Rebellion - 14 (Patreon)

"Finally," I muttered tiredly as the town came into view. Reaching Twycross and meeting up with Darius' army, having to change course multiple times to catch up along the way, was one hell of a relief. All of the mess Vivi and I'd been handling was, at last, officially not my problem. Or at least it wouldn't be much longer.

After I'd finished the hangings the tone of our march had changed noticeably; foremost with the way that, word having spread remarkably fast, villages would lay down their arms the moment they realised it was me coming to handle them. It was hard to tell how many times it was due to stories of how I treated villages coming through, unlike the more typical tactics employed by Howard and Geoffrey, or due to the less-than-kind rumours.

I'd gotten more respect and deference out of them, for sure. But hearing my own soldiers repeat the one about me bewitching the yew tree to chain the souls of oath-breakers to its roots where they would suffer for millennia was... disquieting.

Respect was nice, awe wasn't terrible, but fear... wasn't something I normally felt the need, nor desire, to invoke in people. It certainly wasn't my intent! All I'd done was follow through on my threats!

I let out a deep sigh. With Life magic, because I was a witch. Which led to a whole slew of misunderstandings around what being hung from a yew tree meant.

"What is it?" Vivi asked, looking at me curiously.

"Nothing." I shook my head; she'd heard my complaints enough already, and done her best to stamp some of the rumours out. "Just glad to be seeing Darius again and not being in command anymore."

Though, as we reached the bridge across the Northgate that made Twycross so important, I realised it really wasn't going to be an end to responsibilities in the way I might've wanted. A veritable city of tents surrounded the town on all sides, smothering the landscape in weather-worn canvas.

Healing, feeding, and scouting for him would end up being part of what I needed to do. Nothing so bad as being in charge but what I normally saw as a good task, a duty I was glad to perform, just made me feel even more tired.

It wasn't long before escorts arrived to bring us in, with Vivi and Hannah volunteering to handle settling the rest of our forces in while I was taken to see Darius.

My liege lord was in the town hall,  speaking with the town's alderman. "You need not worry for our stores of food, good alderman." He said as I entered earshot. "There are some few more stragglers whom we are waiting on before our march, we will be gone from your town soon enough. Further, the Golden Cross has already set to work restoring those fields damaged by our presence here."

"As much as I respect the noble priests," the alderman said fussily, "and indeed the good witches, they cannot replace the bodies to work the fields that your army has stolen away!"

"Every Gilnean, man or woman, may make their own choice to fight for the rights the Northgate Rebellion will enshrine in law to protect them from the machinations of a tyrannical king." Darius said flatly, though he looked over the man's head to nod lightly at me. "That, you shall not take from them."

The alderman puffed himself up, though he ruined the attempt at intimidation by starting to fidget with the lapel of his jacket. "Just as you have not taken their right to serve their rightful king away from them, I am sure." He sniffed.

"Those that wished to fought against our arrival, as you well know." Darius replied dryly, not even bothering to hide his disdain for the man. "Now, might I introduce Gwyneth Arevin, Witch of the Order of Amber? Though perhaps you better know her as the Miracle Witch, and with her presence any worries you had over Twycross' food supplies  are no longer warranted. Good day, Alderman."

"The presence of the witch makes little difference to your failure to address the business at–"

"I said 'good day', Alderman." Darius repeated, slowly turning to look at him and oozing a menace I'd only felt the like of when he, rightfully, chewed us out for bringing Calia back to Gilneas. "That means leave."

"This is my office!"

"It's best if you go now, sir." One of Darius' guards said, taking the man's shoulder and escorting him out.

"Light save us from petulant administrators." Darius sighed as he sat down in a chair, waving for me to do the same. "A drink, Gwyneth? You have been on the road longer than I, and we have need to congratulate your first command."

I grimaced and hesitated, though just for a moment, before nodding. "A fruit brandy, if there is one?" He was legitimately trying to compliment me.

"Rodger." Darius waved a hand to his butler, who set about it. "Now, while we surely have much to discuss, I must ask... what is your opinion of Lady Tulvan?"

"She's a complete cunt and a bullying bint." I replied immediately. "And if you ever try to force a command on me I'm finding a new liege lord. I have so many other things that I should be doing that don't make me feel so bloody tired."

Rather than chastise me, as Rodger's quiet tutting did, Darius snorted out a laugh. "Amelia Tulvan is something of an acquired taste. Or so I've heard, we've never seen eye to eye." He accepted our drinks from Rodger and took a sip. "As for your command, I agree in part; your talents are better used elsewhere – however should the need arise I will have you experience the rigours of command as Lady Tulvan did. There will come a time when you hold lives in your hand, Gwyneth, and difficult decisions will have to be made."

"And better I learn those lessons before I'm forced to." I grumbled, understanding what he was saying even if I didn't like it. "At least give me staff. The paperwork doesn't teach me a lesson."

"It teaches you not to make more trouble for your superiors than necessary." He said teasingly, one eyebrow raised as he hid his smile behind his glass. "Have you encountered Lorna since you sent your reply?" He asked, suddenly shifting in tone to deep-set worry.

"She's still missing?" What was she up to? If she'd gotten herself killed or hurt... or someone had... I grit my teeth and shook my head. "No, I haven't. I'll use magic to look for her this evening, when the stars come out."

He nodded solemnly. "Then your report can wait. Go, make your preparations."

-oOoOo-

"A rose-smothered house where aid was sought, the wall where she finished her search, someone friendly who is not a friend anymore, cliffs marking the end of the road and the oceans beyond... and a rowan tree?" I sighed and leaned back, my fingers tangling up in Tricks' fur as I stared up at the now-silent stars. Visions and divinations could be confusing, it was expected when translating alien perspectives into something you could understand, but this was different. "And then it just stops."

It wasn't a sign she was dead or anything, there limits to what and where I could see – anything the stars saw, that their starlight touched. Night was best, clouds a partial obstacle, but indoors and underground? I was better off asking the ravens if they had seen her.

Which they hadn't for some time, else Darius' letters would be getting through even if she didn't send a reply.

"What'd'you mean stops?" Vivi asked, taking my completion of the divination as an invitation to sit beside me on the grass. "That's not normal, right?"

"It's not. She's safe, but it's just... black. Like I can't see or hear anything, just feel that she's welcome and protected." If there was magic involved I couldn't feel it, nothing about the absence I felt was like the Fel, Arcane, Light, Death, and Life magics I'd experienced. Harder to see if it was Void or not, the only time I think I might've encountered that was Rokkri's sealing of Deatheroc at the wall.

Tricks batted her tail into my face and I renewed combing through her fur, the demanded penance for leaving her behind again.

I wasn't allowed to do it anymore according to her, ordered to find a way to bring her with me even if I had to fly away as a raven. Which was going to be... interesting.

"You are certain Lorna is safe?" Darius demanded, his concern for his daughter spilling over into undue harshness.  "What of this 'friend who is not a friend'? The wording is not at all reassuring."

"Friendly," I corrected, "not friend who is not a friend anymore, someone friendly. And they still are, even if they're not a friend." Which wasn't exactly helpful in any way, but it had a number of implications to it. "I'd say I'm still friendly with Vivi, but calling her a friend would be inadequate."

"And I'm happy to prove it too." Vivi whispered into my ear to make me blush.

Darius, unaware, frowned and nodded. "I see. However, outside of Prince Liam Lorna has had few interests in romance, an ill-fated crush on Sir Sebastian before he retired from service being the only other I know."

"It could be the prince?" I offered, trying not to focus on how warm Vivi was next to me.

Lights flashed in front of my eyes suddenly and I jumped, suddenly turning that into not  a concern. "What–" After a second I realised Darius and Vivi hadn't reacted. I looked down at the fox, who I had, once again, neglected to keep combing. "Sorry, Tricks decided to play a mean trick." I grumbled. I got she was annoyed but that was a little excessive.

"And where would she have had the opportunity? The prince should be safely ensconced in the capital, or at the Greymane Manor in Duskmist." Darius shook his head. "It is possible but unlikely. Lorna, what are you doing..."

