WHO, Chapter 38! Finally past all that violent nonsense for now. How about a rather unexpected and enchanting encounter instead? Incidentally, I won’t just copy and paste it here, obviously, but if you want to know the song a certain character is singing, let’s just say I took heavy inspiration from something I saw on youtube. Just look up “Ancient Celtic Folk Song by Julie Fowlis”. Technically it has an actual Celtic name, but it’s easier to just search that way, trust me.

-Llox

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Some time later, the somewhat tired Kuna exited the council’s sanctum. It’d been a pleasant enough visit, and the members of the council were friendly. But for some reason, he’d been expecting something… else. The whole visit was just another extended story-time session with strangers. In the end, they wished him well on his journey, and invited him to return to Whitlan some day, then excused themselves to bed, at which point Kuna left and had the guard take him back to the exit. Once he left the front gate and re-entered the garden, he was momentarily nervous when he couldn’t see Lykou anywhere.

“Lykou??” he called out, looking around.

One of the guards shushed him from the gate. “Voices doon in th’ garden, please.”

“D-did you happen to see w-where my friend went?” the sereva nervously asked the guard.

“Somewhere over oan th’ far side,” the guard said, then gestured to another lepne watering some of the plants. “Ask th’ groundskeeper o’er there. She may ‘av spoken tae him.”

Kuna looked up, then nodded and thanked the guard before walking over. As he approached, he could hear the groundskeeper humming quietly to herself. “E-excuse me, miss?”

“Hmm? Kin ah help ye?” she asked without looking up.

“M-my friend was waiting f-for me out here, did you by any chance s-see him? He’s-”

“Aye, ‘es over in th’ bath ‘roond them hedges,” she answered gesturing to the tall bushes.

“Oh, th-thank you!” he said and hurried off to find the konuul.

“Nae problem,” she murmured softly, smirking to herself after he was out of earshot. “Heart forbid ye use yer magic ta find ‘im,” she added with a small chuckle.

*****

Kuna rounded the corner and stopped as he spotted Lykou sitting, quite relaxed, in the artificial pond. With his eyes closed, it almost looked like the canid was napping. The sereva slowly crept up with a playful grin, then knelt down behind him. He slowly reached down, then booped his nose. “Hi.”

The konuul jumped up, splashing around a bit as he was startled out of his relaxed state. When he turned and saw the giggling sereva, he smirked. “Well hello to you too,” he replied with a mischievous expression. “I should splash you for that, make you walk across town naked or drenched.”

The sereva yelped and backpedaled away from the water. “D-don’t you dare!”

Lykou snickered. “Relax, I won’t,” he said after a moment. “On the condition that you get your butt in here and join me, that is.”

Kuna blushed and smirked. “Alright, but you know the routine. Eyes away, mister.”

The canid rolled his eyes as he turned away again. “Fine, fine. You didn’t have any problem with it back after that battle, though.”

“I did have a few other things on my mind at the time, you know,” Kuna replied as he stripped his clothes off, then slid into the water nearby. “Alright, I’m in.”

Lykou turned back around and yanked him into a quick hug, which the sereva happily returned. “So how did it go with the almighty ‘druna council’?”

Kuna shrugged. “Fine. Not much to say, honestly. They just wanted to know about me- about us, really. It was just story-time all over again. Their… ‘sanctum’ place is pretty fascinating, though. The whole thing is like a huge cluster of unnatural trees and stuff growing together into like a really tall building.”

“Weird,” Lykou agreed. “Still, hey, you got through it, right?”

“Yeah, heh,” Kuna admit with a small smile. “They were friendly, at least. I was worried they’d all be intimidating or something, but they weren’t much different from most of the other lepne we met. Though they all knew st-, er, soul magic.”

“Guess that makes sense, with them being the ‘high council’ and all,” the canid replied with a shrug. “But hey, you got through it by yourself. And you didn’t even need my help this time!” he added with a grin, ruffling the sereva’s hair lightly.

