Adarin peers at Edarial. "Did something happen? If you are us, which, you seem to be, then I am perfectly happy to help. With whatever it is."
"...Born in South Fork. Parents divorced, I moved here to Emavan with Raney. Became a spellbinder at age seven, acquired Cricket -" She picks up her cat and switches languages to murmur to him. "We're figuring it out, kitty, I'll explain when I know enough myself -" She switches back. "- who is my familiar. Attended school, self-studied, opened magic shop, did research. ...I don't have a tactful way to put the rest of it."
He pets Berathyme, then says, "In order to take the throne it's required by some stupid rule that I marry. I - didn't want to, but it was better than civil war. Except my -" he closes his eyes. "- my father decided that consent of the - spouse is not required. So he blackmailed Iobel into marrying me, with me unaware."
"There were a bunch of palace guards in his pocket. They had Cricket - he'd been poisoned and I had to hand him over to get him healed in a magic fountain on the palace grounds. I don't know if you have spellbinders - if our familiars die we're vegetables, mentally dead. I thought it was Edarial behind it; there was - forged handwriting involved - I didn't meet him until the wedding. Or talk to him enough after it, to find out, for months."
"Yes," says Edarial, quietly, looking guilty and sad and retreating back into a raincloud of misery.
"I am so sorry," he says solemnly, "that this happened to you. Both of you."
Edarial doesn't say anything, he just accepts hugs and tries not to cry.
"...I'm not sure if it would make it worse but I want it anyway. Edarial might not, I guess."
He does not add that they also work together extremely well. That would be crass, in this situation.
"...I can make people unaging, although not invulnerable. And resurrect the dead," volunteers Isabella.
"I don't think you can use my spells, but I can resurrect some people for you. And I would love an anti-clumsiness."
"I can create portals that let you instantly travel from one far-away location to another. Among other things, but that was among the most immediately useful, for us."
"It sounds it," says Iobel, starting to charge her spell. "Is that how you got here?"
"No, but it's probably how we'll get home. And it is how we are fantastically ludicrously rich back home."
"Mhm. They are permanent unless the surface they're on is broken, it's convenient."