"So we don't know where Lorna went and can't find her. That means you'll be spending a lot of time flying and scouting, doesn't it?" Vivi kicked her heels unhappily. "I wanted to join the vanguard with you, help take more towns like we did. We do it so much better than anyone else can."

I held back a groan at the thought. No doubt I'd be facing the same stupid rumours again, and the only way it'd get done my way was if I was in charge, or could bully the one in charge and at that point what was the difference...

Darius looked off into the distance for a short while, the only sound another chirping reminder from Tricks to get back to work.

"No." He said eventually. "After she finishes her report Gwyneth will be taking up the role Frazzle played in outfitting our troops with magical equipment. She has proven too invaluable for the organisation of the army to leave behind, and alongside others providing sufficient magical support, you will not be necessary."

"But I'm still the best we've got, and the only one who can fly." Vivi was right about the scouting part, which wouldn't be too bad.

But Darius shook his head. "Your transformations are no longer secret, we cannot assume your safety as a fox or raven. Nor can I afford you to enter battle ill-equipped; are your garments suitable for fighting?"

They weren't, incidental wear and tear on top of a few actual moments of damage had seen to that. "No." I said petulantly. I could do better too, I was sure; there was more Misthorn Wool I could work with and I'd seen Vivi's wind deflection for bullets now... But I didn't like the idea of being sent away much.

It felt... wrong. Like I was being dismissed for not being good enough.

"Your safety is paramount. Even above my own." Darius told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Too much relies upon your knowledge to allow you to be at risk. Go home, prepare, and rest; when the confrontation comes you will be there beside us."

"Understood, Lord Crowley."

-oOoOo-

"Trixie is really okay? She'll be coming back right?!" My breakfast in my garden with Tricks, sadly absent a Vivi as she chose to protect her brother to make sure he stayed rescued, was interrupted by Marigold bursting through the gate and yelling as she ran up to me. "The letter wasn't lying, was it?! The ravens wouldn't do that, right?!"

"They wouldn't!" Merrie piped up in the defence of the mischievous birds, trailing along behind Marigold with the rest of my young apprentices and carrying a raven. Again.

She really did like them, didn't she. "If it was a letter from Trix saying that she was safe, albeit being accosted by far too many princesses, then it wasn't a–"

Marigold suddenly burst into tears, completely derailing my train of thought. "S-she's okay!" She wept.

"Mary's been all weepy since you left." Trent said as he scratched at the back of his head awkwardly.

"Marigold," I said, putting my food aside – and ignoring the way Merrie's raven leapt from her arms and dashed for it before Tricks could – and opening my arms, "come here." Within a few moments, she had closed the gap and crawled into my arms. "Nightmares? About the raid?"

She nodded, holding tight to my shirt. "H-he-he sh-hoots papa. An-and T-trixie. Dead."

"Because you can't, or won't, heal for him. Something goes wrong." I rubbed her back, letting my apprentice cry it out against my shirt. "Well, no one's going to hurt you now. The front line is a lone way from here, and Trix is safe..."

"But you left." Merrie mumbled, pouting at the raven that abandoned her.

Ah. Of course. I saved her, came to the rescue, and stopped the force that was attacking her village and holding her at gunpoint – that fucker – and that meant I made her feel safe.

And I'd been gone, for months, when there was a scared little girl depending on me.

"Well, I'm back now." I told them, pushing aside the pining for Vivi's presence I'd been doing rather than dealing with the emptiness of my home and the process of actually starting on Darius' task for me. Being back here had made me long for the lazy, lazy days when all I had to do was mess around in my workshop and deal with minor problems between Vivi's visits. And teach, of course I had to teach. "So why don't we have a lesson?"

I hummed as I looked around, Howard, Trent, and Merrie all looking interested but... also nervous. Afraid. Something novel, that they could play with, to take their minds off of things...

"We've never worked on windcalling, have we?" I said aloud. "Trent, go fetch some paper from my workshop, please. I've an idea."

Introducing paper aeroplanes to the kids, and the wind elements that followed me around, was a massive hit on all fronts. If anything it was hard to get the elementals to stop playing with the things at the kid's direction, and by the time the afternoon came around they were all laughing.

