CHAPTER 2 – HOME IS A SONG ETERNALLY SUNG

A corporeal slit of energy carved itself through reality in front of the Temple as I felt myself shoved through, my entire body being rewritten into existence. The pain was beyond anything I had ever felt in life. Muscles, skeleton, spirit, organs, all being reconstructed in the space of a few breaths. I screamed in silence as my vocal chords had yet to be formed. Within moments I was on one knee hands splayed to ground to keep from keeling over. My new eyes opened up to find a cavalcade of people forming a crowd in front of me, most likely having just been in the Temple or had been going to it but now in shocked silence at the figure that had blasted through a temporal rift right before their eyes.

I heard a few whispering my name or that it was the First Lord while a few others peeled off to most likely find someone of importance to share the revelation. A bevy of notifications railed against my brain but I forcefully shoved them aside. A wave of eternal moonlight rolled across my flesh in an embrace as I felt my Goddess shove her affection and relief through my flesh and a calmness of spirit and the last few echoes of pain that still reverberated from my rebirth melted into the striation of arctic flames. She also sent an urgent summons to step into the Temple for a chit chat. I begged her off sending images of my family first and foremost. She acquiesced with a smile I could feel in my bones.

Salazar shifted into being then did whatever he did to gain solidity as he helped me to my feet. As soon as I could stand without falling, a few seconds and breath measuring that balance, he went to wraith form again and I could of sworn, for a second, I saw eyes that bellowed excitement and affection and the relief I had just felt from my Goddess. As soon as he noticed me noticing he flipped a switch right back to stern judger of all things Dominique. I chuckled. Good to be back.

I felt it before I even heard the rumbling thunder of hooves on ground. I didn’t even need to check my party map to know what was on it’s way, and then there he was tearing out of the gate to the inner wall, Lola flying above him as always, and I had about two breaths to brace myself before 500lbs of piggy came to show love.

It took less then half that time for me to be on the ground under Dozer love. Snout kisses were unrelenting as his huge frame straddled me emotions of desperate missing and worry thundered across the bond as he reverted to the pot bellied pig whose Daddy was everything to him and who he thought he lost. “I know baby boy. I love you more then the world and Daddy would never leave you.” I sent the corresponding images and emotion to match the words and he lifted his head and squealed in triumph and love and that all was right with the world again, his Daddy was back. The crowd that had gathered had split when he had come like an avalanche and they all stepped back from his war bugle, though some were smiling, seeing the adoration and love in the giant boar’s demeanor and eyes. Was it just me or did tit seem like there was even more people? Like, a lot more.

I finally got my kid to let me up while Lola floated down and landed on his head giving me a look like maybe she was happy I was back, since it made her man happy, only. I suppressed a grin.

Then she came out of the inner ward and nothing else existed. People actually parted for her the same as they had for Dozer but for very different reasons. A few even did small curtsies or bows. She had Luke and Jessie with her acting like her personal guards and maybe they were now. A lot could happen in 9 days in War World.

None of it mattered cause our eyes were locked and she had tears running rivulets down her cheeks. She was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever known. Within two breaths, turning of a moment she was running and I was frozen, my love for her everything I was. She was in my arms and sobbing and I was whispering love in small gasps of breath holding her as tight as the moon to the world.

Between sobs her words hit me like an anvil and I had to stifle a raging fury at the System, had to tell myself she didn’t mean it yet still every word Ruri uttered was another blade cutting flesh.

“I thought you were…..day after day, you still not here, I thought you, you were….don’t ever leave me Dominique. I’ve lost everything, sisters, my mom, my entire race. I can’t lose…...please don’t ever leave me.”

I kept just brushing her hair with my hand, kissing her forehead, pressing her into my body. When the sobbing slowed and the words had tumbled there way into just her leaning into me, arms holding me so tight I could hardly breathe I said the words I had been wanting to for what seemed eons. “I won’t. Not ever will I leave your side. I will tear the moon from the sky and obliterate armies if they try. You are everything I ever wanted.” More sobs rolled out, this time of an emptiness washed away, filled with a love as true as stars burning skies. She looked up at me and cupped my cheek. “I love you Dominique Daniels. You are everything a man should be.”

Her words and crystal eyes were a guide to being the man I wanted to be. I finished the words I had started before I lost the nerve to do so. “Marry me Ruri Sav. Be the Lady of Madre and my wife, forever more, I, yours for as long as you’ll have me.”

