her... but that kiss had become electric rather than chaste, as had all the others, electric in a way that he'd never felt before.
She'd saved his brother, at the cost of her own injury.
She'd been struggling hard to become a better person, to control her temper, to rationalize things in a way that didn't involve resorting to violence, to listen to what others were saying.
She was fighting to change all because, as she'd said many times throughout this trip, she loved him.
Her actions, her words, the moments they'd shared... they'd moved his heart. He still grieved for Ella Richardson... but even though he missed her, he had somehow started falling in love all over again.
In his arms was a girl who wanted to have a future with him, a girl who needed his trust to make her country, no her world, a better and safer place.
He stared at the top of her head, at the snowy hair that drifted with every breeze.
Could he do it again?
Could he give his all to someone again?
There wasn't much for him to give her, since he'd been broken to pieces and meshed back together in a jumble of poorly made glue, so to speak, but... could he admit that he had feelings for her? Could he begin another relationship and try to start his life over?
He let out a heavy sigh.
Deep down in the core of his stomach... he knew that he could.
He was just afraid to.
He was afraid that if he finally admitted that he loved her back, and they started dating or courting or whatever it was that these medieval people called it, something bad would happen all over again, but at this point, he knew that even if he didn't admit it he would still be devastated if something ever happened to her.
He would still blame himself for not staying as close to her as he possibly could, and for never telling her back what he'd been feeling for a while now.
He ran a hand through his hair, dragging his claws through it.
He still felt the guilt from that night in Ordin every time he recalled her words.
"I'll wait for you. I've been alone and hated for ten years. If I can endure that, I think I can handle waiting for you to figure out if I'm worth loving."
Worth loving?
What a joke.
After that night, he knew that they were cut from the same cloth: he and Ella were almost exactly the same since they'd both been lost under the weight of powerful emotions and had made terrible mistakes because of it.
For him, it had been grief.
For her, it had been anger.
Grief had blinded him and led him to kill himself, which had devastated everyone around him.
Fury had blinded her, and had led her to do terrible things to everyone, things that she now regretted deeply.
They'd both been blind for too long, and now that they could finally see thanks to the guiding embraces and companionship of those around them, everything was clear.
He really did love Ella Rochard, and she loved him back, so all that was left to do... was admit it.
He took a deep breath and tightened his arms around her.
I'll need to talk to Vordt about it before I do anything, he told himself with a nod. I'll wait until we've gotten settled in, and once I have an opportunity to chat chat with him, I'll tell him that I plan to confess my feelings for her. Then I'll tell Ella herself.
He decided to leaving figuring out where they'd go from there for later, deciding not to think too much at once. He was just about to relax when the sound of hooves hitting dirt shifted into something louder.
He jumped, staring at Gus's steed, and realized that they'd hit a familiar cobblestone road. The Sysh brothers peered down at the stone beneath their feet in curiosity as his eyes widened in recognition.
"That's the road leading to Chisago!" he exclaimed. "We're that close already?!"
"Yes, apparently so," Ella said, turning to look at him. "We should be there within the hour, so prepare yourself. The true struggle is going to begin soon."
"Indeed it is," Vordt agreed; the buck he was riding tossed its head and peered at them with intelligent brown eyes. "Things are going to be very busy."
Xaphile took a deep breath and enjoying the fresh air that was neither too humid or too dry.
"Speaking of which," he murmured, "we've established that we're going to find places for everyone to stay, but be honest with me, Ella... what's our game plan?"
"Game plan?" she asked, frowning. "This is hardly a game."
"It's an Earth metaphor for what the fuck are we doing and how are we doing it," he deadpanned, giving her a dead-fish stare. "What's the plan?"
"I already told you," she said, blinking confusedly, "we're going to inform the villagers about what's going on and--"
"I mean the immediate plan," he muttered, letting out an exasperated sigh. "It's the middle of the night and I highly doubt that anyone is still awake. Doesn't that change things?"
She didn't seem to have considered this since she seemed fairly surprised.
"Actually, yes... yes, it does," she muttered, instantly facing forward. "Shite. In that case, the first thing we'll need to do is head to the barracks to speak with Angelo. He's probably still buried up to his chin in paperwork, so I'm fairly certain he might be up, but if he's not, prepare: he's like to be grumpy."
Xaphile was hit by a sudden curiosity.
"Where exactly do you live?" he asked, frowning. "With Gus?"
"Where I live?" she asked, turning around in surprise. "I live in the Barracks with the rest of the soldiers and guards. Gus lives in a house with only one room, and nobody else was willing to let me stay with them, so I've bunked with all the town guards since I was small."
His heart dropped out of his stomach.
"You've been sleeping in the barracks?" he asked, stunned. "With a whole bunch of guys?"
"Well, yes, but there are a few women there now, too," Ella said, blinking with a face that said she found his reaction confusing. "Back when I first started living there, it was only men and boys who slept around me, but the fall of Chisago changed a lot of women in our city. After a long time, some of them joined the ranks, wanting to prevent such a disaster from happening again."
Xaphile let out a sigh through his nose.
If they were going to go out with each other, he was going to have to step up since he was living in a world where he had nothing.
No life savings, no home, no clothes... all he owned had been given to him as a gift, including the clothes on his back.
Sure, people could tell him that he was supposed to be some flashy faery prince who ruled the forest or whatever, but when it came down to it, he still thought about the future like a human being, still rationalized like a human being, and still worried like one, too.
He had nothing material to offer Ella, so if he wanted things to give her, like a proper roof over her head, he'd have to get a job or find some way to make an honest living.
He wouldn't support her on the good graces of other people.
"Must have been tough," he murmured, shaking his head. "It would explain why you became so good at fighting, though, since being surrounded by soldiers is be a good incentive to improve."
"True," she said smugly, "but it wasn't unpleasant. Of the people who stood by me after the fires, most of them were the soldiers and guards who had served my father from boyhood. They knew what kind of man he was, so they gave me a roof and a place to sleep when I had nothing. That was more than anyone aside from Octavius ever did for me."
"Be that as it may," Vordt said slowly, "you'll need to be prepared, and you'll need to explain everything properly."
Ella nodded.
Xaphile stared at the road ahead, spotting a distant glimmer of something far in the distance, firelight, or perhaps the first traces of civilization that he'd seen since Ordin. The world around him was was lush and green and he suddenly felt more at ease than he had in a long time.
The air around him was charged with a familiar feeling.
He hadn't noticed it when he'd first come to his senses in this same forest months ago, but after being away from it for so long, he could feel it in every part of his body.
This was where he belonged.
Ella sighed and let her head come to rest against his chest.
"I can see the lights from home."
He said nothing.
After they had ridden for about another half hour, they hit a familiar turn-off and he saw the city in the distance, surrounded by the old fort-like wall. As they approached the drawbridge, Ella flicked Skitsy's reins and they trotted ahead, moving past Vordt and carefully weaving around Kesh and Klynn, who peered up at them in surprise.
She slowed down once she was beside Gus, ignoring the barbed glare that the conscious of their two prisoners sent her way.
Xaphile wasn't as mature.
He glared right back.
"We've returned home," she said, looking at the blonde. "Gus, it's time."
"Aye," he agreed, then reigned his steed to a halt. "Take your hood off."
She did just that, dragging it down and shaking her hair out.
"Wish me luck," she whispered, then flicked the reins again and they trotted forward. Xaphile tilted his head back to see someone looking down at them from a wooden guard tower perched just behind the wall.
"Who goes there!" the man called. "State your business!"
Ella snorted.
"It's rather dark, I agree!" she called back, waving at him, "but even in this darkness, my hair should still be quite visible! Tell me, can you not see it?"
The guard jumped with a gasp.
"Lady Ellameira?!" he called, leaning down. "Is that you?!"
