The Forgotten Zodiac

"That's...that's terrible...poor Werr..." Lily sighed heavily, gratefully taking the food Jag offered her. "So they're all in Amnarius again? Hiding away...a few people are saying that Werr is a coward who just ran, but most of the rumors I've heard is that he was killed in the fire. You could see the smoke all the way over here...just a little black line in the distance, but if I could see it...it must have been bad."

"He's not a coward, love," the gryphon said after swallowing some of the tasty roasted fish he had made, along with fruit for Lily and their growing son. "Rather, just a bit confused in the head. Plus, if he hadn't left, he really would've been killed. Then where would that leave us? Kingless, and with a crazy rabbitzen lady in charge. Not something I'd like to think about. No, our best bet is that Werr stays alive, even if only to get eaten later." He popped a grape into his mouth, munching quietly, then said "So how's the baby? Everything been okay so far?"

((Can't remember if it was a boy or a girl. xD))

"I saw the doctor the day after you left. He suggested a lot of sleep and more protein. I've been eating like he suggested, but with you gone, it's been impossible to sleep...especially with all this worry about what's next. It's like the entire kingdom has gone stone still, but we're far from silent. I even heard that Storaph is collecting their armies to move out the moment the word is given, although our own army is without orders. I think the commander died in the fire." Lily sighed heavily, rubbing her stomach again. "As for the baby, he's very impatient. He definitely kicks a lot," She beamed sleepily at Jag. She then looked towards the fire, resting her head on Jag's shoulder.

"I'm happy you came back, but...what's going to happen if the dragons start coming after us? What will happen to our baby?" She questioned, shivering at the thought of anything happening to her unborn child.

((Don't forget the teleporty stones. It would be easier for them to swap, and for Jag to fly back to Amnarius as quickly as possible, then use le stone to teleport Lily to Amnarius. It would help him avoid detection, as well; hefting around technically two people at once is no easy task. Mommies are heavy when they're pregnant. xD))

((Boy.))

Jag nodded, listening intently, then sighed and brought his arms around her, holding her close. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, running his fingers through her ginger hair. "Don't worry," he said firmly. "I'm going to give you my tele-stone, so that as soon as I get back to Amnairus, I can summon your stone and bring you to me. It's safer than if I had carried you there. While I'm gone for the next few hours, I want you to sleep, okay? You need rest, for yourself and the baby. Keep the stone close. It doesn't matter if you're touching it, just keep it in your pocket. It'll work the same." He pulled his black stone out of his pocket and held it out to her, keeping his crest low against his blue hair.

((xD Hee hee.))

Lily looked worried for a moment and squeezed Jag's hand, but then she sighed and nodded quickly. She pulled her own stone from her pocket, handing it to Jag and taking the black one. She quickly placed the black stone in her pocket, then leaned in close to Jag and kissed his cheek, leaning her head against his shoulder again and already starting to drift off to sleep. She kept her hand tightly around Jag's, but her grip loosened as she slipped into unconsciousness.

He closed his eyes and sat with her for a while longer, then ever so carefully slid away from her and stood, heaving a deep breath. He clutched the white tele-stone tightly in his hand, then bent close and delicately pressed his lips to Lily's, murmuring that he loved her. He straightened and carefully plucked out one of his longest wing feathers, twinning it into his mate's hand. Then he exited the house, quietly shutting the door behind him. He took gryphon form and stretched his wings, then leapt skyways and headed off, soaring back to Amnairus. It would only take him a few simple hours, but it seemed like days to him.

Galai, of course, eventually left the Infirmary. Nate returned a little while later. "Hey, Toro. Doing better, I see," The Dragonian smiled. Toro just blinked at him; Nate hadn't talked to him before.

"Uh...yes, I am."

"That's good. Hey, Cynyr," Nate said, stopping in front of the half-panther. "Might I convince you to give me that bag holding Luen's powers? I know a Kirin who would really like to have them back, especially now that Forin's gone and unable to protect Diana..." He said quietly.

((Decided to skip to this first. Werr will wake up when Nate returns to the infirmary.))

Cynyr was dozing softly by Werr's bed, but he jolted awake when the dragonian spoke to him. One hand had started to go for his sword, but he stopped himself in plenty of time. "Huh? Oh, yeah," he said, digging into his pocket and bringing out the small bag. "Here," he said, holding it out to Nate. "Don't break it; heavy though it feels, it's quite delicate." Once Nate had the bag, Cynyr retracted his hand and folded it in his lap, content to sit on the floor.

"Thank you. I'll be careful." Nate nodded, then moved out of the room again. He walked out of the castle and to the guest house, taking care not to drop or jostle the bag too much.

He found Diana and Luen in their room. Diana was sitting by the door in complete silence. She didn't even look up as Nate stepped in and greeted her. "Eh...you okay, Diana?" He questioned, frowning a bit. Perhaps he needed to talk with Seria about her...and of course, she didn't respond. "Luen, I have something for you," He said after a moment of thought.

The once-wolfing looked up tiredly from where he had been sitting on the bed. He looked haggard, certainly, and his eyes were rimmed in black. He exhaled quietly as Nate walked in. He had been dutifully mending one of Diana's shirts, fixing up a loose button or torn seem. His slender fingers worked well for the needlework, but he paused when Nate spoke. He seemed a bit mentally closed-off and dull, nor did he bother speaking. He just nodded softly and tilting his head slightly to show questioning.

