Will Death Do Us Part?

[Mini]

A warm, gentle breeze blew through the garden, wrapping around the young queen in what felt like a warm embrace. It rustled through the hanging flowers of a nearby Stelsprig, an interesting plant that grew small yellow blossoms that smelled like warm cocoa and tinkled like a crystal bell. Rini turned in its direction as she heard the soothing melody that sprung from the blossoms. As she turned, she caught sight of something very peculiar. Farther off in the distance where the fish pond was, she could have sworn that she saw what looked like a man in very simple garb laying down in the grass. Due to the angle of the slight hill that rose between herself and the pond, she couldn't make out much about the figure. Could this be who had called her out here on such urgent business? Who was this stranger dressed in clothing that a farmer might be wearing, and why was he laying down in the garden? Tilting her head curiously to one side as she puzzled over this, Rini took a few cautionary steps closer. Glancing around and seeing nobody else around, she took a deep breath and put on her best "regal" face. Standing tall, straightening out her back, and holding her head up high, she picked up a bit of her dress bottom to make extra certain she wouldn't trip walking uphill and approached the man in simple garb.

"Pardon me, but I was informed that my presence was requested out in the..."

As soon as she got close enough to properly see him, which was maybe about six or so feet back from where he was sprawled out, she stopped dead in her tracks, and her words stopped along with her motion. It was as if the world around her had frozen. All of a sudden, she couldn't move another inch. All she could was stare. Her eyes widened in wonder as she gazed down at the silver-haired, green-eyed man in a worn looking linen shirt and loose leather pants. A slight pressure in her chest reminded her to breathe, and she realized that she had been holding her breath since she stopped speaking.

A smile broke out across her face, and although it was small, it was almost as radiant as the sun itself.

Rini took several more steps towards him, until her feet were inches from the top of his head. She stood over top of him and peered down. Despite anything else she had wanted to say or do, the smile appeared to be plastered onto her face. She did manage to put her hands on her hips and shake her head a bit.

"I didn't know it was customary in your country to go off for days at a time, leaving your poor queen drowning in paperwork, only to return to come and lounge about in the sun all day long."

~*~

Ishazi led them to a quiet, sleepy little alcove that was back a bit away from the main street. Simple wooden tables and chairs worn down and softened by time, wind, and people were scattered about. It seemed the perfect place to sit and wait for friends and family or to enjoy a refreshing beverage after a long's day work. Quite a few people were still coming and going either direction, and Pluto made sure to sit down where she could watch them.

The demi-goddess couldn't help but feel so very detached from the world around her. Each person walking by had a story. They had friends and family. They had people they liked and people they disliked. Maybe they had lovers. She had spied several young couples walking around all ready today, holding hands or whispering to each other, sneaking a quick kiss when they thought nobody was looking. A great heaviness had grown in her heart as she observed these young mortals showing even the simplest signs of affection towards each other. Many of the people she had observed so far had probably loved and loved deeply, and just as many had likely lost that love at one point. As they walked by, lost in their own worlds, Pluto wondered if they were happy. How could they not be, she thought wistfully? They were free, even if they did not realize. Free to be with their friends and family. Free to live wherever they wanted to. Free to work whatever jobs they wanted. Free to follow any desires they were passionate about.

Free to live.

"...isn't a drop of it in the whole land."

"Hmm?" Pluto asked absent-mindedly, shaken from her reverie by Ishazi's small talk. For the first time in a long time, she realized that she hadn't been paying the slightest bit of attention to a word her friend was saying. It wasn't hard for her to mentally rewind the last few moments, but it still surprised her that she had allowed herself to become so distracted.

"Oh. Araje? It sounds lovely," she said, her eyes still focused on the street.

Those who had loved and lost deeply...

Another stabbing pain descended upon her as she thought of her dear, sweet Treasured One. This pain in her chest was a mix of guilt and agony. The poor girl was suffering something awful, and here she sat in a distant world with quite possibly the one person who could help her overcome her grief. The Etheran Princess had found love in the most unexpected of places, and it seemed she had fallen and fallen hard. It was almost as if there was some other force involved, something that bound the two of them much closer than any simple infatuation could have worked. When that man was killed, Pluto had almost felt it herself, simply through her bond with Rini. It had very nearly destroyed her. To this day, Pluto wasn't sure how Ishazi had managed to save her from herself when the powers sleeping dormant inside of her took control of her. She knew very little of the magic the princess possessed, but she knew that her father knew much more about it than he was letting on. It was something much, much more than the magicks gifted to those lucky Etherans.

It was with a heavy heart that Pluto finally turned her attention back to the man who had dared steal away enough of her own powers to bring her out to the middle of nowhere and buy her chocolates. It was high time to return him home, but she had a promise to keep, first.

"Ishazi, the answer you seek is not an easy one. I very much doubt you will find it in any spell book, magical tome, mystical scroll, mage diary, or enchanted journal. However, searching the Etheran library may not be as much of a dead end as you might think," she said slowly, making sure to look him dead in the eyes. "It's possible you've just been searching in the wrong section. Tell me, when is the last time you read Rini a bedtime story?"

[Nayr]

He pretended not to notice her all the way up until she appeared in his field of vision, smiling despite herself. Her smile made him smile and he had to try his hardest not to laugh as she spoke about him leaving for days at a time which left her drowning in paperwork. He almost failed, but managed to rally himself.

"Hardly customary," he agreed, "I knew you could handle it."

He reached over and caressed her calf.

"Care to join a man in a well earned moment of relaxation?"

It wasn't quite time to unfold his scenario yet, but it was very close.

~*~

While he was rather used to not being the absolute center of the demigoddess' attention at all times, this particular moment of distraction on her part cut him more than had any previous instance. He knew what weighed on her. He felt some small version of it in his own life, and he'd hoped visiting this place would banish that specter for longer than it had. Still, at least she'd smiled a genuine, relaxed smile. That moment would be worth nearly any cost. Certainly worth the pittance he'd spent on the chocolates.

"Ishazi, the answer you seek is not an easy one. I very much doubt you will find it in any spell book, magical tome, mystical scroll, mage diary, or enchanted journal. However, searching the Etheran library may not be as much of a dead end as you might think," his friend said, her piercing gaze locked on his eyes, "It's possible you've just been searching in the wrong section. Tell me, when is the last time you read Rini a bedtime story?"

He would never admit it, but there were times when Pluto could stop him cold with a single word. Other times, a look sufficed. She had a power over him that he couldn't put to words, not for lack of ability but rather out of necessity. If he ever put to speech what he felt around her and what she could provoke in him that no other could, his heart would settle for no less than total rebellion against the order that kept them apart. He was powerful, certainly, but the edicts of her father were absolute and they already tempted the lord of time's wrath more than likely they should. That said, something about the way she'd asked this seemingly unrelated and very bizarre question made him go cold inside. He pondered this, wondering where she was going with this and precisely how much he wasn't going to like what she said next.

"The last time I read her a bedtime story?" he asked, stalling for time while he thought about it, "I suppose the last time she asked for one was when she was eight or nine years old. I can't recall which one I told her, but I know she never tired of my stories."

He lost himself a moment in memories. He'd known the Treasured One for many years, had watched her grow, and had given her so many stories. Most of them had been essentially true, not that she knew that. All she cared about was that Ishazi told the best stories. The Captain of the Guard would sometimes tell stories in Ishazi's stead, but for all the man's talents he didn't have as much of a gift for it as did the High Wizard. Ishazi shook himself from his woolgathering. Pluto was going somewhere with this, and Ishazi was a little concerned as to where exactly that was.

[Mini]

It took all of Rini's willpower to not pounce on top of him the instant his smiling face looked up at her. There was something about simply being in his presence that made her ridiculously happy. She had felt that way since the very first time she had laid eyes on the man behind the wolf mask, and the feeling had only grown stronger and stronger since then.

Her pitiful attempt at looking angry vanished entirely as he reached up and gently caressed her calf as a bright smile broke out across her face. Unable to resist the invitation, she simply nodded. A moment later, she was lying in the grass next to him. It mattered not that she was wearing a fancy dress and shoes. Truth be told, she was a bit jealous of how comfortable he looked in his simple garb. The instant she lay down, she kicked off her shoes and snuggled up next to him, wrapping an arm around his torso.

"I really missed you, Korrino," she whispered, sighing contentedly as she rested against him.

~*~

In a rare moment, Pluto allowed herself a genuine chuckle as Ishazi mentioned that Rini never tired of hearing his stories. "Oh, I can't possibly imagine why that would be," she said under her breath, although she made no effort to keep her words hidden from her friend. "I have a feeling you tend to be quite animated with your stories. I also have a hunch that you may exaggerate the facts ever so slightly. I can picture a much younger princess hanging on your every word." The soft smile had returned to the demigoddess' face, and a sparkle that only appeared when she was in a good mood had snuck back into her eyes when Ishazi hadn't been paying attention. She chuckled again, then paused to sigh. The half smile that had been starting to show vanished as quickly as it had shown up.

