It was definitely different than everywhere else. For one, this place actually had people in it; in fact, from the single window’s view, there was a whole bustling town. It served as a sort of ambiance for the peaceful scene they saw.
A goblin had just put down her quill, her emerald green eyes scrutinizing what she’d just written. She pulled back her fern-colored hair in order to see better, using a small pin to keep it in place. Then, she read it all out loud.
“‘This is Takane. I realized it has been a while since we have talked, so I bought some new paper and ink and started writing!
I am still working on all of those wooden animals—they are actually selling really well here. I made one for your son, too; all that is left to do is to paint it. When it is finished, I will be sure to give it to you. I am certain he will love it. Who knows, I might even be able to give it to him myself! It has been a while since we have met in person.
So anyway, what have you been up to all this time? Aside from finding a home with the king and having a kid, of course. There has to be something else going on with you. Maybe some castle gossip? What has the little one gotten into? Are you finding a newfound appreciation for what Haris and I had to do when taking care of you four?’”
Her name, then, was Takane. She was the last of Calli’s friends to put a face to.
She seemed rather proud of what she’d written for a moment, before a commotion outside drew her attention away from it. It didn’t take long for the pride in her eyes to turn to fear.
Takane quickly grabbed a coat and rushed outside. What she was greeted with was by no means pleasant. No one would even be able to call it humane.
Skiá had the most control during the night, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t dictate the day as well. Most people were able to trust nearby lords—who likely owned the land—to deal with them, though that didn’t keep them from seeping through the cracks of defenses… if there’d been any defenses in the first place.
The village had fallen into disarray almost immediately. Some of them made vain attempts at hiding. Others tried to tackle the problem head-on, seeming to have no awareness of its severity. For a moment, Takane did nothing but stare at the chaos. Then something hardened in her, and she stepped right out into the open.
She started using magic and she didn’t hold back. It proved that one really shouldn’t mess with the blood of Old Qizar.
This couldn’t have been easy; anyone with even a bit of magic knowledge would know that. She was doing whatever it took to get rid of the shadows, no matter what it cost her. When her nose began to bleed, she didn’t pay any attention to it at all. Not until she was finished.
Everyone who was once fleeing now stood in place, staring at the woman responsible for saving them. As the very last shadow disappeared, several of them came to support her.
“Miss, please stay still!” An older lady rushed to her side, keeping her from a rather ungraceful collapse. “You’ve used a lot of magic. You need to relax and give your body a moment to slow down before—“
“An overuse of magic leads to an increased heart rate and a general weakening of the body,” Takane mumbled, like she was reciting something. “No matter who you are or how much practice you have, eventually it will kill you.” She formed something of a weak smile. “I know what it does. But I did what I had to do to keep all of you safe. I’m sure this is keeping her safe, too… a few less monsters for her to worry about.”
“You never wanted to die before,” another villager pointed out. He sounded desperate; maybe he was trying to find a way to keep her from sounding so at peace with her fate.
“Vriuh’s gonna have a place for me. Somehow, it doesn’t seem as scary when there’s no other option.” She was very clearly drifting off. There was a kind of distance in her voice, an expression so calm one would think she was simply going to go on a stroll. “There’s one last thing I want you to do for me. I have a letter for my friend… I want you to send that and the little figurine next to it to her. Calli… well, I guess I should call her Minne. She lives in Lelishara… as the wife of the king.”
…
Now, this was somewhere that most of them would be able to recognize immediately. It was a room in the castle; everything from the extravagance to the general layout proved it. In fact, it was almost undeniably the king’s room.
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Two figures were on the bed, both finally distinguishable as who they really were. Calli—or rather, if the last words spoken by Takane meant anything, Minne—was humming, rocking a baby in her arms. This baby, then, could only be the one child she ever had: a much younger Imre.
He didn’t want to imagine the others’ teasing after this.
Minne, however off-tune she was, did have a comforting voice. While she proved to remember little of the words to the old Seothian song, it didn’t mean the point didn’t come across. Her soft expression and gentle tone said enough.
She didn’t stop until he started to look sleepy, fluttering his eyes closed as he nestled a little closer to her. This moment of tranquility, however, was quickly disturbed when the door opened.
