Tyr was alone again, like always. Or so his moping mind would tell him, but he had men who were loyal to him to a fault, for no deserved reason. That made him sick, feeling sorry for himself, lying to himself when they existed.
He was forced to confront and consider the fact that he'd done a poor job of showing them how much he appreciated them. No, it wasn't that. He hadn't appreciated them, taking them for granted. And to incense him yet further, he was essentially just whining. Like a child.
Fennic, Samson, Tiber, Mikhail. Hells, even Ajax remained nearby and had called it 'natural for the man that saw to his freedom'. For all the beastkins faults, he hadn't departed at any point. He said it was 'for fun', but Tyr didn't believe him, there was nothing fun about simply following him around. This was a life debt.
And then, there was Okami. Okami did what he wanted to do, but he always came when Tyr called. They were partners, and brothers. Tyr never forgot him, but often took him for granted just like the others.
Just the thought of his selfishness made him ripe for a retching, practically running from Amistad as fast as he could before the real 'white wolf' found him. Tyr had been panting and frothing at the lips, crying like Jura had been when he'd refused to stay with her. But the wolf had said nothing, nuzzling his face with his wet snout and batting him into the dirt with a paw before Tyr relented, agreeing to ride him back to the republic. Even with all his stamina and physical ability, it'd be a long journey on foot across the wide span of Harani lands. Time to think.
Still, he was wroth. Somehow, Astrid or one of the others had gotten their claws into Jura and taken her away from him. He had wanted to say more when Jura had begged him to stay with her in Amistad, even Astrid had been offended at the idea that he'd still leave. Again. But he had to this time, because he'd made a promise to Alexandros. And blaming that primus for a promise he'd willfully made was inappropriate to say the least.
Alexis, in all reality, had connived her way into the circle and taken the time to speak to Jura. Which Tyr found odd, eastern Harani, of which she would certainly count, hated orcs and had warred with them for generations. Alexis didn't want to be Jura's friend, she wanted to hurt Tyr. This was how he considered things, at least.
Alone again, but not truly. Tyr beat his dual blades into the already dead corpse of an estelid. A one horned bipedal lizard of sorts with springy, soft skin. They were the size of children but were far stronger in comparison, not unlike a goblin. Typically, they weren't monsters a bounty was put on, but these ones had been navigating eastwards and were threatening the flocks of shepherds in large packs. Larger monsters having taken over their hunting grounds.
The orcs were riled up, butchering their packs with a ferocity that they hadn't seen before. But they wouldn't help the areas of the republic outside their typical domain, and in the process had herded monsters eastward towards the territory of freeholders.
Tyr's only solace were that they were like animals, not intelligent in the least.
“All will be well.” Okami rumbled calmly, sniffing at a spindly limbed estelid before deciding it wasn't something for eating. “We will see them again in time, your emotions are getting the best of you.”
“I know.” Tyr replied, and that was that. He had no more to say. Only driven by the need to kill and stomp something until it broke. He wasn't only angered by Jura 'abandoning him', but also the dire state of the republic. It was a mess, and despite Haran providing a whole legion of support, it was evident at first glance that nothing was going right for them. Opting to attend the trials when there was so much to do.
And why? For pride? People were literally starving to death in a count that hadn't been seen in generations. The republic didn't need a legion, they needing bloomers to visit the villages unable to harvest because monsters had ravaged their crops. 'Monsters' – that word again. There were no monsters, these were living things just on the wrong side of the conflict. Tyr was forced to consider something again, his budding humanity and how soft he'd become, it was time to use this separation as an opportunity to do away with that. It would only trip him up.
“Worrying about that which you cannot control is a waste of time.” Okami said. “Is the green one not free to do as she pleases, as I am?”
“I told you not to read my mind.” Tyr growled. “I don't do that to you, do I?”
“I hear it whether I want to or not.” The wolf huffed in annoyance. “Your emotions are very loud.”
“And that's better than you screaming MEAT in my ear every time I'm trying to rest?” Okami shrugged, seemed to. For a wolf, Tyr would bet it was a shrug... But he'd still ask. “Are you shrugging?”
“Yes. What else would I be doing?” Okami asked. “And I'll have you know that I get hungry just as you do. I am a growing wolf, I need my food, and as my partner it is your job to feed me every once in a while. How much food have I brought you, hmm?”