"Yes!" she called back. "I have returned! And there is much to discuss! Lower the bridge! My companions are quite tired."
"Aye, my lady!" he fearfully squawked. "I'm on my way down!"
Xaphile watched in silence as the man clambered out of the tower and disappeared from sight.
A few minutes later, however, the drawbridge let out a clunk and began to lower with the unmistakable clanking of chains. He watched as the bridge created a path across the huge ditch surrounding the wall with a feeling of dismay, but with a clunk, it was over.
Ella instantly spurred Skitsy forward, and he clung to her as they galloped forward, but when she pulled free of his grasp and dismounted, stiffly sweeping over to him, the guard saluted her even though there was obvious fear in his eyes.
The armored man flinched when she reached out to him, but when she set one hand on his saluting arm and gently forced him to lower it, he paused and looked down at her in confusion.
Xaphile watched as she gazed up at him with seriousness on her face.
"Enough," she said softly, shaking her head. "Don't salute me out of fear. A lot has changed during these last three months, but nothing moreso than me. All will be explained at the moment I am able to gather everyone, but for now, I'm going to get my friends and companions settled in."
"As you wish," the guard said, bearded mouth pulling into a frown. "Is all well, my lady?"
"No," Ella said honestly. "No, all is not well. In fact, things have never been worse."
"What?" he asked, shocked. "Is there a demon threat we don't know about? And..."
He paused, then, looking around, but when he saw the hoard of winged boys gathered around Gus in a blinking, curious cluster, his mouth dropped open and he gasped. He lifted a finger, pointing at the five blonde boys.
But then he saw Vordt riding atop a deer.
And then Bruno and Ninira.
And then the gagged prisoners lying tied up on Gus's horse.
"Oh, Gods," he whispered, shocked. "Erm... my lady... what are those winged creatures?!"
"Primordial Faeries from the eastern lands," Ella said softly, patting his arm, then gestured at Xaphile. "Same as the boy I once harmed. I will explain everything later, but now is not the time. We have been traveling nonstop to get here, and we're all tired. If you would, please gather a few of the guards here to take care of our horses and put the cart we brought with us in a safe place."
"Erm, as you wish," the man said nervously, saluting her again. "A-any other orders?"
"Yes," Ella said, nodding twice. "Stop saluting me until you feel I'm someone worthy of such a gesture. I'll ask that you pass that message along to the rest of the guards."
He seemed startled, but said nothing, choosing to turn and walk away at a quick pace.
Ella turned around then, and waved them forward, so Xaphile dismounted from Skitsy's back and approached her.
Vordt woke Bruno and Ninira up, who seemed groggy, but when they realized where they were, they snapped wide awake. The latter of the two seemed stunned.
"I've never seen the aftermath with my own eyes, but I remember how this city once was," the woman said slowly, looking around in shock; her eyes landed on the clock tower, which no longer worked and had become rusty. "Gods... this is all that remains?"
"All that remains," Gus confirmed. "A shadow of its former glory."
Ella turned and looked at the gagged soldiers, who's eyes were narrowed, and when Xaphile followed her gaze he realized that the other one was finally awake as well, looking around at everything with blank periwinkle blue eyes.
He watched as the boy's gaze finally landed on Ella herself.
She seemed to be waiting for that, because the moment his eyes met hers, she lifted her left arm with a slow, graceful movement and gestured at her ruin of a city.
His eyes followed her hand, looking at the crumbling buildings with the holes in the tile rooftops, the misshapen cobblestones that had been stained with soot and dirt, the lopsided fortress walls made of poorly cut tree trunks, and even the ramshackle excuse for a drawbridge behind them.
"Welcome to Chisago," she said softly, eyes glinting. "Capital of the Nimikan Provinces."
Xaphile was looking at this city through new eyes.
After seeing so many different places with their gorgeous architecture and properly maintained buildings, he could tell even at a glance that Chisago was in terrible shape. He'd been stunned by it when he'd first arrived because it was different than anything he was used to, and he'd originally assumed that it was normal for buildings in this world to be like that.
