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Frozen Moments of Gold (Mianite Oneshot)

Characters: Jordan Captainsparklez, Tom Syndicate, Lady Ianite, Captain Capsize, Sonja Firefoxx, Guardian Furia

Relationship: Jordan Captainsparklez/Tom Syndicate, Lady Ianite/Captain Capsize

Everyone knows the legend of Lady Ianite and her messenger. Though it has been retold in a thousand different ways over the years, every version of the tale agrees that the two were petrified. The messenger frozen in an attack that had been attempting to slay the creature that would inflict the fate upon them. The goddess forever reaching out towards her in warning.

No one knows the legend better than Jordan, the self-proclaimed champion of the lost goddess. In his dreams, he has heard Lady Ianite calling for his help and now he finds himself on a quest to find her petrified form and restore her back to true life.

For months he has only found false lead after false lead, until a young woman comes to him with an intriguing lead that he and his companions see no option but to pursue. Though the lead proves more fruitful than he ever could’ve hoped, he doesn’t realise that the creature still lurks nearby and will do anything to ensure history repeats and he joins his goddess in her fate.

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In the dying light of sunset sneaking in through the blossoming curtain surrounding the gazebo, their fate could almost be described as beautiful. The way the light bounced off the gold to create glittering patterns across the stonework was undeniably pretty, but it did nought to dull the horror. Yes, the way gold shone was beautiful, but it was markedly less so when it was one’s own form being transformed into it.

This was the fate Captain Capsize found herself suffering. A slow petrification that had already consumed most of her body and would surely take the rest before long. She was doomed to become little more than a lawn ornament for the creature that roamed this garden.

The only parts of herself that remained flesh and blood were her head and neck. The rest of her body had already been transformed into metal. She was frozen solid, locked in a swing of her cutlass that would never reach its target. A fitting end, she could admit, given how many times she had been told to go down swinging. Though she could take no satisfaction in fighting to the end, not when she was stuck watching her goddess facing the same fate.

Lady Ianite was on the other side of the structure. The distance between them was short, but its length was mockingly defined by the pose the goddess had been frozen in. A desperate lunge seemingly towards her messenger, fingers outstretched. She was doomed to never actually reach the love she had tried fruitlessly to aid.

The metal had consumed less of her than her messenger. The lower half of her arm not outstretched remained flesh, as did a large part of her torso. Though it mattered little with her feet and legs already metal, she was locked in place. Even if they too had not yet been transformed, her flesh wrist was shackled to the ground with a chain. It had been designed for her to fall into this trap, forever out of reach of Capsize.

This was the tragic image that had been the intention of the creature all along. A chained goddess reaching out for her love, neither able to save the other. An art piece whose legend would never be beaten by another, who would lure in so many more people for her collection. She had laughed at just how easy it had been to manipulate the two into it.

The goddess had been manipulated by the creature’s magic, twisting her mind to disbelieve the warnings that her messenger had given. Though it had been an enchantment, she still found such a weight on her shoulders. Had she been more careful, wearier, they would not be suffering this fate.

“I am sorry, my messenger. I should have listened to you,” She said, refusing to let her regrets go unsaid. Though, no apology could make up for the fate her actions had caused Capsize, the words the enchantment had made her say.

“Don’t apologise. That snake, she messed with your mind. Besides, I didn’t listen to myself,” Capsize said with as strong a laugh as she could manage. She couldn’t pretend that she was okay with what Ia had said to her when she had come forth with her concerns, but it was impossible to blame her goddess fully when she knew of the enchantments that had manipulated her.

It was similarly impossible for her to hold her anger when she hadn’t been affected by the enchantments and had too played into the creature’s plan. Not just in her return here, giving the snake the art piece she had lusted after, but in what she had done in her brief absence. She had sent a letter home, warning of the danger she and Ia were in.

Who else had she doomed in her attempt to ensure the monster was slain?

She tried so hard not to dwell on it. She didn’t want to look fearful, if for no other reason than to save Ia some guilt. But it was increasingly hard to keep up her façade as the metal continued to crawl up her neck. She couldn’t have long left until she was fully consumed and there remained one horrid lingering question that she couldn’t stop herself from asking. “What will happen when we’re fully petrified?”

She had thought based on the tales she had heard that such a fate meant death. There was certainly no life in being stuck as a statue. Yet surely if this position was going to kill her, it would’ve done so already. Her heart and lungs had been consumed by the metal, yet she still felt her heartbeat and drew breath. She was speaking still as if she was still whole of body.

Obviously, she was sure she would be rendered silent once the metal consumed her head. She was unsure if her senses would leave too, though she assumed they would based on the lack of any sensation in the parts of her body already turned. However, it was crossing her mind that she may be left with her thoughts, stuck alone with them in the dark silence. She could imagine no greater nightmare. Even the most horrific death would be a mercy compared to it.

“You will dream,” Ianite assured. It was the smallest mercy that the goddess could cling to. For Capsize, this would be merely akin to sleeping rather than a slow descent into madness it surely would’ve been otherwise. When they were freed from this fate, she would remain herself rather than a broken shell. Ianite could take solace in that. “It will be as if you are not even here.”

The pirate, however, still held concerns.

“What about you?” Capsize asked. Her neck had started to be taken, locking her head in place, yet she still held far more outward concern for her goddess rather than herself.

Ianite smiled with as much strength as she could.

“I could choose to, but I will not. I will gather what strength I can. One day, there will be one who can save us. I will ensure that they find us,” She said. It was a sacrifice, to remain awake and aware for however many years this would take, but it was one she must make. She would not allow them to remain forever as pieces in this creature’s collection.

Still, a horror descended upon Capsize’s features that the goddess couldn’t miss. Her sweet Capsize. She would take this burden on herself if she could, simply to spare her love from it, despite how this task was far more suited to the goddess. But despite her wishes, this time she couldn’t spare her goddess any suffering. Not that Ianite would’ve let her do so even if it had been a real option.

Still, Ianite hated seeing the flickers of horror upon her features. For her to end up forever locked with such an expression, it was surely what the snake wished for. She could not allow the creature to have any more of her wishes granted.

In an attempt at a final comfort before her long sleep, Ianite gave a smile. “There will not be a moment that you leave my thoughts, my Capsize.”

“I’ll dream of nothing but you,” Capsize replied, barely managing a weak smile before the gold crept onto her lips and sealed her in silence. A silent whimper escaped her nose as the transformation took its final steps. Her senses were slowly but far too quickly stolen from her, leaving her in a fleeting state of terror before she was sealed away into a dream.

The last of her was consumed by the metal. All that was left of the pirate was a statue glittering in the day’s dying light.

Ianite had only perhaps a minute before she too would be entirely consumed. A minute left in a horrid silence with nothing to do but stare at her petrified messenger. Anything she said now would be lost to the winds, yet she still wanted to voice one last goodbye.

“Rest well, my messenger. And truly, I am sorry.”

With those words, the gold took hold. Lady Ianite too was fully transformed.

All that remained within the gazebo were two statues. One a pirate captain mid sword swing, locked in an attack that would never be finished. The other a goddess desperately reaching for her follower who would remain forever out of her reach.

Two golden statues that in reality were people of such importance. People whose terrible fate would become a legend. Everyone would know of the frozen two, awaiting rescue from whatever brave adventurer dared to take on such a task. However, what would be far less discussed was the creature that now possessed them. A snake who would do anything to prevent people from stealing away her favourite pieces of art.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

“Yes! These are the genuine frozen forms of Lady Ianite and her messenger! I’m sure none of you have ever seen such detailed stonework!” The owner of the statues in question loudly spun his tale to keep the attention of the drawn in crowd. Though he was doing his best to sell them all on the truth of his words, his focus was quite squarely on a group of three at the very front of the mass of people.

Everyone, of course, already knew of the tale of Lady Ianite. It was maybe the most told legend in the known world. The goddess who had been petrified alongside her messenger.

The story had been told in so many ways. Always a tragedy, but the precise details varied from region to region and person to person. Each retelling would be ever so slightly different, and each claimed that their version was the correct one.

And these constant retellings were perhaps why there existed so many statues of the goddess and her follower. At least one pair could be found in every town across the world, and the owners of each and every pair claimed that theirs were the genuine article.

This had posed quite the conundrum to Jordan in the quest he found himself on as, despite recognising most of the tall tales for what they were, he couldn’t risk leaving any of the statues unchecked. In theory, any of them could be his Lady and her lost follower. He couldn’t risk his quest due to the egotism of those in possession of the statues.

Still, it was hard to smile through another one of these tales being spun for him. “That’s because these are not mere statues. They are Lady Ianite and her messenger, frozen in a single moment! The goddess still reaches for her follower, trying to warn him of the beast that petrified them both!”

The story being spun was the typical legend, designed to sell the statues before them as genuine. Perhaps if it was just the statue of Lady Ianite, Jordan could’ve bought into the tale as the townsfolk around him clearly did. The marble figure looked so much like the hazy one that called out to him from the edges of his dreams. A being of ethereal beauty locked in a moment of anguish.