“You look like that when you're about to throw up after eating too much grass, too...” Tyr said, inching away. The last time that had happened, a deluge of green bio-matter had rocketed out of Okami's mouth and left a visible stain on the side of a mountain that was still there months later. The great wolf shook his head in annoyance, turning about and sniffing suggestively at some bushes. “Who were those wolves you were with before, back in Aurora? I've been wondering about that. Are they your friends?”
“You could say that.” Okami's tail began to wag at the thought of the pack. “But I am not a member of their family, nor could I ever be.”
“Why is that?” Tyr asked, tilting his head.
“Because I am bonded to a human. Once, long ago, the pack guarded the early civilization in this land from the predation of large beasts and orcs that existed in a much denser population. But humans grow, change and lose their way. Those who were once their protectors became monsters like the rest to them, and many of the guardian beasts in this land were slaughtered mercilessly. Used for their parts, or just for the fun and sport of it – nobody knows. Now, all the guardian beasts yet remaining avoid humans at all costs.”
“I'm sorry.” Tyr said. “For that, and because being with me prevents you from joining them.”
“I am not of them, nor of this land. My home is in the north and to travel freely is much more preferable that hiding out in the forests. As for the death of my kin and those guardians of other species, that is the law of the wild.” Okami said calmly. “I love you, you are my family and my partner.”
“I love you too, and I hope you know how much I appreciate you.” Tyr blushed at the sudden rush of affection pouring out of the dopey wolf. “Do you not get lonely, being among humans and the like all day?”
“You are my pack. I am never truly alone, even when distant.” Okami snorted. “The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. If mating is what I wish to do, I have the opportunity – strong children is all a matriarch can ask for. I have bred many, to be by your side is enough for me. You are enough, and always will be, if only you could see that for yourself.”
Tyr smiled softly, slapping his furry flank. Scratching at the back of Okami's massive ears to show his appreciation of the unconditional love. The idea that he probably had dozens of children by now was somewhat concerning, though.
“Let's go, buddy. A lot of work to do before nightfall.”
“Hopefully something that tastes better than these scaled cretins... Please allow me to kill that goat.”
“No...”
“You are a demon, my brother. Cruel, forcing me to eat grass like some kind of cow...”
“Fine, eat the goat.”
“Terrific! I knew I was right about you! Perish in ignominy, the devilishly handsome Okami shall eat you!”
“...Do you have to talk to it like that?”
“Yes!” That would have to be a good enough of a reply, Okami busying himself with stuffing the entire goat down his distended gullet with disgustingly wet chortling noises.
–
“You're all princesses, right?” Jura asked, a frown wrinkling her smooth green skin. It was even more vibrant than before thanks to the fair regularity of their 'spa days'. She washed herself, scrubbed clean on a daily basis, like all orcs – only to find there was a lot more filth on and inside of her than she'd previously imagined...
Alex nodded, one hand on the reins of her horse and the other resting on her thigh. Tyr hadn't talked about them often, but with what he had said – Jura had expected her in particular to be rude. But she wasn't unkind, only a bit quiet and aloof at times, apparently Alex had a dislike of orcs but didn't audibly begrudge Jura for her parentage, which was nice.
Astrid had convinced her to stay with the others in Amistad and begin learning more about magic, but Alex had seen to everything. Getting her admitted for the fall semester even beyond the registration deadline, paying for books and tutors, seeing to her living accommodations. Granted, that was easy – they all still stayed in Tyr's estate. A hulking palace of marble and glass built in the middle of an impressive park. With servants and everything, Jura could hardly believe her eyes the first time she'd seen the baths and the swimming area at the center.
Tyr had all of this waiting for him, available year round, and he still chose to wander around the forests and wild places – looking for something to hunt. Jura wasn't much for luxury either, but that had surprised her. How he could refuse all of these privileges offered him, willfully, was anyone's guess.
“In name only, since the succession no longer belongs to us. But when you marry a primus, it never did in the first place, so it wasn't a hard transition. Which means you are a princess too, by title.” Alex said, not taking her eyes off the road. Astrid and Sigi rode alongside them while 'the boys', as they called themselves, ranged ahead. Which in most cases meant throwing rocks at one another and getting into various fits of mischief.
“I'm a princess?” Jura hadn't thought herself the type to enjoy how that sounded. But everyone liked feeling important.
