Silence…
The forest was silent, only the hushed footsteps of Galick and Finnick could be heard. Neither of the men spoke and that only added to the eerie soundlessness. Finding the silence ominous, the two men sped up the path back to the village center. In the center, was a line of various shops; one of them being Galick's workshop. Though they made the round trip faster than average, the two didn't make it back until mid-day.
The apartment was just as quiet as the forest and it put their senses on high alert. The two passed through the hallway, ignoring the doors on either side of them. Instead, they charged into the living room where they could see the rest of the apartment. It was a large open space with a fireplace against the wall to the left. A padded bench with arms and a back had been placed across from it. The back of the bench faced the dining room where Cora walked mindlessly around the table. She placed each plate on the table softly as her two temporary guardians worked on lunch on the other side of the dining room. A galley kitchen made up the last room of the house but neither of the two men were focused on much besides a certain eleven year old.
"Cora, we're back…" Finnick announced and all eyes turned to them. However, Finnick was focused on Cora who made the teens heartbreak the moment he saw her face. The girl's eyes were red and puffy; tear streaks ran down her equally red cheeks. Finnick was down on his knees knowing his sister would be the first to react. She was snuggled into his arms before he could even count to five. Which only served to punch a whole through Finnick's heart.
"This is nothing compared to what we walked into this morning. When we got here, she was completely distraught that you both were gone." Takami, Sera's wife, mumbled as she took a sip of the coffee in her hand. Takami was an elf who inherited the green skin of her woodland relatives. Her short white hair covered all but the last inch of her pointed ears. Beautiful golden eyes with long lashes made her soft features that much more pronounced. However, as she glared at the two men, she looked more like an angry cub than a tiger. Sera, who looked the two men over appraisingly along with her mate, shook her head when she noticed a few cuts on Finnick's hands. She didn't say anything but she wanted nothing more than to make sure they were truly alright.
"Takami… I left her in your capable hands for a reason and I thought that I could trust you. However, that doesn't give you the right to look at me as if I am in the wrong here. I did what needed to be done, just like I always have to keep Cora safe." Finnick replied and the two women looked at him in shock. He was never sunshine and daisies but he had never spoken to them like that.
"You are right, Finnick. We just weren't the ones she wanted and possibly needed." Sera meditated as she pinned her mate with a look that said "we will talk when we get home!". Kami was quick to back down under her wife's angered gaze.
"I never asked you to be the one she wanted. I asked you to be who I needed you to be. I couldn't be here so I chose you to be in my stead. Yet, your mate seems to think I enjoy leaving my upset sister alone with others." Finnick argued before he swept the calming child into his arms. The teen carried Cora over to the padded bench and sat with her in his lap. Luckily, the two women changed aim and chatted quietly with Galick in the kitchen.
Wisps of purple Mana seeped into the room from where the front entrance was. In the midst was a five foot seven inch woman. Her brown mane had been slicked back into a ponytail that fell past her delicate looking shoulders. A hand on each defined hip as she glared at Galick from across the room. Everyone was stock still as each came to realize her presence in time.
"Who are you?" Finnick asked and a pair of familiar brown eyes flew over to him. The angry expression she had was gone and was replaced by one of shocked understanding.
"Margret! What in hell's blazes are you doing here?" Galick balked when he realized who the teen had been inquiring about. Her gaze hardened as it turned back to the workshop's master.
"I would have thought that obvious, brother. It had been years since my search for you began. However, things have become dire back home and we must return sooner rather than later." Margret said with a mix of emotions in her voice. The room froze as everyone wondered who could be after such a blacksmith.
"Look, things have come up rather recently that I need to take care of. Going home is not in the cards for me right now." Galick replied as his eyes briefly met Finnicks. Galick was not a spring chicken but he was young in terms of elves who can live on forever if they so wish it.