But, per the legend, it was a pair of statues. The one of the messenger, as was becoming typical, was so obviously not genuine that he almost just wanted to turn on his heel and leave.

That wasn’t to say that the statue was of a shoddy quality. No, clearly the marble had been shaped by a master craftsperson for it to be sculpted with such realism and detail.

Nor was the issue that the figure looked unlike a follower of Lady Ianite. The man carved from stone looked the very image of a stereotypical Ianitee. From his clothes to his hair to the bow he was frozen partway through firing.

However, there was a very glaring and obvious issue that Jordan couldn’t ignore. It was one that cropped up in nearly every retelling of the myth, so he couldn’t precisely be surprised that this pair of statues had fallen into the same trap. He could, however, be slightly exhausted.

“Should I still examine them?” The young witch next to him whispered. She knew as well as he did that these statues were not actually the goddess and her messenger. She was, also, therefore aware that any magic she used to check if these were petrified people would be little more than a waste of time, energy, and supplies.

Still, she asked. For if he wanted her to check, she would regardless of her own opinion on the matter. This was his quest, after all.

Jordan sighed. He couldn’t keep doing this.

He shook his head. He frankly didn’t want to waste any more time here. They needed to figure out where they were headed next. Given that they’d already visited most known statues in this region, he knew that in itself would be an exhausting process and one he wanted to start sooner rather than later.

His small party saw no reason to stay if the leader of this quest didn’t. So, they turned, intending to leave the crowd to find some quiet space to plan. However, despite their wish for a quiet exit, they were not about to be granted one. The owner of the statues would not allow it.

“Hey!” He yelled, immediately killing the jovial atmosphere he had tried so hard to build. His anger flared out with spit flying, effectively silencing the crowd.

All focus was pushed to the champion and his companions. Jordan still intended to just walk away. He had dealt with anger like this far too many times already on his quest. He was not in the mood for another physical fight just for calling statues what they were. Though what he wished for had no effect on what happened in reality.

The man’s anger and ego were fuelling him. He stomped over to the champion, slamming a hand on his shoulder. It was a heavy hold, but it only stopped Jordan because he let it. “I’ve got your damn goddess here and you think you can just leave?!”

Jordan rolled his eyes. An action unseen by the one who caused it, which likely saved him from this anger boiling further. The champion reminded himself to at least appear apologetic when he turned around.

“I appreciate your statues, sir. They are beautiful pieces that truly honour my Lady. But they are simply that: statues. So, I must continue with my quest,” He said, managing to make his tone sound genuine despite how he had said similar words dozens of times now. He sounded genuine enough that to the crowd he appeared a saint rather than an exceptionally tired young man.

However, his words did absolutely nothing to actually calm down the one directing anger towards him.

“Bullshit! You’re just planning to come back and restore them at night so you can avoid giving me a reward!” He yelled words that tempted Jordan to give into the worst of his desires and just rip the man’s throat out. To assume that when he had found his Lady he would delay saving her for even a single second was disgusting.

A real anger flared within him. One that only remained internal because of a laugh that cut through the air.

“Seriously?” The zombie next to Jordan questioned. His laughter was so easy that it made it sound as though he was responding to a joke rather than belligerent yelling.

Immediately, the attention of the man was pulled from Jordan to his undead companion. His anger only grew stronger from facing what he was sure was mockery, but that didn’t give Tom any pause. He didn’t care to placate these idiots who saw fit to insult Jordan. “You really think that’s the petrified form of Captain Capsize?”

He really couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Of course he couldn’t. Given what he, alongside Jordan and Sonja, knew, there was no way that statue looked even remotely like the lost messenger. Unlike his two companions, though, he was willing to turn to mockery to demonstrate that. If only because this man’s attitude, and more pressingly who it was directed towards, was pissing him off.

“Of course it is!” The man insisted, unknowingly digging his own grave as he did. Because really, had he acted with any sort of humility, Tom would’ve felt no need to provide the harsh reality sure to break his petty ego. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t have been so eager to do so. “He’s the perfect image of an Ianitee! There can’t be any doubt that this man was Lady Ianite’s most loyal follower!”

Tom was tempted to laugh again but managed to keep his reaction to just a smirk. It pissed off the man just as much as the laughter would’ve.

“Oh, I thought that she would look quite different, but maybe I just interpreted all the evidence that she was Ianerean wrong,” He said, disguising his real point just the tiniest amount behind a far more pedantic one. Those in the crowd actually listening began whispering, some snickering, as they realised the real mistake he was pointing out.

The man, in his anger, only latched onto the pedantic point.

“She travelled around the world! She likely just—!” The man suddenly stopped as he realised the real issue with the statue. His mouth hung agape.

It wasn’t a particularly well-known fact that Captain Capsize was a woman. The retellings tended to stay away from gendered descriptions of the messenger, but given the almost romantic nature of the story, the majority of the depictions of the messenger were masculine.

Given the prevalence of this interpretation, most of them had held a similar assumption at the beginning of their quest. Tom, funnily enough, had always assumed the captain a woman, much to Jordan’s dismay when they journeyed to Ianerea to find the island’s memorial depicting their lost captain. With the letters and journals that they held, it was impossible to argue that their interpretation was incorrect. It had taken Tom a week to stop gloating about being right.

Still, it wasn’t a discovery that they had exactly been spreading. That could be done when they found and restored her alongside Lady Ianite. For now, it was mostly saving them time as they could quickly tell that a large number of the statues that they came across were merely artwork.

Though, Tom had found a good amount of fun in letting the worst of the egoistical idiots that owned the statues they needed to examine know the truth. Like watching this man’s face turn bright red was worth a thousand laughs. The crowd certainly thought so, as it was filled with half-hidden snickers.

Sonja too was smirking. She liked seeing Tom take down annoying bastards. It had quickly become a highlight of the disappointing days that this quest was full of.

Jordan didn’t show the same level of delight. He never did. Tom, in fact, knew that later the man would lecture him about how they needed to keep the sanctity of the mission rather than allowing themselves these moments of pettiness, no matter how annoying the people they had to deal with were.

But Tom knew he actually appreciated his intervention. Why else would there be a hint of a smile on his lips?

“We’ll be taking our leave,” Jordan said to the floundering man before the three turned around and walked off to plan the next stage of their journey.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

To say that Jordan felt lost was an understatement. The longer this quest drew on, the more uncertain he felt about his actual ability to fulfil his calling.

Jordan had always been a little odd. It was generally agreed that the man was talented enough to have any position within the followers of Lord Dianite that he wished. However, he had always held loyalty towards Lady Ianite, refusing to stray regardless of how people tried to push him to follow one of the two gods that actually had influence upon the world.

Often people told him that he was wasting his potential. Everyone knew the unfortunate fate of the goddess of balance. Devoting himself to a statue when he likely could’ve been an acknowledged champion had he sworn himself to Lord Dianite seemed a foolish decision. After all, what good could a goddess lost to the world do for him?

Still, Jordan remained devoted all the same. He was happily satisfied with following his Lady, hoping that he would see the day she was freed from her fate.

Then, a few months ago, the dreams had begun.

At first, they really had seemed to merely be dreams. The sort that clung to his mind, but truly they were nothing more than a vague hazy scene with a woman calling out for him. However, he kept having it. The same dream every night. Each time he dreamt it, the scene got clearer until it was undeniable. His Lady was visiting his dreams to call for help.

His mission had been clear. He was going to be the one to restore Lady Ianite.

He had begun to prepare for his journey immediately. He’d fully intended to set off on this quest by himself, but he had quickly found himself joined by the two companions who continued to accompany him to this day.

Sonja, he could fully admit, he would’ve regretted not bringing along. It hadn’t exactly been his choice. The witch had shown up on the day he was to leave, packed and ready to go with him, calling herself a necessity for this quest. Despite how he had no want to add to her ego, he could admit that she had been correct.

Though the self-proclaimed champion of Lady Ianite knew some magic, he was nowhere near the expert that Sonja was. Given the amount of magic it took to confirm if a statue was really a petrified form, he could openly admit now that he would’ve been having a far worse time had the fox not forced herself onto this journey.

Then there was Tom.

Even now months into the journey, Jordan couldn’t quite say why the undead man had joined him on this quest. It was a question Tom dodged whenever it came up.

It was, to be clear, incredibly strange that the Champion of Lord Dianite had joined the quest to save Lady Ianite. Though it was a time of peace, it was generally agreed that it was not the job of Lady Ianite’s brothers to find her. Hence their followers tended to stay away from quests to find the lost goddess. But not Tom.

Despite not understanding why the zombie had followed him on this journey, Jordan appreciated his presence. He had no doubt he would be having a far worse time without him arguing with the statue owners or his upbeat nature regardless of their travelling conditions.

Like right now looking at their map littered with crosses for all the statues they’d already visited, Jordan wanted nothing more than to scream. Meanwhile, Tom still had an easy smile as if nothing was going wrong.

“Maybe we should start looking for disappearances rather than statues,” He said, laying across the stone bench they had found respite on. There was only enough room for him to do so as Jordan had begun pacing around the small plaza, leaving his legs draped over Sonja’s lap but him otherwise laying on the bench rather than one of his friends. Not that he would’ve objected to putting his head in Jordan’s lap had the man still been sat down. “I mean, we know this monster petrified five people… and at least a few others before that as the captain referred to statues within her last letter. It’s likely it got others, right?”

“It would take more research,” Jordan sighed. It had taken so much time already to research where all the statues were, even with the journals and letters they had acquired from Ianerea limiting the area they needed to search. The idea of needing to restart all of that over again caused a dull headache behind his eyes. “And people are bound to be more secretive about disappearances.”

“I’ll get the secrets out of them. I always do,” Tom said. That much was true, at least based on their previous experiences. Tom had a talent for digging up whatever information they needed. Whenever it seemed that they’d hit a roadblock, Tom would appear with a grin and a new lead less than a day later.

So, if they did choose to change their search parameters, Jordan held no doubts that Tom would find disappearances for them to investigate. Still, he hesitated to change direction completely.

“What do you think, Sonja?” He asked, grabbing the attention of the witch who had been making notes in her journal. She was the only one of the group that had any real knowledge of the creatures that could petrify people. She’d know if following disappearances was a better way to go about things.

She paused, rolling her answer around on her tongue for a moment before actually giving it.

“It wouldn’t be any worse than what we’re currently doing. We’d probably end up helping people too even if we don’t find Lady Ianite,” Was what she decided on. Attempting to find the goddess via looking up places with high rates of disappearances would likely work. A creature daring enough to petrify a goddess would almost certainly still be targeting other travellers.

It would be a more dangerous way of investigating. Disappearances rarely had a good explanation, and they’d be forced to confront each and every one of them. Still, they were adventurers. They’d be able to take on said dangers quite handedly.

It would probably be less boring too, though she kept that thought to herself. No point in making Jordan feel like she wasn’t enjoying herself on this quest. If that was actually true, she wouldn’t still be here.

Jordan nodded, considering. It didn’t seem like the worst idea, but he really hated the concept of throwing away all the work they’d already done. Maybe it could just supplement the current search following the statues rather than replace it entirely.

“Do you--?”

“Excuse me, you’re Lady Ianite’s champion, aren’t you?” The voice of a young woman cut through their conversation. All their gazes were immediately pulled over to the stranger, who took a hesitant step back now that all attention had turned to her.

She looked a normal sort of townsperson. A type to blend into the crowd easily. This wasn’t a judgement of her, rather just an observation all three made. This was not the sort of person to typically approach them. And that perhaps explained why she immediately seemed so scared.

Not wanting to scare whoever this was off, Jordan put on a smile and approached her oh so carefully.

“Yes, I am. Do you need our help?” He asked. Regardless of his current quest, he knew it his duty to help those in need of assistance if they came to him for it.

The woman, however, shook her head.

“No. I… I think I can help you,” She began. Those were words that Jordan had heard so many times since his journey had begun. They should’ve brought him a pang of exhaustion but, as always, they caused his heart to beat in his ears. “I explore the local woods quite often. In my wanderings, I’ve discovered a statue garden in the heart of them. Among the statues are ones depicting Lady Ianite and her messenger. With how hidden their location is, I cannot help but fear…”

She trailed off, but all three knew what she was implying. She had found the petrified forms of Lady Ianite and Captain Capsize. It was the same lead they’d been presented by so many times now, but this felt incredibly different. This woman wasn’t bragging. She seemed scared to be sharing this information at all.

“You… Could you show us where this garden is, Miss?” Jordan asked, his excitement mixing with his nerves as he tried to remind himself to not get his hopes up. Yet with how unusual this felt, he couldn’t help but cling to this one being real.

“I believe so,” The woman seemed hesitant, but that didn’t stop his confidence in this being the real lead. “But it’s quite a journey. If you wish to stay there for longer than an hour or so, you’ll likely need to camp out there.”

“That’s fine!” Jordan said before turning on his heel to face his friends. “It’s fine, right guys?”

He worried about making a unilateral decision for them all. Obviously, he had to follow this lead. If there was even a hint of a chance of finding his Lady, he had to take the opportunity. However, he couldn’t make his friends follow him out into the wilderness.

Despite his anxieties, he had no reason to fear. His friends had followed him this far. They were not about to leave at the most promising lead they’d found.

“I’ll follow wherever you go, Jordan,” Tom said with a smile far softer than the sort he would typically wear. It was strangely sincere and would've made Jordan’s heart beat wildly if it hadn’t been already. Yet, right now, he didn’t even have a moment to dwell on it.

“I’ll gather some supplies,” Sonja spoke and the moment with Tom was gone. But Jordan was too lost in excitement to even truly think about it.

He spun back to face the woman, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

“Thank you, Miss. We can be ready to leave in the morning,” He knew in reality they could be ready in just a few hours. But they were drawing close to night. While he and his friends could certainly make the journey through the darkness without fear, he couldn’t make this woman do so.

“It’s no problem. In fact, it would be an honour to reunite you with your Lady,” She said with a small smile that only grew Jordan’s own. “And please, call me Furia.”

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

The journey had started bright and early that morning. The three travellers were used to such early starts, though they were surprised at how Miss Furia seemed just as ready for the journey.

Her nervousness from the previous day had not fully left her, but she was clearly a competent guide. Her knowledge of the woods made what could’ve been a stumbling hike through tangled trees into a breeze of a walk. Frankly, they doubted they ever would’ve found the garden without her guidance.

Despite their expectations, ‘garden’ did seem like the most apt description for the area they’d been led to. A tall stone wall separated it from the rest of the woods. Once they had scaled it, the environment within wasn’t a tangle of trees but a tamed environment. It looked like the sort of place that would surround a manor house.

None of them could understand why this sort of place was in the middle of the woods. It felt unsettling in a way that none of them could quite explain. It was just too manicured an environment to be in the middle of the wilderness.

Then there was the aspect that none of them could deny the creepiness of: the statues. Among the pristine bushes, blossoming trees, and ordered flowers, stationed on each mosaiced plaza and flowing fountain were statues. Statues of people all either locked in battle or absolute horror. Each was seemingly crafted from gold, though only seemingly.

Though Sonja hadn’t done her magical checks to completely confirm, the sheer number of them and the poses they had taken made it seem undeniable. These were the petrified forms of those who had come here before them.

That had them all left with a mix of emotions. It seemed almost certain that they had found the location they had been looking for. That should’ve been a victory even if they had not yet located the goddess and her messenger.

However, it was hard to actually take finding this place as a victory. They certainly couldn’t celebrate when they were surely in the most dangerous place that they’d ever step foot in. All of them found their hands drifting to their weapons as they kept their pace towards where Furia had found the two statues that their goal was centred around.

Still, despite having a goal to reach, they were briefly stopping at each statue they came across. Sonja was quickly scribbling notes on each one, so she’d remember how many ingredients she’d need to gather later. That was how they found themselves standing before these three particular statues with Tom having a realisation.

“They’re Ianerean,” He said quickly. Maybe that was the obvious assumption to make of the three as they appeared to be pirates, but Tom was focused on the small patterns that must’ve been embroidered into their coats before they had been turned to metal. He had seen the same details on the Ianerean memorial.

“The three rescuers?” Jordan murmured, unable to raise his voice above a whisper. These were the first three who had taken on this quest, now frozen in gold.

Two were locked in sword swings, the sort of pose you would expect a pirate to take in their final moments. Yet the third was one Jordan couldn’t drag his eyes from. He was on his knees, reaching out towards something unknown. And his face… It was locked in a moment of absolute anguish.

A queasiness ran through Jordan as he remembered that one of the three rescuers had been the messenger’s brother. Was he reaching for his sister?

Tom saw the dawning horror on his friend’s face and quickly stood. He closed the small gap between them and took Jordan’s hands. He squeezed, giving a small smile.

“We’ll unfreeze them,” He assured, sounding confident in that easy way that he often did. Even with prickling fears, Jordan couldn’t deny it was comforting. When Tom said things, he couldn’t help but believe him. There was something just so intoxicating about his emotions. He could always tug Jordan from his worries. “Whatever creature did this, we’ll find it and kill it.”

Jordan’s thoughts were trying to tell him otherwise. How many had tried before them? None of them had succeeded. He was currently staring at his fellow Ianitees who had been frozen in their failures.

But Tom was really just the sort of person it was easy to believe. Or, at least Jordan always found it easy to believe him.

“We’re going to save them all,” Jordan said, just about managing to sound confident. He had been chosen for this by his Lady. He had the skills to defeat whatever creature did this.

“Yeah we are!” Tom half-cheered before spinning on the spot to face Sonja. As his hands were let go of, Jordan missed the warmth that the other man’s had provided. “You got enough supplies to restore them all?”

“Not on me, but I’ll be able to gather what I need from the woods. I imagine the creature’s blood will work too,” Sonja said, barely looking up from her journal. If she was being frank, there were more victims than she had expected. Far more victims than any other creature of this type she’d investigated.

That, of course, was beyond a bad sign. If the creature was this busy, it would most certainly target them and could do so at any moment. But the fact that they’d made it so far without any obvious signs of its lurking presence and that none of those frozen seemed to be wearing clothing of current trends at least gave her some peace of mind. Not enough to completely drop her guard, but she lost some nerves that otherwise she would’ve clung to.

As it stood, there was very little reason to not keep exploring. “Let’s just find Lady Ianite and confirm we’re in the right place.”

There was no real need to confirm. All the other statues here were petrified people, it seemed ridiculous to imagine the ones of Lady Ianite and her messenger wouldn’t be. Still, it served them better to keep their mission at the forefront of their mind.

“She’s this way,” Furia interjected, gesturing before continuing to lead them. “It’s not much further.”

Indeed, the young woman only needed to lead them for perhaps a minute more before they came to a gazebo covered in blossoming flowers. The petals formed a thick curtain that blocked the view into the structure. Jordan felt horrid crawling nerves creeping their way up his back. What was he going to find beyond those flowers?

He bit them down. He’d come this far. He just needed to push forward.

That was precisely what he did. He took the steps forward, carefully parting the blossoms with the edge of his bow. The glimmering light within was a siren’s call, luring him past the curtain.

The sight within left him speechless. Despite the obvious horror of the scene before him, he couldn’t help but see it as beautiful.

The light sneaking in from the gaps between the flowers caught in the statues, causing glittering reflection to dance around the patterned stone floor. Petals that had fallen from their flowers dusted the stonework, rested on the statues. It made the whole scene seem like an illustration of a romantic tragedy.

Finally, the messenger was the right gender. For the first time in his quest, he felt like he was actually looking at Captain Capsize. A young woman in a pirate’s garb decorated with the patterns he’d seen littered across the memorial for her in Ianerea. She was frozen in a swing of her cutlass, locked in a battle she’d never finish just as all the tales said.

She was just as all the tales described. Clearly a loyal follower of his Lady from all the symbols adorning her. Yet… She wasn’t what he had been picturing…

He forced himself to not dwell on that, instead twisting his head towards the other statue, the important statue. Frozen in a desperate lunge towards her messenger was Lady Ianite.

She looked quite similar to the other statues he had encountered before. However, unlike any of the others he had encountered, this one had a face that he recognised. This was the face he had seen in his dreams.

This was his Lady. He’d found her. Now he just needed to properly save her.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Confident that they had reached their quest’s final destination, the three had elected to make camp. Miss Furia had attempted to convince them to let her stay, but that was an offer they couldn’t allow themselves to take. As much as they appreciated her guidance in finding this place, they couldn’t allow a civilian to stay with them in a place so dangerous. They had assured her that Lady Ianite would know of her assistance and sent her back to the town. Though reluctant, she had taken her leave.

Hence, the camp was only set up for the three of them. Jordan had wanted to set up camp in the gazebo so he could keep guard of his Lady until she and her messenger could properly be restored. Sonja however, much to his chagrin, vetoed that idea immediately.

Her reasoning had, of course, been sound. There was magic she needed to cast on the petrified pair and that that magic required space and concentration. If they were camping in the same space as the statues, she risked wasting time and more importantly supplies that they couldn’t afford to lose when they were a day’s trek from civilization.

Of course, he couldn’t object to her logic. As much as he hated having to leave his Lady’s side, he had admitted defeat and gone with Tom to find suitable campgrounds.

That was how he now found himself sitting in a small clearing with a small stream running on the other side of it. It was one of the few places they had found within the garden without statues in sight, which they decided was a requirement for their camp. While Jordan had been willing to camp in the space of his Lady’s statue, once that option had been lost neither had particularly wanted to sleep with one of the golden figures watching.

Setting up the camp had been a good distraction for the champion. It was enough physical effort that his mind couldn’t linger on his Lady and her messenger as it did when he was still. Now, however, that distraction was gone. Once more he had nothing to do but think.

He sat on the grass outside the tent he and Tom would be sharing tonight. At least, they would be sharing if they decided that no one needed to be on watch tonight. So, he wouldn’t be sharing. He would be sleeping while Tom was on watch and vice versa. Despite how he knew that said watches would keep them safe, he wished that just for tonight they would all just be able to rest.

Perhaps it was a stupid thing for him to wish for. He knew objectively it would put them all in more danger for no particular reason. But he knew his mind. The only chance he had of sleeping tonight was Tom’s presence. Something about the man being nearby just helped his thoughts settle for a reason he couldn’t discern.

He was already overwhelmed by his thoughts now. He knew once the light faded, they would get all the worse.

“Hey, Sparklez, are you alright?” Tom pulled him from his thoughts. The zombie had gone for a short wander which was how Jordan had gotten dragged into his own mind in the first place. Now he was back, offering his friend a filled waterskin with a concerned look. “I thought you’d be celebrating. You found your Lady. Seriously, mate, you should be partying!”

Tom’s enthusiasm was normally infectious. Typically, Jordan would’ve been cheered up just by his tone, but today he could barely manage a weak smile as he took the offered waterskin.

“I… I don’t really feel like a hero,” He said with a shrug. Despite how innocent a statement it was, his words immediately got Tom concerned.

His friend plopped himself down next to him.

“What the hell do you mean? Obviously, you’re a hero,” Tom said as if nothing in the world was so clear. Of course, to him nothing was. He’d never doubted Jordan being a hero, not for a single moment. To hear the man himself do so was genuinely alien. “I mean, you were called by a goddess to find her and have actually succeeded! You’re about to restore her and her messenger to life! They’ll be legends written about you!”

He clapped a hand on Jordan’s shoulder as he sung his praises. As always, he appeared to hold no doubts in how his story was going to play out. It was as comforting to Jordan as it was confusing.

From the very beginning of this quest, Tom had had a steadfast belief in him. It was one of the reasons he had given for following along in the first place: ‘If my friend is going to go down in history as the person who saved a goddess, I’m going to be there to see it!’

Even now, when he was so close to succeeding, Jordan wondered why? Why did Tom believe in him so much?

Sensing that his typical enthusiasm wasn’t having its intended effect, Tom decided to take a different approach. He gently, though hesitantly, took Jordan’s free hand, intertwining their fingers in a way that was so natural yet made Jordan’s heartbeat quicken.

“What’s bothering you?” He asked the question straight. Because he knew that something was bothering his friend.

Jordan considered deflecting. He’d already dragged Tom along on this whole quest. He didn’t want to put anything more on his friend. But Tom squeezed his hand, and he couldn’t bring himself to hide anything.

“I don’t know, I thought I’d feel something when I found her. And I did, obviously, but I just look at her messenger, at my Lady’s ‘most loyal’ follower and I just…” He sighed. It was so difficult to articulate without sounding jealous of a woman who currently stood petrified.

He didn’t think he was jealous. Her fate was without a doubt a terrible one so it wasn’t as if he wished to trade places with her, but… “All my life I’ve heard the story of my Lady’s messenger, of the follower who never left her side even when it would mean their end. I guess, all this time, I was picturing…”

‘Myself,’ he wanted to say. Despite how stupid it was. Despite how long he had known that Captain Capsize was a woman. Despite how he knew that she had been raised in a completely different Ianitee culture than his own. Still, he had been picturing himself in the tale.

He knew it was ridiculous. He was never going to find a statue of himself. And if he had that would’ve been a horror rather than a comfort. Yet here he was utterly hollow because he’d been forced to actually face reality that the one everyone saw as his Lady’s most loyal follower was someone other than him.

“She’s the one who gave everything to try and save our Lady. How am I supposed to compare?”

“Because of everyone she could’ve reached out to to save her, Lady Ianite reached out to you,” Tom said. It was such a simple answer. Yet it was spoken in such a genuine way that all the flittering anxieties stilled. It was rare for Tom to speak in such a way. Every time he did, Jordan couldn’t help but want to listen.

There was a brief pause before the zombie continued. In this silence, Jordan brought the waterskin to his lips. “And, besides, I think she had a different kind of relationship with—”

Whatever point he was attempting to make was cut off by Jordan suddenly coughing and spluttering.

“Shit! Jordan! Are you--?!”

“I’m fine!” Jordan insisted as he recovered his breath. He shook with his waterskin. “Where’d you fill this?”

“The stream. I mean I don’t really need any, so I didn’t try it, but I thought with Sonja’s purifying enchantment that it’d—” Tom began to explain before quickly deciding that wasn’t the point. “Does it taste bad? I can go exploring a bit more to try and find a different source.”

