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I'll be posting my story here as well!  If you're interested in it, please feel free to follow my other account: ManuWrites

Thank you if you take the time to read it!

Previous Chapter:
Next Chapter:

All Chapters HERE.

CHAPTER 58: RETURN

                “No one’s bleeding.” Aldous finally steadied his breath, “So I’ll think of our creepy forest incursion as a success.”
                “I warned you.” Licorice turned east; the Whispering Woods were no longer within the range of human eyesight, but her link to it dispersed any distance. “Even so, I didn’t expect Terra to be so deranged. Getting personally offended is unbecoming for an ancient demon that’s supposed to oversee this island… She’s past her time. We’ll have to take her place soon.”
                “Soon?” Bayard echoed with concern.
                “In a couple hundred years, by my estimate.”
                “Oh.” Malia was the only one to react out loud, but all the humans in the party shared the same restrained surprise. They would all be long gone in a couple hundred years. Soon.
                As the gallop of their horses steered them clear of the primordial forest, everyone but the twins realized they had no recollection of the path to the Whispering Woods, even though they had traversed it mere hours prior. The rejection of the antique refuge went as far as to chase away memories of the route toward it, lest the undesirables return and threaten its safety.
                With the experience of the long journey south still fresh in their minds, the travel to the Green Mountain seemed nearly short from there.                            The headquarters of the rebellion were almost too lively for Malia: the enthusiastic greeting of its members was an excited dissonance of questions, salutations, shoulder pats and tales. The princess could make out some of the thrilled accounts of young men proud of the progress they had made in their study of magic and immortal culture, but even then she was at a loss on how to reply beyond smiles and nods of approval. Conversely, Gorken, Aldous and Bayard were in their element, clearly happy to reunite with their peers.
                Malia followed Hedera’s and Licorice’s example to quietly sneak out of the vigorous gathering, eager to reconvene with her friend. She wasn’t at all shocked to find Lyra hard at work in Rose’s study, helping the robust woman with the myriad tasks she had to keep up with daily.
                “Now this is a pleasant surprise!” Rose exclaimed when she saw her.
                “Princess!” Lyra’s golden curls bounced, “Allow me to-”
                Malia terminated Lyra’s attempt at a polite greeting with a loving hug. Embracing Lyra was always a pleasant experience: she was short, soft and her hair consistently smelled like flowers. It was bewildering how she had kept that last quality while living at headquarters.
                “Did you go through with your plan of heading south?” Rose ruffled Malia’s hair, “I’ve never gone far enough to see the southern castle, but I’ve heard plenty about Eirian artistry.”
                “We did. Gorken must be telling everyone about it this very moment. Which reminds me.” Malia put down her bag, “They let me keep my coming of age gown, so this is for you. I’m sure you’ll find a better use for it than me. Though I’ll say nothing there was more comfortable than the clothes you made for me.”
                Rose held the shimmering cloth as she would the most precious of jewels, “Are you trying to seduce me, dear? Because it’s working.” Malia couldn’t have dodged the large woman’s stifling affection even if she had wanted to, so she resigned to her fate of being pressed against Rose’s abundant bosom. “What even is this fabric?” the older woman returned to her desk, mumbling to herself in an elated frenzy as she prepared to thoroughly examine the silvery dress. “Lyra, sweetie, take the rest of the day off. I’m sure you two have some catching up to do.”
                “Yes.” Malia rejoiced, “You can join me for a bath. I smell like my mare.”
                “It’ll be my pleasure.” The handmaiden looked delighted.

