Galen Vesa

Hot water soaked into my bones as I let myself float aimlessly around the deserted bath, wisps of steam hiding my presence from the prying eyes. I think I missed this place. It felt oddly satisfying to plop down into my usual place and do nothing for hours at end. Not that I had anything to do.

After the initial debacle of meeting Vi, there’s been a fair share of squealing and hugging from rest of the girls. Li especially. She hung herself round my neck and blabbered like a runaway train about all the things I missed while I was gone. About the fall festival, about the trouble Blue bird been giving the guild, about her stamping some documents for the first time, about how the huddled together with Chuko during cold winter nights. It was so freezing cold even with fire going nonstop in every room! About how Inra was so cool with swords. How guild master summoned spirits to help them stamp during the pre-winter rush and how they missed us. Oh, and what about the elves? Are they real elves? Friends? Family? Those and hundred more questions assaulted my ability to make excuses. I went with imperial business this, imperial business that… so I can’t speak about it. They swallowed that with general pouting but did not ask for more. Then came the wine and drinking games. I’m good at drinking games. I'm even good at being a drinking game. Don’t know who came up with this nonsense but suddenly we were playing who can cling to a charmer the longest without side effects showing.

Rules were simple, two girls would grab onto my arms and the first one to give up or… become unable to continue, drinks. Well, in my defense I can say I had had an opportunity to partake in even less elaborate schemes of middle management trying to get everyone drunk.

With contestants falling like flies, I found momentary refugee by the bowl of cookies. Ah yes, there were cookies. Lots of cookies. I forgot how good Li was at making those. Even though I have the memories of a master cook, I get nowhere near the taste of the ones she can make. I’ve been nibbling on my fifth cookie, listening to a tale how Zee got drank and ended up puking all over a customer next morning when the squealing erupted once more after Cora entered the room. Hugs began anew with more people joining in on our little party and that pesky, blushing dryad gathering at least twice more hugs than I did. I think I’m noticing a pattern here.

Anyway, with the elves out of the view and sleeping soundly in their room I decided to take the one last eyesore out and excused myself from further festivities, playing my tardiness as my get out of jail card. I’m sorry all those charms burn so much mana… Spouting something along those lines I wiggled my way out.

With my guests being out of commission, Possibly passed out from fatigue, I thought I go and have an evening chat with the wolf regarding last letter but some, interesting yipping noises coming from her room and Fire’s presence I could feel through the door made me abandon that idea. Instead, I went for a soak and, I believe that was a good choice. Well at least until she appeared.

“You know I can feel your presence, right? Came to destroy my remarkably calm evening?”

“…Please forgive me. I wished only to convey our queen's words. She wishes to honor the previous agreement.”

Wind. Wind again. Although this would explain why I still had the blessings of wind after she died on that island.

“I no longer possess her name. If you wish, you can take back yours…”

“No! I beg of you! Please reconsider! We only wish to serve our love!”

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The spirit fell on her knees and begged. However unusual it seemed. I could feel through her name that there were no lies in her words. How amusing.

“How does it work? Your queen died and yet she lives?”

“We are but a part of our mother and she is but a part of us. With her consciousness shattered, her soul returned to us. A portion to each and most to the heir of her choosing. “

How troubling. I did come to depend on those blessings yet to once more have… my palm trembled at the memory. This too I had to deal with.

“Very well. If your Queen so desire, I shall await her coming…”

Gentle breeze stroked my hair as I felt the newcomer arriving behind my back. There was some familiarity in her presence but not an awful lot. Steeling myself to whatever I may see, I turned and marveled at the being of power.

“Is this shape pleasing to you my Love? It is first time I had taken a corporal form.”

I have never seen a being so perfect in its form, so free of any imperfections so ideal and so painful to look at. As Water once said, it takes time to learn how to become human. How to break their perfect design with myriads of scarcely noticeable flaws. How to ignore symmetry… her figure had painfully perfect symmetry yet, my body seemed at ease with what I saw and felt.

“You wish to offer your name to me?”

“Yes my love.”

She tried to speak her name, but I somehow managed to stop her lips with my finger.

“No.”

I’m sure that was not the reaction she expected but she did not protest and I, hmm, I felt nothing. I felt nothing even though I was touching her. She cupped my hand in her palms and kissed it softly.

“At your leisure my love.”

And woosh they were gone and… my heart was racing. How peculiar. Was there something wrong with my dragon heart? Eh. Whatever. I let myself sink to the bottom of the tub and relaxed. So soothing. Perhaps I should take Water upon her offer when all this will be over? Perhaps.

Evening bell rung and its mulled sound reached me through water. Better I get out before someone gets a brilliant idea that I drowned myself in the bath...

I got out and dried myself with a towel. What a shame I never put much though into that neat trick Erta used to dry us out. In theory I could heat up my body up with the dragon fire circling in my veins but, on the other hand, if something went wrong I would have to explain why the dormitory went up in flames so, towel it is.

And then I made a mistake.

I’m a creature of habit. I dried myself, I dressed myself and my legs carried me to my room. My old room. A room where I was no longer welcome. Thankfully before I could commit myself to this enormous faux pass, I came to my senses and turned around. Now just to walk away before someone notices... somebody up there has something against me, I guess. How else would I explain the scream that came through the door? One of those screams after which the hero bursts into the room to save the day. Eh.

I am no hero still, I put my hand on the handle and push the door ajar. After all, it was Li that kept screaming. And I walked in right on time. Pulling the girl by her hair, Zee dragged the maid to the fireplace where she grabbed a heated poker and swung down at the poor girl. With a burst of speed, I put my palm between the burning iron and the girl’s face.

“Release her.”

Which Zee did? Apparently even she had enough brain not to defy a person holding a glowing iron in her bare hand. Without any resistance I pulled the poker out of her hand and tossed it into a bucket where it belonged the crouched over the crying maid. Her face and her hands were all scratched up and bleeding while her left cheek kept on swelling. Thankfully, nothing my ring or Tala couldn’t handle. I picked her up and started walking out of the room when two things happened. The guards showed up and Zee bashed me with a chair from behind.

That ended poorly. For the chair I mean. Splinters went flying everywhere while I stood frozen, flicking away occasional pieces that were heading towards Li.

When that ended, I looked Zee in the eyes. Her pupils were wide open, eyes red, her hands gripping what left of the back rest.

“Are you done?”

“She is.”

Beatrice squeezed past the staring guards and stopped beside Zee.

“You are suspended, pending guild master’s decision. You will stay in your room until that decision is made.”

She cast one glace at Li.

“And if I hear that you had as much as raised your voice at any of my maids I will personally rip off your arms and shove them up your ass because I am sick and tired of your shit. “

“Karin, you take Li to infirmary. Make sure Tala heal her before any of those wounds leave a permanent mark. She may have a broken nose.”