Jordan saw the panic mounting on his friend’s features and guilt spread throughout him.

“It’s fine. Just a weird aftertaste I wasn’t expecting,” He said, feeling his own relief as Tom relaxed. Really, he felt bad for having such a strong reaction in the first place. He trusted Sonja’s magic enough to know he wasn’t going to be poisoned. All he’d done was worry Tom which the zombie didn’t deserve. “It’s honestly not that bad.”

Tom nodded as if the motion itself was reassuring. Jordan squeezed his hand to try and bring him back to reality.

“What were you going to say?”

“Oh, erm…” Tom struggled to remember his original point about the messenger. He’d definitely had one, but it had faded with the brief panic.

Well, that didn’t matter. He could come up with a different one. “Look just, it doesn’t matter what the world ends up thinking. Lady Ianite is going to think of you as a hero. Don’t drive yourself insane thinking up ridiculous scenarios where she doesn’t.”

“Thanks Tom. I needed to hear that.”

And it seemed at that moment that everything was fine within the gardens and Jordan’s quest would go unhindered. But the creature lurking was never going to allow that to happen, and her manipulations had already begun as Jordan took another sip from his waterskin.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Sonja could admit that she found this whole scenario disconcerting. She had always known that prepping to restore the goddess and her messenger would feel strange, but the oddly romantic scene of the gazebo certainly made her head itch uncomfortably. Still, she remained within the structure by necessity as she took notes on everything that might tell her what sort of creature did this and therefore what would undo it.

Them being petrified into golden statues already limited the number of creatures that could’ve done this. Then her examinations of the two had allowed her some assumptions. Namely that they had suffered a slow form of petrification as their facial expressions didn’t match their actions, which again limited the list down more.

She found that somewhat more unsettling than the idea that it was instant. Everyone in this garden had had at least a little time to acknowledge their impending fate. It made sense to her that so many of them had frozen expressions of either terror or anguish.

Not the messenger though. She wore a smile, which again, added to how disconcerted Sonja felt looking at her. She couldn’t imagine what Captain Capsize’s final moments had been like to wear such an expression when being transformed into metal. But, of course, she wouldn’t have to imagine for much longer.

The small ritual that Sonja had been preparing was one to allow her to dip into the messenger’s memories. Given the nature of this petrification, hopefully it would give her a concrete answer to what creature had done this. Then restoring everyone would be as simple as whipping up the right potion or ritual.

Though, of course, even a ritual as simple as this one had its risks. For herself, as she would be blinding and deafening herself from her true surroundings to experience the Captain’s memories. And there were risks for the messenger too. Right now, her mind was locked within dreams that protected her from the horrors of having been transformed in such a way. There was the risk, had she set this up slightly wrong, that she would awaken to her reality. That was obviously horrifying.

However, Sonja didn’t exactly have much of a choice. The information of what creature had done this was far too important to not do the ritual. At least the messenger sat at the top of the list of those who would be restored. If the ritual did awake her then it wouldn’t be long until she was freed from the nightmarish state.

Still, Sonja hesitated for just a moment. She looked at the frozen face of the Captain.

“Forgive me for this intrusion…” She whispered before taking a breath and allowing the ritual to begin. The magic coursed through her bones, the flame like tongues that represented her magic swirling around herself and the frozen messenger. She took a few more breaths. Then the memories consumed her.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

“Ia! Will you please just listen to me!” Capsize begged the goddess before her in a way she never had before.

In a way, Capsize felt like she was going mad. This quest had been a necessity. Ia’s heart had been poisoned. If her goddess didn’t find a mystical wellspring then it would worsen until she withered away into nothingness. So, off Ia had set on her quest and, given how she’d have little reason to continue on without her goddess, Capsize had followed.

It was in no way a role she should’ve taken on. Protecting the gods was meant for champions or guardians. Messengers were supposed to remain when their gods went off so that their word still reached their followers. But Capsize wasn’t just a messenger to Ia… And besides that, the goddess didn’t have a champion or guardian. Someone still needed to defend her on this quest, and so it only seemed logical to everyone that the Captain should take on the task.

The quest had gone surprisingly, almost suspiciously, well. Though travelling with a weakening goddess was hard both logistically and emotionally, actually finding their goal had been almost ridiculously easy.

Capsize found it odd. They had been set for this to be long and difficult. After all, while they knew they had the general region of the wellsprings’ location, that area was incredibly large and could’ve taken months to thoroughly search through. Yet, they had found it in mere weeks.

In one of the towns they had passed through, a young woman had approached them. She spoke of a garden deep in the woods that hosted a magical spring and offered to lead them there. It had seemed an offer too good to be true. Capsize had certainly found it beyond suspicious.

But every moment that they didn’t find the spring was a moment that Ia weakened ever more. Therefore, any lead was a good lead. So, despite Capsize’s apprehension, they had allowed the young woman to guide them to the garden. To her shock, they had been brought to the location of the wellspring they had been searching for, just as the woman had promised. Ia had been drinking from it daily and strengthening each time.

It should’ve felt like a victory, but it all just didn’t sit right with Capsize. It all just seemed too perfect, just like the garden that the spring was located within. Too manicured and curated to just randomly exist. Though she had tried to bite down her suspicions, she had found herself unable.

Capsize had investigated. The horrifying truth that she had discovered in her efforts had left her with only one rushing thought in her head. “We need to leave this garden! It isn’t safe!”

It was beyond clear to her now that this had all been a trap designed to lure in Ianite. The creature whose garden was this domain wanted her here, to transform her into a permanent feature of this place. Their only chance was leaving now while they were still able.

Except, Ia was refusing to listen to her.

“I cannot leave, Capsize. I am not fully recovered. I still require the spring’s water,” She said flatly. Despite Capsize’s own begging, she held no emotion in her response. It was not precisely an unusual way for the goddess to speak, but it was very much an unusual tone for her to hold towards her messenger.

Capsize had noticed the change since they had come here. Ia had been growing colder by the day. It was another thing eating away at her, driving her to investigate this apparent paradise that they had been led to. However, it appeared to have worsened beyond mere coldness as, though Capsize prayed that she was imagining it, there appeared to be scorn in her goddess’ eyes.

“I will hike out here every day to get you the water. I’ll do anything you wish so long as you leave this place and go to safety,” Capsize begged. She knew that doing so would put herself in danger. She had seen what the creature had done to the others she had lured here. Still, if it would get Ia to safety, she would gladly place herself in the firing line. Compared to that of her goddess, her life was trivia.

Ianite’s scorn just grew.

“You wish to make my recovery harder and longer based on your own silly paranoia?” She said, with enough bite in her words that Capsize almost wanted to backpedal entirely. Maybe if she did, Ia would stop acting like this.

However, the situation was far too serious for that. Though her heart wanted nothing more than a simple smile from her goddess, she wouldn’t risk Ia’s safety for it. To ensure her safety, Capsize would suffer through her hatred.

“I’m not paranoid! I was exploring this garden as you rested and found the remains of those who came before us. All of them had been frozen into golden statues! Miss Furia—”

“So not paranoia but blatant jealousy!” Ianite cut through her explanation with a statement so harsh that Capsize finally faltered.

“Jealousy? I’m not—”

“Come now, Capsize. Do you think I am foolish?” Once more Ianite cut through her, this time with a laugh. Not a sweet laugh as her messenger had heard from her in the past. This was the sort of noise that caused Capsize to freeze on the spot like a scolded child.

Not once before had Ia treated her like this. “You came on this quest to play hero, but someone else found the wellspring. So here you are slandering the woman so you can feel like the one who saved me!”

“I…” Capsize’s voice croaked as she struggled to maintain her composure. The accusation was beyond ridiculous. Obviously, she hadn’t just accompanied Ia for her own ego. Yet hearing the words come from her goddess’ mouth with such a harsh tone was devastating. Though she was trying to keep her resolve, her voice was wavering. “Do you truly think I’d put your safety at risk to make myself feel better?”

“I cannot think of any other explanation for the way you are acting,” Ianite replied as if it was beyond belief to think Capsize’s concern was real. Her messenger had tears threatening to spill, yet the goddess didn’t appear to hold so much as a drop of concern. “If you cannot act reasonable and gracious towards the woman who brought us here, then perhaps I do not require you here at all.”

For a moment, Capsize froze completely. She became just as rigid as the horrifying statues she had discovered. The tears she was desperately trying to hold back were stinging the corners of her eyes.

She tried to think of any reason her goddess may be acting this way. Perhaps the creature’s magic had possessed her mind? Still, even if that were true, it didn’t soften the hurt inflicted.

She had never before come to Ia with concerns and been belittled. She had never felt so lost for what to do.

She knew leaving the goddess alone for even a brief amount of time out here was risking the creature getting exactly what it wished. But if Ia was treating her like a spiteful liar, then what good was her presence doing?

Despite how she could imagine no good outcome from any decision she made, she needed to make one. She swallowed what part of her hurt that she could, to at least allow her voice to remain steady.

