A/N: On the road again...

-x-X-x-

In spite of his conviction, it’s a couple days later before Mikael is finally able to confront Avina about her carefully hidden melancholy. But then, to be fair… corralling over a thousand people who were just brought back to life and not only lost their homes but also in many cases their friends and loved ones isn’t as easy as it might sound. Wait, that didn’t sound easy at all. Okay, so it’s actually even harder than it sounded.

Of course, one would expect the massive fuck-off army of Sylian Beasts they still had with them to help out in that regard. But no. The Children of Syl had played their part in helping get them into Alether and they’d played it well. Mikael isn’t sure that they could have ever gotten to Foss Sangrey up in his tower without them busting down the gates and running interference. Let alone survived the bastard’s invasion of Zuveria if they hadn’t gone and brought them out of the Sylian Woods in the first place.

But… the Children of Syl were always a temporary measure, as the Forest God himself had explained to them back before they’d left. They were just too energy intensive. There was a very good reason that the megafauna in the Sylian Woods didn’t come sweeping out to ravage and rampage across Zuveria and Ocreatha more often. And that was because to creatures as big as them, the lands of the two countries might as well be barren.

That said, Syl had infused those of his Children that were following Bula out of the woods with as much power as he possibly could before they’d returned to Zuveria. And then that power had been used to great effect in the battles that had followed. It shouldn’t have been surprising when they finally began to reach the end of that energy.

In the end, Bula brought up the fact that the Children were growing more and more restless at the same meeting where Thayla brought up how much the appearance and size of the Children were frightening the refugees. And so the decision was made between the four of them to let the Children of Syl go loose. The hulking creatures had all departed as one, heading back to the Sylian Woods at Bula’s urging… and without eating a single refugee either. Mikael had to count that as a win.

Of course, it meant more work for him. Between his soul and a complete lack of a need for sleep, Mikael was best situated for being Chief Wrangler to the refugees they were trying to lead to Ocreatha’s Capital. Once the Children of Syl were gone, he found himself spending most of his first day putting out proverbial fires, making sure none of the kids who Avina had brought back to life got lost or left behind, and also keeping an eye out for any natural wild predators who might seek to prey upon their not-so-little caravan.

They WERE taking the main road from Alether all the way to the Capital, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was entirely safe.

Fortunately, on Day Two of their trek, Thayla had helped him out by finding those among the refugees who had natural leadership qualities. By the time night fell, Mikael was no longer their primary source of scouting and protection. Even Thayla and Bula had begun to feel stretched thing to be honest, so it was nice to be able to just sit down at a campfire, all four of them, and rest for a moment.

Mikael still had his head on a swivel of course… and he still had Soul Sense active twenty-four-seven as well. But right now he could tell that most of the refugees were sleeping soundly and those that were awake were either lookouts or at least staying out of trouble. Mikael wasn’t about to begrudge anyone some insomnia and restlessness after what they’d all been through.

That said, now that he, Avina, Bula, and Thayla were all together and they had a moment to actually breathe…

“Avina. What’s wrong?”

Startling, his Soul Mechanic looks up from where she’d been leaning against his shoulder staring into the flames. She gapes for a moment before quickly schooling her features.

“What… what makes you think something is w-wrong?”

Mikael is just about to answer when Bula lets out a huff and answers for him.

“It’s obvious.”

The half-orc’s words almost look like they strike a visible blow from the way Avina jerks back. Ducking her head and letting her raven locks cover her face for a moment, Avina groans and whispers almost too quietly to be heard.

“Fuck… even Bula could tell? That one hurts…”

Only Thayla can’t hear her though, given Mikael and Bula’s enhanced senses. Likewise, the Knight of the Rose looks confused. Unlike Mikael and Bula, Thayla hadn’t noticed Avina’s melancholic attitude. Still, she knows better than to speak up right now and silence quickly falls save for the crackling of the campfire. Finally though, Avina raises her head and lets out an explosive sigh before admitting what’s bothering her.

“I don’t want to be Queen.”

Those six words land like a bombshell in the middle of them all. Silence falls as Mikael digests that statement. Huffing, Avina gestures with a hand and explains.