"Gale, If this was just about your missing persons then I would let it go. However, things have taken a turn for the worst and you are urgently needed back in Slivet!" she persisted with an air of sorrow to her words. Nobody spoke as they witnessed the exchange but it only grew more awkward when Galick broke down into tears. The woman, Margret, had told him some unsightly news telepathically and everyone knew it. The news seemed worse than anyone else in the room expected. Orion, Galick's younger brother, had been assassinated when he took the throne in Galick's place.
"Gale's, you know what this means, don't you? Anyone or anything can be brought back with you if you wish. However, you need to come back home this time. There is nobody left to take the throne now." Margret pleaded with the large man who looked both beaten and sorrowful.
"Give me a few days and I will get back to you. I know how to find you when the time comes." Galick replied in a tone the others had not heard before. It held authority and wisdom far beyond the average blacksmith. Margret understood the clear dismissal; after a deep breath she turned to leave the apartment.
"Miss Margret!" Finnick of all people called out and the women turned to look at him with a confused expression.
"Apologies for calling out like that but as you can see I am a bit trapped." Finnick nodded his head toward the sleeping Coridella in his lap, "Anyway, though it might not be the most luxurious of beds. We have a spare back where we live."Finnick offered and the woman's eyes grew larger. She had not expected such a thing from one so young. It only made her more curious about the two but she was not given the chance to reply.
"No Finnick, you two need to stay here. We have far too much to discuss, don't you think?" Galick said resolutely and Finnick's eyes shot over to him. The teen was confused but agreed with his boss anyway with a quick nod.
"She is still free to use the bed." Finnick insisted and the woman smiled at him with seeming approval shining in her eyes.
"Thank you, hatchling. However, I have a camp already set up on the village's outskirts." Margret reassured with a kind smile that reminded him too much of his mothers. He averted his eyes after a quick nod and let the others handle it.
Without any more interruptions, Margret departed from the home. Suddenly feeling very out of place, the two women looked between the man of the house and the front entrance. Galick slumped back into his seat as the women collected their things.
"Galick, we are going to head home. Though it is late now, there is some lunch in the kitchen for you all." Sera stated as she grabbed her beloved by the wrist and hauled her out of the apartment.
"Thank you, Sera." Galick called after the pair but no response was given. Galick wondered for a moment if they had heard him but pushed the thought from his mind as he looked to the two on the padded bench.
"There is much to tell you two. For now, you should wake Coridella and explain today's events." Galick mumbled as he lumbered off to his bed. Finnick let the large man go and grieve in peace while he turned his attention to the girl in his lap. He had expected to find her still fast asleep but her brown eyes were somewhat focused on him.
"Finny, what's going on?" she managed to ask before a large yawn escaped her. Finnick thought she looked like a well fed cat for a moment before reality set in. Suddenly, the teen wished the larger man would return and explain it all to her. Unfortunately, the burden of being her guardian… fell to him. Yet, he knew that his sister would have it no other way and that provided some comfort. Holding tight to that thought, he told Cora everything from his plan to leave to their not so father being banished from their childhood home. Neither the question of who their father was nor what they were gonna do bothered Cora. The fact that her brother had planned to leave their homeland all that time without a word chilled her to her core.
"Were you going to leave without even telling me?" she asked tearfully but Finnick was quick to sooth her. He held her close to him and patted her hair in a way that he knew calmed her.
"No, I had planned to tell you everything the night you came to the shop. I had planned to stay here with you until things were a bit more stable but you know that Galick will ask us to go with him. My guess is that he asked for those three days to see if we will agree within that time." Finnick answered as he pulled the girl back from his chest. Her delicate face looked tired and worn as if she hadn't slept a wink for days.
"I think that we should stay with Galick. I don't really know why but I feel like that is our best chance for survival." Cora replied and Finn's eyes shot over to her just in time to see the black bleed from her eyes. He knew of his sister's odd inklings that had never led them wrong but he felt uneasy not knowing where the power came from. However, she was at her best when her life was on the line.
"I know that is how you might be inclined to feel that way, but is it what you want?" Finnick asked as he pulled her face up to look her in the eye by the chin.