“If that’s what you wish,” She said with a bow of her head. With that, she turned and began to walk away. She would return, she could never actually abandon Ia, but returning to town would allow her to send word home of the horrors upon which she had stumbled. Then at least, should she fail, people would know what had happened.

Also, walking away allowed her one singular relief that staying couldn’t. As soon as she was sure that she was out of Ia’s reach, that she wouldn’t be seen or heard by her goddess, she was allowed to break and sob away her heartbreak. Despite her thoughts incessantly clinging to the fact that she would return her goddess to normal, the tears kept flowing as she could not help but linger on the possibility that Ia had truly meant every word.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Sonja stumbled back from the memories in horror. She hadn’t found what she had been looking for, but what she had learnt was so grave that she couldn’t keep searching.

Furia was the creature! She had lured them here to ensure they met the same fate as all the others who had stumbled into this garden.

Sonja only knew one thing. She had to warn Jordan and Tom. Going off the memory she had just experienced, they might not believe her, but she had magic. She could drag them out by force if need be.

However, despite a plan quickly forming in her head, she was never going to fulfil it. As she took another stumbling step backward, she hit against something. Though she tried to hold hope it was simply the frozen goddess, that was dashed as a grip latched onto her upper arm. Her limb instantly stiffened.

“You’re going to make a beautiful statue.”

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Afternoon was quickly drawing into evening and Tom was, to put it mildly, concerned. He had been caught up in the excitement of Jordan basically completing his quest when they had first arrived. Then he hadn’t wanted to bother the man when he was clearly struggling with what the end of this meant. But he had begun to sense that something was off about this place.

Obviously, he had known from the beginning that he needed to be on alert. There was a creature living here that could petrify people. Yet, he’d only really gotten concerned when he’d been left to his own devices to explore. He didn’t have the knowledge of these creatures that Sonja did, but he could recognise signs of something large having recently moved through bushes.

The creature was active and nearby and he hadn’t seen either of his friends for a few hours.

He shouldn’t have let them all split up, he could fully acknowledge that. It hadn’t really been his choice, but he should’ve spoken up and suggested that they stay together. But he hadn’t and now he had no idea where they were.

It had been far too long without either of them returning to camp. All he could do was pray that he was letting his paranoia get the best of him.

He pushed into the gazebo, gaining at least some relief to see Jordan sitting by his goddess. But whatever small amount of reassurance he gained from that was dampened by the absence of Sonja.

“Jordan, thank gods you’re safe!” Still, he rushed over to his friend, hugging him however awkwardly the hold was when the man didn’t even move. Jordan not responding at all to the action was odd. Though, Tom didn’t really care. All he cared about was that his friend hadn’t been gotten by a monster because he’d left him alone.

Still, he couldn’t bask in this relief. He had to pull away, back into the panic of their situation. “Have you seen Sonja?”

“No, she was gone when I got here. She’s probably exploring to figure out the number of statues,” Jordan replied with a shrug despite how clearly concerned Tom was. It was such a bizarre reaction for him that it should’ve planted a thousand questions in his friend’s head. However, his mind was already moving far too quickly, Tom didn’t have room for any more concern.

“Shit! We need to find her!” He said, grabbing his friend’s wrist and attempting to drag him to his feet. His entire brain was flooded with horrid spiralling desperation. He needed to make sure that Sonja was okay.

He knew that Sonja was a capable fighter, but so many of those trapped as statues within this garden had been defeated in the middle of battle. How could he really believe any of them stood a chance alone?

However, despite Tom’s desperation, Jordan resisted. He slipped from Tom’s grasp to remain on the ground by his Lady. The zombie looked at him, half-confused, but mostly just with the same desperation. “Come on! I found signs of the creature! We need to make sure it hasn’t gotten Sonja then get out of here to form a plan!”

Tom wasn’t entirely confident that they’d be safe outside of the garden, but he was sure they’d be safer out there than they were within these walls. They never should’ve set up camp here. What had they been thinking?

Jordan laughed. That was finally a bizarre enough reaction to get Tom to pause.

“Are you seriously trying to sabotage me? Right at the end and you’re still trying to ruin my quest?” Jordan asked. It was such a ridiculous pair of questions that Tom almost assumed them extremely badly timed jokes. However, his tone was so cold that it was impossible for Tom to write them off like that.

“What the hell are you talking about?!” He demanded. Maybe he should’ve stayed calm. They had pressing enough concerns without him and Jordan arguing.

But what Jordan had said was so goddamn offensive that Tom frankly thought he deserved to be yelled at. “I’ve been helping you this whole damn time!”

“Oh sure, you definitely came along to help!” Jordan spat in response. His tone was dripping with sarcasm and harshness which felt nonsensical to Tom. Obviously, he had come to help! What the hell other reason could he have had to come on this months long journey for?! He wanted to help Jordan!

Yet here the man was glaring at him as if he’d spent the whole time slowing them down. It was beyond insulting. “You’re the Champion of Lord Dianite! Obviously, you came along to stop my Lady from being restored!”

Tom had no reaction but to laugh. Truly he had to because it was either laugh or allow the actual implication of Jordan believing such a horrible thing about him to sink in. Better laughter than attacking him. Better laughter than tears.

“Do you think I’ve missed how you’ve always tried to distract me?! But now I’m here! There’s no more slowing down you can do! So now you’re trying to drag me away from her in a last ditch attempt to stop me from helping her!”

But laughter could only soften his reaction so much.

“Fucking fine!” He spat back. If Jordan wanted to treat him like a villain, then fine. He’d act like one. “You stay with your precious goddess to make sure I can’t possibly stop her restoration. I hope the damn creature comes along to let you join her! You’ll make a great fucking statue!”

He didn’t mean a word of it, but it was so much easier to be angry than hurt. Maybe he could stop his heart from shattering if he yelled loudly enough.

Regardless, he definitely wasn’t staying around to hear any more of Jordan’s bullshit. Without any more thought, Tom turned and stormed off. Hopefully he could find Sonja, and she would be more reasonable, or at least not completely nuts. Hopefully, he could find her without having a breakdown.

The moment Tom was past the curtain of flowers, it was as if a switch had flicked in Jordan’s brain. Whatever pool had been drowning his thoughts had been drained and he realised all he had just said.

“No! Shit! Tom, I--!” He started, ready to run after the man he’d just chased off. He had to apologise. He couldn’t let Tom think he actually believed any of what had just come out of his mouth.

But the moment he tried to stand, all his limbs failed him. He flopped onto the stone floor. He tried to push himself up, but his arms wouldn’t cooperate, instead just pushing around the petals that dusted the ground. He tried to yell out to his friend who was surely still within ear shot, but his voice croaked out as nothing more than a whine.

It didn’t make any sense. He’d been fine up until this moment, but just as his thoughts had returned, his strength had left him.

The flowers behind him moved, signalled to him only by the way the light bouncing off the statues reacted. From above him, an inhuman shadow was cast and laughter echoed.

“Are you ready to experience what your goddess did, champion?”

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Tom stomped through the garden, the heavy movement the only thing stopping him from sobbing as Jordan’s insults sunk in. It was ridiculous. He’d never had this kind of reaction to being yelled at by anyone before. But Jordan had never just been ‘anyone’ to Tom.

It was so stupid, he knew, to get this worked up over a crush, but he couldn't help it. He’d been willing to follow Jordan anywhere and that loyalty had been thrown back in his face. He wondered if this was how the messenger had felt.

Though it had never been his business, Tom had always found a certain fascination in Captain Capsize. The woman who had followed a goddess to the end of herself. A woman who had sent letters acknowledging the danger she was headed into but having no hesitation in doing so if it meant even the slightest possibility of protecting Lady Ianite.

What he had found particularly fascinating of the discoveries made on this quest was her last letter. It had been stored in some archives on Ianerea, the letter that had caused the small rescue party to begin their own quest. Most of it had been giving what she knew of her location, but within it she also spoke of her goddess’ recent cruelty.

Within her own writings, she had been insistent that Lady Ianite’s mind had been corrupted somehow. Now more than ever he wondered if she had been correct in that assertion or simply trying to save herself heartbreak.

Either way, Tom could relate to her so much at this moment. Doing so much for a person who you care so deeply about only to have them suddenly turn on you for seemingly no reason. It seemed history was repeating because he’d just experienced the same horridness. But maybe he was just projecting to make himself feel better.

After all, he wasn’t exactly like her. He couldn’t fathom the strength she had to return to her goddess after being treated as disposable… No, he could. Even now he wanted to go back to Jordan. But how could he when the man had been so hurtful?

It didn’t really matter. He had an actual pressing task he should be focusing on.

“Sonja!” He called out for what felt like the hundredth time. It had been far too long since he’d stormed away from Jordan, and he still hadn’t found any sign of her. Every minute that went by made the situation more pressing. No amount of telling himself that she was more than capable of defending herself could reassure him.