“I mean, why would I? Sure, I was raised a Princess… for like, eight or nine years. And then my whole family was killed and I had to run. I survived not as a Princess, but as an orphan and an urchin. I learned to live on my own without any of the amenities royalty could expect to have at their disposal. Of course, it turns out that the entire time I had Foss Sangrey watching me and spying on me with patsies like Zadicus Quinn, but that doesn’t change the facts!”

Grumbling, Avina hugs herself, wrapping her arms around her body.

“I spent more of my life on the streets, living day to day and trying to work on the Soul Engine then I did as a princess. I don’t remember HALF of the lessons I was given as a child. And I was never meant to be Queen in the first place! I wasn’t the eldest of my siblings by a long shot, so the chance of me being Queen was always minimal. Or rather, it was supposed to be.”

Untwining her arms from her body just as swiftly, Avina lets out another explosive breath and runs a hand through her hair, raking her fingers back along her scalp.

“I don’t want to be Queen. I don’t want to rule Ocreatha. But… it’s my duty and I understand that. I’m just not looking forward to it, you know?”

Then, summoning a smile to her face, Avina looks to all of them one by one, eventually stopping on Mikael.

“At least… at least I’ll have you all by my side, right?”

“No.”

Mikael only realizes how his response sounds after it’s left his lips. To be fair, the word falls from his mouth almost entirely involuntarily, completely on impulse. Still, when Avina’s face flashes to hurt and confused right afterwards, he quickly elaborates.

“Sorry, to be clear I don’t mean ‘no’ to being by your side. I’ll always be by your side Avina, for as long as you’ll have me.”

The relief that comes over her face at that is almost painful. But it’s his own fault for implying for even a moment that he’d abandon her. Shaking his head, Mikael reaches out and slips his fingers through Avina’s, taking hold of her hand and gripping it tightly.

“What I was saying ‘no’ to is this idea that you HAVE to become Queen. Why? Why not just… let it go?”

That brings Avina up short. His Soul Mechanic just stares at him wordlessly for a long moment, her dark grey eyes wide. Finally though, she collects herself.

“Let it… go? It’s not that simple, Mikael. I can’t… people are counting on me.”

But Mikael just shakes his head again.

“No they aren’t. Avina, most don’t even know you’re alive. So I ask again… why do you have to become Queen if you don’t want to? Why is it your duty? Just because you were born royalty doesn’t mean you owe a bunch of strangers anything.”

Straightening up, he looks his Soul Mechanic, his savior, right in the eye.

“You have a claim to the throne of Ocreatha. There’s no denying that. But it’s just a claim. You hold no responsibility to press that claim. You do NOT have a duty to the people of this country anymore than you’ve already satisfied by killing Foss Sangrey and ending his tyranny. Your family has been avenged. Ocreatha is free of the ‘Supreme King’. So… why not? Why can’t we just drop off the refugees outside of the Capital and leave?”

Avina is gaping at him now. Mouth fully open, eyes still wide. A little aghast, she wiggles for a moment before glancing down at where he’s holding her hand. A small, secretive little smile flies across her face for a second before she gets ahold of herself and shakes her head.

“Where… where would we even go though?”

Mikael just scoffs good-naturedly.

“Go? We’d travel of course. We’d go wherever we wanted to go. We’d do whatever we wanted to do. And most importantly of all…”

Here he leans in and with his free hand proceeds to boop Avina on the nose. Needless to say, she does not appreciate this one bit, batting his hand away and scowling at him… right up until he finishes his sentence.

“… we’ll be who WE want to be.”

Avina goes still at that idea, but she can’t hide the longing in her face from him. The girl who had told him to call her his Soul Mechanic all that time ago in a basement in Alether longed to be free. She longed to no longer be tied down by society’s expectations of her. Well fuck it. Mikael would give her that. No matter what it took.

“Let’s explore the world, yeah? This continent we’re on… I can’t imagine it’s all of Vaclatora. There’s gotta be more of it out there. We’ll see it all if possible. The four of us.”

For the first time, Mikael sweeps his gaze to the others, including them in his spiel.

