Walking down the road into town, I had to wonder, why my family had asked me to come over now?

Yesterday started as a nightmare and ended as a dream, today was… well, nice as Saphine would put it. She pulled me out of my panic and self-doubt and walked me to town. She hugged me. I could still remember the feeling of her picking me up and hugging me afterward.

Those arms of hers were dangerous, physical comfort was something I was not used to, and getting one from her was startlingly close to wish fulfillment. Growing up in the house I was now walking to was both the greatest place to live and one of equal isolation to where I lived now. Well, except for the land’s spirit, but it wasn’t that talkative, and it wasn’t big on hugging. It was a place where I never felt hungry, where very little was expected of me, and I was loved and taught thoroughly. And yet my parents were always distant, I was expected to do almost nothing except the few things I disliked most and was taught with no expectation of proving myself; it was a hollow life.

I was not expecting, after coming back and living in a cabin for close to ten years, to get a letter asking me to visit from my brother Strause and Mother. Especially not a letter worded the way it was, I could remember reading it confused and then seeing their names at the bottom, and it gave me whiplash.

Dearest sister,

Hello Annabeth, I am writing to you in the hopes that this letter finds you well. Clause has been losing his mind doing work for Father, and the last time I brought him out of his study, I think he may have had some kind of panic attack when he started thinking about the undead and the fog. I was going to ask you if you wanted to come over, but Clause made the suggestion of asking Mother to help out. I would be delighted if you would come over for a tea party tomorrow. I understand it is short notice, but I found a bunch of good food, and it would be a shame if it went to waste. I asked Mother if she would enjoy having you over for a tea party, and she seemed to think it would be a fine Idea… Anyways I asked around for tips on my hairline and... Can magic fix a widow's peak? I know I can't trust folk tales, but...

Love your brother,

Strause.

It went on like that for a page and a half in my brother’s blockier script before signing off and going on to the page Mother wrote.

Dearest daughter,

Strause has asked me to participate in this tea party of his, and while I accepted just to talk with him, I would be overjoyed to see you and catch up. He let slip that you had a guest over at your cottage and we are both quite curious about her and are greatly interested in whatever it is you're doing with this mysterious woman.

I would be overjoyed if you would accept, it has been a long time since you moved out there. A few weeks ago, I broke through level 35 and decided to try and pick up a magic-related class that I would love to talk with you about. Unfortunately, the clergy no longer have a Cleric capable of casting magic who I could call upon to teach me. The only other spellcasters I know of by name are in each township and are the better part of a week’s travel to get to, and they are incredibly busy at all times.

While I do feel great chagrin at asking you to help, I would enjoy spending time with you. Considering how Clause has been murmuring about magic, I could also use it to help calm him down. You know how he gets about things he cannot account for going to plan, whatever that plan currently is.

Once again, I look forward to meeting you again to catch up after these long nine years apart and hope you decide to visit for Strause’s tea party.

Love, your mother,

Arabelle.

Never, not once, in my life, had I ever heard my Mother refer to herself as Overjoyed, Chagrined or Arabelle.

Arabelle Bethania Von Mynes was not the type of woman who used those words. She was the type of woman who moved women like that around to her wishes, like dolls acting out a game when she attended court or was asked to vote in the college. My brother, last I spoke to him, was a somewhat rowdy young teen to be who got into trouble and hated sitting still.

What in the name of the All-Mother has become of my family in my absence? Clause was still roughly the same, and I doubt my Father is capable of changing his mind or actions even if he wanted to.

Even now, as I walk down the road of New Moarn, I was somewhat stunned. At one point, I almost tripped over a paving stone, which at least brought me out of my stupor.

The road was in poor condition, even considering how far from the center I was. The stones are poorly cut and obviously cheap. The little stones telling me about the recent state of our land’s finances.

This part of the city was not like the market streets. It was a boring pocket of land with communal housing for people, livestock, and wares. I could see an inn a way down, its livery washed with age and its walls somewhat warped, the cracks filled with patches of plaster on top of the plaster. It sat next to an ally that would lead to a market street, where people could be heard chatting and bartering. And yet this street was nearly dead silent.

