Sunlit Moonrise | MYG

Coimeach Pass

Braelyn dozed off as soon as darkness touched the sky. Aine glares at the Moon as if it is at fault for her current state of boredom and lack of answers. It may well be- the Moon God is responsible for all that is dark, sinful and bad on Earth. Aine wonders if Braelyn is simply pretending to sleep so she does not have to deal with her line of questioning; it is odd that a lady's maid who is used to working well into the night suddenly falls asleep as soon as the sun sets. 

Their carriage jerks to a stop, and the volume of the men's voices outside increases, as does Aine's guard. They have not travelled long enough to have arrived at Vulstis Keep. She listens out for any signs of swords clashing or flesh ripping. Any signs that an outside threat is attacking the procession. Instead, she tunes into unwarranted complaints about boils on armoured feet and whines of desperation about visiting brothels. Wrinkling her nose in distaste at the soldiers' conversations, she surmises this stop must have been planned.  

As torches and hearths are lit, the jutted, deep grey basalt silhouette of Aine's childhood home reveals itself. Coimeach Pass (pronounced Koy-meek). Aine hollows her cheeks in anger. King Min has made this a stop on purpose; whether it is to soften her up or test her patience, she does not know. What she does know, though, is that Coimeach Pass is but a skeleton of what it once was. Not waiting for one of the good-for-nothing Vulstis soldiers to give her the all-clear, Aine bursts through the carriage door and stomps up the winding cobbled pathway now overwhelmed with weeds and thistly bushes. Aine's aggressive exit effectively wakes Braelyn up, who is now hopelessly calling after her. 

Fighting off one final persistent branch of thorns, Aine Sampson now faces off with the grand entrance to Coimeach Pass and, by extension, the aftermath of her father becoming the King of Nocriam. The Sampson family banners that had once hung proudly are flung disgraced, defaced and disregarded on the boggy floor. They have been maliciously burnt, dragged through the mud and painted vividly with the word 'TRAITORS'. The rest of the castle seems to have suffered similar treatment, much of the walls sporting signs of charring and the same word being painted repeatedly like an incantation. Eyes darting to the watch tower and spotting the King's fox being flown; it is almost as if Min Yoongi is signing his name on this destruction. 

The Sampsons were the first family to follow Lord Vulstis to Patrinis after he had fled in fear. They served him loyally, so he returned the favour by rewarding them with a title, a place in his royal court and Coimeach Pass, the southern-most castle in Vulstis, which acts as a stronghold against Nocriam. If you want to get to Vulstis Keep, you have to get through Coimeach Pass first. Without the Sampsons and the ransacking it has suffered, it is essentially useless now. King Min may miss King Caylus more than he wishes to admit. 

"It is odd how quickly anger morphs into regret," states a cold yet smoothly articulated voice. 

Aine does not have to turn around to know who it is. His voice alone chills her down to her very core. 

"I sincerely hope you're talking about yourself." Aine snaps back, seething. Her eyes have not left the fox sigil bearing down at her from atop the watch tower. 

"Of course I am. It is human nature to feel that way. The people of Vulstis felt the same anger you feel towards me towards you and your father. So they did this in my name, thinking they were doing me a favour. They felt regret once they found out I was disappointed because it meant we no longer had a stronghold against Nocriam. I wonder, do you regret being angry at me knowing now that I was not to blame for all this?" As he poses this question, a small, condescending smile plays on King Min's lips. 

Aine glances at him, decoding his words. There's an ulterior motive: whatever she answers here determines King Min's future actions. He's trying to feel her out. And trying to psych her out, he seemingly disapproved of that glare she had sent into his carriage before leaving Nocriam.