"He is the most likely candidate to be our father. Not to mention, he has basically been our only support besides Sera and her wife. I think we should go with him because it will be the best of both worlds." Cora replied with clear and determined eyes that Finnick recognized easily. The same he had when Shetter basically abandoned the two after their mothers death. The eyes that said they would be alright even if one of them had to work a bit harder. Finnick could not help but agree with everything she said. Galick was the best guardian they could ask for even if they were or were not related. Both children knew that Galick felt the same. The only thing that would make it perfect is if the two women would agree to go. Though, it was most likely not in the cards.
"Then that is the plan. We will go with Galick if that is what he wants. If not, we will depart from her and head toward the capital of Nylym?" Finnick proposed and the girl nodded along. She never really cared where they went, as long as they stuck together.
"You go ahead and tell Gale. I will go see what Sera and Kami made to eat." Finnick said with wiggling eyebrows as Cora climbed out of his lap. Cora giggled as she pranced off to find her second favorite male.
In the kitchen sat several plates and bowls with food on them; Chicken with lemon, soup made with rice, chicken broth, and veggies, and lastly fried sweet potatoes; not to mention a green mush that Finnick could not stand. The two women, along with Cora, loved the guck. Finnick suspected it was a magical plant only women liked. However, the woman would laugh at him because it was "Just an avocado".
"Why would I lie to you about this! Finny and I talked it over." Cora insisted as the two came into Finnick's view at the dining room table. The elf looked conflicted until he looked to Finnick who gave him the nod of affirmation he needed to believe the child.
"And you are both sure about this?" Galick asked as he looked between the odd siblings. Cora just harrumphed, annoyed with his repetitive questioning. Finnick snickered to himself but gave the mammoth of a guy a solid nod.
"We can talk while we eat. As you said, there is much for us to discuss; we should eat what Kami and Sera were kind enough to make for us." Finnick added as he gestured to the seat in front of him. Cora took the seat next to her brother while Galick took his. Before long, each plate and bowl was filled with what they wanted to eat. With the exception of Cora who needed help putting things besides meat on her plate. She didn't argue when both men gave her a pointed look.
"I know you two must have many ques-" Galick started but Finnick held up his hand to stop him. Galick obliged but looked at the young man in confusion.
"You are Galick Slivet from the Slivet kingdom. You are first in line for the throne and I suspect whoever your sister told you died, had taken your place when you left." Finnick recited and Galick nodded along as it was all correct. He should not have bothered to feel proud of him at that moment but he couldn't help it. He had trained him to always pay attention to what others say.
"That is correct, I am the first prince Galick Donavan Slivet. Margret is my younger sister and our younger brother took my place when I left. He was assassinated a month ago but nobody could really investigate when there was no monarch to lead the investigation. Unfortunately, my sister is unable to take the throne without marriage. However, she has refused marriage until she can meet her fated mate." Galick explained with both pain and regret clear in his voice.
"This might sound harsh but there is no point in regretting it. You should focus on the now and how I will do everything in my power to help you find the culprit." Finnick reassured as he looked into Galick's pained eyes.
"Thank you, Finnick." Galick croaked as he got himself back under control. Cora who had been stuffing her cheeks, looked over to the large man. Her eyes turned sheet white as she seemed to freeze in place. Nobody noticed as she stopped chewing, breathing, or even seeing. It only lasted a few moments before she was back to 'normal' but, Cora felt anything but. She had just had a vision for the first time and what she saw brought tears to her eyes. Yet, she couldn't change the event's that she, herself, put into motion.
"So, why did you leave your country?" Finnick asked the older male but Galick froze for a moment before a half worried, half warm smile crossed his lips.
"I ran away after I met the love of my life, my fated mate. We spent one night of passion together before she disappeared back to her homeland. I abandoned my country, my position, and my heritage to follow that woman. However, when I found her… she was already married with a young child. That person was Anna Yggdrasil." Galick explained with a sorrowful look on his face.