It was a longer walk down this road, it bent and twisted, snaking from one street to another, joining a market street to a residence, to a square. The sloppy stones became more tightly placed and worn from carts, people, and animals. The housing is becoming fresher, some being constructed of wood and then closer to the center stone or brick facing, than solid construction. I started to pass by people; instead of empty carts, I drew an eye here and there as I walked casually towards the noble quarter, the walled section of the city.

As I drew towards the walls that I once looked at as wonderous, I now saw them for what they were, and overgrown curtain that could likely be damaged by a half-competent combatant, a level 40 [Pikeman] could probably damage it severely, a [Man of War] could knock it down. Not every class was equal when it came to value. Or rather, some classes were fantastic at some levels, then grew comparably weaker as the level of a class grew. A level 20 [Pikeman] would be quite good for their level, while a level 10 [Pikeman] would be someone to keep your eye on.

The requirements of both skills and just plain skills required for a class meant that acquiring a class at a lower level was much better than at a higher level. With some classes requiring a prerequisite class.

I focused back on the task at hand as I walked towards the gate. The board guards eying me, coming towards them before passing over the crowd. I approached the gate, and the other guard held out his hand.

“Halt, state your name and reason for entry.” He said, boredom lacing his voice.

“Annabeth Mynes, here to meet my Mother and brother.” I returned.

A look of confusion passed over his face before he shrugged and noted it down on parchment.

“Welcome back, I suppose [Lady] Mynes.” I nodded toward him, not caring to correct him, before walking past the guards. I used to be a [Lady], no reason to confuse the gate guard by unpacking baggage on him.

I looked at the towering mansions of solid stone, gardens, and hedges, and saw them for what they were, imitations of greatness, a faux homemade to resemble that of what a real lord might build to house their staff and family. Overindulgent monoliths hid a lacking or failing house. The lords that looked over the lands in the valley were poor management, the closest thing to a real lord being the highest authority of the varying powers that ran the townships, who, of course, did not live here.

A hand full of guards stood at less than attention to make sure no scoundrels broke into their [Lords] manse. I was looking at the one castle in the quarter. The Walls stood higher and firmer than the quarters, 60ft high and 12ft thick. Hollow on the inside to let defenders swarm through them and made from interlocked slabs of fine stone. Crenellations and murder holes, and the six watch towers laying around the wall, flush with it to stop climbing. The towers closest to the wall of the quarter watching over it and the streets that lead away from the ring around the quarter. The walls went right up against the small river the city was erected around.

I walked right through the open door, a pair of guards took a look at me, recognized me, and went back to playing cards. Seven of them were on either side of the gate.

I could tell from the way the mana moved that they had used some skill to make sure I was supposed to be there. Each of them was from a family that had served the house for at least a generation. One of them waved casually, and I nodded toward him. That ended up getting a round of chuckles from his table, as they went back in full to doing all the work they needed to do.

If I had been an assassin, they could have crossed the ground at the same time it took the guard to wave, parted my head from my shoulders and my torso from my hips. Each of the twenty-eight or so guards the family employed the cream of the crop, given the easy life of not being part of our forces that contributed to the kings army where he had to pay for their food and board and not us.

If my Father had any sense, he would recall them, but he didn’t. If we had a quarter of them, we could easily drain the valley, no mercenaries required.

I entered the front hall, opened the door and closed it behind me, I looked around. The hall was lit by wall lamps, recessed into the walls. The candle flame smoke funneled away through chimneys and fed by a tank of oil. The wood floor had a carpet with a simple pattern around its edges with the symbol of the Mynes house, some archaic symbol that no one in memory cared about enough to look through the history and find. It swirled in a pattern, three vertical staves with looping tops that made it look like a tree, each rested upon a singular circle with a wiggle inside.

It looked like nothing had changed, I wiped my shoes a little to get the dirt off, and walked around until I found a member of our staff. She looked prim as she walked, dusting the objects of the mansion into a pan.

I hated to obstruct them, but I decided it was worth it, so I spoke up, “Excuse me miss, I was wondering where the [Lady] of the house was.”

