The Quiet One is interesting, Ashura murmured when he was back in the barn again.
"I don't wish for this family to regret me leaving, we have already stayed longer than we should have," Aerrath replied as he looked over the documents on the work table. Selloana had done what she promised, remarking all of the pages with clear writing and precise measurements. Aerrath felt bad for yelling at her. "Besides, I'm sure that we have overstayed our welcome more than enough, and Selloana keeping us here is..."
Aerrath heard Ashura's wings rustle. She is what, Little One? Karhu hasn't spoken of wanting us to leave this family.
Aerrath shook his head and sat down, focusing on all of the papers. "Never mind, we shouldn't worry about it, once this is done, we can go find Vaal."
His dragon huffed and fell silent. She let him work in peace as Aerrath slowly pieced together an idea of what he would need for a saddle. Something simple, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be needing anything more than a piece of leather between him and Ashura's scales.
. . .
"Kaivol, wake up."
Aerrath groaned and shoved his face further into his arms. Couldn't they go away? He was fine, he wasn't needed, his family could do without him.
The same person again shook his shoulder. "Kaivol, you've already missed the morning meal and it is almost lunch. You need to get up."
He wrinkled his nose but forced his eyes open, blinking the dream dust in his eyes.
Sae gave him a few minutes before trying to rush him again. "You must get up, Ma is going to be upset if she doesn't see you up and working."
"I was workin' all nigh'..." Aerrath yawned, stretching his arms above him. His shoulders were stiff and twinged when he rotated them. Nothing more than just soreness, he could easily work it out later.
The other boy narrowed his eyes at him, for once showing how concerned or irritated he was. "How late were you up last night?"
Aerrath blinked at him and pointed at the lamp on the work table. "Sometime after that ran out of oil."
Sae sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Aerrath yawned again, popping several joints as he stretched. He felt an echo in his mind and smiled at Ashura doing the same thing, hearing her small roar of pleasure just outside the barn seconds later.
"Come, the midday meal will be cold by the time you are actually moving." Sae grabbed Aerrath's arm and hauled him to his feet.
Aerrath didn't protest, he really didn't want to be moving anyways, his fight was completely gone at the moment. He had been up till almost sunrise getting his saddle designed and measured. Maybe Selloana would take pity on him and let him rest for the whole day.
Ashura laughed, deep rumbles resonating through Aerrath's mind. I am surprised that you would actually want to rest, Little One. You always had to be doing something until now.
Aerrath looked over his shoulder at his dragon and stuck out his tongue—a rare moment of playfulness that he only showed for Ashura. His dragon laughed louder, causing Sae to turn and look at her.
"She seems to be in a good mood today," he remarked, tugging on Aerrath's arm again to keep him moving. His feet were dragging and barely making it above the cropped grass. He was so tired
"She got more sleep than I did, of course, she would be."
Sae shook his head and released Aerrath's arm when they reached the porch. Selloana was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a stern scowl on her face. Her oldest son continued to walk into the house despite her fearsome expression while Aerrath slowed to a stop right in front of her.
"So, the dead can be raised," she said, an eyebrow raising. Aerrath didn't bother to react; her tone wasn't nearly as intimidating as Vaal's when he caught Aerrath doing something he didn't approve of. "Is it safe to assume that your work is done?"
Aerrath nodded, another yawn overtaking him as he tried to reply, "It's done, just need the, uh... mmmnnnnhhhghhhh, just need the materials now."
Selloana looked unimpressed with how fast Aerrath had gotten his work done but nodded none the less. "Good. Get some food and go sleep, we can start assembling it tomorrow."
He smiled at her, thankful that he wouldn't be responsible for anything today. "Yes, ma'le."
"Dammit, Kaivol, just call me Selloana, for the last time!" She cuffed him up the side the head lightly, a smile playing at her lips.
Aerrath laughed slightly and headed inside. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say."
. . .
Not long after Aerrath had recovered from working throughout the night on his design, Selloana began to coach him through assembling his saddle. He knew it was going to take much longer to make it than he would prefer, but he couldn't go anywhere long-distance without a saddle. He had minor scarring on the inside of his thighs from when they escaped almost six months ago. It wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat.
Between leatherworking and mold forming sessions, Selloana began to recondition Aerrath back into fighting health. To his surprise, it wasn't nearly as rigorous as she made it out to be. The only thing he could find complaint in was how his endurance had dropped, but after working on the farm for months now, his strength was relatively the same. When he expressed this to Selloana, she switched up their routine to build up Aerrath's endurance, and soon enough it was a regular thing to see Aerrath awake just before the sun was over the horizon and jogging around the perimeter of the town.
Every other morning, Sae would join, muttering something about his mother making him do this, but more often than not, Aerrath wasn't interested in conversation so the two of them ran silently until their route was over.