“Lawfully. Your ceremony was overseen by both an arbiter and archmage of the Harani college, and the primus made no protest of it.” Alex nodded again. “Astrid and Sigi call us sisters, as is the custom in Oresund. But in Haran, you are my wife. All of my lawful titles are your own, though they do not come with any authority given our position. So you're a princess in two lands, a baroness, a countess of cloth, as well as a college affiliate. If your clan were still among us, I'd – in human consideration if not the opposite – would be a member of your tribe as well. Everything is shared.”
“You have strange customs.” Jura mused absentmindedly. The others seemed so excited to be out here, but she was bored. Finding studying to be even more exciting, though not by much, this area of the world was so safe as to feel uncomfortable to her after so long adventuring or pit fighting. “Does that mean Kirk is a princess, too?”
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Alex looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Kirk? As in the maxxid?”
“Aye.”
“Tyr married the crab man...?” Alex frowned even harder, trying to compute what she was being told. “In any event, and pardon my insensitivity, there is a statute in Haran that only humanoids can hold titles – as with nearly all nations. That's why you don't see many in the northern reaches of the continent, or Varia for that matter. He would have no rights, and has not been recognized by the ruling primus regardless. But sure, we can call Kirk a princess – or prince in his case. Whatever he wants.”
They rode on in silence after that, both of them thinking about very different things. Astrid was 'asleep at the wheel' while Sigi guided the reins for her with a hand. The tallest of the three said very little of anything at all, but she had sharp eyes and remained watchful of their surroundings.
“If you're all princesses...” Jura asked. “Why do this? Do you have to as part of your duties?”
“Of course not.” Alex said. “We could live the rest of our lives in the imperial palace and never see the green of a forest, or we could go to Oresund and do the same thing. Well... They could, I hold actual authority and have responsibilities to my barony and county, but my father takes care of all that. We just do this because it's fun, something to pass the time before the semester starts. Even then, work study programs that award credits are common, so we do it for that reason as well.”
A hand nudged Jura's elbow and she looked to her left, seeing Sigi approach from the side, an impressively thick sandwich being offered to the other woman. “Er, no thank you. That is very nice, I appreciate it, but I'm not hungry.”
“Suit yourself.” Sigi grunted, pulling away. The crunch of the crisp lettuce and tomato was audible from quite some distance away.
“We just at breakfast an hour ago...” Alex raised her eyebrows. “We're not even doing any physical activity today, if you keep eating like that you're going to get fat.”
“Maybe.” Sigi shrugging, taking another bite and talking with her mouth full.
Jura had observed how brash and crude she was to some, but she was anything if not put together otherwise. Always keeping herself manicured to an almost maniacal degree. Not a hair out of place, fingernails trimmed, free of any imperfections. Now, here among people she trusted – Jura thought – Sigi relaxed and let her true colors show. It made her blush at being shown that kind of respect, despite only knowing them all for a few weeks. Tyr had taken months or maybe even years to open up the way they had, though he was a lot more honest with everyone around him to begin with. Only his comfort level changed, and his friendliness, his other quirks remained much the same, and there were many of those.
“I don't know what to tell you, I've been so hungry lately. I can't stop eating.” Sigi commented.
“It is something, isn't it?” Astrid suddenly rose from her laying position on the horse. Using the back of the beast like some kind of chaise. She daintily dabbed at the drool coming from her lips without an ounce of her usual self consciousness. “She eats all that meat, all the time, and look at her. Tighter than ever. Even her muscles have shrunk, if only her ass would do the same...”
“They have not!” Sigi protested loudly, mouthful of sandwich and all. “I have been consistently exercising throughout and I've not gotten any weaker!”
“I am inclined to agree with Sigi on that.” Alex said. “I'm not sure she's gotten any smaller.”
Sigi towered over both of them, and most men. Standing at an easy six foot, two inches tall. Her arms were study, but the thighs were what most people noticed about her. They were carved from granite and she never lost her root in a fight, very useful for a mage so naturally talented with earth and water as Sigi was. So much so that nobody could say whether it was one or the other that was her true prime element.
“...Thanks.” Sigi said. “I think?”
“River ahead.” Brenn called back through their communications amulet. “Was there a river here before?”
“It was a stream previously.” Alex said calmly. “But it's been a rainy season in the mountains and the waterways are flooding. How deep?”