Kuna smirked and pushed up against him, wrapping an arm around him. “Yeah but it would’ve been nice to have you there anyway.”

“Who’s the sappy one now?” Lykou teased, then chuckled and hugged him back.

After a few moments, they both moved back over to the edge and leaned back, relaxing in the moonlight. “Well, I guess tomorrow we get back onto our own journey,” the sereva commented, looking up at the stars, conjuring up his magic briefly to illuminate the star-path.

“Mhmm. It’s been really nice here, for the most part, but I definitely want to get back to heading home,” Lykou replied, then looked over at the sereva. “I do at least want to look around town a little before we head out, though. We got those, er… ‘coin’-things to use, and we might as well see if we can find some things that might help on the trip.”

“That’s… a good point, actually. I haven’t the slightest idea what, but it’s worth a try,” the sereva replied. “Never seen things like those before though.”

“Me either. Hey, I think I’ll keep one of them to take home, so we can show it off. Show where we’ve been, kind of thing.”

“Sure. Just add it to the necklaces, sashes, bracers, and whatever else we collect I guess,” Kuna said with a snicker.

“And a certain blood-smudged stone,” Lykou added with a wink.

“Yeah, especially that.” The sereva grinned back at him, then they leaned against one another and relaxed in silence for a little while.

“Well, I guess we better get out and dry off before we fall asleep here,” Lykou reluctantly suggested.

Kuna sighed. “Yeah, good point. Already getting pretty late, and we’ve still gotta walk back to the lodge after we dry off and get dressed.”

“Yep,” Lykou said as he climbed out of the water and shook some water off, then sat down in the grass.

The sereva shivered slightly as he got out and sat next to him. “Eesh… I’m glad I dry faster, it’s chilly out here.”

“Feels fine to me,” the canid replied with a smirk.

“Yeah, ‘cus you’re a big ball of fluff,” Kuna retorted, nudging him playfully.

Lykou snickered. “Hey, like you said, at least you dry off quicker.”

The sereva shivered slightly, then suddenly pressed up against the canid and pulled his arm around him. “Still. Damn cold.”

“You know that’ll just make you dry off slower,” the konuul pointed out in amusement.

“Duncare. Worthit,” Kuna retorted as he forcefully snuggled up into the canid’s warm embrace.

Lykou snickered and hugged him. “Alright, fine by me.”

They both cuddled as they gradually dried off, occasionally chatting and otherwise enjoying the serene silence and beauty of the surrounding garden. Eventually, when they were finally starting to get sufficiently dry enough to start getting dressed again, they started to hear the sound of someone singing not far away.

“Wow, that sounds really pretty,” Lykou said as he pulled his shirt on.

“Yeah. Must be that groundskeeper. I guess she’s still here,” Kuna commented.

“Oh yeah, she was humming while she worked earlier. I guess she’s the one that told you where I was?”

“Yeah. I figured she’d have left by now. All the others left before I even went in to see the council.”

“I talked to her a bit. Her name’s Aelana. Apparently she likes working at night because it’s more peaceful or something.”

Kuna nodded. “Makes sense. I can see the appeal,” he said, looking around. “It was nice in the setting sun, but it’s downright breathtaking at night.”

“Yeah, it-… wait a minute,” Lykou said, furrowing his brows and perking his ears up. “Does… something about that singing seem slightly… off, to you?”

Kuna listened carefully for a moment, then suddenly his eyes widened a little. “Now that you mention it…” He suddenly looked down and checked the medallion around his neck. It was still glowing, but the light had a faint flicker to it. “...why can’t we understand the words?”

They both exchanged a look, then finished getting dressed quickly. They carefully peeked around the hedges and saw that the groundskeeper was indeed the one singing. No longer was she merely tending the garden- she was dancing and twirling around in it as she sang. Her voice was beautiful, but the words were lost on them, even with the help of the medallions. Something seemed to be interfering with them. As the groundskeeper sang, her voice echoed faintly, giving it an other-worldly beauty.