                “How do you like it here?” the water welcomed Malia warmly, cleansing her of any and all dirt and soothing her muscles, “Are your lessons going well?”
                “The rebellion has been remarkably welcoming.” The blonde put her hair in a bun before entering the bath, “Mister Gorken laid the groundwork, of course, but Rose has been helpful in all the best ways, and most of the members have been receptive and earnestly hungry to learn. I couldn’t ask for more!”
                “It is hard to resist your charm.” Malia chuckled.
                “Well, the Council of Elders certainly can resist it. There were also a couple of… hostile men at first. But Amsel and Petros have been keeping me safe. They’re quite gallant.”
                “…Gallant?” Malia smirked.
                “I shall not fall for juvenile teasing, princess.” Lyra kept her chin high, “Besides… mingling with humans is part of my duty here.”
                “Hey, I didn’t say anything.” Malia couldn’t tell if the pink in Lyra’s cheeks was only from the hot water, “Though I would like to have a talk with those ‘hostile men’.”
                “Oh, that won’t be necessary. Petros and Amsel already had a… talk with them. Now it’s your turn, princess. I want details of your recent travels!”
                Malia obliged, relating to her handmaiden all that came to mind from her stay at the Eirian palace to her fresh ordeal in the Whispering Woods. Lyra had always been a great listener, of the kind that asked the best questions at the appropriate moments to keep the story going smoothly; she was satisfied to hear of Malia’s coming of age answer, flustered to hear of her confession to Gorken, and intrigued by the story of archaic woodlands inhabited by demons.
                “I’ll make sure to transcribe all of this later. It’s easier to put ink to paper when the tales are fresh, after all.” Lyra tucked a damp curl behind her ear, “I wonder… there seems to be a pattern with ancient demons, doesn’t it? If you met with Earth, Fire and Air… wouldn’t it make sense for there to be an ancient demon of water?”
                “…That does make sense.”
                “We were lucky Aqua didn’t show up!” Hedera’s voice startled both the princess and the handmaiden, “Her mood is more volatile than vapor and more rigid than ice. You can’t hold a conversation with her, probably because her vast presence around the pla-” Hedera stopped herself, remembering humans weren’t aware of the concept of a planet, “Her vast presence in the realm makes it hard for her to maintain an individual consciousness.”
                “Where were you?” Malia neglected the explanation, “You disappeared as soon as we entered headquarters.”
                “We merged with the earth.” Licorice replied in Hedera’s place, “I have no desire to interact with a human crowd.”
                “…And I didn’t want Rose to see us.” Hedera added in a tiny voice, “She was so happy to receive us when we were in our child form… she’ll be disappointed now that we look grown up.”
                Malia gestured at the twins to join them in the pool, “Don’t you worry about that. I’m no child and she’s really sweet to me too.”
                “But you are a child.” Hedera dipped her feet in the water.
                “Give me back my encouraging words then.” Malia narrowed her eyes.
                “No, they’re mine now.” The demon pouted jokingly.
                “Lady Hedera, Lady Licorice,” Lyra stood up after a few moments had come and gone, “I’m very interested in talking with you and preserving any knowledge you can share… But I’m also weak to the temperature of this hot spring, and familiar with the consequences of spending too long in the hot water. Would you care to join me for a word after we get dressed?”
                Licorice nodded, “I admire humans who insist on safekeeping knowledge despite the oblivious condition of their species. I’ll be glad to share as much as I’m allowed to.”
                “And I like talking!” Hedera grinned.
                “You guys go ahead then.” Malia leaned against the rocky wall, “I’ll stay a bit longer. I love long baths.”
                “Princess,” Lyra used the reprimanding inflection Malia was more than acquainted with, “overindulgence quickly becomes unseemly.”
                “I know, I know. I’ll be with you in five minutes, I promise.”
                Once her three friends were outside, Malia relaxed deeper into the water. She took a profound, noisy breath, filling her chest with as much crisp air as it could hold. She never got tired of marveling at how fresh the air was at headquarters, despite it essentially being a labyrinthine cavern.
                “Did you know there’s no light inside your lungs? It’s pitch black in there.”
                Malia stood up in alarm, frightened by the abrupt voice and most of all by its apparent lack of an owner. When the water was done dripping off her body, she exhaled and placated her panic, “…Vayu?”
                “Yes!” the thin whisper reveled, “I knew you’d be able to hear me! You have no idea how sad it is for humans to never listen to any of my quips. Now I know those who’ve been to the woods are different!”
                “What are you doing here?”
                “That’s a dumb one. Do you ask the earth beneath your feet why it’s there?” the words breezed past Malia, “On second thought, maybe not that dumb. Plans are boring, but promises are fun! And some time ago I promised the guardians I’d keep their home habitable, so I do play around these tunnels often. More often than I would otherwise, anyway.”
                “So you made a promise to the Guardian clan, when this was still their stronghold?”
                Malia’s question remained unanswered; Vayu’s intangible presence faded as swiftly and randomly as it had manifested, leaving behind a perplexing emptiness.
                Time for me to go. Malia grabbed her towel, overly keen on joining Lyra and the twins and on leaving behind the ghostly encounter. She was somewhat mortified to think that, from then on, she would have to justify needing partners to take baths with her at headquarters. She could perfectly picture the tone and pitch of Aldous’ incoming mockery of her fears, and strangely, she didn’t care all that much.

Description

I'll be posting my story here as well!  If you're interested in it, please feel free to follow my other account: ManuWrites

Thank you if you take the time to read it!

Previous Chapter:
Next Chapter:

All Chapters HERE.

CHAPTER 58: RETURN

                “No one’s bleeding.” Aldous finally steadied his breath, “So I’ll think of our creepy forest incursion as a success.”
                “I warned you.” Licorice turned east; the Whispering Woods were no longer within the range of human eyesight, but her link to it dispersed any distance. “Even so, I didn’t expect Terra to be so deranged. Getting personally offended is unbecoming for an ancient demon that’s supposed to oversee this island… She’s past her time. We’ll have to take her place soon.”
                “Soon?” Bayard echoed with concern.
                “In a couple hundred years, by my estimate.”
                “Oh.” Malia was the only one to react out loud, but all the humans in the party shared the same restrained surprise. They would all be long gone in a couple hundred years. Soon.
                As the gallop of their horses steered them clear of the primordial forest, everyone but the twins realized they had no recollection of the path to the Whispering Woods, even though they had traversed it mere hours prior. The rejection of the antique refuge went as far as to chase away memories of the route toward it, lest the undesirables return and threaten its safety.
                With the experience of the long journey south still fresh in their minds, the travel to the Green Mountain seemed nearly short from there.                            The headquarters of the rebellion were almost too lively for Malia: the enthusiastic greeting of its members was an excited dissonance of questions, salutations, shoulder pats and tales. The princess could make out some of the thrilled accounts of young men proud of the progress they had made in their study of magic and immortal culture, but even then she was at a loss on how to reply beyond smiles and nods of approval. Conversely, Gorken, Aldous and Bayard were in their element, clearly happy to reunite with their peers.
                Malia followed Hedera’s and Licorice’s example to quietly sneak out of the vigorous gathering, eager to reconvene with her friend. She wasn’t at all shocked to find Lyra hard at work in Rose’s study, helping the robust woman with the myriad tasks she had to keep up with daily.
                “Now this is a pleasant surprise!” Rose exclaimed when she saw her.
                “Princess!” Lyra’s golden curls bounced, “Allow me to-”
                Malia terminated Lyra’s attempt at a polite greeting with a loving hug. Embracing Lyra was always a pleasant experience: she was short, soft and her hair consistently smelled like flowers. It was bewildering how she had kept that last quality while living at headquarters.
                “Did you go through with your plan of heading south?” Rose ruffled Malia’s hair, “I’ve never gone far enough to see the southern castle, but I’ve heard plenty about Eirian artistry.”
                “We did. Gorken must be telling everyone about it this very moment. Which reminds me.” Malia put down her bag, “They let me keep my coming of age gown, so this is for you. I’m sure you’ll find a better use for it than me. Though I’ll say nothing there was more comfortable than the clothes you made for me.”
                Rose held the shimmering cloth as she would the most precious of jewels, “Are you trying to seduce me, dear? Because it’s working.” Malia couldn’t have dodged the large woman’s stifling affection even if she had wanted to, so she resigned to her fate of being pressed against Rose’s abundant bosom. “What even is this fabric?” the older woman returned to her desk, mumbling to herself in an elated frenzy as she prepared to thoroughly examine the silvery dress. “Lyra, sweetie, take the rest of the day off. I’m sure you two have some catching up to do.”
                “Yes.” Malia rejoiced, “You can join me for a bath. I smell like my mare.”
                “It’ll be my pleasure.” The handmaiden looked delighted.