But it wasn't.
While the forests of Nimika were very alive and vibrant, the city exuded a feeling of decay, and even the air itself was stagnant and heavy.
Bruno and Ninira dismounted right after Vordt, who whispered something into the ear of his mount; the buck instantly turned and trotted back across the bridge, not looking back, before bounding into the underbrush and out of sight.
Once they gathered around her, Ella looked at each of them individually.
"I know this isn't the greatest place," she said, then looked around. "It's in even worse shape since the last time I was here, but this is where we're going to be residing for the next few weeks until the rulers who've agreed to take part in the interpolitical council arrive."
"Where will we be staying?" Bruno asked, concerned. "Everyone's asleep, aye?"
"For tonight, and possibly tomorrow night, too," Ella said carefully, walking up to him and Ninira, "you, your wife, and your sons will stay in Drake's tavern. It's not the most comfortable place, but until more comfortable arrangements can be made, we'll have to make do."
"And us?" Bonks curiously asked. "Where will we stay?"
"Same place," she replied, giving him a respectful nod. "You and your brothers will remain in Drake's tavern as well until we can find a place for you to remain comfortably."
"And them?" Gus asked, pointing right at Xaphile, and then Vordt, before jerking a thumb at the wagon, where Adariel was sleeping soundly. "They'll reside in Amelia's house, correct?"
"Yes," Ella confirmed, nodding. "Adariel, Vordt, and Xaphile will stay together in Amelia's home."
"Her door is locked," Xaphile reminded her, shaking his head. "She locked it when we left."
"She gave me the key for this very reason," Ella told him, patting her cloak. "In fact, she urged me quite vehemently to let you boys stay there together until she returned."
"Then, I guess all that's left is for me family to unpack what we need and get settled in," Bruno sighed, shaking his head. "Those fellows yeh mentioned will be takin' care of the horses and our wagon, aye?"
"Yes," Ella confirmed. "They'll make sure the belongings you don't immediately need are stored away and well taken care of. You have my word."
"I'll take them all to Drake's tavern," Gus said stiffly, the only one still on his horse. "After that, I'll have the prisoner's thrown into one of the barrack's cells until you decide what you wish to do with them."
"Thank you," Ella said, then looked at the two bound men, eyes hardening when she saw that the older of the two was still glaring. "I'm not going to harm either one of you, but make no mistake when I say that you're guilty of very heinous crimes."
Without bothering to say anything further, she looked at Gus and nodded, then turned to face Xaphile.
When her face softened, his pulse spiked and throbbed against his throat, and it only intensified further when she walked up to him and took his hands.
"Lets get you and your little brother home," she said softly, smiling with only her eyes. "You both deserve rest and time to be alone with each other."
He could feel every emotional tingle from across their link.
"Thank you," he murmured, trying to hide his feelings, his anxiety, even while he tried to gather up enough courage to tell her tge truth, "but... Ella...?"
"Hm?" she asked. "What?"
He floundered, then shook his head.
"Never mind."
"Er... okay," she said, eyeing him suspiciously; then she shrugged and turned to walk away. "Grab your little brother and let's go."
Xaphile nodded, then looked at his uncle, who was watching him with observant blue-green eyes. A red itch suddenly filled his head, tickling the back of his sinuses with an abruptness that made him jump.
Something about your demeanor has changed, the man noted. The way you've been looking at her today is different than normal.
I'll talk to you about it later, Xaphile said curtly. Promise.
Vordt stared at him for a moment longer, but when the red-tinted itch behind his eyes finally disappeared, he walked past the Sysh brothers, who were chatting with Gus, and made his way over to the wagon where Bruno and Ninira were already trying to wake their sleeping children up.
"Come on," Bruno murmured, scooping Faeble's whining little body up and into the safety of his wiry blue arms. "Up we go, Baby Faebee."