Cooking up lunch for them in my kitchen, while the tired and happy apprentices all sat around my table and talked, made the place feel so much more like home again.

-oOoOo-

"What do you think?" I asked as I twirled around in my newest article of clothing. After a few days at home, and picking up on what Darius wanted me to do, I sent a letter to Mama and asked her to come help. She arrived the next day with all of the best, and by that I mean magical, fabrics she could nab from the Thyme's store.

She tilted her head, more puzzled than impressed but still trying to be encouraging. It was easy enough to read that I giggled, setting her to shake her head. "It's... different to be sure. Is that normal for the world you lived in before?"

I giggled again and flapped the overlong sleeves of my new hoodie. "More or less, yep. Often wore nothing else – well, underwear, of course, but it's just comfy."

"Does it need to be so baggy? And for you to not wear a skirt or pants?"

This time I rolled my eyes at her. "Not all of them, no. But this is for lounging around in and relaxing, not going to formal events. And besides, it's well past my thighs. My skirts aren't that much longer."

"Which means it's even shorter than your already too-short skirts." She countered.

Eh, above the knee wasn't scandalously short, no matter the trends of Gilneas. Fashion was weird here, same as back on Earth; skirts were all calf or ankle-length things and even knee-covering skirts were considered short. "Agree to disagree, Mama."

Mama sighed and shook her head. "It isn't suitable for working in, anyway. Unless you're not going to help?"

Shrugging I moved to change back into my work clothes; it wasn't really hoodie weather anyway, cool summer day or not it was still summer. And nice as the idea was to enchant it to be self-cooling, it'd be a waste of resources and time.

I really did only mean it to be something I could wear at home, preferably while sitting beside a window as it's raining, and reading a book by magical starlight. I'd... missed having time to just be myself, desperately needed a chance to decompress after the last since months of non-stop activity that blurred together into one traumatising mess.

Teaching the kids again was good for me too. A reminder of what I wanted out of this life even if it wasn't what I would get to do in the end.

"How far did you get on sewing up the cloaks?" I asked, changing the subject back to our actual job. "It can't be that much longer until the war progresses. It's been a month now."

"I finished them, and sewed up another pair of gambesons today. This sewing machine of yours is a blessing of the Grand Architect." She smiled teasingly, ruffling my hair as she walked past. "Fitting since you made it, my little blessing."

"Mama!" I exclaimed indignantly and pouted at her. "You're not even an inch taller than me!"

"Which is why you're little, because I'm already short!"

Mama was doing so much better these days, something about me opening up to her, telling her about my old life, making her more self-assured and confident. Like she was no longer afraid of making a mistake with me at every moment – so much more like the Mama I remembered back when I was a child.

I was going to need to find another way to call her though. Mum was out, that was Mum's, but... Mama was a little childish. I was seventeen, for Tyr's sake!

-oOoOo-

"All set, Tricks?" I asked my little fox, who then peeked her head out of my expanded bag and growled lowly. "I'm not throwing out my books to make it more comfortable for you, nor am I giving you something to eat."

She'd make a horrid mess that she wouldn't hesitate to foist off on me if I gave her any food. It was bad enough she'd decided to pretend to be a cat – illusions to make her even look like one – and leave dead mice on my bed for the first week I was back here.

Carcasses left so many different kinds of stains behind it was awful.

"S-stay safe." Marigold murmured as she wrung her hands.

When the letter came, delivered to Merrie by a treacherous little git of a raven, giving me the expected and inevitable call to return to the front, I'd ended up with a once more scared and crying Marigold. She might've thrown herself into every lesson I offered, a desperate desire to feel safe driving her, but it hadn't been enough.

A few sparks of lightning weren't going to make her feel like she didn't need me to protect her anymore. But as much as I was happy to be here again, I couldn't stay.

"I will. Now, Merrie... one day this might be you as well, my little raven apprentice."

Smiling at the kids’ confused faces I twisted that little fragment inside of me I'd pulled from Rokkri's feather, my body shrinking down until I was merely a large raven.

"Raven!" Merrie exclaimed oh-so-eloquently as I started shrugging on the harness for my bag, the solution to Tricks' transport problem. "You can be a raven! I wanna!" She was pouting adorably and stroking her raven friend obsessively, envy shining in those little eyes of hers.

