Bernar and I finally began our journey to Caegwen. The cool breeze in the air, I thought, would make the trip a little more enjoyable. As we rode down the same path we had taken on that fateful morning, where Ed got injured by my spell, I glanced around at the trees around us.
Gods above, it feels like forever since then, I thought, recalling seeing Jehn Boone's cart being stuck in the mud.
"What's on your mind?" my brother asked, noticing my lack of mental presence. "Oh, I was just remembering my first fight here," I said, shaking my head to snap me out of my short-lived daze. "Ah, yeah. I remember that day," he said, not finishing his thoughts. There was really nothing more to be said about it, so we just left the conversation hanging in the air.
"In any case, I'm glad we all made it out of there alive," he said, steering the conversation in a different direction. "Yeah," I agreed, my eyes shifting to the back of Celer's dark nape. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you about something," I said. "What about?" he returned. "It's uh… it's about Leona," I said, trying not to appear as nosey as I was.
"Oh? What do you want to know?" he asked, giving me a wry, knowing smile. "Ha? No, nothing like that, you fucking weirdo," I said, chuckling as I shook my head. "I want to know what your plan is with her. Are you planning on getting married or something?" I asked, emphasizing the last bit of my sentence to really make him think about his answer. In all honesty, I didn't really care, but I knew Meliss would be happy to know her former master would be in good hands.
"I… I've thought about it," he pursed his lips, turning away from me. "Ohohoooo, was that a bit of blushing I saw there?" I teased, reaching my arm out and poking his shoulder. "Shut up," he snapped, though not out of anger, more embarrassment than anything else. "I said I've thought about it, but whether she would take me up on that offer is another story entirely," he said furrowing his brow in what I thought was frustration.
"Ah, I… I see," I said, understanding the weight of the decision that wasn't his alone to make. "What would that make you if it did work out?" I asked. "Well, I'm not of royal blood, so probably just a consort or something along those lines," Bernar said, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous grin on his face. "Consort Bernar Fayren," I mused, letting the words stir in my mouth and thoughts. "Deadman Thoma Fayren," Bernar said, shooting me a glance that could have skewered a wild boar.
Hehehe, I should probably stop pushing my luck, I thought.
The hours went on as we finally made our way to Coltend Castle. There had been a few renovations since we were last there, and it was good to see the city bustling with people again. "Hello there," a voice called out. I knew from the accent that it wasn't Thorsen, making me a little disappointed.
The setting sun to our left as we neared the southern gate reflected its rays off the pommels of our riding swords. "Ooh? Synners, are we?" he asked, after a closer look at our armor. "Indeed, we are, my good sir. May we pass?" Bernar asked.
"Of course, we've been expecting you, though I wasn't expecting one so young as you," the guardsman said, pointing to me. "There are younger ones, you know," I muttered under my breath. It was evident that the man either hadn't heard me, or simply chose to ignore my comment. "But how did you know we were coming today?" I asked, recalling the fact we hadn't seen any ravens fly overhead.
"Ah, yes. Well, some of the elves that were with you, before you all left a few months ago, left us with these strange-looking devices. Once a bit of mana is infused, they create a link with another one just like it, allowing us to see threats far beyond our normal capabilities. So far, there are only a few that surround the castle, but our mages are working on making more of these things. There's actually one between here and your fortress at Codrean," the guardsman explained, combing his thick, dark mustache protruding from the front of his open-face helm.
"Didn't know we had those," I said, half to Bernar as to myself. "Well, I think I've kept you here long enough. Her majesty, like I said, has been expecting you," the guardsman said with a warm, welcoming smile.
We flowed through the city, mostly on horseback, passing through the streets, dodging a few pots of shit and piss thrown out the windows along the way. "Heh, reminds me of the first time we were here," I said, chuckling lightly. "It's good to see everyone getting back on their feet, though I'm sure there are those here that couldn't make it out," Bernar said, his tone growing a little more heavy near the end.
"But, we did what we could, and I'm sure Leona understands that," he stated, a resolute tone coming through. "I'm sure she does," I replied, feeling the weight of the battle resting on my shoulders like an old wound had reopened. After hearing what Edryd had told me, I was more than appalled at what Irun helped Ardrin conjure up for their assault. I knew, however, that there was little left that I could do or say about the matter, other than just move on as best I could.
"Thoma? Bernar?" a voice suddenly called out, knocking me out of my thoughts. I hadn't realized it, but we had ridden all the way from the beginning of the poorer district to the front of the main palace without my noticing.
I wonder if anyone else does that from time to time, too, I thought, wondering if this lack of mental acuity was just something that happened to me alone whenever I thought too much about something.
"By the Graces, it really is you!" the familiar voice spoke out again. "It's good to see you, too, Fulco," my brother said, whom I followed in dismounting my own horse. "Welcome back to Coltend Castle, you two! It's good to see you well, healthy, and uh… not covered in bloodied grime this time," he said as cordially as he could.
I remembered his face turning a pale shade of green when he noticed the blood from the battle still relatively fresh on our jerkins the first time I came here.
"Luckily for us, we didn't run into any trouble this time around. However, you don't need to worry about us too much this time around, as we won't be staying long," Bernar said politely, though I could hear the longing to stay evident in his tone. "I see," Fulco replied, almost as if reading his mind.
"Well, it is of little importance to me whether you stay a day or a month, especially after all you synners have done for us. I would be honored to better serve Leona by helping you two with whatever it is you need," he continued.
Do not abuse that, I shot my brother with a mild glare, to which he merely chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"We would be the honored ones to have the great Fulco attend to us," I chimed in with a bow. "My, my! It would seem Meliss' departure has affected your behavior as well," Leona's voice rang out from behind her servant. Bernar's mouth widened into a cheerful grin at the sound of it, while I could hardly keep myself from wriggling my eyebrows at him mockingly.
"Queen Leona," I bowed, pulling my brother downward with me, forcing him out of his daze. "Get that shit-eating grin off your face in public, you numbskull," I whispered. "You're right," he whispered back, hardly audible to anyone who wasn't within a meter's range of us. "It is an honor to see you again, your majesty," Bernar said, lifting his head just enough to look at her beneath the fallen strands of black hair.
"Come now, is this any way for two of the saviors of Coltend to be reacting to my presence?" she asked loudly enough as if to make sure the rest of the guards in the vicinity knew we wouldn't have to treat her so formally.
"Rise, synners of Codrean," she commanded, her voice demanding respect, though regal and warm. "Come now, tell me about how these past few months have been, and I will fill you in as well. I'm quite anxious to hear how Meliss has been doing from your perspective, even though she writes as often as she can," Leona said, her voice teeming with excitement.
I could only chuckle shyly, but knowing her, Leona wouldn't stand for anything other than a top-notch analysis of her former servant's progress.