River

River was sitting on the porch with a mug of chamomile tea and her wooden pipe, comfortably smoking and waiting in her rocking chair. The sun was setting slowly, and it would be dark for the next four hours once it dipped below the horizon. The porch light would flicker to life any moment now. To the west of the house was her neighbor’s pasture, a few speckled horses grazing across it. Directly in front of her cabin was the slidebuggy path, overgrown with wildflowers from disuse. To the east, her garden, sprawling and self-sufficient.

How long had it been since she’d had students? When she had taken Alo in, taking on new students was out of the question. And they had been a handful–still were, so she’d hardly missed teaching. Truthfully, she had been fully prepared to retire around that time regardless.

That had been nearly twenty years ago now, coming up on the nineteenth year. She hadn’t expected to ever take on new students again. But King Alder was a demanding one, and she believed Clover deserved an explanation after sending such a heartfelt letter, even if the girl didn’t stay to train with her in the end.

Both Aspen and Clover were due to arrive either today or tomorrow. She expected that Clover would come later than Aspen, considering she would be taking public transport; if Aspen arrived now, both he and the guards who would be accompanying him would likely want to go to bed upon arrival. She’d prepared the rooms two weeks ago. Even when she had accepted students, she only ever took on two at a time, so she hoped they would be comfortable sharing rooms. Alo had been agreeable about taking the attic.

She hadn’t expected them to arrive together.

If she was being honest with herself, Alo being perched on the top of the slidebuggy was somewhat expected, though she wasn’t happy about it. She’d told them if they felt the need to check on either of her student’s trips here to not be seen. Evidently they just couldn’t help themself.

She also didn’t expect to see blood all over their forehead and nose. It was evident they’d made an attempt to wipe it away, given how it was smeared and speckled with dirt. In all of their years of checking on Aspen, they’d never been caught or injured. They offered her a sheepish wave, and she sighed, slowly standing from her chair and setting her mug on the table beside her.

Before the slidebuggy was fully stopped, they hopped off of it and landed in front of her. Their clothes were damp, as if it had been raining further out and they hadn’t bothered to dry off at all.

“I’m sorry, I got really excited and I wanted to properly meet Sol’s favorite, and I–”

“Inside. Clean up and stay in your room, unless you think you have a concussion,” she said, not willing to hear excuses right now. They bobbed their head and flew up to the attic window. Even when they were sulking, their refusal to use the front door amused River. If they could still fly around like that they were fine.

The guard who had been driving got out and walked to her, not moving to unlock the slidebuggy for his passengers. He was built, as a guard should be, but his fairer skin and long, light brown braid indicated Eventidian roots, or even Lacus Marian–though his clothes were more earth-toned and plain than what she would have expected from a Lacus Marian.

“River?” His thick accent, rolling hard syllables and surprisingly gentle, confirmed he was probably Eventidian.

“Yes, and you are?” she asked, politely folding her hands over her dress.

“Kuiper, hello. It’s an honor,” he nodded, then looked up at where Alo had vanished, and back to her with a raised brow. He didn’t audibly press her or make demands, though. A no-nonsense young man who was still mindful of his manners. Goodness, River could appreciate that.

She’d heard rumors that the prince was going through personal staff like matchsticks, striking them and burning them out far too quickly, so she’d expected some newbies who would be fully panicked or do something rash.

“You can let His Highness out and bring your belongings in. Dinner is ready, if you’re hungry, and if not, your rooms are prepared.”

“And I thank you for preparing us food and a place to stay, but...respectfully, we don’t feel entirely safe doing that until we get an explanation,” Kuiper mirrored her tone, not letting on if he was truly upset by this turn of events or not. He’d chosen to come here rather than turn around, so he must have some idea of her capabilities.

“And you will all get one. I assume there was an altercation– is everyone okay?”

“Yes; my partn–erm, my fellow guard got a bit of Thauma sickness, but he’ll be alright. We were able to purge him properly.”

“Good to hear. And does His Highness want to continue to sit in the slidebuggy while I explain this all to you? Or are you making decisions on his behalf?” Her eyes twinkled with amusement when Kuiper’s expression didn’t flicker.

“Yes, I am making a decision on his behalf for his safety, as I suspect he’s emotionally compromised, as is my job, until he comes of age and is determined to be able to do so himself by King Alder.”

