This post has the following content warnings:
leareth, king of cheliax, searches for his alt in a velgarth 1000 years earlier
Next Post »
« Previous Post
+ Show First Post
Total: 983
Posts Per Page:
Permalink

Which is very healthy; Pexa misses him, of course, but he's going to be a grownup soon, and he's going to need to learn how to get along with students at Urtho's Tower, and it is in many ways a different skill than playing with a three-year-old. "I bet she'd like that."

Permalink

"And it won't be for all that long." Shrug. "I hope he and Van are careful. - Probably worrying about that is stupid. Leareth is always careful." 

Permalink

"I worry too. But - Leareth is always careful, and we have lots of options if anything goes wrong, and there shouldn't be any enemies, here. Just a suspicious, paranoid, you."

Permalink

"Leareth thought he might have been having a - bad time. That things were hard at this point." He shivers. "Leareth doesn't even remember it, but - that happened to him, too. I wish fewer bad things had happened to him." 

Permalink

"Huh. I don't really know if I do. I do wish he remembered it, it seems wasteful if he doesn't."

Permalink

"You think it was - important to him growing up into Leareth, all the things that happened?" 

Permalink

"I suspect so. At least - lots of them, he's not as old as Aroden and I don't know that he needs thousands of years more of horrible things happening to be further improved."

Permalink

"Mmm. I guess it - kind of hurts to think about how alone he was. For such a long time. But probably that was important." Shrug. "And then maybe he can teach me the important part without me needing to go deal with horrible things on my own for a thousand years. Anyway, I'm going to go play with Pexa now, I think." 

Permalink

"Sounds good. And you don't have to cancel your other plans with your friends, either, Pexa'll do all right for one week."

Permalink

"Mmm." And he hugs her and heads off to Pexa's bedroom; when she turned three she was judged big enough to move out of the nursery (which, after all, the servants and her nursemaids expect might be required for another baby at some point.) 

Permalink

Leareth gets everything packed up and handed over, and he comes to hug Carissa goodbye before he and Vanyel Gate across to the Void-ship patiently waiting for them. "I love you. Take care of yourself and the children, and make sure to give Pexa an extra kiss for me tonight." 

Permalink

"Yes, yes. Don't get yourself killed."

Permalink

"That would be very silly of me." He kisses her, and they head out. 

It's a long flight in the Void. He and Vanyel have plenty to talk about, but Leareth still spends much of that time being quietly uneasy. 

Permalink

The storm does not improve. Tadesse stares at the impenetrable horizon, tests his reserves - no, still not enough for a scrying-spell or a Gate, not more than a hundred miles and he's almost certain there's no land within that radius. 

He's not scared, yet, or even all that worried. It's hard to be, after everything. He wishes there would be less uncertainty, though. 

Permalink

Eventually Ekunde's mother emerges from belowdecks, her oilskin poncho wrapped tightly around her and the hood pulled forward. "Get some sleep, Kun, I'll take the watch now." 

Permalink

Ekunde is busy daydreaming again, so Tadesse shows her the map. "I think we are here. I - am not all that sure, though." 

Permalink

She pats his shoulder. "I understand. We'll know more when the storm breaks. Shoo, now." 

Permalink

He sighs and heads down belowdecks. Which is less soaking wet, but still damp enough to smell of mildew, the boards of the deck are sealed with pitch but the humidity is still one hundred percent and they keep coming in and out in their wet oilcloths and boots. It's dark and cramped and not all that much warmer than abovedecks. 

Permalink

"Oh, there you are, Kunni." Ekunde's sister, a year younger, rises from their shared bunk. "Thought you'd fallen off the side or something." 

Permalink

"Don't call me that," Ekunde interjects automatically before lapsing back into fantasies of hot mulled wine and tavern girls hanging onto his exotic stories of faraway lands. 

Permalink

"No," Tadesse picks up, with a sigh. "Just staring at the map." 

Permalink

The upper bunk creeks as fourteen-year-old Dayo rolls over. "Are we lost?" 

Permalink

"Hey, of course we're not lost. Kun, can you heat us some water? I've been wanting tea for hours." 

Permalink

He nods without speaking and holds out his hand for the kettle. 

Permalink

"You all right? You're quiet." 

Total: 983
Posts Per Page: