Pastel Celestials - VC/Lynx

Silence. The birds that had been singing in the trees had suddenly stopped in their song. Cara didn’t pay any attention to it, her eyes skimmed the page as she relaxed against a tree, her legs tucked in as close as they could without squashing the book to her chest. The pictures danced in her mind like an actor playing on the stages. She could see the castles looming over, the valiant hero waving his sword…

She could hear a pained moan that didn’t belong in the story, nor did it belong in a place outside. She stopped reading, her finger on the sentence that she was on and she picked her head up. It was always weird coming back to reality. The sun was suddenly brighter, the grass was more of a vibrant green than she remembered it being, and she also could feel the breeze that she didn’t think existed. Nor that sound that just happened again.

Worried, she closed her book, knowing very well that she lost her place. She set it underneath the tree and picked up her gown as she stood up. She walked through the forests, now keenly aware that it wasn’t the songs that the birds stopped singing. There was hardly an animal in sight. Normally the forest was crawling with creatures, but for some reason the man who was making that awful racket, was clearly scaring away the critters. Which meant he was either in really bad shape, or he was a dangerous creature himself.

Whatever the case might be, she decided to continue, swallowing her nerves as she followed the sounds and came across a horrific sight.

A man with lilac skin and deep purple hair had a hand over his torso, blood between his armor plates. His injury was on his side, from the way he was leaning, and he was breathing heavily, sweat beading on his forehead. He leaned against the tree and thunked his head against the trunk, his eyes closed, "I'll never get home at this rate..." he muttered under his breath, his voice deep and rumbling. Scales on his cheeks shined at the new angle in the light that filtered though the trees.

Cara bit her lip, shrinking back a little. This man was dangerous, she could feel it and see it. But she also had to stop herself. One, her mother always taught her that anyone injured was someone who needed help. Help should be given with a smile, grace, and faith. Second, she was pretty sure she recognized that crest on his armor plates. Taking a deep breath and gathering all the courage that she could, she stepped out of hiding and walked over to him. "Um." Well that wasn't good. "You're hurt." Even better. "I can...help?" And that was his cue to scoff and wave her off, she was certain of it.

He peeled his eyes open at her and immediately his brows furrowed, "A Raw?" he wasn't sure if his eyes were deceiving him. He only knew of three Raws, David, the King, and Luther. Rare that they were, he was shocked to see one so far out here. "How can you help me? What Element do you have?" He didn't mean to sound so forceful, it was an honest question, but the blood wasn't stopping and he felt weak. At least the rush had slowed now he'd stopped moving.

"You're bleeding severely so I can replenish your blood using just a small bit of mine and I can use water to replenish you're dehydration as well. You need to lay down though and you need to treat me as a friend. I'm Cara Fundir." Cara stepped closer, trying to be as nonthreatening as she could. Women normally were, but...she still feared that he might accidentally lash out. People who were scared and dying or injured too badly sometimes did out of self-preservation, not realizing that they were only hurting themselves.

"Locien Morohtar." He said simply, staring at her in disbelief, before he shuffled and took off his armor over his head so she could see his injury. His torso bare, the scales here also shimmered in the light as he moved to lay down. He had been about to say she couldn't possibly have the ability to use the Blood Element, let alone two Elements at once. Her mere name made him bite his tongue, however. Luther and Kayden spoke of their niece often and with love, even Estelwen had spoken of her with admiration from the few times she'd seen the girl. "What about your condition?" he asked, surging back up to grab her arm since she had gotten to a kneeling position. "Your Uncles told me. Should you really use your powers like this?"

Cara's eyes snapped to his and she noticed that they were colored like wisteria that she saw in her mother's garden. However, she didn't say anything like that. She instead drew herself up and gave him a look. "Seriously." She deadpanned. "You're dying and that's your /first/ concern?" She shook her head. "Men and stubbornness. Thinking women frail. She has a heart condition she can't possibly, fuck off." She grumbled under her breath and she looked at the wound. "It's a nasty gash you got. Right." She brought her index finger to her mouth and she cut it on her teeth. "I'd normally use a blade, but..well...I don't trust yours is clean save for the souls you slain. Nor do I think that you have any on hand that won't have you bending too. So, this will do." She concentrated her powers and brought her fingers to the wound. "I'm going to encourage your blood to make a bit more and as I'm doing that, I'll start encouraging it to start stitching the wound. This will take time and moving will be limited at best. Talk to me if you feel bored. I'll try my best to entertain. Though I don't know how much we'll have in common."

"You...misunderstood by concern." Locien shook his head, but let her work, staying as still as he could. It stung, and he felt dizzy, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. "I know only of what I've been told. Everyone is always so concerned for you. I did not even know you lived near the border. I knew not where you lived at all." He watched her, curiosity and ever-present wariness on his face, "Women are not weak. Far from. I know many who prove that wrong. That is also a mentality best left to the humans across the oceans."

Cara's shoulders relaxed a bit of their tension. "Yes...well..." She could feel his blood figuring out that it needed to multiply and she started to send it signals that there was a wound that needed to be scabbed over. "I'm sorry." She said after a moment. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm used to...being fretted over that it puts me on edge sometimes. Uncle Kayden and Luther are no help in the matter, despite that they're the ones that encourage me most to get out of the mansion. My mother is scared to."

"Kayden told me you two trade books from your mother's library and the one at the Palace." Locien continued to breathe through the fading pain, the soothing coolness of water starting to take effect. "Is that where you got your wild ideas that women are weak? Illusions of grandeur and maidens in distress?"

"I can tell that you're the court jester," Cara quipped back as she watched the wound finally begin to scab. Now it was just to encourage the skin to knit and he'd be left without so much of a visible scar. "Your jokes certainly would match David's sense of dry humor and sarcasm."

"Have you met the Prince, then?" Locien snorted, "Captain of the Guard, but David likes my bluntness. Just tell me if I am being rude, Kayden sure does. On my mind out my mouth, as he says." He found himself smirking just a little at her. She was...somehow different from the other Raws. Her skin was smooth and had a sort of ethereal glow to it. A pink tint to her cheeks, her lips luscious an rosy. Just how old was she? She seemed so young in comparison to everyone else, but surely she was at least two hundred to his three? Not that far apart.

"He sneaks into the mansion sometimes when he's bored of being guarded all the time." Cara answered, "He calls is his little paradise. Mother calls him her little annoyance. I don't know what dad calls him, I think he just laughs and shares wine with him down in the cellar." She noticed that Locien stiffened. "I don't think I was supposed to tell his number one bodyguard that oops."

"It's a whole Hell of a lot further than Gondien's pub!" Locien sputtered, growling a bit under his breath, "No wonder Kayden and Luther tell me not to worry when he's gone for three days. It's at least a day's travel by carriage over here!" He cursed the skies under his breath as he glared at the leaves, as if by sheer force of his stare they would burst into flames.

Cara looked up at him highly amused as she set her hands down, content that the wound was healed perfectly. She rested them on her lap and she shook her head fondly. "I'm going to presume that we're going to have two guests more than just the normal one?"

"That all depends on if you take me to the Fundir Mansion to rest, or leave me here to fend for myself. My wound may be healed, but I did lose a lot of blood. I only feel fine because I'm lying down. I'm certain once I get up, that will change." Locien drawled.

"I'm tempted to let you just do that just so I can watch you walk into a tree." Cara's lips thinned. "I was talking about you stalking David. Come on. Get up. Lean on me."

"I wouldn't stalk him. I know better than to intrude when he wants to be alone. Unfortunately, since his mother passed last year that has been more and more, and now his father's withering without his Bond. David's trying to escape and I know it. It's still frustrating, not only as his guard but his friend." Locien took a deep, bracing breath before he heaved up, and got his bearings on the tree before he moved his weight to her, not sure just how strong she was or wasn't. No, women weren't weak, but dead weight was always a pain, and he had to grab his armor, too.

Cara had to admit, she probably didn't think this through. He was heavy, and she knew that if he was trying to keep off most weight off of her, then if he suddenly fainted from doubling over or something like that, it would be Hell to carry him back. She could probably use the plants and drag him home, but she had a feeling that he'd only either a) feel bad that happened or b) laugh at her or c) will try to determine which one to do first or do both. "You might want to just leave your armor here. I'll come back and grab it when I can." She promised. "The injured should worry more about their bodies than their possessions." She had noticed that David had started to encroach on their family home more and more after she died, and she heard him moan about it to her father or casually talk about it with her. "You should come with him sometimes."

"It's going to immediately be something he latches onto. Mostly for teasing rights." Locien gave her a side-long glance and dropped his armor top before letting her take him the right direction of her home.

Cara hummed softly in response to that, but she didn't bother with an answer. Teasing was common with David and anything was acceptable so long as it wasn't actually hurtful. She didn't see anything too wrong with her request besides that Locien's "dark personality" might be warmed up by her "kind demeanor" she could almost hear David saying that too. They trudged along the pathways, only speaking a few here and there till they reached the mansion. It was a gorgeous home, two stories high and a good block wide. There was a cobblestones pathway that they walked on, carefully so that neither of them would trip. The bamboo was growing tall and large, easy to hide through and hard for enemies to chop. When they got to the mansion, Cara turned the knob and used her foot to open it the rest of the way.

Inside greeted a large foyer that had a fireplace, a good amount of bookshelves and reading knooks and as well as a lounge for those who wanted to be entertained inside rather than out. There was a little figurines of phoenixes that were placed strategically all over the household. Purples, whites, reds, blues. Almost like the Fundir Clan was...casually pointing out who they were related to. Instead of dropping him off on a couch, she continued onwards towards one of the staircases that lead east. "Bedrooms." She answered his unspoken question. "We have plenty for guests who are wounded and for those who just need a place for rest. Just bear with the stairs. You can tell me to stop at any time."
"I will endure until you find a place to deposit me. Just don't spin me in circles." Locien assured her, though he did hope it would be soon. He was starting to fade quickly, and didn't want to collapse just yet.

Cara nodded and she did find a good room for him. She did the same thing she did with the door. The guest rooms were only furnished with the basics, a bed with clean bedding, a spot by a window, a writing desk if one needed to send letters and drawers in case of a long stay. She got him into bed with a bit of a struggle since she was lighter than he was. The moment his head got onto the pillow, it felt like he collapsed immediately and she wouldn't be surprised. She got him better situated so at least he wouldn't be sleeping too uncomfortably before deciding to start looking up Kayden's notes about different teas and other herbal remedies to make for those suffering from lack of iron and blood. She'd also have to tell the servants to cook something filling too when he woke up. He needed all the strength he could get.

~*~

"You certainly brought some interesting company home." Addylyn had her hand on her hip as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen as her daughter was finishing up her tea brew.

Cara knew that tone of voice and she braced herself. It could be anything from a lecture to her throwing off an idea of marriage right off the bat. Though, Cara had to admit that marriage really showed that she was reading /way/ to many novels for real life to be that disturbing. "He was injured in the forest. I have to go out later to grab his armor, and my book. He lost a lot of blood."

"I saw the blood stains. You did a fine job patching him up, but you could have called for me or your father to get him here. You could've overexerted yourself. How much energy did you use? Do you feel weak or dizzy at all? Short of breath?" she frowned and came over to her and checked her complexion, "You don't look grey at all, that's good." She didn't look any less concerned, however.

"I am tired from carrying him all the way from the clearing and back; he's not an easy man. But I couldn't just leave him there. As for energy, I used up enough to save someone from bleeding out. I'm not short of breath yet, but I'm sure when I rest, I'll feel the effects." Cara knew better than to lie, even if it was to protect her mother and father. They'd just get more concerned, and then they'd suspect that she was always hiding and it'd just be worse than before. At least she knew it was in love that they were doing this.

"Well, I hope you made enough of that brew for yourself. I don't have to worry about you nearly as much as I used to when you were younger, but straining yourself could strain your heart and you know that. I'm not as upset as I should be, because Locien is just as important as if your Uncles or David had been injured. Look out for you as much as him." Addy told her firmly, "I will send Nami to let David know he is here so they don't worry. He is welcome to stay until he is well enough to leave."

Cara relaxed, "I'll let him know when he wakes up or at least semi-lucid." She assured, not bothering to tell her mother that she had in fact did decide to make some of the brew for herself as well. "Thank you."

Addy nodded, "Your father will probably be along to tease you for bringing home a man." She rolled her eyes and smiled, "I never want you to hate me, dear. You know I'm reasonable where it counts and will never rush a healing process. We've had this discussion plenty, I don't need to repeat myself. I'm actually glad, for once, you were near by. The loss of Locien would cause a horrible effect on everyone else."

Cara didn't know much about Locien in all honesty. She had heard his name appear a few times, and his reputation was definitely to be heard about. But just like how Locien only heard of her in context to loved ones, that was very much the same for him. "I know." She said gently, "and I'm glad I was near by, too. His wit would be missed."

Addy smiled a little wider this time and hugged her close, "I'll leave you to your tea. I had to check up on you after seeing him." She kissed her cheek and then headed out of the kitchen as quickly as she had appeared.

Cara looked back at the tea that she was making and she let out a soft breath. She wondered if he was up now, or if he was still sleeping. She pursed her lips at the tea, knowing it was best drunk when warm so...she decided to take the risk and see if he was. She carried both cups, counting her heartbeat as she took the steps. She could feel it skip, like usual, but she wasn't certain if it was the defect talking or if it was the nervousness about seeing Locien fully lucid. He was probably a different man all together. He seemed to be a man of full of pride. She took another breath. She still had to go back out, look for his armor and her book. Chances were he was still asleep so she could do that without problem, have him wake up to the armor being there than to worry about it missing. Resolved, she walked into the bedroom and was relieved to see that he was still asleep.

She placed the cup of tea by the bedside. Cold tea would suck, but surely he was picky enough to say something about it to a servant or another. Maybe she'd get back in time to see him wake up and be able to re-heat it before he did say something. He looked better asleep, there was some color coming back to his skin. Taking a breath, she sipped her own tea and quietly backed out of his room. Armor. Book. That was her new mission.

~*~

He didn't know how. He didn't even know what time it was, just that it was dark and no light shined into the rooms she had brought him. None of that mattered. With his ability to see in low light, thanks to his Dragon abilities, he managed to make it out of the room. His feet even carried him up the stairs until he heard shouts and screams. 'I knew it! I knew it!' came from a woman who was blue from head to toe, and he pushed passed her as well as a tall man with deep mulberry black-purple hair and skin like rich red wine. Servants tried to keep him out, but he saw her.

Cara was having a seizure.

Her body was twisting and bowing and her eyes were screwed shut so tight there were wrinkles at the corners and between her brows. Her legs bent at the knee before smacking back down again, and her elbows were digging into the bed. Her limbs were /barely/ being held down and he growled. "MOVE!" he boomed, people scattering, and he got on the bed, pinning her body down with his, his hands replacing where the servant's had been, firmly at the crook of her elbow so all she could do was thump her fists. His ass found her thighs, and he hunched over her. "Someone grab her ankles!" he snapped, before turning his full attention on her.

"Cara." His voice had changed drastically, from his burly military snap to deep and rumbling, soothing and tender. He wasn't even fully awake, running on pure adrenaline, but he did what he could. "Cara. Listen. It's going to be alright. Listen. Can you hear me? Come back." At first, all he got were whimpers and her face kept scrunching up. "Take her arms again." He called over his shoulder, and when his hands were free he framed her face with them, keeping her neck still. She would be sore and stiff, he should've done this in the first place, but the less movement she had the better and at least he was doing it now. "Listen. Hear me. Breathe. You need to breathe, Cara."

Breathe. Breathe. It was so hard. She whined in the back of her throat, but the she could hear Locien encourage her to breathe. She tried, once, twice, and then finally she managed a wheeze. He sounded far away, but she felt his hand against her chest and she tried to push up with her breath and let out slowly as she could, trying to move his hand since that seemed to be the general idea of what he wanted. She felt sore...and hurt...and she wasn't doubting a few bruises. She could taste blood in her mouth from where her fangs cut her cheek and she opened her eyes slowly. The room was a blur, but she saw Locien sitting on her, hand still on her chest and her breaths were still weakly trying to push against it. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead of words, she whimpered, and she could feel blood drip down the corner of her mouth. He wiped it away swiftly. "Locien..." she managed to say after a good, long moment.

"Don't speak." Locien soothed, "Just try and relax. It's all okay. I know your body is sore. It hurts. I know. Breathe through the pain. You're a strong woman, remember? I don't see any damsels in distress here." He smirked a little down at her, his stomach twisting at how she looked. Her lips were stained, her skin just a little, too. She was a grey pallor, the pink hue gone. Her eyes seemed sallow, and she could pass out on him at any second. "You're tired, but you can't sleep yet. Not quite. Hang in there."

It was hard not to pass out, but she could understand why. She might fall into another one, or she might get sick and choke. "You're....resting." She throat felt dry and coppery, but she also knew it was too dangerous to try to drink something too. She swallowed, not really swallowing anything to try to relieve her throat.

"You called for me." Locien whispered low so only she could hear. The servants had moved away once she stopped thrashing. "I can help you drink." He moved off of her and moved behind her head, hauling her against his chest and he leaned against the headboard, his hand still on her face, stroking her jaw now instead of her cheek. Looking up someone had come over with water, and he took it to hold against her lips, "Small sips, don't gulp it."

Called for him? Cara wondered how she managed to do that. Did she scream his name? It was a possibility. She allowed herself to be hauled up, trying in vain to help situate herself so that she wasn't uncomfortable or him. Unfortunately most of that manuvering was best left to Locien who was much stronger than her right now. He placed the cup against her lips and she obeyed, taking small sips despite wanting to drink the entire glass. Her throat chugged greedily, trying in vain to use every small sip to sooth where her voice had torn raw at the muscle and to cool the newly healed cut that was in her cheek. "Thank you..." her breath was still labored, but she was trying her best to find a rhythm. She noticed that the servants were watching, worried, confused. She wondered where her mother and father were...and she looked by the door. She attempted to give a smile, but she doubted that was comforting.

"Your mother is distraught. Your father's trying to comfort her." Locien explained, rubbing her arm. "I can't do much more for you. I hope this is enough." He held her securely against him, and closed his eyes briefly to take in her scent. It was strong of sickness, but the same calming, soothing floral smell was still there that he had gotten to know when she helped him before. "I don't suppose I owe you any debts anymore."

"Never did." Cara said, her voice a little stronger. She relaxed a little against him, taking in his own. He still smelled of blood and grime, but there was a warm fire place in his scent. A fireplace that could burn into a fire pit, or just be a lighted candle. Right now, his scent reminded her of sitting next to the hearth on a cold winter's day, chilled to the bone and hoping for warmth. "Never did." She repeated, for she had a feeling that Locien was a man who relied on debts, finishing them off, and hated to be on anyone's side of need. "You did more than enough." Finally a good, strong sentence. That meant her head was at least back on fairly straight, while her body was wrecked with little spasms here and there through her fingers or toes or even just a sudden jerk that meant nothing.

"You don't have to talk anymore." Locien stroked her cheek again, "If you want to sleep, I think you will be alright. I'd offer to stay, but I think your parents would be against it." He looked towards the door, mostly for confirmation.

Gideon looked at his wife, since she was the one that ruled the home more than he did. But he saw what happened in that room. Not a single person could get her to calm down as fast as Locien did. Not a single person managed to get her to breathe as quickly as he managed to coax the breath into his daughter's lungs. It was clear to him that Locien had something with Cara. Perhaps when she healed him. Maybe sooner than that. Maybe it just happened, at this very moment, but then why would he suddenly show to her door? Debts and promises didn't get through someone resting through the night. "Addy?"

"You always stay with her, so if you are here he can stay." Addy hiccuped a little, sniffing. Her tears had dried, but her eyes were still watery, "They both need to rest now."

"Will you be alright on your own?" Gideon asked gently. He was always worried after seeing something like this, and watching his wife fall apart with worry and concern. "You know you can grab a servant to grab me."

"Yes, love." Addy put her head on his chest and her jaw quivered. She didn't want to be alone, but... "Two hundred years of the same routine. You go ahead and stay with her...at least until they're fast asleep. Won't take much, I'm sure." Young ones as they were, they were far too worn to do anything scandalous, anyway.

Gideon kissed his mate's and wife's hair before letting her go and went into the room. "It's okay." He assured Locien as he was about to move and get up. "Stay. She'll sleep better with you. Better than she has in the last few centuries. Your job now, is to rest along with her."

His eyes widened just a fraction and he looked over to see the blue of Addylyn's hair as she disappeared. "I didn't expect that at all." He admitted to Gideon and he shifted around so he could lay beside Cara. Her bed sheets were soaked, so he moved her to a new spot on her double bed and servant gave him a new blanket to tuck around her. It would all have to be washed tomorrow, but as long as she was comfortable right now that was what mattered. His heat as a Dragon would also keep them both warm throughout the night. "It's been a long time, Gideon. Cara told me David comes here to relax with you away from the island city now and again."

"Let that slip out, I see." Gideon said, a little amused. "But it has been a long time since I seen you. You look worse for wear, but yet..." his eyes twinkled. "I would almost like to congratulate you, but I don't think you know the significance yet.  Unless you're aware?"

"I have an...idea?" All the extra people left the room to them and he spoke freely now there were no ears, Cara also unconscious. "It's...still a blur. I was out, and probably would have stayed that way until dawn. I didn't...hear a voice /exactly/ but I felt a strong pull. I had no idea where her room even was, but my feet moved of their own accord while my mind was still playing catch-up. Once I heard the screams it was easy to follow. Seizures aren't new to me, they happen on the battlefield as well. It was all instinct and muscle memory until I finally became fully aware of what was going on."

"Bonded so quickly, yet from what I understand from your story, she just barely healed you." Gideon clicked his tongue. "But I'm not here to lecture, or to tell you to be gentle with her, or any type of fatherly concern. I saw you in action. You don't deserve me shoving down what I think you should do down your throat when what you did kept my daughter from dying tonight. It happens. We get scared for we know. One day she won't come out of those alive."

"It won't happen anytime soon. I'm a new factor." Locien said firmly, and then took a breath, "We act like we've been friends for years instead of just met." Locien added, "She's so familiar to me. From what I know of Bonds, what I've experienced so far isn't what I've heard until much further along in the Bond. There's supposed to be a heat or tingle at touch, right? I haven't felt that, but it felt right all the same?"

"Not everyone bonds at touch." Gideon said softly, looking at Cara's sleeping form. "Just not everyone bonds from sight. Sometimes it's conversation. Sometimes it's being at the right place at the right time. How you two bonded, I don't know. I wasn't there. But I wouldn't fight it. If Cara is familiar to you take it. Don't question it. People would die to be further along at first touch or glance than to go through the pains of trying to knit a soul together."

There was something not being said here. There was another possibility Gideon was avoiding, but not everything would come to him on a silver platter. Things he would have to figure out for himself. That was fine, he liked a challenge. "She can't stay here." He said quietly, seeing if Gideon had the same thoughts as he did about being apart for too long with a fresh Bond. "Addylyn is going to lose her mind."

"She could have never stayed in the mansion." Gideon agreed softly. "Her abilities are too well sought out, and too well needed. No, the castle needs them more and now she has better reason to be there than she does here. Addy will lose her mind, I will too later on. But I saw you protect her. I'm assured at least you will do more than just that for her."

"How do you think...Cara will take it? I am aware she reads books, but I've got a feeling Kayden's selection he's shared with her might have given her a warped sense of...love." The word tasted strange on his tongue. It was something he only reserved for his sister. "She mistook my concern for her when we met that I thought she was weak because she was a woman. What else could be more wrong?"

Gideon sighed, pinching his nose and leaning back into the chair. He huffed a laugh. "Oh dear." He said. "I'm going to guess that you mentioned you knew she had a heart condition and she went flying off the handle the best she could while you were injured, huh?" He let his nose go and he looked at Cara's sleeping form fondly, before his look darkened. "A woman was probably her way of trying to gentle the blow. Mentioning her heart while trying to do something out of good faith isn't the best way to get on her good side." He paused in that and he looked even more upset. "Though Cara, I don't know how she'll take the Bond. She may think you're saying it out of pity if she's feeling bad enough. She may think you're just saying it to make her feel better too. I wish I had a good answer. I think it depends mostly on how you present it...and how you want to be seen."

Locien closed his eyes, starting to feel his head pound and sighed. "I'll stay tomorrow, and leave the following morning. Perhaps we might be able to convince Addy to let her come back with me. I cannot leave without her, but I cannot stay here, either. David needs to know what happened to me."

"You were asleep while that conversation took place. David already knows." Gideon assured, patting the bed. "Addy sent a message letting him know that Cara was taking care of you. Now what his reaction may be, I don't know. But stay the morrow. You need the rest anyway and converse with Cara more. Get her used to the idea as well. I'll talk to Addy myself and if need be, we'll gang up on the both of them. I hear you make a good fighting partner as a brawler, but I'd love to test the wits."

Locien doubted Cara would deny the chance for adventure and to leave the house, but he nodded, "Alright. sounds good to me." He let his eyes drift closed, curling closer to Cara as he shifted to get more comfortable, the conversation no longer needing his attention. He was still exhausted, but he was sure tomorrow would be much better.

~

It took a while for them to sleep, but the moment Gideon felt like that they were truly fast asleep did he leave the bedroom. He extinguished the candlelight and murmured to one of the servants to stay awake and vigilant, but to take care and find a way to make a routine watch so that he didn't fall dead in on his feet. Now, to go to Addylyn, who was undoubtedly still awake and troubled by the night's events. He walked into this room sighed softly, "Oh love."

"Time isn't supposed to matter to us." Addylyn looked up at her mate. She was sitting on their bed with her arms around her knees, "Over five hundred years and while sometimes it blurred together, half a century feeling like five years, that sort of thing. Yet I feel every day she goes into a fit. It's flipped. Over two hundred years and it feels like two thousand."

Gideon's heart broke a little, seeing his wife sad and heart broken. Every day wondering, every day hoping, and then watching it happen again. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Time matters when it comes to her." He kissed her hair and held her close. "I have news." He felt her jerk in his arms and he held her tighter, "no. Nothing like that. I was speaking to Locien and well, I haven't talked to him some time, but today he was particularly chatty. I'll chalk it up to him being on adrenaline and tired. He didn't hear her screaming in his room. He felt a pull."

Addy looked up at him, her jaw dropped a bit in surprise. "A pull? As if he heard her soul calling for him?"

"Exactly that." Gideon nodded and gently pulled Addylyn away from him. "Dear love, I believe that she and Locien are Bonded, though by how or what means, I'm not sure, only they know. But he told me that they spoke, like friends they have been for years rather than days."

"Bond...Bonded? Are you certain?" Addy felt her breathing hitch and increase a bit, "If that's the case, then they can't be apart. He'll want to take her with him. He does, doesn't he? It isn't possible for him to stay here, I know that. Oh Goddess..."

"Easy, easy." Gideon soothed, "We're going to wait till tomorrow to decide anything." He ran his fingers through her hair before stroking down her cheek and running it back up again to comb back her hair. "She'll get a chance to get used to the idea as well."

"Alright...alright, just...a day to say goodbye, then? To let it sink in?" Addy sniffed and put her hand on her chest, "I never meant to hide her away here like some bad secret. I would have never been able to live in the palace, however. We haven't talked about this in a long time. This would give us more reason to visit."

"We'll visit." Gideon assured, "And I'm sure she'll come by too. You were just worried for her. For the longest time, anything could easy set off an attack when she was younger. It was safer here and we just...let it be. That's all. We did everything that we could, dear love. We'll visit, and she will visit and maybe time won't feel like it keeps stopping and skipping."

Addy nodded and she hiccupped as fresh tears flowed. Reaching up, she put her fingers in his hair and undid her ponytail with a slide, the dark purple locks falling around his shoulders. Caressing his face, she brought him down to kiss her. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. Tomorrow was a new day, with fresh possibilities. Right now, she just wanted everything to be better.

()

Cara dipped her paintbrush in the water and swirled it around some before she wiped it off with the horribly stained rag that was resting on her thigh. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she looked at the painting that she had the urge to do with a critical eye, taking notes of shades that she needed to mix as well as how much paints she had left before she had to start making more. But about last night...

She sighed loudly, putting her paintbrush on the easel. Her thoughts just wouldn't stop about last night. She was still sore from being held down and from thrashing a bit. The nausea had quelled after drinking tea that morning as well. But waking up to Locien's hold against her was the one thought that just could /not/ leave.

He was a man. A strong, well-toned man who was badly injured and yet. He held her close to him like she was someone precious. Like a wife or a mate of some sort. Maybe he was a man that cared a lot for women or maybe he had hoped such a hold would keep the seizures away. But she couldn't deny the fact that it felt...loving. Loving. A man loving her was so...weird to think about. She knew she'd never mate, there wasn't a chance she could carry to term. All the alliances ever could be made turned away the moment they heard about a defective heart and that she could do more than just one Element. How on earth was that explainable to anyone? So many thought her cursed and yet he held her tenderly.

She absently reached up and touched where his arm had laid over her waist, holding her close and his fist by her bosom. She could still feel his touch. She could feel it as though she was still lying with him in the room.

"What are you painting?" a yawn broke her reverie. "The colors are vivid. You must have just started it, though, because I can't make out what it's going to be."

She let out a surprised gasp when she heard him and whipped to see where he was, which was behind her. He was shirtless, the gashes on his body healed nicely, and no one would have ever guessed that he had been so badly wounded earlier yesterday. "I don't know yet," she admitted. "I was letting the whim take me wherever it wanted to go. How did you sleep?"

"Like a rock, as David would put it. I don't usually sleep so deep. I am a very light sleeper, even to the point where David wonders who's got the faster reflexes, myself or Kayden, when spooked. Luther's a arse, he let's you /think/ you have him but you don't and then he's got your face pressed into the dirt, arms behind your back. If you're lucky." Locien had an air of fondness in his tone.

Cara laughed lightly, "I remember sometimes napping with them in the gardens and when I would wake up, I'd always pick one of them to tackle. Uncle Luther was horrible with the tickling. Uncle Kayden would just hold me hostage. David on the other hand," she clicked her tongue. "Nothing short of food actually wakes him up. I tried everything."

"These days, booze works. The first time he met Gondien years and years ago, he was asleep in the forest and Gondien tried to wake him, but gave up and just decided to see what was so damn comfortable about the tree so he sat against it, too. The moment he popped his flask, David shot up like a bolt." Locien smirked, always finding that tale quite amusing.

"I haven't met Gondien, but I heard David talk about him. He's extremely fond of the man." Cara said, her smile bright as she thought about the story. It broke her heart a little, to know that David was hurting bad enough that a drink was more powerful than food. She swallowed and looked back towards her painting. "I like that our home had become something safe for him, but I worry anyway. The Queen's death and now the King's dying is taking a toll."

Locien's eyes saddened, "Yes...the Kingdom still thrives, but everyone felt her death. David's also anxious, because with the King's death he will have to have a Coronation. There's an arranged marriage in the works between him and the Harpy Queen, Selene, as well. He's supposed to meet her by Samhain, and Kayden told me there's debate among the Counsil whether or not they should be wed by Yule or by Beltane."

Cara's hands gripped her skirts, she sucked in a breath and bowed her head. After a moment, she said thickly. "Beltane."

Locien blinked at her slowly, "That's what Kayden's fighting for, but why are you saying it like you know?"

Cara let out the same breath. She turned around in the stool that she was sitting on, giving him her full attention. She made sure to look him in the face instead of his chest, even though that was where her eyes wanted to look. "There's...things you should know if this is the path you intend to take." She said after a moment. "Let's go down to eat something and take it out to the garden. It's a nice day and I could certainly use a bit of sunlight."

"I am going to be firm at least and say we take it easy, since you must still be feeling your seizure. There's things I want to discuss with you, as well. Allow me to get dressed. Gideon set aside some clothes for me, and should freshen up as well. We can meet in the gardens instead, after you grab the food? I'm sure you have a patio."

Cara smiled warmly, at least he wasn't denying her to go out. "We do. I'll meet you down." She would be quite thankful for that shirt, honestly.

~

The gardens were much, much larger than anything Locien could have imagined. There was a maze off to one side from what he could see, and there were plenty of seating areas. The forest surrounded them, and there was a mass of sakura trees in the distance. All around the estate, as well, was a huge wall. To keep people in or out, he wasn't sure and sometimes that distinction could be a grey area. He found her down by the maze, and she had a different variety of breakfast foods in three different platters as well as a pot of tea and saucers and cups, pretty in white. "You thought of everything, didn't you?" he teased a bit, "Smelling all of this, I realize how hungry I am. I barely ate yesterday, even if Selene offered me a good meal. Enemy territory, after all. Well...not /enemy/ but the treaty hangs by a thread."

"You didn't eat anything for dinner and I know that Dragons have a healthy appetite, probably more so than David does on a good day." Cara said lightly, a pleased blush on her cheeks that she was able to discern correctly. "That treaty I don't know how well it'll hold for really." She admitted as she poured the tea. "Harpies aren't the trustworthy of folk, but I've heard good things about Selene. Being half of course helps wonders."

"...I was not aware she was a half-blood." Locien admitted slowly, "That explains a lot, really. I just hope the Harpies don't turn on her. She's been good to them, steered them towards a Golden Era, if they keep it up. I even met and liked the woman she's choosing as her successor, her own Captain, Nancy."

Cara sighed as she sat down and scooted the chair in. She started working her way through the platters to fill her plate. "I don't think many do know." She admitted as she got herself as comfortable as she can. "I think it's too dangerous for the Phoenixes to know. I think the Royal Family are the only ones, save for myself and the Council."

"The Harpies could turn on her because she's not fully one of them, and visa versa. I have high hopes that David and her get along. He's planning a Masquerade, so he's hoping to dance with her and like her before he even knows who she is. The soul knows. David isn't expecting a Bond, but he is hoping for some sort of connection." Locien took some of the eggs as well as some grilled meat, starting small so he would not get himself sick by eating too fast.

The soul knows. Cara had just reached for her cup of tea as he spoke that line and she felt her fingers spasm. The soul does know. She swallowed thickly, politics could wait a moment. "There's somethings you have to know before you decide to take me on."

"Take you on?" The change of topic caught him off guard and he was glad he hadn't stuffed his face yet.

Cara's cheeks flushed a bright red. "Was that....I mean...." She stuttered a bit before she shook her head. "Let me say my piece first, you say yours next." She offered. "Though I have a feeling I know what it might be about."

"Alright." Locien set his utensils down and turned his attention to her fully, waiting expectantly and knowing this was a serious matter.

"...." Cara took a breath, gathering every bit of courage David and Kayden and Luther said she had before she spoke. "I don't believe in false pretenses. You get what you get and that's that." She swallowed, "I don't want you to take a path you think is right without knowing the lot so..." She gathered herself. "You're aware I have two Elements, Blood and Water, but you're not aware that I have three. I'm also a Plant Elemental. Kayden and Luther teach me their tricks and tips on how to heal and poison should I ever be in that situation. My father taught me how to use my blood as both a healing magic, a magic to fight with and...well...to show off I suppose. My mother is the one that taught me water healing. But included in all of this is Hades' gift. Um..." She pushed her hair back, "You can't see the markings. I'm so white, they're basically light, light scars, but I do assure you I have the marks that show I'm his Priestess. I'm afraid that....well...I'd make you more enemies than friends."

"Sight." Locien stated simply and mater-of-factly. He was not surprised at all, considering he had suspected last night. "We are Bonded. You know that, don't you?" he asked her gently, watching her closely.

Cara's breath hitched a bit and she pursed her lips together. She set the cup down on the saucer, not wanting it to spill all over herself. "I feel like I known you for a long time." She confessed after a moment. "When I woke up this morning, I was both terrified and happy and honestly couldn't decide which one I was supposed to be." She looked at him and tucked her hair over her ear. "I think that depends on your take of it."

"I feel the same." Locien nodded, "When I woke up without you there, it was an empty feeling. There was a brief moment of panic, and then I realized you probably went to wash away the sick. It's strange. I know every Bond is different. Yet, the similarities between each Bond, such as sparks flying, heated desire, a feeling of loss when they aren't near...I don't feel those things. I feel what is usually described far later in the Bond process. A sense of comfort and companionship I don't feel with anyone else. Like we've known each other our whole lives. It's not an 'I found you' feeling, it's more of a 'welcome home' after a long time away."

"Is it bad that it makes me happy we have that?" Cara asked, clasping her hands in front of her chest, but looking pleased and content. Like Locien managed to settle off a huge burden off her shoulders that she wasn't aware that she was carrying. She let her hands down and started taking a bite of bread. "I don't know if...I can hold my own in a wave."

"Cara, you don't have to be alone anymore." Locien reached for her hand, just barely brushing his fingers with her, tentative, uncertain. As well as he felt he knew her, as comfortable as he was with her, he had no idea what to do or how to do it when it came to courting. He had seen others do it, Kayden and Esthelwen for example, but it was still an odd concept. "I want to take you back to the Palace with me tomorrow."

The light carcass was a bit of a shock, but that wasn't really the reason why Cara blinked at him in surprise. Instinct made her move her fingers against his as well, the tenderness of the touch was stabilizing. It shouldn't be a shock, really, of course he would go back to the palace. The mansion's location was too inconvenient for him to use as a home and as David's primary shadow, he had to be close to the Prince before he was King. It made her heart break. What about her mom? Her dad? Empty nesters they'd be and...she didn't think she'd come home to siblings. No. In fact she doubted that. "...How will you explain me?"

"How would you like me to? I'm not certain how people will react if I stated outright you were my Bond. You've been hidden away for so long, and I'm not...known for taking any interest in women. They would think I didn't even go to the Harpy Kingdom, and instead came to you. Wouldn't believe me for stating I was injured and you healed me. Two is unheard of, and it's by a miracle you even have three, and the Sight is rare all on it's own." Locien shook his head, "No...I should avoid all of that, and let the people get to know you as a new addition to the Palace. We can say that you were given the chance to explore life outside of your home, and if you liked it you could stay, and if not you would come back. We both know the later won't happen, but they won't."

Cara understood that. Far more than she wanted to. She grabbed his hand and held it in her own as gently as she could. She heard him breathe and she knew that she startled him with the sudden movement, but for some reason, she needed the comfort. "Don't tell the Council about my Sight. The people that are close to me are the ones that need to know." She begged softly to him. "But what about me staying in your rooms? They're going to question that. Unless..." She tapped her finger to her lips. "The rooms are adjoining? No, maybe that's too suspicious, to move you into one like that. David knows the castle like the back of his hand, I could see if a secret passageway works."

Cara sighed, letting go of his hand so she could continue to eat. "Not a moment into our courtship and we already have to pretend we're not. But at least we have the familiar Bond. That bids us time we normally wouldn't have."

"Things would have become more complicated." Locien agreed, and finally went back to his food, using an easy flash of his powers to re-heat it, "David will know by one glance, as will your Uncles. It's a start, and the rest will soon follow. I'm certain you will enjoy yourself, and...you will grow stronger. Sometimes those who have been isolated either crumble or they thrive, and even without me, I feel as though you will surprise everyone around you."

Cara smiled softly as he spoke. He was assured and confident about it. She didn't doubt that those closest would know just by seeing them. David most definitely would and undoubtedly tease the most. She thought about it. "Yule." She said simply and at his confused look she shook her head. "That one you'll have to wait for."

"I will trust your judgement, then." Locien nodded and smiled in return, content in this moment.

~*~

After breakfast they walked through the the archway and came across a narrow pool of water that had lilly-pads and some other types of water flowers blooming. At the very end of the pool was a tall basin fountain that had a carving of Persephone on every side of the fountain. On either side of the pool was three archways and three sakura trees, as well as a bench towards the head of the pool. “Most of our rituals are here in the fountain.” Cara admitted to Locien as he looked at it. “Mother does a tribute every full moon, and well…I just come here to read and enjoy listening to the fountain. Most of my praying and hoping happens in the sick bed.” She sat down on the edge of the pool and let her fingers glide over the water. “When I was little, I used to swim here. Now that I’m older, of course, that’ll just look hysterical. And wrong.”

"It's not all that deep, so most you'd be able to do is lay down in it." Locien chuckled and he looked at it with a contemplating expression, "We could at least dip our feet in it, can we not?"

Cara beamed and she took off her shoes and swung herself around. She hiked up her skirts and she pushed her legs out so that her calves would get wet as well. "Feels nice." She grinned. "Come on then, don't go back now. You're the one that suggested it."

Locien bent down and hauled his boots off, hopping up after rolling his pants to his knees and smiled back at her as he also placed his feet in the water. "It feels cool. It's nice on a hot day. So, what sorts of things can you do with your water?"

Cara hummed, tapping her finger to her lips. "I could dehydrate someone in an instant, or I could hydrate them if they're running out of steam. I could walk on the water and manipulate it if I felt like dancing. I could use it to heal, one of my emergency first aids. Anything not emergency I use herbs for. Blood was for dire things. Let me think...um...I could possibly make a portal. From here to the castle if there's a water source nearby. I'd need someone who has a good idea of where that source is, if I don't know. Never done it before, but it'd be fun to do. I could...also communicate with someone through the waters. That's sometimes how I get a hold of my Uncles. They'd write to me and tell me they're too busy, so I'd tell them I'd have my water basin nearby and they'd find a water source too. Usually somewhere inside the castle. I think Luther's lab, I remember seeing a bunch of glass."

"Yes, Luther's in one of the towers all the time. Best source of light, he says. Kayden is in a different tower, but sometimes they use each other's equipment. There's a moat around the castle, and also a small little pond like this is Kayden's garden hideaway. Besides that, there's a pond in the town." Locien explained after a moment of thought.

"Always likes being up high, those two." Cara sighed, rolling her eyes. "Dad says that they if they had a choice, they'd probably never come down from the highest perch they could find. No surprise they'd have their own towers, but all those water sources...it'd be fun to go to all of them. I suppose..." She looked at Locien curiously. "Tell me something about you."

"I'm from across the Oceans. My twin sister, Alannah, and I barely escaped the purge." Locien's face darkened a bit and he looked at the water, "I suppose if there was something dark about me, to go with your Sight, is that I house Erdolliel, the Darkness Dragon. She had come here a long time ago, at the start of the purge, and hibernated. I was injured severely, dying, and she saved me. I turned the tides of the War., and earned my surname."

"I heard rumors about you holding a Darkness Dragon." Cara admitted, she scooted closer to him, bumping her shoulder against his. "You became a hero at a price. People respect you, but they certainly fear you too."

"That's how it usually goes, isn't it?" Locien eyed her in a sideways glance, "Sometimes the hero of the story doesn't always come out on top. Has to sacrifice or lose something precious to save his friends or his people. Do you like those kinds of stories?"

"They're the ones that make me the saddest." Cara pushed her hair out of her face, and let her hand come down slowly as she thought about how she wanted to word it. "They disappear so quickly from people's minds, after the battle's said and done with. Like everything you ever done was just...nothing to them. It hurts. I always hate that in stories, where the hero turns into nothing but a person. Everything done, every accomplishment, it's not even to their name anymore. Of course, that being said, it's a bitter sweet type of sadness too. At least they don't have to be hung in the shadows. At least they're not put up as gods and are always asked whether or not they're doing the right thing. But...sometimes it's nice to have that pedestal. To at least tell people to stop. To tell people that what they're doing /is/ wrong and that's certainly not the fight you fought for."

Locien hummed thoughtfully and tilted his head, "I have mixed feelings about the fact you've read so many books. On one side, I feel as though there are going to be several misunderstandings and you'll be upset to learn some things you thought were true weren't, things like that. On the other hand, I also appreciate it, because you will have a different outlook on life than others do. It's one reason why I like Kayden's bookworm side. He thinks differently and that helps in a lot of situations. Every so often, there's even a situation that has come up in a book, and he is able to stop a fight or small disaster before it starts."

"What in particular do you think that I'd learn that isn't true?" Cara asked, titling her head curiously.

Locien grimaced, "A lot of things, really. You might mistake danger for adventure. Instead of taking things slow, easing into life away from here, around so many people with many different personalities, you'll go beyond yourself. Some people are together even though they aren't Bonded. There are tragedies and arrange marriages and not all of it has a happy ending. Wild secret loves in the moonlight when they aren't allowed or too young isn't a romantic notion. Things are peaceful, but beyond the curtains is darkness. The Council is a thorn in everyone's side, for example. Bar fights are brutal. I'm not trying to scare you, or tell you the world is too dark to handle. In fact, a lot of us /are/ happy. Mannerisms are different, and what you think is okay might be rude. Or you might take something rudely that was meant to be teasing. I'm not too worried about the later, since David has a fowl mouth, but it's a possibility. Everyone's humor is different."

"Are you sure you're okay taking me with you?" Cara asked, a little smile on her face. She knew that he wasn't amused at all, but she had to find the humor in it. "I know about the Council too." Her smile faded. "I wouldn't doubt that the minute I step foot on the Courtyard, they're going to demand me for answers as to why I even bothered to show up." She leaned back against her hands. "I'm not going to get involved with bar fights, I can't /drink/ anyway. That being said though, I'll keep that in mind if I have to patch up David and his friend if I ever meet him. Hades' knows what they do in their spare time."

Locien snorted, but he chuckled as well just a little bit, "True enough. I am sorry for the long tyrade I just...want you to be aware, and watch your back. I will help you along as well as I am able, as will everyone else. A lot of it will be your own judgement, however. I will also make sure to have any servants tell me if you're having a fit during the night. Everyone here already knows what to do, but besides my own guard, I don't think any of them would be able to handle the situation properly."