“Well said. Alouette won’t harm or otherwise spirit Prince Aspen away; consider them grounded for this little stunt.”

“...Grounded,” he repeated, “So they live here and defer to you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. They had good intentions but the worst, most impulsive way of going about them. They’ve been waiting a very long time to speak to the prince, I’m sure they’ll be fine waiting a bit longer. If you respect me, respect that I am able to keep them under control in my own home. I’ll explain once I have everyone inside, and only then. I’m not fond of repeating myself.”

“Alright,” he said slowly, “I’ll trust that you’re able to do that.”

She turned and walked back up her stairs, into the kitchen that smelled of savory stew and freshly baked bread. It took several minutes for the four– four? To come in.

To her surprise, Clover was with them. Interesting. That was good; no introductions would be taking up their precious time that could be spent talking about more important matters.

“There are two rooms, two beds in each,” she started, “You can decide among yourselves how you want to divide them up. Both are on the second floor, with a bathroom between them. Please wash up before eating.”

“It would probably be for the best if one of us stayed with each of you, for security’s sake–” The other guard tried. River cleared her throat, shooting him a sharp look.

“There’s no need for security here; if there’s a threat in my home, I will take care of it.”

“Rooms don’t matter to me,” Clover murmured, “I’m more concerned about–”

“Once you unpack, we can talk. Go, do that first,” River ordered, making it clear she wasn’t going to talk about this just yet. Everyone here, save for Kuiper, perhaps, needed a lesson in patience.

“If it’s all the same, I'll share a room with you, rather than these two annoyances,” Aspen asked Clover. She shrugged, her mind clearly elsewhere and not noticing his gaze avoiding hers. Goodness, teenagers. She longed for the days gone by where her students were usually in their thirties. They were hesitant to go up the stairs, probably weary of Alo popping out from around a corner or something, but Kuiper was evidently their minder, shooing them up.

“Can I help you with anything, ma’am?” The other guard asked. River leaned against her counter, eying him. Something about him was oddly familiar, but she couldn’t quite place what it was.

“You can start with an introduction.”

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry! I’m Azaleon,” he said with a polite bow, “It’s an honor to be allowed in your home.”

“And you’re the one who actually managed to catch Alouette?” By all appearances, he was average for a guard. Perhaps a bit less muscled than Kuiper, which might have given him some advantage in how fast he moved, but as fast as Alo was? She was equal parts interested and unnerved, especially with how easy going his demeanor seemed.

“Erm, no, I would hardly call them ‘captured’...” he trailed off. “I got a hit in, but only really one; the rest were incidental as I was trying to get them in close-range. I am curious about a few things, but I’m not going to ask questions until the others come back down stairs,” he added, almost meekly.

“Let me make this very clear once again, then: you will not lay your hands on them under my roof. If they do anything reprehensible, I will handle it. If you can’t defer to my authority here, I’ll write to Alder and have you gone.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t dream of it! I only thought they were going to hurt the prince.”

“Understandably so,” River said, though she didn’t quite mean it. If he had any observation skills at all he would’ve realized Alouette wouldn’t hurt a fly. Was he a soldier who would blindly follow Alder’s orders, then? That was at least a flavor of predictable danger. But, the way his eyes had narrowed slightly at the mention of the king, almost imperceptibly– a soldier with his own goals was a rogue element.

Perhaps she would consult Alder regardless of what Azaleon had to say.

The others chose this moment to come back into the kitchen; she doubted they had unpacked entirely, fast as that was.

“You can all sit down,” she said as she gestured to the dining table before walking over to the stairs, raising her voice. “Alo, you can come down now. Walk,” she added as an afterthought.

“Ohh, look at me, I’m walking down the stairs, one at a time, like a normal person,” they whined under their breath, exaggerating their steps down the stairs that lead to the attic, making as much noise as humanly possible with each footfall.

Everyone noticeably tensed at the table. Alouette noticed the same time River did, and offered a large smile and wave. River was sure they meant it to be disarming and genuinely friendly, and she did appreciate their effort, but it had the opposite effect.

“I told you River would back me up–” they tried to gloat.

“My brother,” Clover was glowering in their direction, “let’s start with that.”