“We’d make an excellent adventuring party. Avina has the healing down pat so long as she can use me and the Soul Engine. And between Bula, Thayla, and me, we’ve got more than enough martial firepower to take on anything we come across as well, I’m sure of it. The four of us… striding across Vaclatora, causing mayhem, putting out fires, and saving the day for innocents while ruining it for the bad guys. What do you say?”

At the end of his speech, he turns his attention back to Avina. Those last four words are directed at all of them of course, but there’s no denying they’re directed at Avina most of all. His Soul Mechanic’s breath hitches and she looks like she wants nothing more than to take him up on his offer. However, before she replies, she turns to the other two women sitting around the campfire herself. Staring at Bula and Thayla, she bites her lower lip as she gives them both questioning looks.

Bula is the first to respond, the half-orc warrior snorting in derision.

“Sounds like fun. More fun than watching you play Queen, anyways. Either way, I’m sticking with you lot.”

Rolling her shoulders in a shrug, Bula grins wickedly.

“Seeing as my only other choice is to go live with a bunch of monsters that are all so much bigger than me it’s not even funny, I’m here to stay. Cuddling with a bunch of Syl’s Children every once in a while is all well and good, but not like I want to live in those damn woods full time or anything.”

All three of the other people around the campfire shudder involuntarily at the thought of ‘cuddling’ with a Child of Syl. Way too many spikes. But Mikael had to admit, somehow Bula made it work. Hell, she even made it look comfortable the few times he’d seen it happen. Still… her point well-made, it’s obvious she’s on board with their plan.

Thayla on the other hand is squirming and looking a little bit pale. Likely at the thought of turning around and running right after her father gave her the job of liaison to Ocreatha just two days ago. And Avina looks like she’s not sure how to ask Thayla to abandon that duty, judging by the way his Soul Mechanic looks down at her lap, biting her lower lip.

Mikael knows how though. Clearing his throat and drawing Thayla’s attention in his direction, he gives a half shrug.

“You know Thayla… once the Imperial Senate forces your father to become Emperor, they’re almost certainly going to force him to name an heir as well. And with you as his only living child, well… Ocreatha might not be far enough away to prevent him from naming you Heir to the Zuverian Empire in the event that something happens to him. In fact… not that I want to cast aspersions on the Knight-Superior’s good name… but assigning you as liaison to Ocreatha might very well have been his plan for keeping you within arm’s reach all along…”

Thayla’s face goes through a number of contortions as Mikael’s words wash over her, before ultimately settling on even paler than before, her big blue eyes wide with fear. It also serves the dual purpose of reminding her just how LITTLE she wants to be the Imperial Princess with all the duties and responsibilities that such a role would carry… and allows her to perhaps finally recognize what Avina is staring down the barrel of as well.

“The… the Savage Lands might be nice this time of year!”

Everyone blinks at that suggestion, but Thayla is quick to defend her suggestion.

“No one knows what lies beyond the Savage Lands apparently. So… if we wanted to begin exploring the far corners of Vaclatora, it’s either that, the Sylian Woods… or the ocean. And I don’t know how to sail. Or swim.”

Mikael finds himself beginning to nod along.

“Yeah. Plus, the Sylian Woods would probably be boring anyways. We’d find a lot more satisfying fights in the Savage Lands and whatever might lie beyond them.”

Bula perks up at that, grinning savagely.

“No clue what’s past the Savage Lands. They’re bigger than Zuveria and Ocreatha combined from what I was told. Not that I know for sure, we didn’t exactly have maps. Still… I could see myself going back there. With the right kind of people.”

Mikael returns Bula’s grin with a grin just as savage as his own. Finally, all three of them turn to Avina. The smallest member of their group looks surprised and also incredibly touched even as she too slowly begins to grin. In her eyes, Mikael sees pure happiness overtake the melancholy she’d been trying to hide these past couple of days. Avina finally sees what he sees… that in the four of them, they’ve found a strange but loving family. And no matter what, they’ll always have each other through thick and thin.

-x-X-x-

A/N: "Wait, you can just... do that? Leave everyone else to clean up their own messes and run away?" - Avina probably.

Tomorrow's chapter will be a little odd because it'll be told from the perspective of two nameless NPCs, but it felt right how I wrote it so hopefully people enjoy!

Be sure to let me know what you think!