“Casper! I almost had him asleep. Now I’ll have to start all over again…” Minne was already trying to regain her progress. The annoyed baby first glared at her before staring at the man who’d just walked in.
It was who, up until now, could only be called “Luke.” He was now confirmed as Casper, and definitely matched the appearance. “I’ve got more important issues than whether or not Imre’s asleep.”
“You’re not going to be thinking that when I kick you out of bed to take care of him in the middle of the night,” she remarked.
“That’s what maids are for,” he pointed out bluntly. “At least until you stop getting lost.”
“By then I would need to help him not get lost! You literally told me two days ago that your mother still gets lost when she’s not paying attention to where she’s going! You still get lost if you’re not paying attention! By the time I know where I’m going I wouldn’t really be the one raising him, now would I?”
“Maybe I should’ve explained to you the way nobles raise their kids,” he sighed.
“I should’ve made it clearer that I have no intention of having another woman raise my child,” she returned. “I would like to be the one he thinks of when he’s considering the motherly figure in his life, not Nova. I don’t want our family portrait to look like we’ve disowned each other.”
Casper was about to say something else before he realized they were getting away from the matter at hand. “None of this has to do with why I’m here! I’ve got more important things to do, I probably shouldn’t even be taking the time to come at all. I just got some news and I wanted to be the first one you heard it from.”
Minne definitely didn’t like how that sounded. It was foreboding; the kind of tone someone had before they revealed a hard truth. She picked up on that and frowned. “Hurry up. Raisul’s probably going to be looking for you in a little while.”
“Takane… sent a letter. And a gift.” He pulled them both out and walked further in. “It’s supposed to be for Imre.” While he directly gave the letter to her, he took care in placing the little wooden horse out of the baby’s reach.
“Oh, I was a little worried she’s been forgetting not to send them to Idale. It’s been a while since I got something from her.” Minne opened it, but reading it didn’t brighten her mood. “‘We regret to inform you that this was not sent by her own hand. Rather, we present it as a village to honor her last wish.’” The hopeless look she gave him was likely the exact reason he refused to make eye contact.
“Skiá showed up. She sacrificed herself to keep everyone else safe.” There were only a few times when Casper spoke with such a solemn tone. He could be serious, but something like this was far and in between. “The bright side is that there’s that much less Skiá we have to worry about, and I’m going to have to talk to the reigning noble so it hopefully won’t happen again.”
“What kind of bright side is there to someone dying? Why would you even think—“
“Because a lot of times, it’s much worse. I’ve been dealing with these kinds of facts for ten years, whether or not I wanted to acknowledge them. When you’re faced with the numbers for that long, you can figure out what’s a good and bad situation. Takane was the only one that died; a couple were wounded, but there wasn't enough contact to kill them. If she hadn’t made that sacrifice, then they’d probably all be dead.” He sighed. “I know it’s hard to see the big picture when the little details include someone you care about. But that’s just the kind of thinking you’re going to have to get used to now. Welcome to Seothia.”
…
Samone didn’t wait for anyone else to say anything. She plopped down on the ground, exhausted. “I’m not doing that again. And if we run into Skiá, Kiah’s fighting them on her own.”
Dimas chose to help her, practically excluding him from the conversation that followed.
“So Calli’s Minne and Luke’s Casper,” Lydia muttered, mostly so she could keep track of it herself. “Everyone else is… themselves.”
“Idale was the village Mother grew up in,” Imre said. “She wanted us to come here, not to Mathieu for whatever reason they couldn’t even decide on. The only place that stands out has a journal that talks about ‘Calli.’ I’d figured there was some kind of connection from the beginning; there weren't too many other options. I wanted to see what her life was like before she truly took up the name ‘Minne.’ I wasn’t looking for stuff about my mother, but rather the woman who once called this place her home.” He turned to Kiah. “Though I doubt you can honestly say you didn’t know that either.”
“Minne tells me a lot of stuff,” Kiah admitted honestly. “Not only do I apparently remind her of fifteen different things, but I’m also an amazing conversationalist when I’m tipsy.” She glanced around them and sighed. “It’s getting dark. As much as I hate it, we’re gonna have to go back to that house. It’s better than staying out here, since we’re not going to make it back to Mathieu by nightfall.”