"Leona, as I was just telling my beloved older brother here, I clearly know of your relationship and was wondering why you couldn't take him as a consort. I mean, it seems like you two love each other, and I think it might do him some good in the long run. Before you say anything, no I'm not just saying that because you're a royal. I can tell you're genuinely good for him," I said as diplomatically as I could. Shit, was that even good enough? I thought.
Leona paused, and gave Bernar a warm look which he returned immediately. I think I might be sick, I thought. "Well, at your request, I will certainly consider it," she said cheerfully. The weight that sat on my chest seemed to disappear, as I breathed a deep, yet subtle, sigh of relief. "Well, given my brother's reaction to me having the balls to say what I just did, I think he would also very much like it if you took it into consideration," I poked.
Bernar, now unable to hide both his embarrassment and joy, put his hand around my shoulder with a broad smile showing on his face. "I guess I should consider myself lucky to have such a doting younger brother," he said, sarcasm dripping from every word. I'm so fucked when we get back, I thought as I felt his grip on my shoulder tighten. Leona saw my expression shift from happy to slightly concerned, so she shot my brother another glance as if ordering him to let me go.
Thankfully, he did.
"In any case, I just hope you find a way to be together. That's all I want, at the end of the day," I said, smiling at the two of them. "I'm sure she'll make him very happy. That way, you won't have to worry about him anymore," Meliss chimed in as she walked up to us. Apparently she had overheard the entire conversation that was meant to be private.
"Oh, Meliss! How nice of you to join us! Wait, what do you mean you won't have to worry about him anymore? He worries about me?" Bernar said with a shit-eating grin slapped across his mug. "I was just going to tell the queen how much you meant to me; but if I'm right in discerning where you're about to take this conversation, I'll rescind my comment," I said, putting my foot down.
Meliss chuckled lightly, and the sound of her encroaching laugh made me forget about all of the horrible things that have happened in my life. Even if it were for just a few seconds, her laugh made it impossible to feel anything other than pure bliss when hearing it, making the rest of us join in. "Ah, it feels good to be able to laugh like that," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "It does indeed," Leona agreed, pulling Bernar close.
And here he was trying to be cautious, I thought.
"Before you leave, I would like to share a few words with Meliss, if you don't mind, Thoma," Leona began. I immediately understood what she meant. "Of course, Leona. Take your time. We will finish getting our things ready for the journey home," I said, bowing lightly. "This could also be your home, one day," Leona said suggestively. Meliss, like me, blushed harder than I think we ever have in our collective lives. "Ha! Payback's a bitch!" Bernar said more loudly than he meant to, pointing a finger at me.
I tried to compose myself and not act the fool in front of the trio. "I will also take that into consideration," I said, bowing one last time. "Find me when you're ready, Meliss," I said, dragging my brother by the collar behind me. "I won't keep her forever, reluctant as I am to let her go," Leona said in a motherly tone I hadn't expected. "Of course. We will take our leave," I replied.
After having finished packing our supplies, clothes, and weapons, we only stood by for a few minutes before Meliss came along. I helped her up onto the saddle on the horse provided to her directly by Leona. Meliss waved good-bye to her former master, and I could see a few tears welling in her eyes. I figured it would probably be best if I performed a simple hand gesture as a farewell. My brother, on the other hand, waved voraciously at the queen who observed our departure.
Surprisingly, Thorsen had said his farewells to Pyle, but I never quite heard what they said. I imagined they would talk about seeing each other again someday soon.
As for the rest of us heading to Codrean, The Master, Taegin, was once again at the forefront of the formation. He was followed closely by Master Pyle Rumia, the Fangsdalr master synner, and Master Garett, our master Archer and close friend of Taegin. My older brother, this time around, decided to ride beside Edryd and Roburn, allowing Meliss and I some time alone.
Over the hills and through the valleys we rode, keeping conversations low in volume due to potential stragglers that have wandered from the castle. While we were sure that the controlling crystals had been destroyed, we also knew that these creatures were going to go their own ways and infest the forests and bogs of the land around us.
