After Adarin and Isabella depart, Edarial gets back to juggling projects. Unsurprisingly, Iobel is a large help in this. Once she gets a handle on all of the things involved with being a monarch, he can not constantly be doing that alone. He still helps, he's still there doing monarch things and fixing the country, but now he's got a bit more free time to devote to other things.
Accordingly, there's a project he picks back up that he was only tinkering with before his marriage. He'd like to reinvent the fountain that heals familiars, have there be others in strategic locations, so that spellbinders don't need to rush to the capitol to avoid being unmade. Progress on the project's always been slow, there's a reason that it hasn't just been reinvented immediately after the spell charts were lost, but he's got some very good reasons to work on it with a near-obsessive zeal.
One day, to his utter surprise, when he goes to find another portion of the spell-chart to complete, he can't find it. He stares at the chart, stunned. Then he starts checking his work. It takes him a few days to finish the corrections.
Then he's done. He's remade a revolutionary spell chart.
He picks up the huge spell chart, does his best to fold it down to a reasonable travel size, and then heads off to show the nearest spell binder - Iobel.
come_midnight
Cricket has no such constraint. "Why were the people not digging you out before? Is it because they are terrible?" he wonders.
"No, no," Iobel murmurs back. "These people are not terrible. The people who were shouting at Edarial before and wanted him to change the system of government were getting in their way so that they would be there if Zevros came to get his brother."
There is a pause, and then Cricket launches into a long, eloquent tirade about the terrible protestors and why their ideas are bad and they are awful. This tirade is only about 15% on the subject of Iobel being excellent and her queenhood being superior to any other possible system of governance.
"No, no," Iobel murmurs back. "These people are not terrible. The people who were shouting at Edarial before and wanted him to change the system of government were getting in their way so that they would be there if Zevros came to get his brother."
There is a pause, and then Cricket launches into a long, eloquent tirade about the terrible protestors and why their ideas are bad and they are awful. This tirade is only about 15% on the subject of Iobel being excellent and her queenhood being superior to any other possible system of governance.
royal_obligation
Edarial listens to this tirade, amused and for the most part in agreement.
At one particularly correct point, he laughs softly, smiling.
At one particularly correct point, he laughs softly, smiling.
come_midnight
Cricket eventually runs out of things to say by the time they've gotten on a boat, and then he curls up in Iobel's lap and falls asleep.
She's yawning herself.
She's yawning herself.
royal_obligation
Edarial is looking quite droopy, too, but he keeps stopping himself from falling asleep. Eventually he decides that conversation is the best bet.
"So what sorts of things should go in a constitution?" he muses.
"So what sorts of things should go in a constitution?" he muses.
come_midnight
"Don' wanna think about that till I've slept and have a notebook in front of me," mumbles Iobel, sort of collapsing in his direction and then startling herself awake before ear hits shoulder.
royal_obligation
"You can fall asleep, I'll wake you up when we get there," offers Edarial gently.
come_midnight
"'s no pillows," she mutters. "Cricket doesn't like it if I use him as a pillow."
royal_obligation
Edarial gently repositions her so that they're both the most comfortable, then smiles faintly.
royal_obligation
Edarial can't help but feel sleepy, too, and the words are strangely soothing...
He's asleep soon after, leaning on Iobel, as well.
He's asleep soon after, leaning on Iobel, as well.
come_midnight
Eventually the operator of the canal boat wakes them up; they're in Emavan.
"Mmm," mumbles Iobel, yawning and finding herself kind of pinned.
royal_obligation
Not for very long, though - Edarial's woken up soon after.
He blinks blearily at everyone present. Then he looks at Iobel. "S'ry," he mumbles.
He blinks blearily at everyone present. Then he looks at Iobel. "S'ry," he mumbles.
come_midnight
"'S okay," she says, rubbing her eyes and sitting up and stretching. "Okay. Stuff. To do."
come_midnight
Iobel puts Cricket on her shoulder; he's conscious enough to balance there but not to walk. She offers Edarial her hand.
royal_obligation
He takes it, sleepily.
It's probable that he might actually need to be led, actually.
It's probable that he might actually need to be led, actually.
come_midnight
Then she'll lead him. Aaaall the way to where they have their mirrors stashed.
"I'll call Isabella?" she asks, to confirm the plan.
"I'll call Isabella?" she asks, to confirm the plan.
royal_obligation
"Mhmmm," he agrees, rubbing his eyes.
He kind of wants to find a bed and flop onto it.
He kind of wants to find a bed and flop onto it.
royal_obligation
Edarial blinks sleepily at the owl.
"Cute," he says, in lieu of anything more intelligent.
"Cute," he says, in lieu of anything more intelligent.