She sought out Gwenvair’s hand and the two quickly turned and headed down the staircase almost skipping. Behind, Gwenvair’s mother and Allanar set a more sedate pace, Joe hovering in front of them in Allanar’s water fist while her brother and Garnedell quickly scrambled after, calling out what had happened.
“Is Master OK?” Garnedell shouted out
“Where are we going?” Zilnek called over Garnedell and Kilniara hid her grimace. So blind. Think of others, a little, brother! Her brother was not a bad man, he’d stood by her and helped as best he could, and did so for his friends and family as well. But in moments of suffering or pain, Zilnek saw little need or worry for such, often ignoring their pain or misfortune. His future as any form of tailor or shop owner was likely greatly in jeopardy because few people liked him. Kilniara sighed, she would have to care for him and she could only hope that it would not be for long.
Gwenvair replied quickly, if a bit loudly, to the two boys in Kilniara’s stead, and she squeezed Gwenvair’s hand in gratefulness, “Your Master is fine. Only exhausted and in need of sleep. He simply fell asleep because now he has no need to care for any other duties, nor fear for any attack. He is resting.”
Kilniara glanced at Gwenvair as she spoke, a bit confused, but Gwenvair noticed and glanced at her, her eyes laden with meaning. Wha… oh. Oh! An announcement for the people. Kilniara looked around and took in the others watching on, several clan elites and their apprentices and runners. All stared in wide eyed wonder at Joe and she stifled her grin, turning her face forward while Gwenvair finished her report. Garnedell proved the better apprentice.
“He is fine?”
“More than fine, Garnedell. He suffered no injuries from the tide master at all,” Kilniara offered, speaking in the loud faux private tone that Gwenvair had. Gwenvair’s squeeze let her know she’d spoken perfectly and Kilniara kept her smile as reserved as possible. Zilnek, despite his social awkwardness, asked the perfect question.
“No injuries, of any kind?”
Gwenvair answered in her stead, taking over the conversation again, “Nope!”
This proved enough for the two boys, and they both began excitedly speaking with one another while reenacting the Master’s entire fight, throwing fists at one another in lieu of sword and spear.
Kilniara and Gwenvair walked down the stairs, Gwenvair helping her to step slowly and teaching her proper decorum for regal stair walking. Kilniara loved it, although she did find the whole effort rather ridiculous as well, and had to stifle her giggles. Gwenvair proved just as susceptible and soon both of them were failing to hold in laughter as they walked down the stairs hand in hand.
“That was… so much fun, thank you!” Kilniara softly blurted out in happiness.
Gwenvair shook her own head, waving away her thanks while bending her own head close for privacy, “No thanks. It was fun! I haven’t had such fun in… quite some time.”
The two laughed quietly together while still walking and when they reached the bottom of the stairs, Kilniara finally was able to sigh and release her giggles, returning to a quiet but joyful solemnity.
“Time for some plans!”
“Definitely time.”
“So many things to think about.”
Gwenvair grew silent at that, contemplative, and Kilniara glanced over at her, cocking her head in question. Gwenvair noticed and stared up at her before taking a deep breath.
“I have… some ideas…?” Gwenvair offered tentatively.
Kilniara immediately put her worry to rest, “You’re as good as my sister! I will always listen.”
Gwenvair’s worry evaporated and the two were soon deep in whispered conversation punctuated by laughter and giggles. It’s… such a good day!
* * *
The Matriarch glided through the grounds, a soft and delicate tread that barely bent the blades of grass. Allanar strode at her side and before them floated the eccentric, snoring peacefully without any fear or even a single defensive array. That, more than anything else, caused her to be terrified. To be so vulnerable, yet absolutely without fear! The man’s strength was terrifying, yet exhilarating in the same turn. He was so easy to work with and did not grow offended even at some of the worst slights. His willingness to listen to her struggles with the blacksmith but refrain from destroying her clan for the fool’s utter disrespect left her both excited to be in his presence, but absolutely terrified for she feared to grow too complacent in his easy presence such that he would take offence and destroy her and hers. It’s… intoxicating … and terrifying!
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Her eyes fell on his face, so completely at rest, before she allowed her glance to drift away. He is taken, but… Her eyes were pulled back like a magnet. To have him tied to her clan could be the greatest gift, or the most terrifying curse. Should it be… an option? Her eyes flickered to Kilniara, then her daughter. Her daughter was obviously the greater choice, a clanner to a simple commoner. She sighed and looked away. She did not know the luck of the girl, but the entirety of her good fortune must have been exhausted in that single moment before that usurer on the streets of her city.