The more they listened, the more it sounded like there were unseen instruments accompanying her voice, coming from all around. She briefly stepped behind a large bush, and when she stepped past the other side, she was suddenly taller than any other lepne, and her eyes were larger as well. And they were glowing with a sparkling light, along with certain new markings that appeared in various spots on her body. Several glowing butterflies appeared around her, flitting about among the more mundane fireflies appearing throughout the garden. The plants seemed to be blooming, moving, and reshaping themselves around her, following her movements, even though neither of her hands sported any green aura. In fact, for all the obvious magic in the air, Kuna couldn’t sense the usual flows of energy coming from her that he’d expect from life magic.

At first, the boys were a bit wary, especially Kuna, who was downright scared. He nudged his friend and quietly suggested they try to find another way around. But Lykou gently grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. “Hey, if she wanted to hurt us, I’m sure she would’ve done it while we were in the water. She knew where we were. Besides, we’re in the middle of town, in the council’s garden! For all we know, she’s a secret member of the council or something.”

Kuna shifted uneasily. “I don’t know, I can’t sense whatever magic she’s using.”

“Wait, really?”

The sereva shook his head. “She’s not manipulating life energy at all. Look at her hands.”

“I thought she was just hiding it somehow,” Lykou replied, scratching his head. “Still, that’s all the more reason we shouldn’t run. Maybe she can teach you something, or at least maybe help us with our journey somehow. She’s clearly the most advanced ‘druna’ we’ve met, right?”

“He’s right, ye ken,” a voice suddenly said from behind them, making them both jump in surprise. Aelana was standing right behind them, glowing eyes and markings and all. A faint sparkly aura surrounded her, though the sound of unseen instruments quickly faded away, as she’d stopped singing.

“Oh, Aelana! Uhh… w-we didn’t mean to spy on you,” Lykou quickly blurted out with a sheepish grin.

She giggled lightly. “Ah’m sure. If ah didnae want ye ta see meh lik’ this, ah wouldnae be showin’ it ta ye, wid ah?” She summoned up a set of massive, oversized flowers behind herself and underneath the boys, bumping them into a sitting position. “’av a seat lads, let’s chat.”

Lykou and Kuna were taken a bit by surprise, but the flowers were surprisingly comfortable. They shifted position a bit and shot each other a look, then shrugged and decided to go along with it.

“...you’re the real one in charge around here, aren’t you?” Kuna suddenly blurted out with an arched brow, much to Lykou’s mild surprise.

“Figured that oot, did ye?” she replied with a smirk. “Aye, in a way. Th’ council takes care o’ th’ town, bit Ivor comes ta me fer advise occasionally. Etherwise, ah just lurk aboot ‘n’ sorta… nudge things noo ‘n’ then. As weel as keep watch fer strange things goin’ oan in Clovaria. Thanks fer helpin’ Moyra deal wi’ Kerr, by the way.”

“Hey, we were glad t-” Lykou started, then furrowed his brow. “Wait, how did you know about that? And don’t tell me its from the sashes, there’s no way they give away that much detail.”

“Aye, they don’t. Bit ah ‘av mah ways,” she said with a glint in her eye.

“Probably magic, right?” Kuna said. “Obviously you’re powerful, but what kind of magic were you using? I couldn’t sense anything coming from you.”

“Aye. Yer lookin’ fer the wrong kind o’ thing, lad,” she replied. “Let’s jest say ah kin see things all across Clovaria when ah want tae. Tis mah domain, efter a’.”

“All of Clovaria??” Lykou asked in surprise. “I’ve never heard of someone being in charge of multiple villages… er, or towns, for that matter.”

“Well lik’ ah tellt ye, ah dinnae run everythin’ directly. Bit ah do watch over et,” she said, then narrowed her eyes and grinned, crossing her arms. “Which is howfer ah ken ye came through th’ auld gateway.”