She jerked a little in surprise before she straightened up and turned to me. It was Lyris. I recognized her face; she was the same age as Strause. She looked at me and didn’t recognize my face, she did recognize I was dressed up and nodded.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Of course, the [Lady] Mynes and her son are in the south wing, on the second floor. You can find them by returning to the front hall and passing into the room on the left-hand side. When you ascend the stairs, it’s across the hall and three doors to the left. If you wish, I can guide you to it, Madam.” She spoke.

“That’s fine, I can find my way, thank you, Lyris.” And left her to her work.

I made my way to the room, to the south wing meeting room. And knocked on the door before entering. My Mother and brother stopped talking and looked over at me.

My brother had grown out his hair over the years, his darker brown hair, while still noticeably peaked, was long, like a bird rested down on his head with its wings resting down over his ears. He had green eyes in his head, and a goofy-looking grin on his face. The tiny crow’s feet and laugh lines on his face and the thinner chin he got from Mother fit him. He was utterly unlike the brother I remembered who looked like he wanted to pick a fight with everyone taller than him. He sat, with his back to the draped window, in the dainty lady chairs the room held, holding on to a tiny teacup with his nimble well-kept hands, looking like every fine [Lady] ever born, just without a dress and the short, beard he had. It was, quite possibly, the goofiest thing I had ever seen. He looked more like my Mother than my Father, nimbler than Clause, softer somehow.

My Mother also looked different, her shoulder length dark brown hair looking like mine, if a few shades darker. Her green eyes resting in a face that I could remember looking so much more disappointed in my actions now looked at me like she had recovered from a disease she had for all of my childhood. A hundred tiny changes in her face, which added up to looking healthy. She had on a deep blue green casual looking dress, she too held a cup, though she had kept it over the plate unlike Strause. Her eyes held no tension, and she had a polite, open smile. She was like someone who decided to copy the Mother I remembered nine years ago but took out all the parts that made her who I remembered, the tension, the distance all of it. It was as different as Strause all grown up in a totally separate way.

I stared at the two complete strangers, and they stared at me, it was a moment before Strause spoke up “You’re in the right place Beth, come on over, we still have tiny sandwiches and everything,” he said gesturing with one hand towards the table. I could sense the use of one skill when he spoke and a second one working when he gestured.

I warded the mana that made up the skill he used from myself with a gesture, [Manipulate Mana] allowing me to simply effect the mana in the room and create a wedge, parting the skill around myself. But I did take his suggestion to heart and walked over to the table and set myself down in the third chair, I might be rusty at tea party etiquette but there were only three of the chairs at the table, it wasn’t weather manipulation.

“Mother, Brother, you’re both looking well.” I started.

“You’re looking well, Beth; I like your flowers,” Strause said, still projecting mana as he spoke. It must be passive, whatever the skill is.

My Mother joined in, “Indeed, you look nice, Annabeth, I see the years have been kind to you.” She spoke.

A servant walked forward and poured me a cup of tea. We all took an awkward sip, everyone but the servant, who just stepped back out of the way.

My brother was positively animated and spoke up before Mother or me could bring ourselves to speak. “Beth, I was just telling Mom that the meat for today’s charcuterie was from the butcher you sell to. I had a bit as a sample the other day and decided to buy some for the chefs.”

That put me further on guard than I already was, my brother was looking into my actions, gods know why.

“Indeed? Phil is a good butcher, is it aged meat, or the fresh salted kind?” I asked. It was a somewhat important difference. His aged stuff was excellent and expensive.

“It’s aged, I have to ask if he is a [Butcher], the way he does his work, I would expect something more.”

I nodded in agreement, “Definitely more, no clue what his classes are, my guess he is a meat related artisan of some kind, not a normal [Butcher]. I hear he’s thinking of adding an ingredient from Huntston, it supposedly has a unique taste he thinks will compliment some meats.”

My brother, never losing his goofy grin said, “Truly? That makes more sense, I wonder what it is.” He stated.

I just shrugged my shoulders, I have no idea what Phil’s classes are, he probably has four though. He is definitely higher than level 20. If my memory serves, I should talk to Mother now but what about? Level?

“Mother, I understand you reached level 35. Congratulations on the achievement.” I spoke.

“Thank you, while I doubt I will benefit from the racial trait, the class bonuses were quite nice.” She said back politely.