Her eyes lit up with an inner flame, a hunger, a need for everything my words just opened up, a true future with love and family at their center. Just as her lips opened to hopefully say what I wanted to hear more then anything I was lambasted by a skinny 14 year old all arms and legs as she careened into both of us, eyes rimmed with tears and joy, all pretense of her tough exterior shifted to a need, a terror that her new family, her new father figure had been taken away like everything else. “Honcho, see what…..(Sob) see what happens when ya don’t got me to watch….(sob) watch your tushi out there.”

Both Ruri and I opened to her and enfolded her in our love, her sobs undulating out of her small chest and enveloped by our love. My eyes scanned the gate and I saw my Brother there with his lopsided grin but also something I thought I’d never see, the beginnings of tears. Mase did not cry, almost never. I threw out a look that told my other half that I would never leave his six. He nodded with the intesity he was known for and mouthed the words ‘Bones of our Fathers’. I gave him my nod back and sent back the same. Danny slid up behind him and into his arms and waved, then Melody came through the gate like a tornado, now riding a much much bigger Cupcake. He had to be at least 150lbs and at least 4 feet in height. She was riding him like a horse as they tore past Mase and Danny and she leapt off his back pounding into the rest of us.

“Oh by Danu, Dom, Dom, Dom. I am so so so happy, so happy as if I was as happy as happy ever was, is or will ever be. Like a 12 out of ten, at least, maybe a zillion out of ten if that was possible and who says it isn’t, not me, that’s who.”

Her little arms tried to encompass all of us and failed miserably but had us all smiling and Cupcake came in to get pets from the Daddy of his hero Dozer. Dozer was already starting the dance moves and Cupcake was quickly in his shadow matching him move for move while Lola now encompassed the badger in her accents of her wingtip feather tucks of shadow around the two, which had the entire crowd clapping and tapping their feet. What can I say? My boy had the same love of music I did.

Next Gramps came through the Inner Ward with his SF 1in tow and also a young girl, maybe the same age as Lilly, 14 or so, dark skin, a bit taller then Lilly and I knew as soon as I saw her this was the Druid’s daughter. I smiled at Gramps who smiled back. They had been successful, another thing I needed to be caught up on. Even more important the girl held Joey’s hand who looked like he didn’t know what to do, looking as if he wanted to join us but as always unsure of himself.

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Joey had a mental handicap, maybe down syndrome or autism. I wasn’t an expert on such things but it didn’t matter. His sister and him were now family, our family, Ruri and I’s kids. That’s all that mattered. I sent a pulse to Dozer who interrupted his dancing to trot over to Joey who looked up with excitement and happiness. He loved Dozer. He reached a hand up to Doze’s head and let words fall from his lips. “Horsey.” My boy knelt and the girl who I didn’t know looked as if she had already done this many times, helping Joey up onto Doze’s back who immediately started back strutting into his routine much the joy of many of the growing crowd. I also caught Sarrin at the entrance to the Temple, his face hidden within his hood as he turned back into it’s environs. I had caught a small grin with those horror story fangs showing before he left.

Horsey huh? I chuckled and Ruri saw where I was looking and held me harder. “We need to speak about him soon love among many other things. As far as the question you asked me, it’s a million times yes.” I looked at her and finally tears etched themselves in my sight. It seemed to be a day of tears.

“You have made me a very happy man.” I gave her a long hard kiss and the crowd roared and her cheeks blued in a blush. I smirked before I said the next, knowing how she was going to react.

Her people seemed to be full of pomp and reverence in their interactions with their Goddess where I was a bit more from the hip.

“Mystriel demands to officiate, jut to let you know.”

She sputtered. “Did you ask a Goddess to officiate our marriage?”

I winked at her. “No, she demanded to.”

A chirp shrilled out of both Melody and Lilly who both were still at our sides. Melody trilled out her shock, then happiness, then how she needed to compose a song and an announcement, then ran back towards the Town Hall, whistling, then jumping onto Cupcake’s back to tear through the crowd.

Now that I wasn’t completely and utterly focused on my family I realized not only the huge crowd that had gathered but also how SF 1 had moved around us forming a circle to keep the crowd back, smiles on their faces but hands on weapons. That was new but realized the reality going forward and also the fear when I hadn’t reappeared. It looked like no one was going to allow anything to happen to their returned First Lord. I couldn’t blame them. I wouldn’t want the Wall in charge of Madre much less all of Moonhaven.

My eyes drifted off to the distance, past the second wall, taking in the beginnings of more buildings and construction on it’s other side, then shifted back to the one in front of me, dividing the inner and outer ward, and that the wall to the inner ward was now completely made of Moonstone. Even more astonishing was what looked like mounted heavy crossbows on the top with new circled parapets where a gunner could sit in a swivel chair attached to the crossbow. They were literally placed about every fifty feet. They also looked to be runed which made me throw a look at Ruri who had been waving to the crowd and thanking the people congratulating us as the rumor of us getting married spread like flames. She caught my eyes then saw where I motioned. She grinned.

