They eventually made their way to the queen's room, just as Claire was exiting. "Oh, Thorsen!" she said, blushing when she saw him. The color change to her face was minimal, however, as she was well known for constantly being pickled with eel vodka. "G-good morning, Claire," Thorsen said, holding as much of his breath as he could.
Fucking hell, she's sauced again, he thought.
"What's the head of the Warrior's Guild doing here? Has he come to make sure Her Majesty isn't oversleeping? Because I've already done that," she said, pridefully puffing out her, arguably oversized, chest.
"Not quite, though I'm sure she's already very much awake as it is," he said, desperately holding his hand back from pinching his nose. "Ah, well, then what brings you here?" she asked. "I have a message for her regarding Gorm," he said, taking a serious tone. "Gorm? That handsome man? He's still alive?" she asked excitedly.
There's no way she thinks he's handsome. Desperate times, I guess, he thought.
"If the letter is to be believed, then yes," he said, nodding his head. Claire squirmed excitedly, clenching her fists and shaking them near her chest. "I'm so glad to hear he's alive!" she said in as hushed of a tone as she could. "Go on and tell Her Majesty. I'll take my leave," she said, setting off at a rapid pace down the stairs, barrelling past the two recruits.
She's an absolute piece of work, but she's got a good heart. I'm glad she made it out in time, he thought, smiling gently as he watched her happily skip down the stairs.
He turned and faced the two who remained, and held up a hand. "Wait here while I go and brief Her Majesty. It shouldn't be long, but I don't want anyone else eavesdropping on the conversation, understood?" he asked, staring into the pair's eyes. "Yes, sir!" the two saluted. He returned the salute, and knocked on the door. A gentle voice beckoned him in, as he unlatched the bolt to the cedarwood door.
The morning sun shone brightly into the room from the large window, as golden rays pierced through the folds of the curtain. Leona, with her midnight hair, porcelain skin, and pale blue eyes twirled her brand-new dress in front of the mirror. The corset-like midsection held firm as the larger folds of the lower half flowed gently through the air. "What do you think, Thorsen? How does it look?" she asked, glancing at him briefly through the mirror.
"If I were a woman, I would wish that I could be even a fraction as grossly incandescent as you are," he said, putting a hand on his chest and bowing. "By the Graces, I never took you for a womanizer," she said, pleasantly surprised, turning to face him. "I might have picked up a thing or two from Bernar," he shrugged. Leona chuckled, her voice light and playful as the rays reflecting off her hair.
Bernar truly is a lucky man, he thought.
"It is good to see you, my friend," she said, walking towards him. "It is good to see you, too, my queen," he replied with a bow. "Oh, come now! You know how I feel about pleasantries when there aren't any nobles around. You did save mine and Meliss' life not too long ago, so I would be loath to treat you like a mere soldier," she said, flicking the back of her hand off his breastplate. "Ouch," she said quietly, rubbing her knuckles gently.
Thorsen chuckled lightly, his booming voice emanating a low, rhythmic baritone. "Be careful. Bernar would probably kill me if he ever saw a bruise on you," he said playfully. "Could he match you in battle?" she asked, genuinely curious. "My lady, I am, at best, in the second stage of mana manipulation. Bernar is well into the fifth. I am, ultimately, no match for him, regardless of my speed and size," Thorsen said humbly.
"Impossible," Leona said, her eyes opening wide. "It's true. Even Thoma would be on equal footing with me, which makes his older brother that much more terrifying," he continued. Leona was stunned. "I had no idea the difference in stages was that vast," she said pensively. "The difference between stage one and two is like night and day. Stage three would be the equivalent of throwing an eclipse into the mix. Stage four could be equated to having a second sun and moon spawn in, while stage five is almost otherworldly, mixing all of those elements together," he said as simplistically as he could.
"A difficult concept to wrap my head around, but if you say so, then it must be like that. I don't know much about mana, but I'm hoping Meliss will be able to tell me a bit about it when I see her again after her training," she said, glancing out the window towards Codrean. "Speaking of which, how are the new recruits?" she asked, changing the subject. "They're a little more eccentric than I'm used to, but they will make fine additions to the force," Thorsen replied in a low voice. "Why so quiet?" she asked, noting his tonal switch.
Thorsen fiddled with the message from the ravenry between his fingers, and handed it to her. "They gave me this. Apparently it had been there for a few weeks before reaching us," he said, watching her read through the letter. "He's still alive?" she asked, surprise reigning her voice. "He is, but he's in critical condition. Since the one taking care of him doesn't have mana capabilities, his recovery has been slower than it would be if he were here," he replied solemnly.
"I see," she said, thinking about his answer. "Since you're the new Commander of the Guild, do you think he would be fit to return to duty?" she asked. Thorsen thought about her question for a moment, but shook his head. "We don't fully know his current condition, but if he was on the Rhydian Pass when that horde was coming through, I doubt he would be fit for duty," he said, defeatedly. "I wouldn't mind him coming back to help train new recruits, but that might not be possible," he continued.
"Will you train them, then?" she asked after a brief, pensive pause. "I can put someone else in charge of administrative duties while you train them," she continued. "The only way I can think to train them is in the ways of a synner," he said, considering her offer. "I'd hope you would be able to train them in the ways of mana manipulation as well, to whatever extent you are able to," she said, a tinge of hope floating in her voice. "I can try to train them in mana, but it's not entirely up to me whether they'd be successful with it," he replied.
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't they be successful?" she asked with peaking curiosity. "Mana manipulation requires one to separate their consciousness from the real world, also known as the Between. When that happens, there is a chance that their concentration breaks, and their consciousness is lost to the Ethereal realm, leaving their body in a vegetative state," he began to explain. "By the Graces!" she exclaimed, her hand moving to her mouth.
"There is, however, a remedy for it, which is the Gwynnleaf plant's tincture, simplifying the process. I'm sure Bernar told you a little bit about it when we spent time with them on the way to Fangsdalr," he said, hoping she'd remember. "Yes, that part I do remember, among other things," she said, looking away and biting the corner of her lip.
Nope, stop it. Not right now, she thought, clearing her throat.
"In any case, we have the Gwynnleaf here, but is there anything else that needs to be done to it for it to be… ingestible?" she asked with a confused look on her face. "Drinkable, and yes, there are a few things that need to be done to it. Right now, however, we have other matters to discuss," he said, pulling out the letter and handing it to her.