"Ma, I'm still tired," Windal moaned, rubbing his eyes and curling up into a little ball. "Five more minutes? Please?"
"Don't worry, you can continue sleeping, my sweet," the woman crooned, tenderly sliding her arms beneath his body; with a great heave, her arm muscles bulged and she lifted him into her arms, holding him much the same way that Bruno was holding Faeble. "You're a bit big to be carried, but I can make an exception just this once. We've all had a rough trip, my sweet."
Windal said nothing, merely pillowed his blonde head on her shoulder. His long ear swiveled slightly before drooping tiredly.
"We'll come back to get our things once the little ones have been put to bed," Bruno told her in a low voice. "They're plum tuckered out."
"I know how they feel," Ninira chuckled, then glanced at Xaphile, who stiffened; her smile was a warm one when she nodded at his little brother, who was still snoring softly. "That child is a very big sweetheart, but I'm sure he'd like to get settled in, too."
He nodded, then stepped forward, looking down at his sibling.
Curled up in a little ball, Adariel lay on his side with his small hands resting limply in front of his face. His hair had been draped across his body like a blanket, covering even his legs and feet, and his long-lashed eyes were closed tight.
He felt warmth flood through him, white hot.
Love.
Familiar, yet strange, as it was different than he remembered... another type of love, obviously, but powerful nonetheless.
"Come here," he murmured, sliding his hands beneath his brother's body and hefting him up, bridal style; he shifted the kid's weight once he was upright and cradled him firmly against his chest, looking down at that sleeping face. "He's didn't even twitch."
"He's still in terrible condition," Ninira said a little worriedly. "Listen, Xaphile... if you ever have want of anything from my family in the future, especially if its for your little brother, please do not ever hesitate to ask. You and the countess have done more than we can ever repay."
He turned to see her giving him an earnest gaze.
"We're just doing the right thing," he told her softly, but when she bristled, he shook his head, "but if you really do want to help us, then... I won't hesitate. I promise. You've been a good to us, too, since you've been giving my brother food along the road."
"He needed it," Bruno grunted. "A kid his age goin' through things like that... burns me up inside, it does. We were glad to be of help to 'im."
"He kept Faeble and Windal warm during the night," Ninira added with an amused smile, making him state at her in total confusion. "It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He let Faeble use his hair as a blanket when he was cold, and he cuddled with Windal, too."
"He did?" Xaphile asked, shocked. "I didn't notice. I was sleeping nearly the whole ride."
"He's very much like you," Ninira said smugly, nodding. "Selfless, and always protecting others."
When she said it, something in his heart burned, and a grin spread across his mouth.
A real one.
And it was big.
He couldn't help it.
"Thank you," he said a little thickly. "He's a great kid, but... seriously, I'm not as awesome as you guys are making me out to be. I have my own flaws."
"Regardless, thank you," Ninira said, smiling right back at him. "When Vrael returns, he's going to get an earful for leaving without saying anything to me, but after that... well, if he chooses to remain by your side, I won't be upset. I trust you'll protect and take care of my son."
His heart burned even more, bit he didn't say anything, because what could he say to a praise like that?
This woman was an ex-warrior who had once been even scarier than Ella, and yet she'd just told him that she trusted him with her son's well-being. That was a pretty big fucking compliment.
"Ahem," Vordt suddenly coughed, drawing his gaze. "It is late. Should we not be going?"
Xaphile was a bit startled to realize that Gus and the Sysh brothers had vanished.
"Yeah," he murmured, nodding. "Let's go."
Still flushed with pride and faint happiness, he turned and walked away from Vrael's family.
They'd finally returned to Chisago, but he couldn't relax.
"The real struggle begins now," he muttered. "Gotta be ready."
At least, that's what he told himself.
Deep down, he didn't know if he would ever be ready, because he knew there was something dangerous looming on the horizon, something that frightened him down to his core, something he didn't know if they would escape from in the end.
War.