“Gateway?” Lykou asked curiously.

“She probably means the arch-thing,” Kuna pointed out, then turned back to the lepne. “Right?”

“Aye. Arch, gateway, portal, whitever ye wantae call it.”

“Er, yeah, um… it’s a long story,” Lykou said.

“Basically we’re trying to find our way home, and someone told we could use those old… gateways, I guess, to do it,” Kuna explained. “That’s… not a problem is it?”

“Nah. Tis nice ta see ‘em used again. They bin sittin’ there doin’ nuthin’ bit lookin’ auld ‘n’ gatherin’ dust fer… well, a lang time,” she said with a shrug. “Ah assume yer heidin’ fer th’ one northeast o’ here, aye?”

The boys nodded. “Yeah, uh… it’s not too far, is it?” Lykou asked.

Aelana shook her head. “Aboot a day’s travel. Mibbie mair, mibbie less, dependin’ oan yer pace,” she answered, then looked thoughtful for a moment. “Let me ask ye somethin’. Wis th’ one tha’ tellt ye aboot ‘em by enny chance a mysterious dark figure tha’ likes smoke ‘n’ shadows ‘n’ messin’ wi’ folk?”

Lykou and Kuna’s eyes shot wide open. “Yeah, why, you know her??” Kuna asked.

Aelana rolled her eyes up for a moment in mild exasperation, frowning slightly. “Ah ken her kind. Jarzin, aye?”

“That’s what she told us. So you know of them, huh?” Lykou asked, frowning as well. “Are you another of their, uh… victims?”

The lepne snickered slightly. “Nat hardly. Th’ druna o’ these hills ‘av had an… arrangement wi’ ‘em fer centuries noo. We dinnae interfere wi’ ‘em ‘n’ they stay oot o’ our lands,” she explained, then sighed. “’course, ah’m prolly th’ only one left tha’ even remembers tha’,” she lamented. Kuna looked like he was about to ask something, but she quickly continued before he could get a word out, “Thir’s only one jarzin tha’s bold enoof ta try ‘n’ sneak aroond oor arrangement by sendin’ ye two here. Inkari, aye?”

“Er, yeah actually,” Kuna said in surprise, his question forgotten for the moment. “You know her specifically, too?”

“Aye, she’s a bit o’ a legend among her people,” the lepne said. “Jarzin are mighty powerful, bit thir’s a tradeoff fer their power. They ainly walk th’ mortal world fer aboot thirty, mibbie fourty years at most.”

“Really? They die young?” Lykou asked with a quizzical look.

“I would have thought being that, er… attuned to mystical energies would help people live longer,” Kuna chimed in.

“Aye, tha’s jest it. They dinnae die, or at least very rarely. Bit they end up getting’ a wee bit too attuned ta th’ spirit world, ye kin? Tis like they skip over th’ whole messy dyin’ part- thir body ‘n’ soul jest sort o’ meld together efter a while, till one day they step intae th’ spirit world ‘n’ cannae come back,” Aelana explained, then adopted a mildly sour look. “Somehow, tha’ Inkari foond a way ta cheat th’ system, tho. Sae suffice ta say she’s bin aroond a very lang time.”

“Damn. Lucky us,” Kuna snarked with a frown.

“So I guess she’s more powerful than even most other Jarzin?” Lykou asked.

“Aye. Thir all powerful folk, bit she’s oan anether level entirely,” Aelana said, then looked away with her eyes narrowed in thought. “’n’ a wee bit off in th’ heid, some might say.”

“I’m inclined to agree with whoever those ‘some’ are,” the sereva replied.

“Me too,” Lykou agreed with a slight shudder. “I keep worrying she’s going to show back up at some point to mess with us more.”

