“Mom, can we talk?” Marilia asked, her brothers and her walking up to where her mother and father were sorting through the stores of food, taking inventory and note of where to stock up next.
“Of course, darling,” Velia responded, smiling up at her daughter who had long outgrown her mother’s size. “What’s on your mind?”
Marilia looked to her brothers, and Marivaunt steeled himself for what was coming. He had an inkling that he knew what it was- had since he’d heard the proclamations this morning sent down from the Stormcatcher. Sure enough…
“Well, the Stormcatcher… he’s put out a call for Guardians today, Mom,” Marilia told her, holding her head high despite the obvious worry in her face. The children watched as their mother tensed, and Marivaunt wrapped his tail supportively around her back foot, squeezing gently.
It was clear Velia knew where this was heading, but even so, she asked, “Is that… is that so?”
“It is,” Rydian responded, “And so, well, we were thinking that probably means it’s time.”
“All of you?” Velia whispered.
“Actually, just Rydian and I,” Marilia responded, “Brud’s quite comfortable and happy here- he’s made quite a niche, helping with the hatchlings and the lair. It’s just, you know that Rydian and I haven’t. We’ve all known that this is what we wanted, all along, to pay tribute back to the Stormcatcher and serve him as well as he’s served us. It’s what we’ve been training for.”
“That is, of course, if you’ll have me,” Brud butted in, smiling gently at Velia.
Marivaunt chuckled as Velia choked back on a relieved laugh. “Of course, my darling. We would have you all, as long as you wanted.”
“I daresay having one of you lot around will make this easier on your mother, on both of us,” Marivaunt said, finally speaking up- his strong voice threatening to waiver.
Marilia threw herself towards her father, nuzzling into him affectionately, “We’re going to miss you all, so much, but this is- Dad, this is what we’re meant for. Just like you’re meant for Mom, we’re meant to give back what’s been given to us…”
She turned to Velia next to nuzzle her affectionately, joined by Rydian, who added in, “We’ll always love you, and if there were anything else we felt we were meant for, you know we’d choose it. I wish that serving the Stormcatcher didn’t mean we couldn’t visit, couldn’t come back and see you all… but we all know it doesn’t work like that…”
“Of course, of course,” Velia responded, buried under her children, voice cracking with emotion. When they pulled away, she leaned into them both in turn, breathing in their scent, “My babies. I just didn’t expect you to grow up quite so quickly…”
A horn sounded in the distance, and Rydian looked at Marilia, “That’s another recruitment horn, isn’t it? We should probably head that way.”
Velia kissed her children’s foreheads and Marivaunt stepped forward to rest his head against theirs, and the two stepped back.
“We will never forget you all,” Marilia said.
“I’ll accompany you all for a bit of your journey,” Brud said, “Say my goodbyes and whatnot.” His voice was thick with emotion, too.
Rydian beamed at him, “Of course, Brother. Come, let’s go.”
As the children started off into the distance, Velia turned, burying her face into Marivaunt’s shoulder. Though she’d known since they were young that their interest in the Stormcatcher would undoubtedly lead to this moment, she’d not been prepared for it to come so quickly. But it made sense- they were of an age where, even if they didn’t head off to His ranks, they’d head off to find their own purposes, just like Marivaunt had done when he was younger, and she supposed that knowing where they were would be much easier than wondering where they’d landed, if the Plaguelands had called to them or the Tide had wooed them in to leave her worried they’d drown or any of the other lands with their unknown dangers would end up their home, even if those options did leave the potential to see them again.
But alas, she’d known her children would do great things, and now they were proving it.
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