Oh. Cara winced a little and looked away from him, biting her lower lip. That's right. "No, you're fine with your worry. I'm pretty sheltered save for what I know from the conversations I have with my Uncles and David. David likes to rant to me a lot, so...I know some things I'm not supposed to politically." She kicked the water. "So I think I'm both at a very bad disadvantage and a very good one depending on how I'm used at the Palace. That being said though...I...don't think it's a good idea to let your servants know about me." At his frown she shook her head from side to side. "Why would you care about a Fundir Noble? You're guarding David. You can't guard two people that's insane. David knows my illness, I'm certain he'll have someone watch over me and listen for a bell or something. But if we're going to play the game of strangers on a chance meeting, you can't know I'm hurting."

Locien closed his eyes and took a deep breath. That was right. They had just talked about this earlier, as well. "I will have to put my trust in David, then. I'm interested to hear what he will say about you joining us. Tomorrow is so close yet seems so far away. I have never really been this anxious before about something. It is neither bad nor good, just a nervous middle."

Cara just bowed her head, bringing her legs up. Her skirts fell a little into the water at the moment, but she didn't mind. She took a breath and she leaned forward, wrapping her knees with her arms and letting one hang, her fingers brushing the water. She let out a soft breath. "I'm anxious too, but it's mostly sad. A sad, terrifying anxious. It's alright. I'll be alright." She smiled at him, though it didn't reach her eyes. "But I hope you don't mind me taking a page out of your book and am skeptical about hiding. We have time to bide, our Bond's familiar and not a heated passion. We have advantages, but we have so many disadvantages too. Small stolen moments, will those be enough in the long run? I wonder how long it'll take for one of us to get tired, for one of us to throw caution. I'm probably jinxing it, I'm sorry."

"You said by Yuletime. I'm sure we'll be alright." Locien reached out and brushed his fingers across her cheek, "You wouldn't have been chosen by Fate to be my Bond if you couldn't handle this, if you weren't strong. I'm sure I'm your Bond for a reason, too. We will just have to burn those bridges when we get there. I don't look back, and I don't hold regrets. Whatever happens, happens, Cara. I'll be with you."

"As long as you're with me, I'll take faith." Cara said, leaning into the touch. It wasn't a type of spark, but a warmth. It wasn't a touch that indicated anything, but a touch of comfort, exactly as he intended. "I'm with you too, Rámalóce roquen. And no, I'm not telling you what that means yet." Her eyes sparked mischief. "But you will, when you find one for me."
~+~

"So...have you decided, then?" Addylyn asked as they sat down in the main room. It was after dinner, and they were all relaxing before bed. Cara had come to her and asked if they could talk, so now here they were.

Cara nodded her head, her hands clasped in her lap. She knew that this was going to hurt her mom. She knew that her mom was going to worry endlessly, and letters would be so frequent, David would just be laughing. "I'm going to leave the Mansion." She said, bracing herself for her mother's reaction. "I know the hardships that are going to come with being with Locien in the castle. I'm probably not even prepared as I'd like to pretend that I am for it either. But I can't tell him goodbye. I can't force him to stay here. He wouldn't thrive."

Tears sprung to Addylyn's eyes and she sniffed, nodding. "I understand. I know...even staying here for a few more days to pack up your paints and things would be strenuous if he went on without you. With your condition, you would be in danger health-wise besides the spiritual drain. I do not want that. I will have servants pack up things for you and bring them to you by the end of the week. Pack what you need in a single trunk that can fit in the carriage, and the rest will make it's way over."

Cara watched her mother tear up and she felt her own start to fall. She leaned over and hugged her mother tightly, holding her. "I'm going to miss you." Her voice cracked, "I'm gonna miss you so much. I'll write. I'll visit. I'm going to be okay."

Addy sniffed and leaned over to hug her daughter back fiercely. "I love you so much. I'm so scared, but I know...I know you are, too. You are much braver than I ever was, Cara. I should have let you be free a long time ago. I'm so, so sorry."

Cara pulled away and brushed her mother's face, whining a little in the back of her throat. Tears fell freely and it broke her heart to her hear mother apologize. "I'm /sick/. You did everything you could to protect me. Mom don't apologize. Please don't. I love you too. You didn't do anything wrong."

Gideon watched this from the sidelines, and looked over at Locien who was shifting a little uncomfortably with the tears. "I should have warned you about the crying." He said softly, "Once they get started, it'll take a bit. A bunch of apologies, some not even making sense."

"It seems at least they have an understanding." Locien responded carefully, "Shall we find her a trunk she can pack some of her things in like Addy said?"

"Come with me, I have a small case that I sometimes used back when I was going to and fro the castle." Gideon said, gesturing to Locien and letting the girls have their tears on the couch. "I'm glad that Cara decided to go with you. I can't imagine how you would take, trying to juggle between life here and life over in the Castle. You're not that type of person."

"No, and Cara wouldn't survive without me. Friends in the Soul, but the Bond is still fresh and trying to lock. I want her to be healthy enough one day with my strength feeding her and helping her, but today is not that day. Your daughter will be different each time you see her, I'm certain of it. Still so young, still just a child, but I will help her grow."

Gideon barked a laugh and he looked at Locien with a glint in his eyes. "I'm certain of it, too. In more ways than one." At Locien's light blush which lit his scales pink he patted the man on the back. "No, I don't expect grandchildren so don't you fret. But I don't doubt you'd be her best friend and loyal lover." He shook his head from side to side. He got to one of the rooms and he found a trunk that they could use to help pack Cara's stuff. "I know that you were worried about your talk with her. You seem a bit calmer, so I'm glad things went smooth on your end."

"We talked about a few things through the day, trying to get to know each other and the like. I told her about myself and Alannah. I also told her not to /tell/ Alannah about her Sight, because of Dustin and Zephyr." Locien explained, "I trust the lot of them with my life, but they are an Assassin's Guild. Loyal to David, but information could still be passed around."

Gideon shook his again, "It is dangerous for her to have so many gifts. People may wonder if David called her to his side to be a new bride or for another reason entirely. I don't doubt David would stop that though. That man always has a plan, though sometimes it's not the ones that are well thought out." He opened Cara's room and he set the suitcase down on her bed and for a moment stilled. "It just suddenly hit me that I am letting my daughter go." He laughed a little weakly, "How funny that is, we talked about it so much, but now that I'm about to put her things away, I feel like she is dead. Not dead of course. She'll be with you. I guess my mate's heartbreak is affecting me more than I realized. You'll get used to that yourself."

Locien's face softened in understanding. "That is more than alright. I am sure you two will comfort each other tonight and after we leave. At least Addy has you. I do wish you two could have had more. You were good parents to Cara, from everything I have heard. Of course...it's always the ones that want more that they can't. I don't mean to bring up hard feelings...gah...just, tell me where her clothes are before I dig my own grave, Gideon." He never was good with conversation like this, and he growled a little under his breath, huffing and folding his arms.

Gideon laughed and he pointed over at a wardrobe. "I understand what you're saying." He said with a smirk. "It was probably a good thing that we couldn't. Our time is so eaten up with Cara, well...we'd just neglect the poor soul. Though I suppose, I do wish that you would experience that joy...but I know that Cara will be enough for you as well. She seems to always be enough."

Maybe, when she was much stronger like he knew she could be. No matte what, it would always be a danger, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. As he told her, they'd burn the bridge when they came to it. He nodded to Gideon, and didn't say anything more, just went to get Cara's clothes while Gideon bustled around picking up special treasures Cara might miss until she got her carriage full of personal things. "I saw a second trunk in her art room. Would two fit in a carriage? I am aware that artists are picky about supplies and if they have something liked and well used they don't tend to stray and get something new."

