Mikansia is living on borrowed time. Having been sent back by tal friend Jabez to save Kotae Mah and rescue the triumphant's children, Mikansia took a quick breather at Decima's house in Vigilance. While there ta helped tal friend Nomi repair tal relationship with Prince Constantine, the Crowned Prince of the Argentum Empire. With one of Jabez's children, Alexis, found and safe, Mikansia is ready to go find the other three lost children.
Lore Note: Vaeltaja (elves) do not see themselves in terms of male and female, given how little reproduction happens in a vaeltajan lifespan. We decided that elves would instead classify themselves in terms of how much Grief a vaeltaja carried on their soul. To them the differences between even a Grief of B1 and B2 would be noticeable, although for simplicity's sake they'd stick to what we think would make four categories:
Grief B0-B3: mu (singular and multiple)/mul (possesive)
Grief B4-B7 dai/dail
Grief B8-9 ta/tal
B10, but not yet sailed into the Void tor/torl
Oh, and those who died? They're referred to as the triumphant, both in noun and pronoun.
The next place to go was Kotae Mah, the capital city of the elves. Mikansia could feel the rest of the three children were there. Nomi was going with Mikansia. So they got one last good dinner with Decima and went to sleep in a comfortable bed. Given Mikansia's fugitive status in Kotae Mah it was the last time they figured they'd be getting a good night's sleep or meal, and those are things to be cherished and enjoyed when one can.
In the morning Mikansia came out of tal room as softly as ta could. Mikansia's pack was complete, including the odd fuligin sword that Tyce had given ta. Ta was dressed in in tal pearlescent glowing dragonscale, Sydanelma at tal side. Mikansia turned as Nomi came out of tal room, clad in tal own mail, travel pack in hand. Mikansia couldn't help talself but stare at Nomi. Nomi noticed Mikansia's gaze and looked at tal glowing friend with confusion. "Hi? Yes?"
"You haven't noticed yet?" asked Mikansia, amused.
"Noticed what??" retorted Nomi, growing flustered. And then ta went pale. "Oh. Oh my,", she whispered. "I'm... I'm ensakki. I'm the first stop. I thought... I thought it an old matron's tale, that we couldn't control our conception with lyhyt, but... but it's true. I'm a mother. I'm matron."
Mikansia laughed, warmly. "Congratulations!"
"I... I need you to bring me to Constantine. I'm sorry, I can't go with you," said Nomi, all flushed now.
"Are you sure? Don't you have things to work out first?"
"This is the future of the Argentum Empire. My issues and Constantine's are not nearly as important as protecting this child," declared Nomi. "Constantine will understand that."
"Don't you think you're going without me!" said a gruff voice. Fish, when he had been brought to Decima's house, was so injured that he'd only slept. He tottered still, but his steps led him straight to Nomi. "I go where you go."
"But.. but I'm carrying someone else's child," said Nomi, confused.
Fish guffawed. "As if I'd want to sleep with an elf! No no, Nomi, you did something better than remind me of myself. Who I was is not worth remembering. Your friendship has made me better than I had any right to be. And so I will never leave you. Ever." Fish left the gaping Nomi a moment to face Mikansia. He bowed for almost a full minute. Mikansia, also flustered, stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. "I will name one of my daughters after you, Mikansia," said Fish as he ended the bow. "You have saved Nomi's life many times, not to mention my own. The debt I owe you could never be repaid." Fish walked back down the hallway to get his things.
Nomi and Mikansia were left in the hallway a moment. "Your child will need to know how to grieve," said Mikansia to Nomi. "I think you will learn how to do just that. If anyone can teach that child it's you."
Nomi's eyes were misty... and then wide. Nomi had the look of someone who was just told something shocking. "Thank you," ta managed to say after a moment. "That means everything, everything, to me."
Everyone else had gotten up to say good-bye to Mikansia, Nomi, and Fish. Yvette and Alexis came up to Mikansia first. "I cannot thank you enough," Yvette said. "Alexis is safe now, and soon I'll have a job with Decima."
"She shouldn't thank you until she's had a day being my forge assistant. Damn that Ensio for dying without leaving me a replacement!" said Decima. Everyone chuckled.
Alexis pointed at Sydanelma and the fuligin blade on Mikansia's back. "SohWARD!" Mikansia's heart melted and ta nodded. Alexis got down from Yvyette's arms and ran back to their room. Mu toddled back to Mikansia with tal own sword, the one ta had exchanged for Sydanelma back then. "SOHWAHD!" mu shouted, holding it aloft.