For a month this went on before it was replaced with full-time saddle work. All the pieces were formed and ready to be attached. Again Aerrath was forced to sit by and wait while Selloana did it all for him. (She had tested his sewing skills on scrap fabrics and was appalled by Aerrath's attempt. Now she wouldn't let him near the saddle, in order to ensure that it was put together properly.) This went on for nearly a week before Selloana said that the saddle was complete and ready for a test flight.
Aerrath needed no coaxing after the words left her mouth. He sprinted to the barn just after she finished speaking, his excitement bleeding through the bond and causing Am to dance around in the nearby field where the dragons stayed. It didn' take long for Aerrath to get the saddle on her back and before he knew it, the air was rushing around him and he truly felt at peace for the first time since he escaped.
Ashura loosed a jet of flame in the air, Aerrath whooping out loud on her back. They were complete, whole again, finding reassurance in the wind that carried them higher and higher into the sky. The sun warmed Aerrath's back and Ashura's scales glittered. They hadn't felt this free since before they were forced to join the military, they felt young, ready to tackle their goal of finding Vaal and Sycra, to show them how much they had grown since he had left. And they had, despite how stagnant they had thought they were at the beginning, but Ashura had regained her prowess and even gained a couple of feet in length. Aerrath had grown into himself more, his shoulders broadening and losing much of the royal layer of fat he had while at the palace. He looked older than he was, his face more solemn, heavy brows making him look far more serious. He finally looked like a man rather than the awkward teenager he knew himself to be. He finally felt at peace within his own skin.
It took hours for either of them to glide down from the clouds and land on the ground, loathe to be tethered to it once more so shortly after they had tasted the sky again.
Selloana was standing in the field, hands on her hips and a proud smile on her face. She beamed at the two of them as Aerrath walked over to her with Ashur following shortly after.
"Looks like you won't be needing any more of my help," she commented happily.
Aerrath smiled and ducked his head, slightly embarrassed by his actions. It reminded him of when he was younger and just learning to fly Ashura. Blaine and Yaz would always have the same expression on their faces when he landed in front of them.
"I want to thank you," he said, raising his eyes to meet Selloana's. "For everything that you have done for me and my dragon. We would not have survived our escape if it were not for you or your family. Thank from the bottom of our hearts." He bowed deeply, showing her his utmost gratitude.
Behind him, he heard Ashura shift and three great jets of flame shot into the air above them. The scent of brimstone washed over them and Aerrath straightened to see Selloana wiping tears away.
"S-Selloana?" He reached out to her, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a tight hug. Aerrath stiffened in surprise—she held him there, as close as any mother would. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace. "Selloana?"
"Kaivol, you are a great man, do not let your past tell you otherwise."
Aerrath's eyes widened. Why would she say something like this? He was an exiled prince, an escaped prisoner, he was nothing in the eyes of his country. Surely it had to be the same in Oshara.
"Selloana, I..."
She pulled away, keeping her hands on his shoulders and looked at him, all sorts of emotions dancing in her eyes.
"The Athalians may not care who you are, and refugees aren't welcomed everywhere in Oshara, but if you must come back after looking for your friend," she paused and wiped away another bout of tears. Aerrath admired that her voice was still strong even with the waves of emotions. "You have a home here."
He surged forward for another hug and buried his face into her shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered.
It had been so long since he had ever felt welcome in a place, even back at the palace he had known that his time there was limited. And for the longest time, he was certain that Sewale, and his brothers, hoped that he would be amongst the dead by the end of the war. What they hadn't counted on was Blaine, Yaz, and Vaal being there to guide him through all the muck that was court life and the military. Somehow, Selloana had managed to see that Aerrath was wandering and lost. She took him in when he was certain that no one else would. Aerrath dragging himself to her doorstep had been fate, and for once, he was thankful the gods took pity on him.
. . .
The next few days were a blur. When the saddle was finished, Aerrath was given a crash course in surviving out in the wilderness and was taught a few tricks about riding for long distances. Selloana gave him a small crossbow to hunt with, along with three spare knives. Another parting gift was a new set of clothes. Aerrath remembered seeing Selloana in something similar from the photo of her and the Archers. It was suited for traveling for long periods and colored so that he wouldn't stand out in a crowd if he had to stop and get more supplies.
Even then, the family that had housed him for the better part of a year kept giving. Within the pouches of his new outfit, he found a bag of coin—Osharan osha—with a note reading "In case of emergencies, —the Elvar Family". He wanted to give all this money back, but he knew that they would somehow slip it back into his packs anyway. He smiled at the note and tucked it into a different pocket, one more secure than a belt pouch.
Before he knew it, he was given hugs from everyone in the family.
Lavo was a blubbering mess. Apparently, over the time Aerrath had been staying with the family, he had grown to be Lavo's favorite next to Sae. Seeing Aerrath leave was hard on him, but he knew that Aerrath had to go, and therefore wasn't going to stop him.
The twins hugged him from either side, giggling as Aerrath grunted under their sudden appearance.
"Stay safe, okay?" Wynn demanded, eyes glittering fiercely.