"Cara usually makes her own paints, but she's picky about when she does that." Gideon agreed after closing the trunk that they were working on. "She's peculiar about her brushes most of all since Luther was the one that gave them to her as a present. Won't paint with anything else but those. I believe that her paints are probably still fresh, so we should pack those. Have you been to her artist room, then?"

"I have. She was working on a painting, something new. She doesn't even know what it was supposed to be. Something tells me she does that a lot? Paints while she thinks?" Locien asked curiously with a small tilt of his head.

Gideon laughed, "Yes. It's a common occurrence for her to be sketching or painting while she thinks about something. Very rarely does she just...wake up with a painting in mind or a drawing that's specific...though when that happens, it's usually something far, far into the future she's afraid to forget. Other times, it's when something broke or touched her heart in a way that no one could. But thinking while painting? Plenty. You can always tell what mood she was thinking in when you see the final product."

"I hope the painting she is working on is nothing too terrible, considering we didn't /quite/ meet with sunshine and roses. I guess I'll have to find out, huh? That painting's definitely coming with, then. I don't know how big your carriages are, but if we wait too long then it might be too dry to work with." Locien nodded mostly to himself.

Gideon nodded and he gestured Locien to follow him towards the artist room. With the night, it was easy to see why Cara would chose this room. Natural light was best here during the day, but if she was in the mood for something else entirely, a few candles worked wonders and created just enough shadows and light for her to work in. Her paintings ranged from huge canvas to short small ones and they were stacked neatly against the wall. "Cara's only request is to never look at a work unfinished." Gideon explained to Locien as he started picking through the canvases. "Rarely do we come up here unless Cara forces us to look at her new masterpiece anyway. We feel like this is her way of journaling, without the journal...ah here." He drew out a picture and he handed it to Locien. "Looks like you, underneath a tree, doesn't it? She probably forgot she even painted this...it was a few years ago. Back when her heart was giving out more and more, we thought she wouldn't survive the winter. But when she had strength, she painted that."

Locien stared at the painting. He was in disbelief, certainly. "It's...so detailed..." he said slowly, blinking back to reality. So this was how she saw him? Then just what could she be painting now? He looked over at the mostly blank canvas on her easel, just splotches of purple  nd blue right now and a few other colors. It hadn't taken any sort of shape yet. "I'm highly curious now."

()

Cara was plastered against the window, drinking in the forest and the village as it rolled past the carriage. The horses thumped with good rhythm and even though the space was crowded, she was quite thankful that Locien let her near the window for her to see this. The village was gorgeous, with more buildings than she ever dreamed of seeing in real life. She liked how the different buildings were shaped, and showed personality. There was a bakery that had nothing but windows, a wide open door and a good line. There was a bookstore that had a hanging sign that was old and worn. There was a  two story building that said something about an Inn...and it wasn't just the buildings. There were people. People of all colors and hair styles and sizes. She could see sunshine yellows, wine reds, bright crimsons, beautiful lavenders, cool pastel blues. There was so much /color/ and life it made Cara wish that she could jump out of the carriage to talk to /one/ or even /three/ of these people. To know their names, to know their lives.

Locien watched her with a small smile on his face. She had read most of the ride over, or slept. There was some conversation scattered throughout when she would giggle or yell at her book, forgetting he was there and he asked what was going on. It was amusing, and interesting, hearing her get so passionate and her shy, embarrassed blush made her cheeks glow. Right now she was glowing in a completely different way. "There's so much more in the city. Yet, if that is /too/ much then you could come here. The Town Square has something special in it."

"Something special?" Cara unglued herself from the window to blink owlishly at him. He looked highly amused and she knew she was acting like a little kid. "Wait. I can...I can come here? You mean...I don't have to stay at the castle?"

"You're not a prisoner, but please at least have someone with you so you don't get lost. Anyone from the Guild would be better to show you the village, or Kayden. Kayden goes to the Town Square to take care of it. Luther tends to go to the Graveyard to find Wolfsbane and other herbs, or the forests around the village, but he prefers either the forest or the city. I'm not too sure after all these years why he avoids it like the plague except for festivals." Locien shrugged.

Cara blinked and she turned back to the village. She was allowed outside. With someone with her, of course, that was understandable. Getting lost and confused wasn't the best way to start off, though her heart could cause a problem too. But she was allowed...out. Allowed further out than she ever was before. Just knowing that she could actually explore that village terrified her, excited her, and made her anxious as hell to try. But that would be saved for another day. "I'll take Uncle Kayden with me. I'm sure he'll be a better guide than Uncle Luther." She decided. "Of course, Aunt Estelwen will probably want to take me out and about too. She never had a chance before."

"She will no doubt take you shopping." Locien actually laughed at that, "She goes anywhere and everywhere, honestly. It all depends on her mood. She is an explorer, after all."

"I have heard stories about her travels and her explorations." Cara turned to Locien. "Is it true that she's the only Phoenix in existence to not have an element? Or at least, not one that's visible?"

"Estel is guessed to be Light, because of her coloring, and names, but it is true she has never transformed." Locien shrugged, "She is also the only one who dresses oddly. At least with two women from the Guild, it's easy to say they dress like men. I don't like using the word harlot to describe her, but that's what many others have said. Kayden gets way more offended on her behalf than Luther does. The three are on the fence, but I believe the true Bond is between her and Kayden."

"I wouldn't doubt it from the way Uncle Kayden talks about her," Cara said, leaning back against her seat. "I don't think she's light, but I don't know either. I knew she never transformed, but I wasn't certain if she was just hiding it out of shame, or if she just...didn't have one. It's rare for a Phoenix not to be able to tap into their element. I have too many as is to tap /in/ to, so I suppose that's a good reason for us to be compatible."

"It's also high speculation that she's just dormant. She didn't fight in the War, so she had no need to sharpen any powers, just her blade as a Mercenary. It's also a time for Peace. I know I haven't transformed since then, myself." Locien agreed to a point. Estelwen was special, no matter what. So was Cara, and it was good the two got along.

~*~

The castle was...huge. It was about three stories high with lookouts on each corner of the castle. Before the castle was a huge wall that surrounded it, with a walk on top. Guards were walking with spears in their hands and arrows and quivers strapped to their backs. The horses stopped where they were at an one of the footguards opened the door.

"Sir Morohtar." The guard greeted, though there was disdain in his voice. Cara wasn't too thrilled about it, but the guard brightened considerably when Cara slipped out of the carriage. "Whose the guest?"

Cara was about to open her mouth to respond when she felt something knock her down to the ground. "David!" She scolded as the phoenix rolled off of her laughing, scratching his cheek sheepishly even though they both knew it was an act. "What the hell!"

"I saw your carriage coming and I couldn't help it." David laughed as he got up. "At ease, she's a friend of mine." He turned to her. "It's a good thing you're here. I'm about to go up the damn wall."

"Well, we certainly don't want that." Cara's lips were pressed as she tried to hide her exasperation and amusement. She looked over at where Locien went, which was to help the guard with the luggage. "I can help."

"Aw, let them do their thing." David swung his arm over her shoulder. "Locien, come join us." He told the Captain. "Let your lackey's do everything."

"Hey! Who are you calling a lackey?" called one of them which made David laugh and Cara smile. They didn't bother to respond with any type of comeback, instead, David forcefully walked her across the grounds, knowing Locien was going to come and join. "Everyone's on high strings now that you're back home. The Council's going to want to know what the fuck took you so long to get here. Granted Nami sent a letter and told us enough. Injured on your back home and what not, the Council's thinking that you got attacked by the Harpies and that the treaty's null and void. Which is causing a panic."

"What's Kayden's stance on all of it?" Cara questioned.

David shrugged, "What for Locien. Though he thinks that it's different. You know how suspicious he gets. Speaking of suspicious, I gotta send you over to them. They're gonna flip you're here."