If she was okay, why wasn’t she answering?

He pushed past a few more trees. “Sonj—!”

His voice froze in his throat as he finally caught sight of her.

He saw Sonja in the middle of a clearing, a frozen gold statue.

“No!” He rushed over to her despite how fruitless an action he knew that to be. He needed to reach her. Maybe if he just touched her then he’d realise this wasn’t real and she’d be fine.

But that hope was never going to become reality. His fingers wrapped around her arm and were greeted with the feeling of cold metal. His breath shook as all the effort he had put in to stop himself from crying was crushed to nought. He’d let the monster get to one of his friends.

Her pose was odd. She wasn’t like any of the other statues he had come across in the garden. She didn’t have an expression of terror or anguish. Nor did she look like she had been frozen in the midst of a fight. She had a look of desperate concentration. Her head was tilted down towards the journal frozen in her hand.

Now Tom wasn’t stupid. He knew if Sonja was so focused on something in what could easily be her final moments, it was important. It looked like she had been attempting to write something when the gold had taken over.

He needed to read that book. Though he knew he’d have to contort himself awkwardly around his friend’s petrified form, he had to know what had been so important she had spent her last seconds writing it.

He’d figure it out. Then he’d save her. He’d save Jordan. And he’d defeat the creature that did this.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Lady Ianite found herself locked in horror as it dawned on her just how dire a situation she was stuck in.

It had begun when she had yelled at Capsize, driving away her messenger for the crime of being concerned. Even now, she could not fathom how she had allowed herself to act so cruelly.

She had accused her Capsize of being a jealous glory-hound. Acted as though she had joined this mission for selfish reasons. It was beyond ridiculous, hurtful for hurtful’s sake. Yet those words had been the ones that had left her. She had told her to leave in the cruellest way possible, and her messenger had obliged.

Ianite had, for a few sickening moments, been glad to see her leaving. She had been satisfied to see her knocked down a few pegs.

However, the moment Capsize had left her eyesight, whatever had been corrupting her thoughts had disappeared completely. Then the horrible words she had spoken to her messenger had sunk in.

She had attempted to call out to her, both physically and through their connection. Both methods had failed as all her strength had been drained in an instant. She had collapsed to the ground, fearing that her heart hadn’t actually been healed at all. Fearing that her last conversation with her Capsize would forever be one so utterly cruel.

However, either by luck or the opposite, that moment had not been her end. It had just been the moment she had fallen into this creature’s grasp.

Just as Capsize had been attempting to warn her, Furia was no human. Her true form had been revealed to the goddess now as some form of naga. Her legs swapped with the body and tail of a great snake. Her skin was covered with glittering, golden scales.

She had dragged Ianite’s prone form to the gazebo that sat in the centre of the garden and shackled one of her wrists to the ground. That shouldn’t have been such a worrying position for her to be in. Once her strength had fully returned, she should’ve easily been able to wrench herself free. Honestly, it seemed such a soft metal that Capsize’s cutlass could’ve sliced through it had her messenger been here.

However, it wasn’t the chain that would prevent her from escaping. It was the transformation inflicted upon her. Though for the moment it was only the tiniest spot of gold upon her ankle, she knew it would spread. Furia’s magic would ensure her transformation into a statue. And, of course, the slithering thing was oh so smug about it.

“You will be the crown jewel of my collection. A statue no other will ever compare to,” She said with a smile showing off jagged teeth. Already Ianite had been reduced to a mere decoration in the creature’s mind. Not that she expected any other attitude from the one inflicting this fate upon her. “I wonder how long it’ll take for you to be consumed.”

“Why continue to draw this out? You know I cannot escape. Just cast the rest of your magic and finish this!” Ianite knew it wasn’t what she should demand. She should hope for Furia to leave her, use whatever strength she could gather to alert Capsize of the situation, then hope her messenger could arrive to help before she was fully petrified.

However, she couldn’t call for her messenger to re-enter this place. The last thing she wanted was for Capsize to share this terrible fate. So, given that her rescue would place her love in danger, she could only wish for this to be over.

“Oh, because this is my favourite game,” Furia said with a laugh. She wrapped her tail around the goddess, trying to needle her into any slight movement. “As long as you stay still, the gold will barely even itch along. But the moment you give in and move, it’ll spread to nearly your whole form. I want to know, puny goddess, what will make you move?”

Ianite looked flatly towards her tormentor. She knew what the snake wanted to hear, but she wouldn’t lower herself to such desperate insistence. She knew there were a great many reasons that she would move.

Her silence in no way dampened Furia’s glee. She wrapped around tighter.

“I wonder, will it be before or after the pirate returns?”

“She will not return. Not after what your magic made me say to her,” Ianite bit in response, only causing the snake's smile to grow.

“Yes, the enchanted water. A neat little trick isn’t it,” She bragged. “It really is a healing spring, you know. The withering in your heart will be gone now. But I placed my own enchantment on it. It sucks away your strength and turns it all into bitterness and anger. So you drive away the one that might stop me then collapse as easy pickings for me to have my fun.”

She laughed as she tightened her hold and leant ever closer.

“Still, I know that little thing will return to you. She’s such a lovesick fool, she’d rather die than live in a world where she isn’t by your side.”

That statement made Ianite’s blood run cold. It was possibly the truth, she had often worried that it was, but hearing it spoken by this creature was horrifying in more than one way. But primarily it was such a horror that the snake knew of Capsize’s feelings at all.

It was a private matter, a closely held secret by the two for the danger Capsize would be placed in if it was discovered by the wrong person. What would a monster – or worse her brothers – do if it was discovered that she had formed a relationship with a mortal? And in this moment, that worst case scenario that she had desperately hoped to prevent was now coming to fruition.

Was her only hope for her messenger to be so heartbroken that she never returned? At least that way, despite how she would lose her anyway, she would know that Capsize actually got to live.

Perhaps she could’ve felt a tiny amount of comfort in that, but reality had different plans. The blossoms across from her shifted, the curtain parting the tiniest amount.

She tried to do her best to keep her eyes solely on the snake, to not give away her messenger’s approach. Still, she couldn’t help but watch that unfocused figure that was Capsize sneaking forward. Her movement was so careful, each step forward done to minimize noise. Her cutlass was already drawn, poised to strike.

Ianite’s heart began to thump. She knew the amount of danger this situation posed. Capsize would have one swing. If she missed, everything would be over.

Whether it was her own heartbeat or a step that Capsize didn’t quite hide, something alerted the snake. Furia’s grin widened. Ianite knew a split second before the movement started what had been realised. The creature twisted and lunged towards her messenger.

“Capsize!” She cried out. With no regard for the consequences, she lunged towards the creature, attempting to cast anything to slow it. She had no sooner outstretched her arm and left her kneel, than the magic did its work. In a single instant, the gold spread across her limbs that had dared to move, locking all three in place and allowing the gold to begin its true creep across the rest of her flesh.

She could only watch in devastation as Furia caught Capsize’s wrist, the snake grinning victoriously as her magic latched onto the momentum that her grasp had stopped. Gold immediately spread down the pirate’s arm to the rest of her body.

Furia’s smile grew ever so wide as she leant so close to the pirate’s terrified face. What a fine piece of art she now had possession of.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Jordan tried not to allow any fear to show on his face despite being stuck in a position where even struggling would make things worse. But it was difficult to maintain a neutral expression when he could already feel his foot turning to metal.

Miss Furia, her true form revealed as the snake she was, had forced him to kneel upon the stone ground of the gazebo. One of his wrists had been shackled to the ground by a chain he was sure he could escape from if he just tugged hard enough, but he knew if he tried it would all be over.

It was the same position as his Lady had been placed in, as Furia had gleefully informed him. And now he was being forced to play the same game.

The more he moved, the more he would be petrified. Any large or sudden movements would nearly completely transform him. Even attempting to remain still he could feel the gold creeping up his leg. He was being forced to meet the exact same fate as his Lady. And the one inflicting it upon him couldn’t be smugger.

“I thought I would never have any statues in my collection more perfect than these two,” Furia said, gesturing to the glittering forms of Lady Ianite and Captain Capsize. Since the day she had been petrified, the goddess had been the crown jewel of her garden. The messenger being transformed alongside her had just made the scene all the more perfect.

She held a pair that had spawned a legend. The original articles that people across the lands wanted to replicate. How were any of the decorations she had created since meant to compare?

But then along had come this man. The Champion of Lady Ianite on a mission to save the goddess. Obviously, she had had to have him as a statue. And what more could she have asked of him than to act as such a brilliant reflection of his goddess? “But to have a champion fall into the same trap as his goddess, it’s almost too delicious.”

Jordan grimaced as she laughed. He knew this was his own fault. He should’ve been wearier when he knew this place was home to a monster, but he hadn’t been. Now not only was he going to be petrified, so were his friends.

The snake had already gotten to Sonja. She had bragged about that while he was still too weakened to so much as talk. Once she was done with him, she would surely move onto Tom. All of them were doomed to be turned into just more decorations for Furia’s collection.