“Weel, at least ye dinnae ‘av ta worry aboot tha’ here in Clovaria,” the lepne assured them. “She might skirt th’ arrangement by pointin’ ye here, bit even she wouldnae dare go directly aginst it by spookin’ ye here.”

“No offense, but how can you be sure, if she’s so powerful?” Kuna asked anxiously. “I mean, I know you’re powerful too, but if she’s really been around that long…”

“Yeah, she conjured up massive storms like it was nothing, and threw us across the world somehow,” Lykou added.

“And I get the impression she’s mastered almost every kind of magic.”

Aelana grinned. “Ach, na even claise. She’s mastered a lot, ah’ll grant ye. Bit she ‘as her weaknesses,” she explained. “’n’ ye havnae seen bit a wee bit o’ whit ah kin do.”

“Oh yeah?” Lykou asked, intrigued.

“I am curious how you did all that stuff earlier,” Kuna said. “I… don’t suppose you plan on explaining it at all?”

The lepne eyed them, then looked up at the sky thoughtfully for a moment- particularly at the nearly-full moon. “...ah tell ye whit. Ah ken ye wis plannin’ ta leave tomorrae, bit ah’d like ye ta stay an extra day, so’s ye kin come back here tomorrae night. Ah promise ah’ll mak’ it worth yer while. Ah’m sure ye ‘av a lot mair questions, bit ye must be getting’ tired. ‘n’ in any case it’ll give ye a chance to use them coins yer holdin’ in toun afore ye heid oot, withoot havin’ ta rush yer decisions.”

“I... think I’m just going to stop asking how you know these things,” Lykou said in mild surprise and amusement. “And just assume it’s probably some kind of magic.”

“Well yer na entirely wrong.”

“Okay so… any particular time? I know we kind of got here a bit late in the day this time, we can come earlier if-” Kuna began to say, but she cut him off.

“Na, if anythin’, come later. When the sun’s full doon,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “Ah’ll mak’ sure th’ guards willnae stop ye.”

“Er, if you’re sure…”

“Why at night?” Kuna asked, a little wary.

“Weel ah wasnae lyin’ aboot preferin’ the garden a’ night,” she said, gesturing around. “Nabody aroond, fer one thing. Still tryin’ ta keep up the ‘lowly groundskeeper’ thing, ye ken?”

“Oh, right… makes sense,” the sereva admitted. “Wait, do the guards know? Wouldn’t they have seen and heard you doing all that singing, dancing, and… well, magic?”

She shook her head with a smirk. “Na. They left a while back, efter the council went ta kip fer th’ night. Ah made sure they didnae see me, or you two, fer tha’ matter,” she said, then hopped up off her flower-seat. “Ah kin walk ye boys oot, tho. So ye’ll come by tomorrae?”

Kuna stood up and turned to Lykou. “Well...”

Lykou thought for a minute, then sighed and shrugged, getting off his own seat as well. “Alright, I guess one more day won’t hurt. You’ve admittedly got me real curious now. And you make a good point about the coins.”

Kuna yawned a bit. “And the tired part, now that you mention it.”

“Guid,” she said, then began leading them back to the garden’s exit.

“Your singing was very pretty, by the way,” Lykou complimented.

“Thank ye lad.”

“What was that song, and why couldn’t we understand it?” the sereva asked, then tapped his medallion. “These usually let us understand anyone.”

She smirked. “Song wis an old one my ma’ taught me when ah wis a lass. As fer why yer we trinket didnae werk, weel… songs often sound better in thir original language. Sae ah jest… didn’t let ‘em change it.”

“You... didn’t ‘let’ them,” Kuna replied flatly. “I guess that’s something we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get an answer for, too?”

“Aye,” the lepne replied. “Oh, afore ah forget, it prolly goes withoot sayin’, bit yer na tae tell ennyone mah wee secret, unnerstan?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Lykou agreed.

“Not like anyone would believe us anyway,” Kuna said with a shrug.