Nate smiled sadly and sat down next to Luen, wrapping his arms around the Kirin for a moment. "I'm so sorry all this happened to you two..." He said quietly before pulling away. "But it's time for things to start looking up, okay? So here." He reached his hand into the bag and drew out the glowing orb of blue light that was Luen's powers. It stung his hands, but he ignored it. "These are yours. You should be able to absorb them again, but we can ask Galai for help if that doesn't work." He said quietly.

Luen's eyes widened, then he quickly scooped the powers into his hands and pressed the orb close, closing his eyes tightly. It was like part of himself had been ripped away, leaving a gaping hole behind, and now part of the hole could be filled. He lifted the orb and pressed it to his lips, keeping his eyes closed as it grew brighter and reabsorbed into his body, leaving him glowing white for several seconds before it dulled. He sighed deeply once it was done, heaving a calming breath that was still tinted with sorrow. He looked up at Nate, his slitted, dark green eyes piercing, then he pressed forward and buried his head onto Nate's shoulder, his body shaking with ever-silent sobs.

Nate smiled and wrapped Luen in his warm embrace. He closed his eyes and just hugged Luen until he felt a short tug on his sleeve. He opened his eyes again to see Diana. He nodded and pulled her into his embrace as well, hugging them both close. "Forin may be gone, but you two still have a strong bond. Anyone can see that. And all this is just another chapter in that book of Werr's. Things will work out in the end. I know you're both upset over Forin, but...maybe you'll see him again someday. Maybe you could even plead for Forin's innocence with Titus or something..."

((The answer would be 'absolutely not', but it would be interesting to listen to them argue. xD))

((That would probably be a bad idea, because Luen would either grow more distressed or lose his temper.))

Luen nodded slightly, miserable. He slowly relaxed a bit, but he was still obviously unhappy. His skin had regained its colder-than-normal touch, Nate noticed, and the kirin's soft breath was icy-cold once more. Luen tilted his head away from Nate's shoulder a bit and looked down at Diana, then turned his head and sucked in a deep. When he released it, a thick plume of snowflakes billowed forth, floating and dancing around and around as they fell to the ground.

((o3o Lose temper = anger Titus = get banned from ever returning to Tartarus. Which won't affect Diana and Luen too much, considering that they really should never go there ever again 'cuz of how dangerous it is. The 'ban' would just make it so that Tartarans have permission to attack them if they return to Tartarus without invitation.

But yeah, Titus wouldn't do anything thanks to their purity of heart. Old laws and whatnot prevent him from bringing harm to the young of mind or pure of heart.))

Diana didn't smile or giggle. She did stick her hand out and catch a couple of the flakes, but she didn't seem too happy. She reached down with her other hand and took Luen's, squeezing it gently. "There, now. You seem much better, Luen. You both need plenty of rest. And for goodness sake, at least talk to each other. You'll both start losing your minds if you don't communicate at least a little..."

((Meh. .3.))

Luen sighed heavily, letting out a few more snowflakes, then managed to force himself to speak. "I...I do," he murmured. "I save most of my words for her now. I...I don't know what it is, but...I...I'm shy again. I don't want to talk to the others and I don't want to go out. I'm..." He lowered his head, lightly rubbing the base of his broken antler, then murmured "...weak..." He closed his eyes tightly, then started gently rubbing Diana's fingers with his thumbs, running his cold digits over her skin.

((You dun has to if you dun wanna. :T))

Nate frowned at this. "Luen, you are far from weak. Believe me. You suffered so much when Cern had you, yet here you are. Alive. A weak person would have given up and died. But you didn't! You're alive, you're here, and you're not weak. Diana is depending on you to protect her now. If you think of yourself as weak, how are you going to help her when something happens?"

The kirin said nothing, just remained silent. He sighed unhappily, then murmured "You're right...Nate." He leaned against the dragonian, breathing slowly and continuing to rub Diana's fingers. Nate felt him gradually go limp, unconsciousness claiming him as his body forced him to rest. He flicked his long ears back, still holding onto Diana's hand. Once he slept some, he would feel better.

Nate tucked Luen gently into bed, setting Diana laying next to him. She started falling asleep too, as Nate watched over them. After they were both asleep, Nate got up and left, planning to return to the infirmary.

Werr was stirring when he returned. The human king finally sat up, rubbing his eyes. When he looked around, his eyes fell on Nate first. And his groggy look turned into a glare. "You!" He snapped, looking angrier than he had in a long time. "What the--wha--how dare you show your face here again,"

"What?" Nate just blinked.

"You know what you did! Cynyr, place him under arrest for acts of treason and a direct attack towards the king!" Werr snapped, pointing at the confused Dragonian.

"No."

Silence.

Cynyr returned Werr's look with an equal one of his own, his ears turned down neatly against his head and his tail held out straight behind him. "Nate did that to help you sleep, Werr. He didn't hurt you at all with that dart. We've been friends with him for a long time now, Werr. If not for him, you would've kept going on nothing. In order to think clearer and carry yourself stronger, you needed rest, and you got it." In a split second, he was leaning over Werr's bed, his hands pinning the boy's arms against the wall. He leaned in close and said "I'm your knight, your majesty, and I see no threat to you here." He pulled back and let the boy go, flicking his long black tail once.