I have no doubt the level 35 trait humans get would not interest her, every species gets one of its traits at each milestone. Humans that are level 35 can, politely put, make babies with every species alive. Humans had a bad reputation for being a people who sleep around because of it, Half Orc’s, Half Elf’s, Halflings, Half-Dwarfs, any species with half in front of it was half human, even half monsters exist from time to time. My Mother was monogamous, however, and had long since decided three children were enough for her.

It was certainly worse than the level ten [Ambition] trait that gave a base +1 to every stat per level, increasing at every milestone. Or the level twenty [Skilled] trait that gives a bonus capstone skill for each milestone from one of our classes. Compared to that, the third trait was comparatively garbage.

“Indeed, but +3 per level is still quite nice, I bet, here’s to your health Mother,” I spoke. If she wanted to take up casting magic, that would help her greatly, it would be much easier to cast it, less exhausting, with less need to adapt to the drain, and each technique would be easier to perform with more energy to draw on.

I wonder if Saphine is working on them right now. Doing all of the parts for it simultaneously is terribly embarrassing looking but also hilarious to watch. Unfortunately for me it must have popped up on my face, because my Mother caught it.

“The stats are always nice, but you obviously have something else on your mind, daughter.” She said with a raised eyebrow. My face might as well be an open book to her because when I controlled my face, my Mother smiled a little. My brother must have also been able to read me, because when I stopped facing her directly and went to take a sip of tea my brother got a strange look on his face too.

They looked towards one another and some kind of telepathic communication, they spoke in what I can only assume was eye twitches, and minute gestures. A hand gesture here, a movement of the head there and somehow, they added up. I was reaching for one of the tiny sandwiches, when my brother asked the question, their conversation must have added up to.

“SOOO sis, what is your mysterious house guest like? I had assumed that you would turn away anyone who stumbled on your home with how you seem to enjoy your isolation.”

I knew it was coming, my brother had literally written about it, and the best way to hide the things that could get her hurt or attacked, would be to draw attention to the things that are totally normal. It was to not act like I was hiding things.

“There is very little to talk about, Saphine has been a fine guest, helped me with my work and followed guest right. I understand that you think I enjoy being alone, but I simply don’t enjoy being annoyed by nosey people, do remember to tell Clause.” I replied pointedly.

He waved that away, “No no, I mean what is she like, I don’t care about the spiel. I’m not Clause, I don’t think she’s a gold digger or whatever. I know you can take care of yourself; my passive skill can’t even affect you.” That took me slightly off guard, was he trying to do that? It’s hard to tell him. My brother Strause had an empathy related class, so did my Mother. My brother, however, last time I checked at least, was incredibly skilled at it. Every tick of my face was read and understood both quickly and easily. It is hard to tell if my brother was telling the truth, or just trying to get me to open up.

I decided to let him know my feelings on the matter, and not passively. “Strause, if you’re manipulating me, I will be displeased with you, immensely so.” I said, staring him dead in the eye.

Strause shook his head, “I am trying to be genuine Beth, both me and Mother are. Talking with Clause made me realize we had kinda ignored you. It’s not right. You’re my sister, I should act like your family, not just say it.”

And that took me the rest of the way off guard, it was to straight forward, there was too little tension in his expression to be faking it mundanely, and no mana fluctuated to do it with a skill. I looked towards my Mother, the woman who had taught me how to play people off of one another. Looking to see if she was genuine.

She nodded and added, “It is true, I know you are reticent, but you are my daughter. I do not want to drive you away again. Both of us genuinely wanted to talk to you, catch up with what you have been doing out there. Strause wants to tease you a little about your guest, and I am interested in her, but as far as I can tell he is doing it out of a place of care. I have not talked with you in nine years Annabeth, your father might be carefree, I cannot tell, but I am not.”

It was the exact same as my brother, her resting face was more closed off, more distance. But no mana rippled off her to signify her using skills. Her eyes were ever so slightly sad. I sighed and decided to just answer.

“I don’t know a lot about her personality, she doesn’t speak Halsi so I have been teaching her. She’s been acting quite nice, thoughtful even, she walked me to town, and has been helping out.” I answered.

They both blinked, apparently taken back by that.