Mikansia knelt before Jabez's son. "I've enjoyed getting to know you, so much." Alexis held out the sword, solemnly, which caused Mikansia to grin even wider.
Mikansia stood into a hug from Ember. "Thank you. For everything." Mikansia nodded. "Please.. come back soon," Ember insisted.
Simone looked up into Mikansia's face and burst into tears. Mikansia hurriedly wrapped the three year old up in tal arms. "Oh my, little one, what's wrong??"
Mikansia wasn't sure when the White Stone that Jabez had given ta had appeared in tal hand, but Simone was gripping that Stone pretty hard. Ta squeezed tal hand over Simone's. "Your time.. it's borrowed! There's not much left!" sobbed Simone. "I.. I don't want to have to dream to see you too. Daddy and Grandpop is too much already."
"Honey, I have had exactly as much time as I needed, to take care of everything I need to. I'll need to rest soon," Mikansia said softly to Simone, wiping her eyes. "But you, you have all the time in the world still. I'm sorry I can't share the rest of it with you, while awake. But I know you have this. You'll be wonderful."
Simone nodded through her tears; her eyes steeled themselves against the oncoming decades. "My... my time isn't up yet."
"No, little one. You'll know when that is no longer true. But I promise you, it's not yet." The look in Simone's eyes was of a realization almost too much for the three year old girl. But she held it in her heart anyway, burning the image of Mikansia's reassurances deep into her soul.
Decima hugged Mikansia as ta knelt next to Simone. "I was wondering when Simone would notice the Stone and remember."
"You've known?" asked Mikansia.
"I may not be a fancy fire mage or some pretty boy in gold, but I am on The Council. That means I'm an immovable point in time... for now. So yes," laughed Decima, "I can see that beautiful stone that Jabez gave you." Mikansia nodded, surprised but accepting of the facts. "When it's time for you to return that stone please make sure Jabez's other children are with me. Kiddos would help me feel young, just a bit longer, before I need to go Home," requested Decima. Mikansia, relieved, nodded.
Mikansia cut a portal to Argentum Reskartum. Constantine was in his bedroom, where Nomi had directed Mikansia. "Um, honey?" Nomi said, haltingly. "I'm pregnant."
"Then you were right to come here. One cannot let the future of the Argentum Empire be without their proper place," said Constantine, with a warmth and happiness that lit up the room. Mikansia saw Nomi breathe a quick sigh of relief.
As Mikansia closed the portal, Nomi looked over Constantine and Fish meeting and mouthed "I'll see you again" to Mikansia. Mikansia smiled and nodded through tal song, holding tal gaze with Nomi until the portal closed. Mikansia stood in Dream for a moment, getting tal bearings. Something about all this seemed final, like Mikansia would never return. Ta didn't know why she felt that way, but ta did. After another minute of getting talself together, Mikansia focused on Kotae Mah and cut a new portal.
Dead eyes welcomed Mikansia when she stepped through tal portal into Kotae Mah. Mikansia stared back at the dead elven eyes for a moment, caught off guard. There were many more eyes when ta looked further, looking up into the black Void. The piazza Mikansia had opened onto was filled with dead stares, resting upon pavement, cracked from some unknown horror. A polyphony of elven laments could be heard over the howling of the wind, which was rushing in through a gaping wound in the great wall of Kotae Mah. Mikansia, a soft pearlescent glow in the darkness, hummed snatches of the laments ta heard as ta went to each body, closing their eyes. Most of the elves had died from weapon wounds, but others had died from shrapnel. After some time Mikansia's task was finished and ta stood up.
Mikansia didn't know much about much about Kotae Mah, having spent most of tal short life hunting in the Ring of Tears itself, only coming to join the Sword Singers in the last decade of tal life. But Jabez knew Kotae Mah intimately, having lived there all the triumphant's life. There was an elder, Toivol, who had helped Jabez after the fallout with Santeri, Jabez's father. Toivol had helped Jabez train for the Sword Singers, against the wishes of Santeri, Toivol's good friend. If Toivol was still alive Mikansia could get a lay of the land. Ta left the piazza, a glowing star in the dark heart of the wrecked city. A few ruined alley turns later and Mikansia was in front of Toivol's house. Nervous, Mikansia knocked on the red door before ta. "Who's there?" ta heard.
"I knew Jabez. You were always important to the triumphant, and I look for the source of wisdom you provided Jabez," said Mikansia.