“I think I’ll pose you and your zombie together, like these two,” Furia mused to herself despite how little Jordan wanted to hear her voice. Still, she wittered on as she slithered closer to the champion. “You are so very much like your goddess you know. She too came here on an important little quest and fell right into my hands. She too spent her last real conversation with her precious follower being oh so cruel.”

“You manipulated me into that!”

“I manipulated her too. As I said, you’re so very alike,” She said with far too wide a grin. She wrapped her tail around Jordan’s torso. It took a world of effort from the man to not instinctively push her off. “And the zombie is so similar to the pirate. A lovesick fool taking on a quest not theirs. An idiot who will run right into my grasp even after they’ve faced such cruelty.”

For the first time, the mockery caused Jordan’s head to go blank.

“Tom isn’t in love with me,” He said. It seemed such needless cruelty from the snake. She had already won, what was her point in hurting him further by pretending that Tom had feelings for him?

Furia simply laughed.

“Oh you didn’t know? How unfortunate for you,” She mocked, wrapping her tail even tighter.

It couldn’t be true. If Tom loved him, Jordan would’ve noticed because Tom would’ve acted on his feelings. The zombie had never been subtle with anything, why would he be about something so important?

However, then Jordan thought of the way they would hold hands. The way that Tom would rest his head on his lap. The way that Tom’s presence could always calm him even when his thoughts were spiralling out of control. Those moments of softness were so unlike anything the champion had shared with anyone else.

A tear ran down his cheek. How much time had he wasted being oblivious?

Watching the man break was beyond satisfying to Furia. She always enjoyed anguish. It was such a delicious emotion that made such beautiful statues. She was so consumed by soaking in it that she almost missed the other man’s approach.

Jordan didn’t miss it. He saw the shifting of the blossoms and prayed that the way it made the reflections dance hadn’t given Tom away. The undead man crept forward, quieter than he had ever been. Though, confusingly, he didn’t hold his sword. Rather, clutched in his hand was a glowing potion bottle.

Tom’s mind was locked on his task. He couldn’t even spare a look towards Jordan knowing it would make him falter. He’d followed Sonja’s recipe to the letter. He just hoped she’d managed to get it all down before she’d been fully petrified. Hopefully all he had to do was make his throw.

But Furia had seen the light flicker. The zombie was making the same move as the pirate. She smiled. What a perfect repeat. Furia whipped around, lunging towards him.

Realising with dawning horror what would happen if he didn’t act, Jordan did the only thing he was physically able to do. He lunged towards the creature, hoping to grab her before she reached his friend.

“Tom!” He yelled, letting out a cry as his legs and grasping arm were transformed in an instant, locking him in place. He was in a near identical pose to his Lady, giving Furia precisely what she had wanted, but he didn’t care. His only concerns were on the position Tom was in.

Furia had grabbed his wrist moments after the bottle had left it, but that didn’t matter. The bottle had flown wide of her and instead landed on the face of Captain Capsize. With Furia’s touch, gold quickly spread across Tom’s arm and down towards the rest of his body. He would not get a second chance at an attack.

“And history repeats. You missed, you fool,” She mocked, leaning her grinning face so close to his. She wanted to taste his horror just as she had tasted the pirate’s all that time ago.

It didn’t come. What she instead received was a grin even wider than her own.

“No, I didn’t,” Was all he had to say for the snake's eyes to transform into her own horror. But this time she didn’t have the time to whip around.

A shining cutlass cut through the snake’s neck. As her head, frozen in its final moment of horror, fell to the ground, Tom was greeted by the determined face of Captain Capsize. Sonja’s recipe had worked. Finally, the messenger was restored, and her swing had met its mark.

As a splash of blood hit him, Tom felt the gold encasing his own limbs begin to melt away. It was not quite the instantaneous freeing that the potion had granted, but it was a relief, nonetheless.

Capsize watched with a curious eye for a moment before leaning down to place her hand in the pooling blood. She then turned to the other two in the gazebo with them.

The champion, still slowly being consumed by metal, got a careful touch as she was unsure of what precisely her action would do. The moment the blood touched him, the gold began to melt away.

Before he could even thank her, she had turned to Lady Ianite. She placed her bloodied hand on her goddess’ cheek, her heart beating within her ears. All three pairs of eyes in the gazebo were fixed upon the goddess as she unfroze but Capsize didn’t care. She acted as though no one was watching as she beamed.

“Ia,” She said, near breathless. Her heart was beating so wildly as her goddess returned her smile.

“My Capsize,” Ianite replied as she was greeted by the face that she had last seen as a frozen statue.

“I dreamt of this moment. All this time, I’ve dreamt of this moment and this,” With those words, Capsize lent forwards and kissed her goddess. The monster had been slain and finally their story was allowed to be more than just legend.

☙❧ ☙❧ ☙❧

Night had fallen and though there was far more work to be done, a rest had been agreed upon. That was why Jordan found himself sitting by a campfire, observing from a distance his Lady and her messenger in quiet contemplation.

He had, of course, spoken to them both. Once they had broken apart from their long awaited reunite, their attention had turned to him and Tom. He had been thanked by his Lady. She had called him champion and a hero as he had craved to hear from her. Though it had felt almost hollow considering how little he felt that he had actually done, but the gracious smile she wore had warmed his heart all the same.

Capsize, for her own part, had mostly thanked Tom. A part of him wanted to begrudge her for that. But given that the zombie had been the one to free her and just how widely his friend had smiled upon being called a hero, he really couldn’t.

And they had spoken at length to form a plan. The initial one had been to simply bottle as much of Furia’s blood as possible then unfreeze Sonja before taking the night to form a more concrete plan that could be carried out come morning. That had indeed been most of what they had done. However, as they had left the gazebo, Capsize had spotted the three Ianereans.

She had rushed over to them, nearly in tears as she took in the statues. All of them had thought it fair to restore them too, making the small group of them now at the camp total eight.

It had been an odd atmosphere once all was said and done. It was certainly a celebration, but a quiet one. It matched the stillness of the night as everyone spoke in tones barely audible above the crackling flames.

That was how Jordan had found it so easy to slip into just watching. The two seemed so subtle now despite how their initial reunion had been anything but. Perhaps with people around that the pirate actually knew, they’d slipped back into secrecy, but he still caught their hands getting almost magnetised towards each other. He couldn’t miss how they were slowly shifting closer to an embrace. He doubted anyone else was either.

It felt strange to watch. Though he knew he could make himself drag his eyes elsewhere, he struggled to. All the actions were so familiar to him.

Had he really been this oblivious?

“Hey. You look lonely,” Tom greeted with a small laugh as he walked over to sit by his friend. He chose to sit closer than he really had to. Their bodies were pressed against each other. Jordan wondered why Tom warmed him up more than the fire did.

“Just had a lot to think about, I guess,” He replied with a shrug. He knew he could make conversation if he forced himself to. Even with the exhausting events of the day, he wasn’t so tired that he was incapable of small talk. But the tangled mess of thoughts he found knotted in his mind was something he really wanted to straighten out.

“Can I help?” Tom offered, not knowing just how much his words meant. There was only so much figuring out about this situation that he could do without his input.

“Yes, I think you can,” Still he had to figure out precisely how to phrase what he wanted to say. The last thing he wanted at this moment was to put his foot in his mouth. “Tom, why did you come on this quest?”

Tom blinked at him. It was a question that Jordan had asked him a dozen times across the journey, and one he’d given a dozen slightly different answers to. Yet now the quest was for, the most part, over, it held quite a weight. He didn’t think he could answer with a cocky smile and words he knew weren’t the full truth.

“Why do you think I did?” So he didn’t. Maybe he didn’t answer at all, but the fact he hadn’t given his usual blasé response seemed like all the answer Jordan needed to continue.

“Furia compared you to her,” He said, nodding towards Capsize whose head was now resting upon Ianite’s shoulder as she listened to one of the others speak. “A lovesick fool following someone on a quest not theirs.”

He hated quoting the snake, especially as the words caused Tom to squirm.

“But I know that’s not true.”

“Jordan, I—”

“Capsize wasn’t a fool and neither are you. I’m the fool for not noticing. For letting us waste so much time as just friends.”

Tom’s entire being stopped working. He went entirely rigid.

Jordan suddenly panicked, believing he may have gotten entirely the wrong idea.

“I mean, obviously if you want to just be friends that’s fine! I just—”

“You damn idiot!” Tom exclaimed. He grabbed a hold of the man’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss. For the briefest moment, Jordan had no idea how to react. Then his thoughts caught up, and he fell into the action with no more hesitation.

Every held back moment the two had ever was being lived out in full in this moment. They had everyone’s eyes on them, yet neither had any concern. All that mattered to them in this moment was the other.

It seemed history had repeated itself in the garden that day. While there was more work to be done, both couples were simply glad to have their freedom and each other.

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