“She doesn’t speak Common Halsi?” “She walked you here and didn’t join you?” My Mother and brother said nearly simultaneously.

My Mother and brother looked towards one another, before my brother said, “You first, Mother.”

“Thank you, how can she not speak Halsi? Where is she from? Not be from the empire, certainly,” my Mother asked.

“She can’t speak it, but we have been able to talk a little with gestures, she’s certainly no idiot. I have no idea where she is from, but I think the wild land, best as I can understand, she’s likely a Half-Beastkin so that would make sense. It’s honestly one of the reasons I took an interest in the first place. I want to ask her about herself.”

That caught my Mother a bit off guard, then Strause asked his question, “Why didn’t she join you, if she walked you here?”

I just looked at Strause, “Strause, she had no fancy clothes, wasn’t invited, can barely speak our language and is trying to learn magic. Which I know you don’t necessarily care about, but she does by how giddy she was to learn this morning. And she walked me to town, not all the way here.”

“Ah man, I wanted to get a look, I hear she has ears and stuff I was wondering what type she was.”

“She’s some kind of canine, she has the nose and ears, but If I had to guess some kind of fox, although she’s really tall for one. She also has a mane of hair, so I could be wrong, her eyes are also dark which is strange for a foxkin.”

Strause just hummed, thinking, “I thought she was blind. Why does she walk around with her eyes closed?” He asked, not catching my white lie about her eyes.

I just shrugged, “I don’t think she needs to see with her eyes, but honestly, no idea, her eyes are fine.”

My Mother butted in about that, “How can she see without her eyes? Magic? I thought you said she was learning.”

I just shrugged and looked over at my Mother, “Beastkin can commune with nature like I can, and most of their magi end up as [Druids] because of it. They can just do it naturally, so she can probably feel things out, I have seen her do it. And I gave her the information on how to become a mage just yesterday, so she seemed to be excited.”

“Didn’t it take you years to learn to be a mage? And you just told her all of it with gestures?” My Mother asked, utterly confused.

“Learning to be a mage is quite simple, I got a lot of education about nature and mana and stuff, but it only took me a week to cast my first spell. I can teach you how to do it in under ten minutes and write down each task, although you need to figure it out on your own, I can tell you if you are right or wrong and can tell and show you the task once, but how it comes together is all on you.” I explain.

I had, after all, learned far more than I had needed to if I was just learning a spell. My teacher had expected me to follow his path and join the clergy. He had failed miserably, and I had stopped paying attention to that. But I had picked up enough to become a [Druid].

“I have to wonder why. But we can talk about that later, can we not?” She said, and I nodded my agreement.

“Indeed. How have you been, Mother? You look better than the last time I saw you. And Strause, looks like he no longer resents people existing around him.” I said, looking back and forth between them.

And with that, we caught up with one another. With my brother, who walked through life without the need to care for anything but the people around him, and with my Mother, who lived for the better part of a decade without proper sleep and raised me while pregnant or nursing. Apparently, Clause was running the territory because Father was in the capital for the meeting of the college.

Strause stayed seated the whole time, despite how he looked like he wanted to get up and walk. He had an inexhaustible energy, always willing to throw out a joke. He had been getting Clause to leave his office and go out on the town. My Mother had taken up, of all things, knitting.

We talked for hours, and before I left, I gave Mother the instructions to cast her first spell should she choose to do so. And informed Strause, unfortunately, nothing short of a Miracle could save his hairline, which he took with good humour. I had time to check in at the temple square and found that it would only be a day or two for Saphine’s book before I went home.

I walked all the way out of the city, through the trees, and when I got there, I saw it. The greatest gift I had ever been given.

I watched as Saphine, for the most part, correctly did a few steps of casting the spell. And it was the most hilarious thing I had seen in my life.

***

Honesty, ever since she walked into my life with her big arms and wonderous eyes, it’s been a wild ride. And as wild as it has been so far, I bet tomorrow will lead to even better days than those that came before. I snuggle up in my bed, It still feels very empty, but in my loft is the woman who waltzed into my life. And her notable secrets are safe, which fills me with a feeling of peace. When this is all said and done, I wonder where this will end up.

I fall asleep dreaming about Strause taking tea with the queen at a circus.