'Is that…it is! But how?! OH NO!' Noble looked away as the body finished forming.
Now she knew why Flint was holding out the cloak.
The body coming out of the glass was devoid of clothing.
Flint was quick in covering the man's nakedness, and the newcomer wrapped the cloth around himself as if it were the most precious gift.
"Th-thank you," he said weakly.
He stepped off the mirror, looking around at the palace with wonder. His dark eyes took in the scene, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
"Welcome!" Syrce smiled brightly at him. "I hope your journey was pleasant!"
"My lady?" The young man bowed and stumbled, looking more like a fawn first learning to walk than a grown man.
"Ah, yes. You must be disoriented. Take all the time you need to get your bearings." Syrce cooed.
"This–this is impossible," Flint sputtered.
The man spun around to look at the others in the room. Flint scowled while Noble waved at him with a small smile, only deepening the newcomer's confusion.
The caped man held out his arms to them, trying to formulate a question. Noble shut her eyes.
"It is good to see you, but perhaps you might…"
"Oh, goodness. Come now. Have some decorum! Is this how you behaved when you used to patrol our city? You really are mixed up!" Syrce offered the other clothes in her hands to her guest. "You may choose any room to adorn yourself and then return here."
The man blinked at her before turning and taking the garments. Clutching them to himself, he shuffled uncertainly out of the hall.
Silence was left in his wake.
"Is he…gone?" Helie peeked from behind her hand.
"It's safe to look, Aurelia. Your sensibilities will no longer be bothered." Syrce promised as soon as the door to the closest room closed.
Noble opened her eyes as well, trying to process what had just happened.
Syrce picked up the mirror from the ground. "That's all there is to it! Isn't it amazing!"
Noble looked around searching for an answer.
"I don't know what I was expecting," she said slowly, "but I can certainly say it wasn't that. When you said that you couldn't bring things through the mirror, I didn't realize that you meant anything. Did all of Lady Mae's army come out like that?"
"They did." Syrce scratched the back of her head. I will admit I was a little unnerved at first, but this time it was so routine that I almost forgot to give him some clothes."
"Where did you find so many spare outfits and armor?" Roan was already doing the calculations in his head of how much would have been needed.
"When we abandoned the fortress, we took everything we could with us, including a large portion of the armory and spare uniforms. We could have clothed twice, perhaps even three or four times as many coming through the portal." Syrce stood a little prouder at her foresight.
"But not the whole population of the Seaside..." Aether said more to himself than to the group.
The Saint nodded. "Correct. It is just too many."
"Are their clothes left behind in the pile? Is the island where Lady Mae came from littered with discarded armor now?" Flint pictured the strange scene.
Syrce laughed. "I hadn't thought about that! I don't know what else would have happened to them now that you mention it. Imagine a shoreline of people's crumpled armor and clothing!"
Noble envisioned a shore of scattered objects as people were plucked one by one and brought to Bastion. It had to have been unnerving for those who were left behind.
That brought Noble another thought.
She motioned at the closed door. "Does his family know he is here?"
"I didn't warn him ahead of time that I would do it, so probably not. I doubt it gives much notice before one is pulled away." Syrce clicked her tongue. "I realize now that was unwise of me. I will send a message immediately to let his family know what I have done. No doubt his disappearance has been noticed. I hope his absence is not too hard on them."
"It also seems like the travel is hard on the people who experience it," Noble noted.
"He did seem very out of sorts." Roan glanced at the door. "I would be too, if I were pulled from another place without warning."
Syrce shrugged. "Some come through more dazed than others. Give him a moment, and he will be himself again."
"I hope you are right, because I have many questions." Noble could feel the man's emotions in the other room.
His emotional signature was what she remembered, but it was colored with the befuddlement she had only ever felt in the very young. Did he think this was all some strange dream? Word would not yet have reached the seaside of their success, so anyone brought through would have a hard time comprehending what was happening.
"Outrageous…that was outrageous." Flint crossed his arms.
"Shush, he will hear you!" Noble clicked her tongue.
"I hope he does…He has a lot to answer for." The surly Master clenched his jaw.
Holding up her hand, Noble turned toward the door as the gentle sound of the door opening filled the hall. With wide eyes, the man came out still clutching the cape which had been first given him upon his arrival.
The tunic hung loosely on his frame.
"Oh dear," Syrce pressed her hand to her cheek. "I seem to have misremembered your size. Have you lost weight?"
"My lady?" He blinked at her again. "Where am I?"
"You are in Mirage's palace. I hope your trip was not too difficult." Syrce answered slowly.
"Mirage's palace?"
The words seemed to have no meaning to the man.
Syrce coaxed him with an outstretched finger. "Yes, you know this place. You have seen the original with your own eyes, remember?"
"I remember." The man laid his hand on his heart.
"Good. That's very good." Syrce nodded. "You are among friends. Lady Bel and Titus are here. Lady Aurelia, too." The Saint motioned for them to speak.
"Hello," Noble spoke uncertainly. "It is good to see you."
"Bel?" The man looked at her with a dazed expression that seemed eerily familiar.
"Yes, it's me." Noble nodded, watching the man's face change subtly. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm.. I'm fine." He answered, rubbing his head.
Flint frowned. "Of course, you are fine. Look at you! What happened?!"
"What happened?" The young man echoed back like a parrot.
"What? Are you going to play games with us? You waltzed in here without a bit of pain! I want to know how. Surely that mirror didn't steal all your wits. Out with it, man! Before I have to pull the truth out of you. I don't like this. Not one bit!"
"Titus…" Noble shook her finger at him.
"Don't 'Titus' me! The last time we saw this kid—"
"I know what happened the last time." Noble didn't want to relive that moment, yet the reminder was standing right in front of her.
"Last time?" The young man looked like a lost puppy.
Noble sighed. She turned to Helie. "Was he like this back at the seaside?"
Helie chewed her lip.
"You mean walking? No, no, he was not."
Flint and Noble exchanged glances. That was troubling news indeed.
"Can someone clue me in on what is happening?" Roan asked. He glanced at the Saint and then at his other companions. "Tell me, who is this man?"
"I am afraid I am as lost as you are," Aether scratched his head.
Noble took a deep breath. "This man is named Drusus. He is the reason Shieldbearer Orrin returned to the seaside with the soldiers from the Fortress. And last time we saw him, his back was broken beyond repair…"