“Easily three meters. That's just shy of ten feet as you northerners measure things.”
“Don't be an ass, Brennwulf, we are well aware of the conversion to dwarven units.”
“I'm just saying, you should use it all the time, it's so much better!”
“Don't care, and I never did.” Alex huffed. “Looks like we'll have to swim, we can't ford the horses at that depth. We should divert south to Beckinbridge on the Brotherhood borderlands and continue on foot.”
“If we're going to go south to the border, why don't we just cross it there?” Astrid asked, but she already knew the answer in the simple look Alex gave her. Not one of them wanted to cross directly into Brotherhood lands and end up a slave, or worse. Better to be safe. They came along the edge of the forest where some trees were submerged a quarter way up their trunk, the muddy water rushing by in churning murk for fifty feet or so. Definitely too strong a current for the horses, and magic wouldn't so easily solve this particular problem. Mother nature was the greatest mage in the land.
“Micah! Attend me, man servant!” Sigi called, and the man appeared shortly after with a goofy grin on his face. He was sopping wet from head to toe.
“Yo!”
“Did you try to swim in that...?” Alex asked. “Why would you do that...?”
“I've never swam with my legs before. So I wanted to try it with the braces on. Sank like a rock, though, Tythas had to drag me back to shore.” He said innocently, with a similarly soaked Tythas appearing to frown pointedly at Micah's words.
“...How do you normally swim?” Astrid asked, curious.
“I use my arms, Astrid. I'm a cripple, but I'm not worthless. How else would anyone swim? I don't need my legs to take a dip. Aye, Tythas? He's seen!”
“Please, just shut up.” Tythas groaned in discomfort, peeling his shirt from his back and going bare chested. Jura had to admit, the women were beautiful – untouchable, but the men weren't half bad either in this group. Purely from the standpoint of looks, she wasn't the biggest fan of their eccentric and frankly immature personalities... “I thought these uniforms were supposed to be self drying...”
“They are.” Sigi said, shaking her head at him. Tythas was so incredibly intelligent, definitely the smartest among the boys, but what he lacked was common sense. “Mountain water is bound to be mana enriched and it interferes with some intermediate enchantments. Use your wick.”
“My wick?” Tythas asked, but even as he said it he felt himself getting drier. That must have been the activation sequence to expel the mana rich sediment carried within the river that had buried itself in his clothes.
“Wick!” Micah shouted, laughing as his uniform did the same, a swath of mud flying in all directions. Within half a minute, they were both dry, but that wouldn't help their bodies for a bit. Unfortunate, really, the clothes would dry – absorb the moisture on their bodies – and dry again. But it didn't include a true catch-all environmental control suite. “That's so cool. These are awesome, Sigi!”
Sigi felt warm at his praise, even if it came from someone she didn't want a compliment from. “It's really not all that good. A true runesmith would have been able to make something with enough energy capacity to facilitate more than just a temporary activation...”
“I think you did great. It's too bad we're not allowed to use our uniforms when between semesters without getting in trouble...” Micah frowned, shaking his hair back and forth like a dog. It was a recent rule, but nobody knew why. At the end of the school year, they'd been asked to turn in their uniforms with no exceptions.
“Why don't we just buy new ones?” Tythas asked. “You have more money than the entire treasury of Amateus, I'm quite sure of that.”
“My father has money.” Alex nodded, looking to Jura. “And Tyr has money, which we have fair access to, but I'm not going to be financially dependent on him for the rest of my life. Another reason why we complete small contracts for the pocket change. And there's not a chance in hell that I'm going to spend it on you.” She said to Tythas.
“That is hurtful. I thought we were friends?”
“We are, but every time I spend any money, your girlfriend calls me asking for an invoice of my purchase. Gods but she's an irritating one.”
“Don't talk that way about Ella.” Tythas said firmly, showing some backbone when he rarely did anything of the sort. “She is kind, and good at her job.”
“What is her job?” Astrid asked absentmindedly.
“She's Tyr's business manager... I guess? I tried to ask him, but he hung up on me.”
“He answered his amulet for you?” Alex frowned. “Why does that piss me off so much?”
“He answered it for Ella, I was just in the same room.” Tythas blushed. “We were, uh...”
“I do not care what you were doing.” Alex huffed, hopping off her horse and handing the reins to a recently arrived Brenn. Clad in his silver armor, with his dark hair oiled and shining.