The door opened. Toivol took a second to examine the glowing figure before tor. When Toivol saw the hilt of the sword at Mikansia's side; tor opened the door. "Santeri told me about you, not long before the triumphant had died." Toivol examined Mikansia's scaled armor. "That's real dragonscale. Did you get that off a corpse, or did you really kill it?"
"I helped kill it, if that's what you're asking," said Mikansia.
Toivol brought Mikansia into torl house and shut the door. "Can I... can I please hold that sword? I helped Jabez use it properly and I'd really like to hold it again." Mikansia hesitated; ta had fought for this sword so much and there was a part of ta that fought any attempt to get the sword out of tal hands. But the look on Toivol's face, that soft paternal gaze upon the hilt of Sydanelma, disarmed her. Sydanelma's rainbow glow cut out the darkness in one smooth motion. Toivol's jaw dropped. "I've.. not seen this sword in so... it's changed."
"A lot's changed, in general," said Mikansia, a bit embarrassed. "Especially here, on Kotae Mah. And I need your help in unraveling it all."
A spark, the tiniest of lights, lit in Toivol's downtrodden gaze. "I'm.. I didn't see any of this coming. I'm not the one you want. But Prince Alpertti can get you all the help you need, although I hesitate to ask what sort of help you actually will need, given what you've done, O Little Tear?"
"Prince Alpertti??" Mikansia was horrified. One of the last things Santeri had told ta was that the High King of Kotae Mah was a dark elf, so what was the son like??
"No no, it's not like that," assured Toivol. "I'm the one who told Santeri about the High King... for all the good that did," he said almost to torlsef. Tor looked up and tried to get himself out of torl reflection. "Prince Alpertti is as good as they come. Please, I can guarantee that much." Mikansia nodded. Toivol grabbed a large hooded robe. "We can't have you glowing in the street like that little star you are, not while we're trying to sneak around!"
They left Toivol's house, quietly threading through more dark alleyways. The lights were almost entirely absent; the wind made the darkness seem even colder. Toivol stopped before a door and pounded on it. "The Lone Keep is gone!" tor shouted.
"Your password is the destruction of the Lone Keep?" asked Mikansia, somewhat amused.
"That was one of the most hopeful days of my life," replied Toivol with a soft smile
"For me too," said Mikansia warmly.
The door opened to a view of discouragement and despondency. Most of the non load-bearing walls had been knocked down; elves sat in their armor, staring into space, singing softly, or keeping up their equipment. Toivol walked Mikansia past the elven forces, to a room beyond. Sitting in a chair was the young Prince Alpertti, not even 75 years of age. Upon seeing Toivol, Prince Alpertti rose, as did the rest of the companions in the room. "Toivol!" he called in great love and tenderness. "I didn't expect to see you so soon, but I am so glad that I do now! Please, someone bring the finest of wines for tor. A chair! Immediately!" Toivol tried to wave Prince Alpertti off, but mu was so insistent on caring for Toivol that tor relented, taking a chair and a glass of wine. With mul first guest taken care of, Prince Alpertti turned to Mikansia... and fell to mul knees. "You're... you can't be older than a century," mu whispered hoarsely. "You've... you've seen more darkness than someone, five, ten, times your age! Please, a chair for ta! Wine for for ta as well."
There was a hush upon the room for a moment. All eyes were on Mikansia. Prince Alperttia, remembering himself, stood up, trembling. "Please, a move on kind elves! A true elder is amongst us!" Everyone began to move, the spell broken. "Allow me to take your robe, please! We will hang it in honor," pleaded the prince.
All gaped at the glowing dragon armor.
"I've brought Your Highness someone who could turn the tide," said Toivol. "Show them the sword, Mikansia."
The gloom completely fled the hushed room under the rainbow assault of Sydanelma. A seat for Mikansia was quickly found.
"Wait, what's the sword on your back?" asked Prince Alpertti.
Mikansia presented the fuligin blade Tyce had given ta. Prince Alpertti gaped. "This... this is the sword of Uriel the Archangel. It was forged from the dark heart of the Archdemon Eous's own soul, dipped and sanctified in the Flame at the heart of Heranyt... we all thought it had been lost to the ages."
Mikansia flushed. I'm going to kill Tyce the next time I talk to him! He could have told me this! Ta accepted the blade with trembling and overwhelmed hands.
"You are what we have been waiting for. We have much to discuss," said Prince Alpertti. "Please, Mikansia, sit," mu indicated the chair. "You may save us yet."
Mikansia sat in the chair provided for ta, and the other vaeltaja gathered around. The light from Mikansia's armor filled the room, the soft white glow radiating off the hopeful ebony faces gathered around ta.
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