"I digress, however."

Pluto had a nagging feeling that she needed to return Ishazi back to Ethera and get back to her post as soon as inhumanly possible. She knew she should listen to the nagging little voice in the back of her head, as her intuition was usually spot on, but for the moment she decided it was best to just ignore it. However, it was enough to remind her to return to her serious businesslike demeanor. She cleared her throat softly and glanced around a second time. One never knew who or what could be lurking in the area.

"Out of all of the fantastical stories you've ever told her, how many have been based on your own adventures versus how many were just stories, legends, myths, or old wives' tales you've heard? And how often have you read to her directly from a book instead of just making something up on the spot? Think for a moment, Ishazi. Think of the some of the greatest stories you've ever told her and read to her." Pluto paused for a moment to lean forward. For some reason, she couldn't make herself just come out and say it. Perhaps it was too risky to say out loud, even if they were in the middle of a land where not a soul would recognize them. Perhaps she was bound by some odd immortal law that she didn't even know about that was preventing her from being more direct. Or maybe (and this was the most likely reason), she wanted Ishazi to give up on this whole crazy notion so that he wouldn't be putting himself into a very dangerous situation.

A promise was a promise, though, so she continued. "Do any of those stories meet the requirements of what it is you're searching for? I hear that all the best bedtime stories are those chalked full of romance, fighting, magic, adventure, and impossible things being made possible."

[Nayr]

For the longest time, he simply held her. He'd been away so long that it was nice to do nothing other than have her in his arms once more, and he wasn't about to spoil that for anything. At least not yet. He kissed the top of her head and whispered his answer into her hair, knowing that in the relative quiet of the garden she'd hear just as clearly as if he'd spoken it into her ear.

"I'm always with you, my love. No matter the distance, I carry you with me in my heart so that wherever I go there's a little slice of paradise within me."

She felt the same, he knew, but he left it unsaid. Let her speak it if she felt that it needed to be spoken.

He laid back against the grass and sighed contentedly. The refreshment would keep a while longer while they reveled in their renewed togetherness. He wasn't in a rush, although he knew their time in this garden was not unlimited. Still, their responsibilities could wait until they were good and ready.

~*~

Ishazi drank in the sound of Pluto's chuckle and her amused tone as she commented as though he had crossed a desert and the sound of her laughter was an oasis. Today had been an absolute gift, and he was absorbing every ounce of enjoyment. Their responsibilities were looming just out of sight, and they were all too conscious of how very temporary their time here was. As if in demonstration of her point, Pluto's half smile vanished and she returned to the point.

"Out of all of the fantastical stories you've ever told her, how many have been based on your own adventures versus how many were just stories, legends, myths, or old wives' tales you've heard? And how often have you read to her directly from a book instead of just making something up on the spot? Think for a moment, Ishazi. Think of the some of the greatest stories you've ever told her and read to her."

Most of them had been based on his adventures. The only time he ever got to see Pluto was when he broke the rules and she came to get him, so he did it often both to keep life exciting and also because she understood him in a way few others ever could. Her companionship was of great value to him, and he was more than willing to end up in any number of highly unpleasant places for the privilege of even a moment of her time. Still, there were more story times than there were adventures so some of them were from books and some were invented on the spot from whatever was on his mind at the time. Others were recounted from memory of times he'd spent out in the worlds and heard cultural tales from peoples now long gone. She was driving at something from the content of these tales, he was sure. Something all these stories had in common that would lead to an answer to his conundrum. He just needed more pieces to complete the puzzle. After a brief pause, she spoke again.

"Do any of those stories meet the requirements of what it is you're searching for? I hear that all the best bedtime stories are those chock full of romance, fighting, magic, adventure, and impossible things being made possible."

He started rifling through his mental filing system searching for stories that talked about bringing back those taken too soon. He was coming up mostly blank, because he hadn't really paid attention to the content of his stories to this degree before, but one old tale flicked to mind and the thought made him pale. Not possible. She couldn't be referring to that.

"What are you saying?" he asked quietly, "I admit, most of the stories are true after a fashion, but those children's books are pure fantasy. Even in the Library no one gives fanciful stuff like that any serious credence."