“Danny’s Father has been busy and Salazar built him a siege artificer workshop. His work is advancing in leaps and bounds and every wall will have those and more by the time he’s done. Gramps and Salazar are drooling at what he can create. And I needed something to keep my mind off the love of my life possibly…..never coming back to me.”

A smile of pride lit up her spirit as she kissed my cheek and leaned into my chest. “My Runic Engraving is all the way up to Journeyman Rank 9. She tapped my armor. In fact I need to redo you and your Brother’s armor again. I will not see you ever taken from me again. I already have some ideas on how to improve the runes.” I pulled her in tighter trying to assuage her with my presence. I never wanted to leave her ever. “Whatever you want love.” When the word love exited my mouth, tears again etched her eyes and she rolled into me grabbing the back of my head and pulling me in for pure heat which caused everyone to again roar with cheer and at least one to yell ‘Get a room you two.’. Which then elicited another explosion of laughter and giggles.

Salazar must of not only pushed the boundaries to the Moonstone Mines but at least set up an outpost and had miners already pulling ore out for the inner wall to already to be comprised of the material. I had hopes that within the next month all the buildings and walls would be created from moonstone but didn’t know who realistic that vision was until I got more concrete facts.

Madre needed to be the shining star of the Lands of Moonhaven. I had an inkling it would be expected and do wonders when we started interacting with the other rulers of the Lands of Night and Day.

Still, it was astonishing how much they had done. I needed a definite deluge of updates on everything not to mention the notifications that kept flashing like a capitol one pop up ad in my head. Damn, my mind couldn’t even begin to encompass what I missed in the nine days I’d been gone plus the couple it had took us to travel to the Gray Depths and clear it. Two weeks was a long fucking time in War World.

Speaking of updates, the Seneschal and Gramps stood a few feet off waiting not so patiently with a look on their faces like they wanted to grab me, open my skull and shove a litany of information straight into my spine.

Ruri clocked them as well and a look of determination rolled across her. Something had changed in the dynamics, in the way she held herself. I had known she had been raised to lead, raised as royalty in the Runark civilization, one specifically born to a land in eternal war, but the shift in her bearing bespoke that while he had been gone, having his titillating conversation with the System, Ruri had taken command and it showed that in truth as the Seneschal and the High Martial both sighed and accepted they were not going to get what they wanted, at least not yet.

She smiled at them while waving to people who were still shouting out congratulations to our pending nuptials. “He will be yours in a couple hours gentlemen, Until then he will be preoccupied with showing his future wife what she’s getting the bargain.”

For the first time I felt bashful which was a new sensation for me. Gramps threw a wink which made it worse. I threw a pulse to Dozer who was at our side with both Lilly and Joey on his back. ‘Do not even think about sending those images kiddo’. He snorted ‘As if’ though with a grumbling that said he had been about to do exactly that. My child was seriously deranged but I wouldn’t have it any other way. He pranced past us with Lola on his head cawing in announcement and our two future children whooping in excitement.

I saw something I thought I would never see. Salazar actually looked on in approval to the word of our joining.

Ruri grabbed my hand and started frog marching me towards the gate to the Inner Ward, everyone parting their way, even the two aforementioned falling in behind as well as SF 1 and Luke and Jessie who more and more seemed to be the personal guards of his lady, moving to either side of us.

I glanced at Luke and he nodded with a grin and a genuine happiness I was back. They both were fans of my Brother and I’s ACS days and had mentioned it on several occasions.

I didn’t doubt they would lay their lives on the line for Ruri but I didn’t know how I felt about it. They were common classes and I didn’t know how much help they would be if she was attacked.

The crowd started dispersing as they saw we were leaving though my ears picked up some commentary on the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with along with one eluding to the renown we had gathered on Earth before the transition. ‘She’s so beautiful and regal.’ ‘She’ll keep that man of hers in line.’ ‘The Mongoose is back, all is well.’

I was back and was going to marry the woman I thought was the most beautiful, sexy and strong creature I had ever laid eyes on. Things were good and we had a path towards where we needed to get. I knew with her and my family and friends by my side we had a shot at pulling it off. People thought hope was some ephemeral wispy thing but in reality it was mud caked and bloody elbows from crawling through the muck, chipped teeth, bruises and grit and an unwillingness to give in.

I let my love lead me into the winding path of fate and for once let myself fall into its arms.