Joan stretched out a bit while she walked through the fort. She felt pretty great. She’d rested for a while, recovered and her head only tingled a little bit. Sure, she had a lot of work ahead of her but everything was turning out much better than she expected. She wouldn’t tell the others but a small part of her was scared she’d end up barely able to walk after her time in the Realm of the Gods.

She’d need to talk with Imp and Neia again eventually, but for now she could push that aside and just focus on the last Chosen, Chase. Lure him in, break the spell over the world, figure everything else out, stop the Inferno God, save Penthe, dance away while making rude gestures towards the fates and all the others who talked to her in useless riddles. Like a responsible and mature hero.

Joan felt pretty great about all this, she was going to be fine.

“It’s not meant to be rushed, the journey is part of the experience,” Vivian’s voice rang out.

“I’m not spending days in a glorified bouncing wagon,” Korgron said. “I can get us there in a few minutes, why waste days?”

“You miss out on the sights and experiences that way,” Vivian said. “She’s still a young lady, it’s good for her.”

“She’s a young girl with limited time that is being wasted on such frivolities,” Korgron said right back. Joan rolled her eyes and walked a little slower, making her way towards the courtyard where the two were arguing.

“A little life experience is good for her,” Vivian said back. “Do you really expect to just teleport all of us there and back over and over?”

“If I have to? Yes,” Korgron said. “I’m not some simple court mage. Magic like this is my specialty. Besides, we’re not talking about going across the world or anything like that. It’s a few days trip.”

“It’s not good to just rush over experiences like that just because you can,” Vivian said.

“It’s not good or safe to stuff me into a wagon for a few days and make me sit in it, either,” Korgron said. Joan could finally see the pair, standing in front of the teleportation circle they’d made. Vivian was standing with her hands on her hips while Korgron just had her arms crossed, glaring up at the woman. Joan leaned against the wall, keeping herself hidden as best she could while she listened in.

“First of all, it’s not a wagon,” Vivian said. “It’s a carriage, it won’t hurt you. It’s actually quite comfortable. Whenever I go to the city I take it and the trip is quite safe and enjoyable. There’s this beautiful little lake we'll pass on the way that--”

“Why do you insist on wasting all of our time like this?” Korgron asked. “We don’t have time for this. In case you’ve forgotten, she only has a few months left. We should be spending this time tearing the country apart and trying to find this changeling. Not wasting time on frivolities like dresses and parties.”

“It’s her idea,” Vivian said. “She thinks it--”

“She thinks charging head first into a troll is a good idea,” Korgron said, cutting her off. “We don’t even know if this plan of hers will work. For all we know this ‘Chase’ could be anywhere.”

“Well, do you have a better idea?” Vivian asked. “Do you think we all don’t want a better way to do this? Do you have some better way to track him down?”

“Not yet,” Korgron said. “But I will eventually. There’s got to be some spell to find a changeling.”

“A specific changeling you’ve never met, who you don’t even know where they are?” Vivian asked. “A changeling who could be literally anyone in the world? And, on top of that, is a Chosen so is likely far more powerful and able to avoid notice than any other?”

“Well, I mean, no, but if there isn’t I’ll make one,” Korgron said. “There has to be a way to find a changeling. We shouldn’t be wasting time on this. What if her plan fails?”

“Then at least she’ll have some positive memories with her family before she…” Vivian said, though she didn’t finish the sentence. Or, if she did, she said it too softly for Joan to hear.

“She’s not going to die,” Korgron said. “We’re going to fix this. I’m going to fix this myself if I have to.”

“Have you had any success?” Vivian asked.

“Some,” Korgron said. “A bit. Not as much as I’d like, but once we find this Chase, I’ll have everything I need. I will shatter that spell. She’s not going to die.”

“Can you promise that? Can you guarantee that?” Vivian asked.

Korgron mumbled something, but it was too quiet for Joan to hear.

“That’s what I thought,” Vivian said. “Is it really so wrong to want to spend some time with my new granddaughter? It--”

“She’s not your granddaughter,” Korgron said.