"And make sure to write! We wanna know where you end up with your friend, Kai!" Lora squeezed him extra hard, smiling up at him with a lopsided grin.
Aerrath laughed and ruffled their hair. "I will, once we find a place to stay," he said, agreeing to their terms. He was going to miss those two following him around the farm.
Next Ghira approached him. She smiled at him sweetly, rising onto her tiptoes and gently kissing him on the cheek. Aerrath blushed and gaped at her.
"It's okay, I know your heart isn't here with us, Kai," she said quietly, "but remember, this can always be your home if you want it to be."
Aerrath gathered his wits and nodded to her, smiling slightly. "I don't think I can forget."
Ghira's eyes glittered with unshed tears. "Just remember to write, dummy."
He chuckled and ruffled her hair just for the hell of it. Like every day before this, Aerrath could feel his heart wanting him to find a home where he can rest. His wayward soul, lost and yearning for something more permanent. His mind was there to remind him that he had bigger things to worry about than that. It would come after he felt his responsibilities melt away. Unfortunately, today wasn't it.
When Ghira stepped away to join her siblings, Sae took her place. They didn't say anything, simply clasped hands and clapped each other on the back. Sae's hand lingered when they released each other, but didn't say anything. They nodded to each other and he walked back to his father.
Selloana lingered behind her family, face hard, trying hard to accept that Aerrath was determined to travel to Oshara and find his friend. Aerrath knew that she was against the idea, but she was proud of him for his conviction.
Eventually, she stepped up to him, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and bringing their foreheads together.
"You stay safe, or the gods forbid that I'll come out of retirement and hunt you down, you hear?"
Aerrath chuckled and nodded. "Of course... ma'le." Selloana snorted and pushed him back, a smile softening her face. Without warning, she shoved something into his chest. He fumbled to catch it. Looking down he saw it was a small book with one page much larger than its contents. Tugging it out he saw that it was the team picture of the Archers. "Selloana, I...I can't take this!"
She shook her head and crossed her arms. "You can, and you will. It's so you can find him. Tell Shadow that I sent you and that you're looking for a friend. I gave you enough osha to cover his price and some other things if you can't find food."
"You know I can never repay you for this." He couldn't, this was too much, and they weren't even his family by blood.
Selloana shrugged. "You could, but it's a longshot for a pipsqueak like you."
Aerrath rolled his eyes at that. It was just like Selloana to rile him up with those comments. (He wasn't small, just on the lighter side of the average male.) "Oh, really? What price could be so high and mighty that a forcibly retired soldier would demand of an escaped prisoner?"
Selloana's smirk went deadly. "I might actually attend Emperor Sewale's funeral—if you can put him in the ground."
If it weren't for the fact that Aerrath was still technically royalty, exiled or bastard, him taking down Sewale wouldn't do the Empire any good. Grydrias would take the throne, and if he died in the coup de' tat, then Merim was next in line. Both full-blooded royalty and loved by the court. Aerrath was nothing compared to them, just a body used to make Sewale's lineage appear strong.
He shook his head and smiled ruefully. "Even with that man gone, two more just like him would take his place."
The grin softened to a normal one, losing the killer edge. "You have a point," Selloana agreed, "Too bad the third prince was executed for treason, he would have made a better ruler than all three of those pigs before him."
Aerrath narrowed his eyes and Lavo shushed his wife. He knew that there was a story crossing the country that he had been executed. He sent a silent prayer to the gods for the poor man who took his stead on the executioner's block. It must have happened right after he was arrested and dropped into his cell—a time filled with inconsistent memories and moments he would much rather leave be.
Selloana waved Lavo off and turned back to Aerrath. "Fly safe. Don't get cocky just because you have a sword and a dragon. Osharans can still rip you apart if you piss 'em off."
Ashura, who had been circling above while Aerrath was saying goodbyes, landed with a small roar. Aerrath could feel her getting antsy and how much she wanted to be on her way.
"I'll keep that in mind, Selloana," Aerrath said, gathering himself. He tucked the picture back in the book and stowed it away in one of his pouches. "I really wish that there was some way to repay you, but you'd refuse anything I'd give you. All of you have my utmost thanks. Thank you for letting me stay with you while I recovered and helping me find a place I know I can come back to if I cannot find my friend. May the winds guide you."
Lavo sniffed loudly and all of the girls started to tear up. Sae and Selloana watched Aerrath climb onto his dragons, caging their emotions.
"Let the gods guide, Kaivol," Selloana called in her last farewell as Aerrath settled himself into his saddle.
He looked down at them all and saluted, right fist pressed over his heart. Ashura beat her wings and in the span of a few heartbeats, they were airborne and flying off towards the horizon.
"Do you think he'll be back, Ma?" Sae asked quietly.
Selloana wrapped an arm around her son's shoulders and dragged him in close. "Knowing that boy? Probably not, he's too determined not to let anything get in his way."
"And Shadow? Will he help him?"
"Shadow's a wild hatchling at heart, but he knows what the right thing is—it all depends on what Kaivol tells him."