To be absolutely fair, everyone also thought the same thing about that, and look how it had turned out. All that aside, another piece of the puzzle slid into place. One of the hundreds of tales in his head was true, and there was something useful in that story which could suggest a solution to his problem. He wasn't sure if it was a rule of some kind or a reluctance to help his admittedly mad enterprise that was stopping her, but she was trying not to say it out loud. He was trying not to rush her, but the back of his mind was all but screaming the name of that legendary trinket that couldn't, shouldn't, exist and yet did. If she was listening, she probably knew all about it. No point trying to hide it from her, but that didn't mean he had to actually give words to his suspicion.

[Mini]

Not a word passed between them for a very long time, for there was simply no need. It was more than enough that they were together. Rini was more than happy to lay curled up besides the man she loved more than life itself. It had been so very long since she had been able to hold him that a part of her wanted to burst into happy tears. She settled for one soft sniffle as she adjusted herself, pulling him just a teensy bit closer. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and gave him a gentle, affectionate squeeze.

Korrino chose that moment to grace the top of her head with a soft kiss and break the silence. His words melted her heart, as they often did when he whispered sweet nothings to her. She had forgotten just how much she missed the softness of his voice when it was just the two of them. So soft and tender. So unlike the battle-hardened man she had seen bear the burden of his crown. She loved him with all of her heart, but she loved him just a little bit more when they could forget their duties and responsibilities and simply just be.

She opened her eyes and glanced up at him as he settled back down. A smile danced across her face as she giggled softly. "You say the sweetest things. And that puts me in a bit of a pickle, you know," she teased, untangling one hand away from her embrace in order to give his cheek a soft poke. "I'm terrible at saying things like that and you know it." After saying this, she decided that laying next to him was no longer where she wanted to be. Without warning, she rolled herself over and repositioned herself so that she was lying on top of him. Her long hair cascaded down over her shoulders in strawberry-blonde waves as she stared him down. His dazzling green eyes pulled her in, as they always did, and she grinned down at him. Her grin slowly shifted into a gentle smile as she realized just how much she had missed him. Overcome by strong emotions she couldn't quite explain, she leaned down and gave him a soft kiss.

"Distance matters a little," she whispered as she pulled away to speak. "Next time you go somewhere, take me with you."

~*~

In that moment, Pluto could not have looked more bemused if she had tried. Had Ishazi really just said what she had heard him say? There were two things that had thrown her. First was him saying out loud that children's books were "pure fantasy." How could this be the man who had traveled through the realms of time, space, and even a few things in-between to see things that no mortal should ever even fathom could exist, only to be dragged back (often by the ear) to his current home in Ethera by none other than she herself? How could he, with all of his magic and gifts, think that something that was "pure fantasy" even exist? The second thing that caught her attention was a remark of a specific library. From the way he said it, she knew it was a very specific library, and chances were it wasn't anywhere on Ethera. He spoke of it more like it was a land itself, not simply a building that housed books.

"I..."

Her words were cut off as she suddenly realized that Ishazi actually looked somewhat worried. What was he so focused on? She leaned forward a bit and gave him "the look."

"What are you saying? Perhaps I've been deceived. You clearly can't be the man I thought you were. Ishazi Nolasta Kanchito is not someone I know to throw around the words 'pure fantasy' so lightly," she said, leaning back in her chair, putting on quite a good show of pretending to be suspicious of the person sitting across the table from her. The look lasted for about three seconds before she sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Really, Ishazi, after all you've seen, heard, and been through, you really believe that almost all children's stories are the stuff of pure imagination? Maybe the ones about mice learning to dance or ghosts dumping buckets of paint all over the land to teach children their colors are, but those aren't the stories I'm talking about, and you know it. Perhaps not many of these stories are commonplace bedtime stories these days. They might have fallen out of fashion with the flow of time. Many of the stories I'm speaking of were first passed on by word of mouth because they've been around longer than people have been recording their history in writing."

Pluto glanced around, once again scanning the surrounding area to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation. Since there was nobody even relatively close to them, she wasn't too worried, but she knew that if the wrong ears heard what she was about to say next, it could potentially lead to trouble.

"I'm talking about all the whispers of the forces that exist beyond a normal comprehension of the world we-- or perhaps I should say you-- live in. Forces like the Deep Magic," she whispered. "What this Deep Magic is and how it works is beyond even my understanding, but I believe there are stories that whisper its existence. There was one story in particular I remember from my own childhood. A tale as old as time, I was told, about a creature cursed into a hideous appearance, bound by both an outside source and his own power. In order to break his curse and regain his true form, he needed to learn to love - an impossible task, so it would seem, for who could love a creature so terrifying it would give one nightmares for years? But a brave maiden did enter into his life, and through a long series of events she grew to see the soul trapped inside the hideous outside, and they fell in love. This was not enough to break the curse, though, for the words needed to be spoken aloud by both parties. There was an incident, and the cursed creature was hunted down and stabbed through the heart. He died in her arms, and with his dying breath spoke of his love for her. She sobbed into his chest and whispered her love to him, even though it was too late, or so she thought. A beam of light engulfed him, and he transformed before her very eyes. He landed on his feet, both alive and returned to his true form.