Croaking loudly I cleared my throat. "Good-Bye." I said awkwardly, waving a single wing before forcing myself into the air.

"Come back with Trix!" Trent shouted up at me.

"Twix!" I croaked back at him, wanting to chortle with laughter but having to focus too much. Flying wasn't easy with the extra weight, or the bag dangling below me, but it was doable. And a hell of a lot better than holding onto it with my talons like Tricks had first suggested when I realised the bag could carry her.

-oOoOo-

From a mixture of the reveal of my form to the kids, Darius' own admission that my forms weren't secret anymore, and more than a little impatience, I didn't bother finding a spot to change back outside of Darius' camp. Instead, I flew straight towards the tent I recognised as his, slipping through the opening and landing in an open chair.

If it wasn't for carrying Tricks and needing to ditch the harness first – I was not finding out what happened to stuff I was wearing when I shifted the other way while Tricks was part of my 'gear' – I'd have smoothly transitioned to sitting in the chair attentively.

As it was, there were a few awkward moments of Darius, Lady Tulvan, and a pair of other nobles I didn't recognise staring at me before he chose to take pity on me and help me out of it.

"Stupid harness." I grumbled after changing back, then reached down to free Tricks.

Darius' lips quivered in unrestrained amusement, something utterly out of place on him normally. "A swift arrival, Gwyneth. I see you have not only resolved your fox transportation problem, but appear to be in a better mood as well."

I snorted lightly and smiled back at him. "Yeah, I am. I was... burning out, badly."

"Well, now that you're here you can be put to work." Tulvan said grumpily, interrupting the friendly moment. "We need to move our troops through the Blackwald if we're to surround the capital, and you're the girl for that work."

"What Lady Tulvan means to say is," Lady Candren, I recognised her now, said more politely, "that we wish to receive permission from the spirits of the Blackwald to move our forces through their domain. That forest has a long history of swallowing invaders whole should they enter recklessly."

"The summer solstice is near and an excellent opportunity for you to do so." Darius agreed.

My hand went to my neck, where my amber token had rested before Tricks ate it to summon Lord Renard. If I went, I could get a new one...

But, there were problems. Chewing on my lip I mulled over the consequences of me being the one to do it. I was a fox, yes, quite a bit more literally than most of the men and definitely favoured by the lord of the event, but there would be pushback anyway. Richard in winter, an apprentice to a woman, had been one thing, but for me to just show up during the summer solstice would be pushing things.

And there was no Aderic to act as a buffer and support, only Celestine. If she chose to go herself, which I neither knew nor expected to happen.

"I'm afraid not." I shook my head. "Perhaps I have not explained our customs well enough, but the Summer Solstice is considered the time for the menfolk to meet." I raised a hand to forestall the obvious response. "Last year was an exception."

Just a few weeks ago I might well have gone through with it anyway, damn the consequences if it helped get the war over with faster. But there were things that mattered other than the war and how it was waged.

"Bah, you should simply ignore them." Tulvan grumbled and shook her head.

But Darius, the one that mattered, nodded. "You do not wish to destabilise the fragile neutrality your former teacher has forged, nor cause difficulties for her while she is still new to her role." He said understandingly, and also coming up with better reasons than I had. "While I had hoped you would be able, you are not our only option, I have petitioned a number of the order to carry my message for me."

Turning back to the table at the centre of the tent, displaying a rough map of Gilneas and the armies laid out there, he continued. "Of course, with that task barred to you that leaves open the possibility of returning your command."

I stared at his back with narrowed eyes. "Lady Candren, are you in the market for a new vassal? A witch of no small fame who can turn into a raven..."

"Hah!" Darius barked out a laugh. "You'll be part of my retinue, of course. I was merely teasing the fiancee of my old friend's daughter." He smiled wanly over his shoulder at me. "He is not here to do so himself, after all."

Clearing his throat he turned his attention back to the table. "Returning to our original topic, we will be marching for the capital on the morrow, where Genn has assembled some twenty thousand levied troops to support his army..."