“You guys are going to ford here? Aren't you afraid of getting wet?” Brenn asked innocently. They all had their dispositions. Astrid was always 'pinned up', anal about hygiene and would get out of sorts if there was a fold or wrinkle on her robes. Sigi was a lot easier to deal with, not afraid to get dirty, but she wore painted tattoos in a chevron beneath her eyes whenever they went out looking for a fight and would get angry if they were smudged.
Alex was obsessed with her hair, and so on.
In response, Alex's gorget shifted and a familiar looking helmet materialized from a cloud of gunmetal dust, settling on her head. Almost identical to Tyr's own, just a lot shallower at the horn. Astrid and Sigi did the same, all looking the same if not for the color of the plume, accents, and cloth hanging from their waists. All the same color as their eyes. Sea-foam green for Sigi, violet for Alex, and blue for Astrid.
“You get wet.” Alex replied. “We do not. I'm a princess, remember?”
“Ah...” Brenn cleared his throat. He was well capable of keeping himself and the other boys dry through the blessing of Vestia. Even submerged in water, he could hold such a spell up for minutes at a time. But he took the hint that the women wanted to be alone. It wouldn't have been that hard to simply levitate the horses across the river, even. Alex was making things unnecessarily inconvenient for a reason. And Ayla, who ran faster than any horse and was somewhere off in the forest, could most assuredly bridge the river with earth, or split it in twain. She was incredibly powerful, leaving Brenn doubtful that she was human at all. But Alex said, and Alex got. Anything she wanted – there was no use in arguing. She was their leader and they all accepted the arrangement, a very competent one at that. “We'll see you on the other side, then. I'll stable the horses and see to their tack and rendezvous at the plinths. Fair?”
“Sounds good.” Alex smiled and watched them all head south. It was too bad Magnus wasn't in attendance these days, with his duties as a 'student council member'. She liked him quite a bit, always up for a real adventure. As rebellious as Micah, with nothing of the irritating know it all attitude of Tythas. Brenn was great, otherwise, and he was the only one that could rein in their tendencies without causing a scene. She liked them all, in truth, but she wanted to be alone with the others. The men followed them everywhere, whether they wanted them to or not. Sure, they were all friends and part of the same group, but sometimes 'the girls' needed their alone time.
“Follow me.” Alex said. Astrid nodded happily with a thin smile, Sigi laughed, and Jura simply obeyed. Noting Ayla materializing like a ghost silently from the brush and joining their group, flat faced and creepy as ever.
“There's nobody around.” Ayla said. “I scouted ahead and it was empty. Not many people seem to know about this place.”
“Of course.” Astrid smiled. “It's our secret. Can't allow the men to ruin it.”
“Where are we going?” Jura asked nervously. “Is this some hazing ritual where you're all going to beat me up? I thought we were fording the river?”
“Of course not. We ditched them so we could take you somewhere special. It's a secret, even in the academy. Some girls on my blitzball team told me about it.” Alex said. “Trust me, it's worth the trip.”
“Ah...” Jura's eyes were shifty, not relaxing even as Astrid draped her arm over the other woman again in that overly friendly sort of way. “I'm thankful at least that we didn't have to do that. I can't swim.”
“Really!?” Astrid crowed. “Oresund is full of lakes and rivers, we learn to swim when we are little. Don't worry, we can teach you. It's easy!”
“Not that it matters.” Alex said. “This armor Tyr gave us is impressive. It can be buoyant, or sink to the riverbed with but a thought. I'm assuming your armor has a similar property. If not, Astrid could just cast an enchantment to let us all walk on water.”
“Doesn't it irritate you?” Sigi asked. “Always bringing him up? I'll admit that I'm fond of these suits he's given us, but he barely spoke to us even when we were so nearby. That man is not worth your time.”
“Really? He said a lot to me.” Astrid said. “Alex?”
“We had a fairly long conversation as well, I suppose.” Alex mused. “Didn't you bathe him? I've never seen the man naked, well – not since we were children. But there Sigi goes stripping him down like a babe and asking for more. What else did you do when you were alone?”
“Please shut up.” Sigi mumbled, wishing she'd punched him in the face more than the two times she'd managed before he'd shown signs of waking. Of all of them, she seemed to be the only one that was still upset.