Rebuilding continued long after Corvin had left. Oros had been silent. The scouts that kept watch over the border returned every other day with reports, of nothing but stillness and all could their eyes encompass was nothing but a wasteland. Caral was too far away from the border for them to peer into it, but it provided sufficient information for her to go on.
Even further away in the opposite direction lay Fiahtyr forest, now filled with monsters. Not that before it wasn't, the ones that had taken over were far more concerning. The sound of footsteps hitting the citadel grounds, interrupted her thoughts making her peel her eyes off the horizon.
Out of breath, Evin hunched over, bracing himself against his knees. It must be of grave importance, so she waited for him to gather himself, and his thoughts in order to say whatever had him rush over to her.
" Evin," Iris scolded, on the verge of losing her patience.
" One moment," Evin breathlessly said, raising one finger. The boy needed to do some training if merely running was a struggle. Nodding, Iris acquiesced and folded her arms over her chest, observing the lanky boy before her. The swordmaster would have a field day with him if she would hand him over to him just for a few moons to sharpen him, just a tad. He was a good boy, but he needed something more and perhaps one day a good king to his people.
" The scouts found something in the woods bordering Oros and Arrington," He finally pulled himself together, still a little out of breath.
" What?" Came the immediate response. There was no need to worry, just yet.
" Traces of fire, remnants of a camp. They had scoured those forests before they began patrolling the border and they had found nothing. And now all of the sudden...," Evin stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, worried.
"Northerners," Iris nibbled on her upper lip considering the possibility, " They might have slipped past the border in search of hunting grounds or food. But as a precaution, we should look further into it. I don't want to take any risks, " She raised her eyes to the skies, " We will leave at first light. Have the horses ready. You are coming with me. Have the swordmaster prepare blades and armour for you. I'll speak with Amelia to pack us some food. Find the proctor and inform him of our departure, " She turned on her heels and disappeared into the castle. She would leave no stone unturned, not until she found who had crossed over the border. If it was an Orian scout, then that was trouble. The sisters were getting restless, asking to be fed. She had none to give. She had made peace with her mistakes, with her past and all that had come to pass.
After speaking with Amelia, and giving her a list of what she required, Iris made her way back to the chamber to write a missive to the North. Corvin came to the forefront of her mind. Inadvertently her eyes slipped from the parchment before her to the bed.
It had been almost a moon since he'd left and yet his presence lingered in every corner of her mind.
She spent most of the time outside of the room because of the feelings that kept creeping in on her, a feeling of longing.
"Admitted you miss him," One of the sisters hummed in her ear. The sisters lingered behind the veil of the seen realm and the unseen realm.
" Be quiet you," Iris scolded, and, peeled her eyes off the bed and looked back at the parchment on the table.
" I can be quiet, but it doesn't change anything. Your mind and heart yearn for him," The same sister crooned in her ear, " I quite liked him. Very handsome," Another chimed in, chuckling and amusedly sighed.
" You're fortunate, " Iris hummed," That you have no form. I would have strangled you both," Iris smirked and began writing the missive.
" Fortunate indeed," A third one hummed," Also, so ravishingly handsome, don't you think, " The third one continued, clicking her tongue. She could imagine the dreamy eyes as she said those words. It seemed that the sisters had taken a liking to Corvin despite the fact he was a brute.
" Then you can have him," Iris smirked placed the quill back in the inkpot, and folded the papers.
" Whitsun celebrations are just around the corner...I think we should go and see him. What do you think sisters?" One of them asked while the other two hummed in unison.
" Dear gods, smite me now," Iris annoyingly sighed and leaned back in the chair waiting for the sisters to stop tittering in her ears.
" We won't shut up until you take us to see him," Another one added, a little more firmly, " Oh, he has the body of a god. I should know I have seen plenty, " Another one carried on singing his praises. She believed them that they wouldn't stop until she agreed to go up north.
" Fine," Iris conceded, slapping the table with her palms, " But, I cannot leave the south unattended," She ground out through clenched teeth, " One of you will have to stay behind and keep watch. Decide which one of can bare to be deprived of seeing his godly body.."
" And that bashful smile," One of them chimed in, it was hard to keep track of which one spoke.
" Alright. I get it. He is handsome, he has a bashful smile and I have a husband," Iris grumbled, clenching her fists together.
" As if that ever stopped anyone, ever," One of the sisters cooed.
" Sweetness," One of them smacked her lips, " I hate to be the one to say this but there is a good chance that your husband will become one of us once, and if can succeed in relinquishing the darkness," Oh, sweet reverend mother, have mercy. Iris silently prayed, raising her eyes to the sky hoping that someone, anyone would listen.
" Decide which one," Iris hissed through gritted teeth, and begrudgingly stamped the folded missive, with the Hessian royal seal. A falcon, soaring over the rising sun.
" We share a mind and thoughts. It doesn't matter which will stay. We will see, and feel all that you do. So please, kiss that bastard's delicious decadent lips for us," One of them cooed, and dreamily sighed, perhaps imagining Corvin bare. They had seen him countless times, and she could hear them relentlessly whispering in her ears whenever he undressed before her, peeved. With her no less, because she refused to give him the time of day.