“She’s not your little sister,” Vivian said. “But just because she isn’t doesn’t mean she doesn’t need to be. I just want her to have some nice, relaxing experiences. Sometime when she doesn’t need to worry about the world dying. Just a few days, please?”

Korgron gave a loud, exasperated sigh. “Fine.”

“Per—”

“We’re not taking the carriage,” Korgron said, cutting her off. “I’ll teleport us there. But once we’re there, we’ll stay for a few days. Until everything is ready. Try and give her some nice memories.”

“Fine,” Vivian said. “You know—”

“You both could just ask me,” Joan finally said, making them both jump.

“Joan?” Korgron yelled. “We were just, how long were you there?”

“You shouldn’t sneak up on us like that,” Vivian yelled.

Joan rolled her eyes. They were both too much some days. “You know, you don’t need to hide everything from me like that. I’m not a child. A few days in the city sounds fun. A long carriage ride, less so. And if I do die, it happens, but I don’t think it will. I have complete faith that we will find Chase and break this spell before it comes to that. Okay?”

The pair lowered their gaze and managed to look quite embarrassed. Joan couldn’t help but sigh before walking towards the two of them.

“I know you’re scared,” Joan said in as soothing a voice as she could. “There’s a lot you don’t know. There’s still a lot I don’t know. But we’re going to figure it out. Okay? All of us.”

“We should be comforting you, not the other way around,” Vivian said softly, her cheeks red. “I’m sorry you heard this.”

“Hey, in a way I’m the oldest one here,” Joan said with a small smile. “I also have a benefit none of the rest of you have.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Korgron asked.

“You all see things as they are,” Joan said. “But I’ve seen all of the Chosen, each and every one of you, at your best. I know there’s nothing in the world you all can’t handle, if given the right chances.” She paused for a moment and glanced back towards the fort. “Well, most of you at your best.”

“Joan,” Korgron said. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Oh, I know,” Joan said with a shrug. “We’re going to fix this, I know we will. All I’ve got to do is bring you all together and then we’ll figure it out. Once we break this spell blocking my memories, I’ll get the rest of the information we need. Then we’ll save the world and everyone else we can. Because that’s what we’re here for, right? I trust you.”

Vivian looked away. “She’s so brave…”

“I’m not brave,” Joan said with a roll of her eyes. “The Chosen keep saving me. All of you. Regardless of what I do. I jump off a cliff with a weird armored girl? You save me from her. Fae realm? You come for me. Inferno Troll? You break it down. It doesn’t matter. I’ve mostly given up on fighting this stuff myself and trying to make sure I can fight it. All I need to do is just make sure I can suppress it long enough for you guys to come rescue me. This is no different.” She walked a little closer and then gave Korgron a hug, making the demon squirm slightly, before hugging her back. “I’m not perfect, I’m not ideal, I’m going to make a lot of mistakes. But the one mistake I made before that I refuse to make this time? The mistake I am going to make sure I never, ever make again? You know what it is?”

“What?” Korgron asked before gently reaching out and patting her head.

“Not trusting you all enough,” Joan said. “After all, you’re my heroes now.”

“Oh that one was terrible,” Korgron said with a light chuckle.

“It really was,” Joan said before glancing over at Vivian. Maybe, in the end, they were right. Maybe she did need a big sister like Korgron. Maybe she even did need a grandmother too. “You can hug us too, grandmother,” she said in a teasing tone.

Vivian chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on-- ack!” Korgron’s tail wrapped around her waist and yanked her in, making the woman flush but, nervously, hug them both.

“Now then,” Joan said from inside the hug which, honestly, felt nicer than she felt it should. “We’ve got a bit before the trap for our last Chosen is set, right? A nice, relaxing few days in the city before the next round of chaos sounds great. So let’s have fun, okay?”

Joan only had one Chosen to go. Despite everything that had happened, everything she’d lost and suffered through, despite all of the pain and suffering, she finally felt like she was one step closer to unraveling this terrible knot of destruction and stopping not just the Inferno God, but whatever else there was, lurking in the darkness and readying to strike.

She wasn’t going to lose. She wasn’t going to let any of them down ever again. Whoever, whatever, was threatening her home would learn that it was fighting a war that none of them would ever let it win.

MelodyAvant

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