                “How do you like it here?” the water welcomed Malia warmly, cleansing her of any and all dirt and soothing her muscles, “Are your lessons going well?”
                “The rebellion has been remarkably welcoming.” The blonde put her hair in a bun before entering the bath, “Mister Gorken laid the groundwork, of course, but Rose has been helpful in all the best ways, and most of the members have been receptive and earnestly hungry to learn. I couldn’t ask for more!”
                “It is hard to resist your charm.” Malia chuckled.
                “Well, the Council of Elders certainly can resist it. There were also a couple of… hostile men at first. But Amsel and Petros have been keeping me safe. They’re quite gallant.”
                “…Gallant?” Malia smirked.
                “I shall not fall for juvenile teasing, princess.” Lyra kept her chin high, “Besides… mingling with humans is part of my duty here.”
                “Hey, I didn’t say anything.” Malia couldn’t tell if the pink in Lyra’s cheeks was only from the hot water, “Though I would like to have a talk with those ‘hostile men’.”
                “Oh, that won’t be necessary. Petros and Amsel already had a… talk with them. Now it’s your turn, princess. I want details of your recent travels!”
                Malia obliged, relating to her handmaiden all that came to mind from her stay at the Eirian palace to her fresh ordeal in the Whispering Woods. Lyra had always been a great listener, of the kind that asked the best questions at the appropriate moments to keep the story going smoothly; she was satisfied to hear of Malia’s coming of age answer, flustered to hear of her confession to Gorken, and intrigued by the story of archaic woodlands inhabited by demons.
                “I’ll make sure to transcribe all of this later. It’s easier to put ink to paper when the tales are fresh, after all.” Lyra tucked a damp curl behind her ear, “I wonder… there seems to be a pattern with ancient demons, doesn’t it? If you met with Earth, Fire and Air… wouldn’t it make sense for there to be an ancient demon of water?”
                “…That does make sense.”
                “We were lucky Aqua didn’t show up!” Hedera’s voice startled both the princess and the handmaiden, “Her mood is more volatile than vapor and more rigid than ice. You can’t hold a conversation with her, probably because her vast presence around the pla-” Hedera stopped herself, remembering humans weren’t aware of the concept of a planet, “Her vast presence in the realm makes it hard for her to maintain an individual consciousness.”
                “Where were you?” Malia neglected the explanation, “You disappeared as soon as we entered headquarters.”
                “We merged with the earth.” Licorice replied in Hedera’s place, “I have no desire to interact with a human crowd.”
                “…And I didn’t want Rose to see us.” Hedera added in a tiny voice, “She was so happy to receive us when we were in our child form… she’ll be disappointed now that we look grown up.”
                Malia gestured at the twins to join them in the pool, “Don’t you worry about that. I’m no child and she’s really sweet to me too.”
                “But you are a child.” Hedera dipped her feet in the water.
                “Give me back my encouraging words then.” Malia narrowed her eyes.
                “No, they’re mine now.” The demon pouted jokingly.
                “Lady Hedera, Lady Licorice,” Lyra stood up after a few moments had come and gone, “I’m very interested in talking with you and preserving any knowledge you can share… But I’m also weak to the temperature of this hot spring, and familiar with the consequences of spending too long in the hot water. Would you care to join me for a word after we get dressed?”
                Licorice nodded, “I admire humans who insist on safekeeping knowledge despite the oblivious condition of their species. I’ll be glad to share as much as I’m allowed to.”
                “And I like talking!” Hedera grinned.
                “You guys go ahead then.” Malia leaned against the rocky wall, “I’ll stay a bit longer. I love long baths.”
                “Princess,” Lyra used the reprimanding inflection Malia was more than acquainted with, “overindulgence quickly becomes unseemly.”
                “I know, I know. I’ll be with you in five minutes, I promise.”
                Once her three friends were outside, Malia relaxed deeper into the water. She took a profound, noisy breath, filling her chest with as much crisp air as it could hold. She never got tired of marveling at how fresh the air was at headquarters, despite it essentially being a labyrinthine cavern.
                “Did you know there’s no light inside your lungs? It’s pitch black in there.”
                Malia stood up in alarm, frightened by the abrupt voice and most of all by its apparent lack of an owner. When the water was done dripping off her body, she exhaled and placated her panic, “…Vayu?”
                “Yes!” the thin whisper reveled, “I knew you’d be able to hear me! You have no idea how sad it is for humans to never listen to any of my quips. Now I know those who’ve been to the woods are different!”
                “What are you doing here?”
                “That’s a dumb one. Do you ask the earth beneath your feet why it’s there?” the words breezed past Malia, “On second thought, maybe not that dumb. Plans are boring, but promises are fun! And some time ago I promised the guardians I’d keep their home habitable, so I do play around these tunnels often. More often than I would otherwise, anyway.”
                “So you made a promise to the Guardian clan, when this was still their stronghold?”
                Malia’s question remained unanswered; Vayu’s intangible presence faded as swiftly and randomly as it had manifested, leaving behind a perplexing emptiness.
                Time for me to go. Malia grabbed her towel, overly keen on joining Lyra and the twins and on leaving behind the ghostly encounter. She was somewhat mortified to think that, from then on, she would have to justify needing partners to take baths with her at headquarters. She could perfectly picture the tone and pitch of Aldous’ incoming mockery of her fears, and strangely, she didn’t care all that much.