We made our way to the banquet hall, and laid out before us was a lovely meal of roast boar, salads and other root-like plants that had been cooked until it was a perfect, golden brown. Sitting in their usual seats, Elhael, Aurae, Bernar and my mother were already seated at the table waiting for us.
"Glad you could find the time to join us for dinner, Thoma," Elhael said, noting that I, once again, had taken Ysevel's hand. "I suspect you weren't lost on your way here, so I don't see why your ha-..." he stopped and grunted, gritting his teeth as Aurae's thin-lipped smile cut through the sudden silence like a knife.
I was just glad he hadn't caught my mother and brother snickering like children as they stifled their laughs.
"I apologize for both our tardiness and any disrespect toward you and the queen, your majesty. Ysevel and I made a breakthrough in the meditation chamber today," I said with a bow. As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I'd made some kind of mistake because my brother and mother stifled yet another laugh as Elhael grunted once more.
Was it something I said? I sent my brother and mother the question. Not so much what you said, just the situation of it all. You two, alone in a chamber… making a breakthrough or two. You know, normal shit, Bernar said, that shit-eating grin plastered on his face again.
Ah, yeah. That does sound pretty bad, doesn't it? I asked with mild dejection.
Does this mean I get grandchildren now? My mother asked, also wearing a shit-eating grin. Fuck you both, I'm trying to focus, I said through a mental chuckle. "Hey," my mother said, eyeing me dangerously. Her tone was light on the surface, but I could tell there was a seriousness to her words. The king, queen, and consequently, Ysevel all raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry, we were just having a family discussion," Siraye said, rubbing her nape.
Aurae cleared her throat, taking the reins of the conversation. "So, Thoma, tell us of this breakthrough. I hope it has prepared you for tomorrow?" she asked, her regal voice reverberating like warmed butter. I proceeded to explain what I'd learned, and after seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces except for Aurae's, I started to learn a little bit about hers and Ysevel's potential abilities.
My mother, however, looked a little concerned.
"Shit, I never learned to do that. Why didn't you just fuse them together where the faces of the objects met like I did?" Bernar asked, his mouth full of food. "Funny thing is: I tried, but the way I did it ended up making more sense to me than merely fusing them together like you explained," I said, shrugging my shoulders after taking another bite of my boar meat.
After we finished dinner, Ysevel followed her parents up toward where the royal bedrooms were, as I followed my mother's signal out into the palace garden. Robust bushes, covered with flowers of all sorts of vibrant reds, yellows, and blues were strewn about the well-maintained area. Along the moonlit pathway, there were grapevines that hung over the path on their respective frames, their leaves turning orange as the weather began to cool.
"You know, I'd always hoped I'd get the chance to spend a lot of time with you. Watch you grow into a fine, young man. It's all a mother could want, really," she began, kicking a twig off the pathway. "I'm sorry, Thoma. I really am," she said after a few moments' pause I'd given her. "For what, mom? You've done nothing wrong," I said, putting an arm around her shoulder.
"Not like that, Thoma. I mean for disappearing without a trace. Not just for a year or two, but for most of your life. I was so caught up in my quest to restore our family's heritage with the artifacts that I ended up losing track of time," she said, her tone dropping a little near the end. "Mom, it's okay. I'm okay. Bernar, well, he might be a few marbles short of a full bag, but he's okay. We understand why you did what you did, so please, don't beat yourself up over it, okay?" I said, trying to be as understanding as I could.
"Thank you, son. It's… It's good to hear that from you," she said, a thoughtful smile grew on her face. Seemingly out of nowhere, she let out a chortle. "I know I told you that the artifacts don't really work without a fully-trained team, but I actually am the sole owner of the Dreambinder Jerkin," she said in a hushed voice.
My eyes struggled to stay in their sockets.
"Y-you have it? What the fuck? Why didn't you tell me?" I rapidly shot the questions. "Shhh, quiet down," she hushed. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to see if you were going to figure it out. Well, that and because I feel like we were being watched the whole time we were out there training," she said, putting a finger to her chin as she looked upward.
"Never really could find the right time to tell you that, because if anyone outside of Myrdin found out I had that, let alone that we have Pelantyr heritage, it'd be an absolute nightmare," she said, her tone growing a little more serious now. "I… I can't believe it," I stammered, struggling to keep my hundreds of questions at bay.
"Is that how you're able to move the way you do?" I asked after picking the one I wanted to know the most. "Pffft, no. That's all me," she scoffed. I whistled critically in response. "Well, Ardrin is still alive and in hiding somewhere," I said, letting the words hang. "I suppose it's only a matter of time before he figures out I'm still alive. We need to be ready for when he does," she said, sighing lightly.
"I can't wait to reach the fifth stage, mom. I want to know what it's like to be on-par with you and everyone else in our family. Well, except dad. Fuck that guy," I spat. "I did, but it gave me you and your brother, so I guess it wasn't a total waste. And to think I almost swallowed you," she chuckled, tousling my hair. "Un-fucking-called for," I said my thought aloud, disgust evidently showing on my face as I held back dinner.
We walked for a few more minutes and eventually found a marble bench to sit down on. She asked me a lot of questions about my time in Codrean after she'd left. She was visibly angered to see how much I'd suffered unwittingly, but ultimately decided it had made me a better person in the long run. I'd also told her how Bernar had been more like a father figure to me, to which she was more surprised than anything else.
"I know it's getting a little late, but why was everyone surprised when I told them about the cube and the sphere from the meditation chamber," I finally asked, filling the short lull in the conversation. My mother bit the knuckle on her index finger, obviously deciding whether to tell me the reason behind their surprise.
"Autarchica Primaria," she said after a long pause. The two words could not have been more foreign to me. "Autarchica Primaria? That doesn't sound elven at all," I said, trying to figure out whether I even recognized the language it was in. "It is elven," she said, hushedly. "And strictly so, but it's ancient. Far older than the country of Caegwen itself, and well before its language was developed into what we know it as today," she continued.
"What does it mean, though? I'm lost as fuck," I said, feeling my face scrunch in confusion. "That's just it; no one really knows," she began. "It has only ever appeared twice in any elven lineage. The first time was during the creation of the Caegwen, the second being in you. No one knows the full extent of its power, or what that power really is, but it's said in some of the ancient texts that it's a part of something bigger. Much bigger than any of us," she explained, furrowing her brow in the process.
"And I just so happen to have this obscure and rare power? Sounds awfully convenient," I said, raising an eyebrow. My mother looked at me with eyes that could have pierced through dragon scales. "Son, I don't know how else to explain it to you, but this is serious. No one currently living knows what that power can actually do. The only reference we have to it is the written legend of the creation of Caegwen, and even that can't fully be trusted," she said, her tone carrying the weight of her words.
"What the hell do I do with it, then?" I asked, spreading my arms. She turned away from me, and glanced up at the silver streaks of moonlight cutting through the treetops. "Hone it. Push it to its limit. If you've already discovered it while only being able to manage the second stage, I don't see it taking you too long before you catch up to your brother and I," she said encouragingly. "Honestly, with the Autarchica Primaria, you're more likely to surpass us," she scoffed.
I took in her words, considering them carefully. I didn't know what the extent of this power was, nor how to fully utilize it, but I knew from the gravity of her tone that it was vital. Vital enough to the point where, outside of those who already knew, I would have to keep it a secret.
"Well, it's getting late," she said with a sigh as she stood back up. "You've got a big day tomorrow, and I can't wait to see you crush it," she said, her warm, motherly smile shining brightly on her face. "Thanks mom. I'll do my best," I said, returning the smile. Just as I did so, I heard Ysevel's voice calling out my name from the entrance of the garden.
I wonder what she wants, I sent to my mother. Maybe now I'll get grandchildren? She replied in jest. I chuckled and shook my head. No, mom, she's holding something like a letter. Oh! It might be from Meliss, I thought excitedly.
My mother's face contorted into that of pure, unadulterated, and clearly visible disappointment.
"I'll be right there!" I called out before giving my mom a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, mom. I'll see you tomorrow!" I said, waving curtly as I set off at a jog. As I did, her disappointed face turned into a mixture of both shock and joy.