"Oh, look! It's where I had my first battle," I said, pointing out the spot where the carriage had been stuck. "Yeah, it's also where you tried out that spell of yours and almost got me killed," Edryd said in as light-hearted of a tone as he could manage. "Ah, don't remind me. I still feel horrible about that," I said, recalling the events. "You saved my life, and suffice it to say that I'm very grateful, even if it did hurt a lot," Ed noted. Meliss could see the expression on my face turn a little sour, but I was still glad my best friend was still around.
"I wonder if I'll be able to use mana like you do," Meliss said quietly, though not enough for Pyle to not hear her. "It might take you a little while longer than the rest of them, since we're starting you so late," he said, pulling his horse up next to hers. "Master Pyle," she greeted him. "Don't worry about calling me master just yet. I still need to give you some of the Gwynnleaf before we begin training," he said.
"Wait, we brought some back?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Why do you think it took us three weeks to leave Coltend? Not only did we have to help restore the city, but we also had our own agenda for our own sakes," Pyle said, his final words a lot more grimly stated than I had anticipated. "I see, and what does the Gwynnleaf even do?" Meliss asked, confused about my concern.
"While the connection created to the Ethereal realm, where we draw our power from, requires a certain process, this plant was gifted to us by the gods to facilitate the process. It also makes it a lot less… risky," Pyle said, the last word being uttered through a side-gap in his mouth and clenched teeth. "Risky? What do you mean by that?" she asked, concern beginning to show on her face.
"Ah, well, you see, through the process of connecting to the Ethereal, there is a slight possibility that your consciousness might not make it back. With the Gwynnleaf tincture, it makes it so that risk is no longer a possibility," he explained. Meliss pondered his words for a minute, certainly questioning her decision to come along with me. "I see… and will I get any of that tincture?" she asked, her thick accent from the Gramm Isles made pronouncing the word difficult. "Well, no one here would want you to turn into a vegetable, would we?" Pyle asked. "A what?" she asked.
"What he means is that if your consciousness doesn't make it back, your body will be left in a vegetative state. Your bodily functions will still go on, but you will have no conscious control over anything. Basically, turning you into a sort of undead or vegetative state," I said, knowing my words were not likely to help the situation. Surprisingly enough, Meliss remained composed. While she might not have known exactly what manipulating mana was like, I could tell her thoughts were trying to piece together just how dangerous it would be without the Gwynnleaf, and why the Masked One, Ardrin, wanted to take it all in the first place.
"Well, I just hope it doesn't taste bad," she said, snapping out her train of thought. I looked at Pyle, and the responsive shrug he gave me was a little less than reassuring to Meliss and her hopes of a decent flavor. "I wouldn't worry so much about that right now. However, with you, we're going to have to take a bit of a gamble," Pyle said, re-engaging the conversation. "What do you mean by gamble?" she asked.
"Normally, when we train synners to manipulate mana, we have to make sure they can do it without the Gwynnleaf first. That way, we know for sure that their connection will be on par with that of the others when the tincture is introduced into their system. Think of it as showing a predisposition for mana," Pyle explained. "I see. So, you are just making sure that the tincture you use isn't going to waste, is that it?" she asked. "That's correct," he nodded.
She was lost in thought. For a second I could've sworn I saw her mouth move, and say something akin to a prayer, but I couldn't quite make it out without enhancing my senses with mana. "I'd like to try it without the tincture first," she said, confidence lacking in her voice. "Are you sure? You know the risks are pretty high, right?" I asked, concerned about her decision. "Thoma, if I'm going to walk this path with you, I want to be able to keep up and not become a burden to you," she said.
Fucking hell, she's got a way with words that could melt the coldest ice in the Hjalfarian tundra, I thought.
"If that's what you want to do, then I won't be able to stop you. I just hope you understand the risks," I said, trying not to discourage her. "I do, and thank you for your concern," she said. I could tell, right then and there, that if she succeeded, she would be a formidable synner to be reckoned with.