"Does it sound like a fanciful story? Yes, of course it does. The whole thing sounds ridiculous when you look at it at face value. What kind of magic can turn a person's own powers against them and work like a double curse? What type of powerful person cursed him in the first place? What kind of girl falls in love with a creature that is essentially an animal? How can a few whispered words be enough to both bring someone back to life, heal the mortal wounds that killed them, and break a curse?" Pluto paused, most likely to catch her breath, but she was far from finished.

"One of the points I'm trying to make is this - This story had to come from somewhere. It had an origin. It was based on something. Was it based on a real story, or even a partially real story? Who was the first to tell it? Who was the first to write it down? The other point I'm trying to make..." Here she paused and once again looked around. "This isn't the only story that involves a character dying and coming back to life. There are many stories out there, Ishazi, and they have a lot more in common than you might think they do. There is one that tells of a person being condemned to death as a traitor, but an innocent stands in his place. The innocent is killed that very night, yet as dawn covers the land, the innocent is reborn, citing the rules of something simply called 'Deep Magic.' There is yet another legend of a girl who had incredible healing powers that came from never cutting her hair. How she gained her powers was something of a mystery. She was captured and about to be taken away to be sold for her powers. Her lover tried to save her life but was mortally wounded, and knowing that the girl would never be truly free so long as she had her hair, cut it. He died. She tried to used her powers to bring him back to life, but they didn't work. Devastated, she started to cry. A single teardrop fell onto him, and he was engulfed in a bright light. When it faded, his wounds had healed and he was alive. I've also heard a tale of two sisters, one born with magic and one born without, where the sister with magic froze her sister's heart. The magicless sister should have died, and the elder sister should have been killed, but just before she was, the younger sister used the last bit of life left in her before freezing to jump in the way and sacrifice herself to save the very creature who had frozen her heart. This act dispelled the magic within her, and she was revived despite having frozen to death. All of these stories, no matter how fantastical they sound, came from somewhere. We know there are realms out there with magic stranger and stronger than even the two of us have seen, and we also know that there are more gods and goddesses out there than just my father. They are bound by a strange set of rules that not even I understand, but nothing is ever to be considered 'pure fantasty.'"

Pluto took a deep breath, realizing she had been talking rather nonstop. How uncharacteristic of her. "Perhaps you should read more," she simply said. "Also, what's this about a Library?"

[Nayr]

While her love was no surprise to Korrino at all, its most recent expression was mildly unexpected. To be fair, he did know that his strawberry haired lover wasn't as poetically inclined as he was. She had read, of course, in the time they had spent together in Ushan, but he'd had a considerable head start on her and his choices in material differed from hers in so many beautiful and interesting ways. She certainly didn't fail to express herself, however, as was demonstrated in the following moment. Without particular warning, she rolled on top of him, her dress flaring with the motion and giving her, at least from his perspective, a temporary aura of flowing fabric. It was good that she kissed him, then, because otherwise he would have pulled her down and forced her lips to his. He was hungry for her, and that was the hardest part of being away. Her lips parted from his all too soon, but he treasured the words that emerged from them next.

"Distance matters a little," she whispered, "Next time you go somewhere, take me with you."

He nodded, putting his hands on her hips in case she felt inclined to dismount anytime soon.

"I'm not going anywhere without you, my love," he whispered in return, "I hope you don't mind having me around, because you're going to be practically tripping over me from now on."

He smiled and leaned up to kiss her again, maintaining that position for as long as he could before he relaxed and dropped his head to the ground.

~*~

His lady made a very good point. Who was he, after all their adventures, to dismiss anything as "pure fantasy," no matter how nonsensical it seemed? After all, who would think that seven foot tall tulips with thorns that dripped snake venom and a thirst for blood could possibly exist? Who could fathom a wasteland with completely still air in which no sound could travel for more than an arm's length? What scholar wouldn't dismiss as "pure fantasy" a world in which no two people were alike in any respect whatsoever and in which a society had arisen celebrating diversity and condemning what they termed "the dark nightmare of violence"?