“True. They’d likely think ye’d spent tae lang doon et th’ brewhall,” Aelana said in amusement.

The three continued to make small talk on the way back to the gate. Every time they started to approach certain topics, though, she coyly avoided their questions, however. When they arrived, the guards were, indeed, gone. She opened the gate for them- without laying a hand on it, of course. Whatever magic she was using continued to be totally alien to Kuna’s senses.

“Oh, er… do you remember the way to the lodge?” Lykou asked Kuna sheepishly. “’cus I don’t.”

“Oh. Shit, no, I don’t,” he said, then shrugged. “I guess I could use my magic, though, since we’ve been there at least once. Maybe focus on your blanket,” he suggested, manifesting the soul magic.

“Ach, nevermind that, ah’ll jest walk ye,” Aelana said with a shrug.

“Uh… shouldn’t you, y’know… change back to your normal self?” Lykou suggested, gesturing to her. “Shorter, and less… glowy?”

She grinned. “Na. Nabody else will see meh, ye see,” she said. “Watch.”

Without warning, she jumped out just as a town night guard was passing by, and started dancing in circles around him. “Oy, you, lookit me!” She even leaned in and shouted in his ear. “Yer kilt’s crooked, ye eejit!”

The guard was completely unphased and continued on his way, with no indication of even noticing her- or the boys, for that matter. She hopped back over by the boys and put her hands on her hips with a cheesy grin. “See?”

Lyklou and Kuna were suitably impressed. “...I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me how you’re doing it, though. At least not tonight, anyway,” Kuna remarked with a mix of envy and mild annoyance.

“Right,” the lepne answered, tapping his nose lightly. “Tempting as it may be. Ye kin git upty a’ sorts o’ fun trouble with tha’ stuff, ye ken.” She paused to giggle a bit, seemingly suddenly almost giddy. Oy, we should-” she started to say, then clenched her eyes shut and shook her head, shaking the thought off. She turned away for a moment, seemingly having some kind of internal conflict. “Nae, nevermind. Th’ lodge, right.”

“Er, you okay?” Lykou asked with concern.

Kuna gave her a look. “Yeahhh…. Something going on?”

She shook her head again and shot a look up towards the moon, then sighed and turned back around, doing her best to give them a reassuring smile. “Nah, sorreh aboot tha’. Guess tis jest been a lang day.”

They both exchanged a glance, then gave her a dubious look. “Are you… sure?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes up. “Aye, tis nothin’. Look, truth is, ah’m jest… excited, a’right?” she explained carefully. “Ah spend most o’ my time playin’ th’ wee gard’ner, mindin’ mah bis’ness ‘n’ ne’er lettin’ anyone ken whit ah kin dae, sae it’s… fun, ta show off a wee bit, ah s’pose.”

Lykou grinned after a moment. “I guess that’s understandable.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kuna said, arching a brow. “That does beg the question why you’re showing us anything in the first place anyway, though.”

“Hey, we’re outsiders and won’t be around here much longer, so there’s less risk from her perspective. I don’t blame her for wanting to show off for once,” the konuul pointed out.

“Exactly!” the lepne quickly agreed. “Now c’mon then, lets git ye tae th’ lodge. Tis late ‘n’ ah ken ye baith need sleep. Ah shouldnae let mahself git worked up.”

Kuna shrugged after yawning again. “Yeah, fair enough I guess.”

Aelana took a deep breath, seemingly trying to settle herself down. “Tell ye whit, ye mind if ah sing some moar? Always helps ground meh.”

“By all means,” Lykou said. “As long as your magic is keeping you hidden, I guess, heh.”

“Yeah, and honestly, I uh… really liked when you were singing,” Kuna said with a shy smile. “It… kind of reminded me of when my parents would sing to me when I was little.”

