Broken Glass - Taekook

48

Eventually, however, after about a week and a half, everything is set in place. Yoongi's preparations are finished, Hoseok and Seokjin have completed their efforts in the forge, and the rest of us have found enough information on the Suojaka Caverns to get us there safely.  

There's a lot still to worry about, and I doubt that I'll ever feel totally ready for anything, but I'm alright with that, somehow. This time, we have more of a plan, and more of an understanding of what we're going to find when we get to our destination. We have a mental image, one that is more detailed than the distant picture of Mavathyr on the horizon. 

But there is still so much more to learn. So much more we need to do. 

As we begin to leave our lodgings for the walls of the city, a figure appears beside us. Dressed in a beautiful red rose dress, the same sword made of bone at her side, and the same belt around her waist, Queen Arlayna accompanies us to the edge of the city limits. 

We're bringing our cart, fully stocked with the resources that Yoongi has prepared for the journey ahead. The horse looks a lot happier now, which is nice to see, and she pulls the cart with a new vigour that wasn't there before. Something tells me that she's benefitted from the stay in Mavathyr, more than we expected her to at least.

Thing is, all of us are pretty much the same. We're also feeling a lot better, a lot stronger, a lot more like we're capable of dealing with the journey ahead. There's still so much we need to learn, so much we need to figure out, but it feels better now. I don't know exactly why, but there's something about our time in Mavathyr that has given us a new sense of confidence and determination. 

"I assume you have been called to leave, Saviour?" she asks, in Eithyrian, turning to me and speaking to me directly, and I nod a little nervously, as Aphelia quickly translates her words within my mind, just as the Gaklea did the last time the queen came to speak to us. 

"We have. The river flows in a new direction, Your Majesty, but we will always be grateful for your kindness and hospitality. We would not be as successful or as lucky in our findings without having refuge here, and we appreciate that," I say carefully. 

A small smile crosses over the faery queen's face, and she inclines her head. "Of course. It is my duty to my fellow Eithyrians to grant you sanctuary here, in my little slice of Eithyr, but I see you have learned much since you arrived. You now have a better understanding of the terms we use to describe the gifts the river has provided us with, and that will give you better passage in the future, I hope." 

"I hope so too, Your Majesty. I must add on my own gratitude at your willingness to let us explore so much of your glorious city, even though you had no obligation to do such a thing. It was what we needed, and I think the river knew that as much as you did. So I thank you, and I hope we can do your assistance justice in the future," Namjoon says quietly.

She glances over at Namjoon, her smile widening slightly. "All of you have grown in ways you couldn't have imagined, and that is precisely the value of research and better understanding. Eithyr will have more knowledgeable heroes this way, and that is what we need in the battles that come before us. Your gratitude is accepted and appreciated, but not needed." 

Namjoon just lowers his head a little, in respect, and then the queen turns to look around at all of us. "You have done well here, young ones. You still have much to see and understand, and I do not doubt that the road ahead will be tough at times. But you have strength in numbers, and value in your companions. Keep loyal to yourselves, and to your own beliefs, and you will do well in the journey ahead." 

We all pause as we reach the edge of the city limits, and she reaches out to touch the wall. A now-familiar grumble echoes through the ground nearby as a small section of the wall slides away to reveal the Yarolian Plains beyond. "Be cautious of using your abilities when you come back through the Forest. Knights may be there: be on your guard at all times," she advises, her voice low and careful.