They sat at the end most chair at the table, sitting on it backwards so their wings wouldn’t get caught on the back of the chair. River took her seat at the other end of the table. Aspen and Clover were on either side of Alo. Clover flinched backwards when they sat, still glaring. Aspen was opposite Clover, arms crossed across his chest. The guards on either side of them were so tense that River expected they might break her no fighting in the house rule.

“I didn’t ‘take’ anyone. You sure sounded scary in that letter, but I promise, I didn’t, I wouldn’t have even been able to carry him at the time! I thought he would’ve told his family he was leaving. I mean, he told me…” they gestured to their chest with their hands in an exaggerated motion.

“Your promises are worthless to me, you’re a stranger and a wanted intruder! What did you say to him to make him leave?!”

“Clover, please don’t shout,” River requested. Alo looked between the two of them, and River rolled her hand, gesturing for them to continue. This was their story to tell, not hers, and it was time for them to explain themself. They had been over this. Alouette cleared their throat, leaning away from Clover the slightest bit.

“So he really didn’t talk to you at all? No note or anything? …What’d he do the day he left?” Alouette asked, as if that was relevant and not their own curiosity winning out.

“It was the festival– the eve of it– and he was…actually, that’s none of your business, and you don’t get to ask questions. I have your feather, I know it was your fault,” Clover’s fists were balled up on the table, her voice shaking, “He had no reason to just leave, I don’t care what lies you want to tell.”

“He left because he was a Quasar and I told him the truth about the whole thing.”

‘Work up to telling her that,’ River had told Alo weeks before, when they’d received her letter. ‘Absolutely don’t just drop it on her.’ And yet, they were always impulsive, always speaking and acting before thinking. The room was silent for a full fifteen seconds.

“I’m the Quasar of Fern Helion!” Aspen shouted. River leaned back, letting them get it out of their system. Alo was getting increasingly flustered, their wings flaring and flexing nervously.

“That’s right– my brother and I, we’re from Fern Helion, we’ve never stepped foot in Lacus Mare! And no one from our family is Lacus Marian, either!” Clover stood up, her chair pushed behind her. “Tell me the truth!”

“I am! I felt him being marked, just like I felt Aspen here getting marked, and I followed that feeling until I arrived at your house in the night. He had the Cachet on his hand. I can’t prove it, but I saw it. I don’t know why the Sol and Lunar Gods chose two people from Fern Helion, maybe they were bored of the same old pattern, maybe–”

“Shut your mouth and don’t disrespect my God,” Aspen hissed. “River, if you’re senile and actually believe this, I’ll be reporting you to my father, too, and both of you can rot for all I care. I won’t stand here and listen to this!”

Azaleon reached for Aspen, assumedly to comfort him, but then just as quickly drew his hand back. A good choice, as River suspected the prince wouldn’t take well to being touched right now. Kuiper had been staring at the table in front of him in silence. She assumed he was the only one actually considering the likelihood of all this.

River would let that comment pass, if only because Aspen and Clover were both clearly getting emotional over this. Alo looked furious, not on their own behalf, but River’s. She stepped into the conversation.

“Along with the Sol God’s blessing, you’re also blessed by Ash Rossingol, God of Transformation,” River said to Aspen, slowly, keeping her voice even, “And you’ve used all of the six minor God’s gifts of Thauma, haven’t you, Aspen?” she said it gently but firmly, “You’re disrespecting all of those Gods by standing up for your beloved Sol God.”

“What…what do you mean by that?” Aspen asked.

“Both you, Clover’s brother, and the six minor Gods are victims of a twisted game. Alouette simply told your brother the truth, Clover, just as we’re going to tell all of you.”

“Which is?” Clover asked, her voice laced with disbelief and impatience.

“The universe isn’t dying. You were lied to. The Quasar cycle has another purpose. Willing human souls are needed to keep the six Thauma-gifting Gods locked up,” Alouette murmured, uncharacteristically soft-voiced.

“And how would you know that? Why should either of us believe this–this delusion–is more than the side effects of a Thauma overload on your part? On both of your parts?” Aspen asked.

Alouette stood, flexing their wings and letting their eyes and nails both glow with an eerie golden light, letting their real, divine presence flood the room. When they opened their mouth to speak, even their teeth were lit up, as if they were glowing from the inside out.

“Because I’m one of those six Gods. Ash Rossingol, God of Transformation. And if you keep disrespecting River, I will transform you into a toad.”