On ship, the trip didn't take longer than a day and a half.
The misty dark woods and snow-capped mountaintops of Sila surrounded the quiet private port of House Sasan. No one was there to meet them--probably because of the weather.
Unfortunately, it began to rain that morning. So the atmosphere around the area felt quite forbidding despite the time of day.
"Oh dear, we're gonna get soaked if we don't hurry up," Nuriya remarked. She put up an umbrella and made haste out of deck towards one of the woodland houses beside the port for shelter. She waited until everyone could get down.
Isetzar was the last to leave. Even his companions have followed most of the retinue towards the main house.
"Aren't you going inside?" Isetzar looked at Nuriya. His hands inside his long dark coat.
"In a moment. I just wanted to make sure everyone got down alright. Why didn't you go with the rest of your companions?"
"I asked them to go ahead. I had a feeling you were going to do something like this."
"...."
Nuriya lightly huffed as she walked out of the shade of the cabin. Much of her pent-up aggression towards Isetzar subsided the more she saw him lately. Even if it is mostly because they can't help but see each other due their familial obligations. She decided to walk beside him to the manor.
The two of them followed the well weathered path towards the Sasan Manor. Everywhere around them were haunting trees and eerie mist. Most would consider it scary.
But the Sasan called it home.
"We're back home, huh?" Nuriya remarked.
"Indeed, we are," answered Isetzar.
"As much fun as it was in Novrada, I missed this place." Nuriya chuckled under her breath.
"I didn't…I couldn't wait to get out." Isetzar looked around him intently.
"You and father both," Nuriya tilted her chin up as she reminisced. "You used to follow him everywhere before he died."
"I was born ungifted into a family of mages…Father knew I needed him."
"Ungifted, huh? Except for 'that'?"
The siblings stopped. Isetzar looked at his sister who stared directly at him.
"Except for 'that'." Isetzar smirked.
Sasan Manor came into view shortly after.
And it was exactly as the two remembered it.
The manor was encased inside massive white walls with big, forbidding blackiron gates flanked by two horned beasts that looked like a cross between a camel, a lion, and a stag. The kind of gates you're likely to find used in the entrances of walled cities rather than a single family's home.
The walls were as thick as those used on a castle, and stood 18 meters above ground and 7 below. It was made of purest, snow-white stone. Capping the top of the walls were terrible spikes, made of cruelest blackiron. Between the spikes? A special thorn-vine bred to sniff out and snare intruders of more magic inclinations.
Standing in front of the entrance was their grandfather, the Sasan Patriarch, Azatzer Li-Sasan. Now respectfully called Azatzer Beyza or simply Ul-Sasan.
Ul-Sasan stood there, proud and dignified in his silver robe.
He now walks with a cane, but his back remains unbent. He's a man in his late 60's. His face had wrinkled and his beard, once gold, had turned into a shade of snow. Like a lot of the members of House Sasan he too had golden eyes.
He opened his arms wide, his cane on one hand, to welcome the last of his family with a huge paternal grin on his face.
"Ah, my dear children!" Ul-Sasan embraced his granddaughter. And looked proudly at the strapping manhood of his grandson. "Setzya! Every bit the warrior we always knew you'd be."
Isetzar simply smiled. Nuriya asked, "Grandfather, why didn't you simply go to the Capital? Are you ill?"
"Oh no, child! I'm fine! That was simply an old man taking advantage of his age to get his family together every once in a while. You don't mind indulging me, right?"
Nuriya puffed her cheeks and happily buried her face inside her grandfather's broad chest. "No…I don't mind! Oh, but the Capital was so beautiful! We could have had a grand party for you there."
"Hahah!" Ul-Sasan laughed heartily. "Oh, I've had enough grand parties and banquets when I worked for the Emperor's father. Oh, and I heard…"
Ul-Sasan pulled out a flower out of his granddaughter's hair. "That you might be an Empress one day. Is it true?"
Nuriya blushed. "Ah…Yes….I might be."
Isetzar looked on as his sister's face turned red.
For a flash of a moment, Nuriya felt compelled to look at her brother–and their eyes met again, but this time, Nuriya turned away from him to appreciate her grandfather's quaint little trick. It wasn't magic–but somehow this always felt a bit more special to her. As well as to bask in the delight of his approval of her match with Prince Valri.
"Well, tomorrow is your birthday. We must talk about it? For now, just get yourself dry and have a hot meal, dear."
Nuriya happily went inside. Isetzar and Ul-Sasan stayed behind.
Isetzar studied his grandsire carefully. The old man was known to be cunning and knew how to hide his intentions well.
If this was an example of it? He could now confirm it to be true.
There was nothing to be seen here but a grandfather happy to see his grandchildren.
"Please…"
In his mind, Isetzar said a private prayer. "Let me be wrong…Please…Oh Most High, The One Above the Gods…I know I haven't been very pious my whole life…but, in the name of that Everlasting Moon, I beg you…Grant me this and I am yours forever…"
Isetzar tightly gripped the hilt of the sword on his hip.
"...Let Niya be happy…Let all this go on. Let her live in the dream that neither I nor 'he' can give her. Let this turn at The Wheel be a joyous one…regardless of what the world or her stars may say…Hide my sins…Cover my deceit…Let good come out of the evils I have done…In this life and in my past."