“Aw, lad, thas mighty sweet,” Aelana said, rubbing his back lightly. “A’right then.” She paused to decide on a song for a moment, then grinned and started singing as they slowly made their way through the otherwise quiet, mostly empty streets. Along the way, a few torches flickered and shadows seemed to dance along to the music as they passed. More glowing butterflies appeared and followed them as well.

*****

An hour or so later, after she’d left the boys at the lodge, Aelana was again walking around in the garden, stewing over her thoughts. A certain feeling was tugging at her inside- one she was accustomed to dealing with, ordinarily. But this time it was stronger than it’d been in ages- after all, Clovaria hadn’t had outside visitors in a long time. She’d question the likelihood of the timing, but with jarzin involved, she was sure it was intentional. “Damn that witch…” she muttered to herself.

With a sigh, she knelt down by a more still area of the artificial pond the boys had been bathing in and stared at her reflection. Except her reflection looked quite different from her current physical form. “Well doon, you, almost givin’ us away oot in th’ streets. Ah prolly shouldnae even be doin’ this. Ah ken them lads are decent, bit this could still be a risk, ye damn bampot.”

“Ah, shet yer weesht. Ye bin lonely ‘n’ bored oot yer mind, ‘n’ we ne’er git the chance ta play ennymore. Tis worth enny damn risk,” the reflection snapped back.

The lepne frowned back at the reflection. “Someone’s got tae be responsible, ya ken. None o’ th’ ethers are aroond ennymore,” she grumbled. “We didnae even think tae bind ‘em with a geas ta keep e’en this much secret!” She gestured to her current appearance, with the glowing marks, faint aura, and so on.

“Whit, bein’ tall, magical, ‘n’ wi’ glowy bits oan?” the reflection replied, then rolled its eyes. “Oh th’ scandal o’ it all. Even if tha’ did git oot, whit would folks think? Oh, a secret extra-powerful druna workin’ wi’ th’ council. Stick tae yer pure lepne form ‘n’ yer fine, e’en wi’ glowy bits. Na lik’ ye havnae doon it afore.”

“Aye, ‘n’ it was a pain keepin’ up wi’ ‘Rhea’ when they noticed her na gettin’ auld, ya ken. Ye ken how they’d be if the commonfolk ken whit we really are,” she replied defensively. “Cannae jest romp around showin’ off ‘n’ flexin oor power noo. Mythic days are gone, alang wi’ th’ others. We ‘av a whole damn kingdom tae worry aboot.”

“A kingdom tha’ dinnae even ken they’re a kingdom, ne’ermind tha’ they ‘av a quin,” the reflection snarked back. “Does nae guid denyin’ who ye are all th’ time. Damn yer ‘responsibility’ shite. Ye need friends. Real friends, na jest people ye keep an eye oan. People ye kin trust, people ye kin confide in. ‘n’, people ye kin… well, ye ken. Play with.”

Aelanna looked away for a moment, crossing her arms. “...ah suppose it has bin a while.”

“A while? Ye havnae tellt anyone yer secrets sin’ Ivor wis freish!”

The lepne sighed. “True. ‘n’ he’s na much langer fer this world,” she said, a guilty expression crossing her face. “’e stays sae busy with th’ toun’s shite, he’s off ta kip th’ minute he’s free. Ne’er git tae see ‘im, much less goof aroond lik’ we used ta. Damn these folks’ short lives...”

There was silence for a few minutes before she glanced down at her reflection again. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Yer fookin’ talkin’ tae yerself agin’, ‘Lana. Mibbie ye should loosen up a bit,” she muttered, her eyes drifting up to the nearly-full moon.

“S’what ye git fer keepin’ me cooped up fer a’ this time. Ah wantae play, dammit. Its in oor nature, wither ye lik’ it or na,” the reflection groused.

“Aye, fine, ah git it. Ah need tae mak’ friends ‘n’ stop hidin’ sae much, ye made yer point,” Aelana said. Slowly, a grin crept across her face. “Ah suppose them lads are guid fer practice. At least tomorrae wull be… fun.”