Her placid face twisted slightly at that, her thoughts turning to Gwenvair and her daughter’s tying herself to him and the commoner. The commoner left her uneasy, but if the eccentric claimed he could raise a commoner to heights, then she chose to trust the man for he’d proven himself in countless ways despite claiming to be a ‘simple’ man of his clan. His revelations of the Dao to both her, her daughter, and Allanar; revelations of lightning, wind, and water and the man claimed to not know extensively of the Dao; had leapt all of them forward into their Daos by significant amounts. And these were deeper Daos! Not simple surface observations but a deeper understanding of the laws of the Daos themselves, her mana cost for using her lightning had been decreased significantly and so claimed her daughter and Allanar as well. To know deeper laws and claim to not know them well…
She shook her head, concern over her daughters imprinting and soon binding. That her daughter had already initiated imprinting concerned her. She could always escape an imprinting but the effort would leave her crippled for years. So foolish… but… so young. I can see… The matriarch sighed and snorted, only glad that her daughter had not completed the imprinting or initiated the bind. Such things were permanent. I need to speak to the eccentric quickly before she foolishly… Her thoughts were interrupted by Allanar.
“Matriarch?”
“Hmm. Yes, Allanar.”
“I saw his… movements.”
She smiled, “We all did, even the commoners with us as well.”
Allanar’s breathing stilled, “Truly?”
She smiled softly, “Truly!”
Allanar continued breathing heavily, “I feel as if my Dao has been shaken, utterly and completely.”
The Matriarch laughed, a high trill of pure honest joy she hadn’t felt in a long time, “I think everyone who watched the sublimity of the eccentric’s actions are questioning their Dao. And making dozens of breakthroughs into a greater insight to their own Dao in the next days and weeks.”
Allanar quickly nodded, “It was… how could he fight so slowly! To defend so… perfectly!”
She shrugged her shoulder, “I had… little respect for the Dao of defenders, but I am… not so certain now. His Dao was not defense, but the utter encapsulation of dominance. None could strike him, nor could any stop him from striking. I felt no domain, but his actions… the certainty of his fight… I would believe that his Domain was one of imperious will; none shall have their way in his presence. His weapon will go where he wills, and no other.”
Allanar paused at that, nodding softly but then shook his head, “It is possible. I am uncertain of what his Dao is as well, but it was implacable. He was the future implacable. His weapon moved without thought and his person was immovable.”
“But he moved.”
Allanar stopped at that, before nodding, “Possibly, but the move was purely to be implacable.”
“Possibly… both?”
Garnedell, the young eccentric’s first and youngest apprentice spoke up at that point, speaking deferentially with a bow, but firmly, “No. He controls the flow of battle. He knows his enemy’s moves and plans accordingly. He always trains us to see several steps ahead; to know what an enemy is doing and creating an action that forces the enemy’s hand and reaction, ever narrowing their options to only one. Then, they are at his mercy; Matriarch, master mist mage.”
Allanar quickly homed in on the apprentice’s words, his flash of anger for the interruption quickly replaced with eager attention as he heard his words, “So his Dao is the control of the enemy?”
Garnedell paused, then offered another bow while shaking his head, “No. He has said that one must control the battlefield, not simply the enemy.”
She struggled to hide her gasp, swallowing it discreetly to hide her surprise, “A Dao of utter control?”
Garnedell glanced at her, “Possibly, Matriarch, although he has not taught us more nor any greater or deeper truths. This was the first of his path.”
“The first!” Allanar breathed in awe, “Truly a greater Dao and an incredibly superior cultivation method!”
Garnedell looked up at Allanar at that, seemingly surprised, “Truly?”
Allanar looked at Garnedell, subtle bitterness hidden behind his words, “Greater than any our clan has… or even our over-clan.”
Garnedell’s face split into a massive grin and he turned back to the tailor boy, the two greatly excited with the revelation of the superiority of their cultivation methods. She hid her sigh and continued questioning the boy.
“He teaches you?”
Garnedell glanced back, “Yes. All of us,” and waved to encompass them all.
She smiled, maintaining her demeanor but then struggled to maintain her composure with that statement and gasped out like a beggar child, “Gwenvair?”
Garnedell’s glance was rapid, but a brilliant smile and the news allowed her to ignore the offence, “Of course, whenever she is there.”
She will never leave his side! Her thought was immediate even as she turned a heavy look at Allanar. Even Allanar proved moved, and his own gaze was as heavy has he nodded in kind.
“She must stay by his side!”
She agreed, nodding in reply to Allanar, “I will make certain of it!”
“At least she is amenable to it,” Allanar offered with good humor.
She smiled herself, “More than amenable.”
“Would he…” Allanar trailed off and glanced between the eccentric and Gwenvair before staring up at her, “Would he allow our clan … the Dao through Gwenvair?”
“He trained me,” she smiled while glancing over at Allanar.
Allanar’s step stuttered and quickly recovered before returning to her side, “The rumors are true?”
“They are true.”
“All…. The rumors?”
She glanced at Allanar, staring carefully before smiling and nodding softly, “All the rumors!”
Allanar fell completely silent at that, but his breathing came fast, and the subtle beat of his heart pinged against her lightning, growing faster and faster. The Matriarch frowned. Hmm... interesting.
* * *