She also mentioned that things like dancing mice and mischievous ghosts with paint cans were probably false, and that was fair to say. Even by their standards, some things were just too far fetched. She glanced around, looking for anyone listening, and he reached out with his power to take her words from her lips to his ears alone. Those passing by would see a highborn lady whispering to a somewhat lower ranked man. Those who cared might wonder to themselves who this scandalous couple was. None of them would be able to catch the words they spoke together. It wasn't too long before she spoke two words that made him glad that he'd done so.

Deep Magic.

He had only heard that term one other time, and it had indeed been in a bedtime story. In that story it was a set of rules, enforced through magic stronger than any of the realm's inhabitants, that accorded to each of the great powers of the realm duties, responsibilities, and authority. Its function in the story was to set precedent and to allow one character to save another from a foe who was endowed by the Deep Magic with the right to take that person away. He hadn't heard all of the stories she'd mentioned, but he was familiar with a couple of them. He hardly even noticed that her verbosity was a great contrast to her usual self. He was much more occupied with something that was much more common between them: She had struck at the heart of his ignorance and rearranged his world in an expansive, terrifying moment.

"Perhaps you should read more," she finished, "Also, what's this about a Library?"

He paused a moment, his mind rearranging things he'd thought unrelated both to each other and to his plight at such high speed he couldn't have told her what he was thinking if he wanted to. When the puzzle had assembled, he was looking at his answer. He didn't understand it yet, and he wasn't certain what the next move should be, but he knew that this was what she was telling him. And he knew why she dared not speak of it to mortal ears.

"Thank you," he whispered, his eyes telling the tale that his voice could not.

He closed his eyes and took a breath to steady himself before addressing her question.

"It's where I grew up," he said, realizing that it was a drastic oversimplification, "It's kept hidden from anyone who doesn't already know how to enter it, and not even I know where exactly it is. People are chosen from across time and space to travel there, and when their time there is complete they're sent to where they need to be. When my time there drew to a close, the Library opened to Ethera, and I found a life there that I hadn't dreamed of having."

The tale was much longer than that, and he made no effort to conceal that fact, but he didn't volunteer the rest. For that discussion they truly would need privacy.

[Mini]

Korrino's warm arms wrapped themselves tightly around her hips, holding her in place. The smile on Rini's face grew a bit wider as her lover nodded in agreement to take her with him the next time he had to go somewhere. Usually simply being in his presence was enough to make her smile like a giddy school girl, but being able to be this close to him brought a rare type of smile to her face. It wasn't just a casual good mood smile or a pleasant mood smile. This smile, no matter how big or small, shone deep from within. It lit up her whole face in ways other smiles just didn't do. This smile she reserved just for him, and it only ever came out when there wasn't anything else on her mind but him.

One hand slipped down to cup his face, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb. She reached down with her other hand and brushed a loose strand of hair back into place. Her eyes sparkled with elation as he whispered a promise that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and she giggled softly as he made the comment about being around so much she'd likely trip over him. She opened her mouth to tease him back, but was cut off by the presence of a tongue that was not hers in her mouth. This resulted in nothing but a soft moan from her as she returned the kiss.

Some moments later, he sighed and dropped his head back down on the ground. She sighed as well and stretched herself out a bit before relaxing back down onto his chest, feeling rather catlike. Had she been a cat, she would have been purring her head off. One of her favorite things to do was to cuddle up next to him with her head resting against his chest and listen to the sounds of his soft thumping of heart and his breathing. They were two surprisingly soothing sounds that had more often than not lulled her to sleep in his arms. She was starting to feel a little sleepy now, and was looking forward to dozing off in the garden. Whatever funny comment she had been about to say had vanished from her mind, replaced by just a warm, fuzzy, sleepy and contented state of bliss. Smiling softly, she nuzzled her head against his chest while she absent-mindedly continued stroking his cheek. She closed her eyes and listened.

She heard nothing.

Her eyes opened back up after a few seconds, and the smile twisted itself into a perplexed looking frown. She glanced up at Korrino for just a moment before she shut her eyes and readjusted herself. Maybe she just wasn't listening hard enough. Maybe her own breathing was too loud and too heavy. Instead of listening for it, maybe she should try feeling for it. Leaving one hand resting against his face, she pulled her other hand up and rested it palm-side down against his chest. This time, she took a somewhat shaky breath and held it, waiting to feel the reassuring thump of his heart below her hand.

She felt nothing.

The sky above them started to cloud up. Rini lifted her head a second time, now looking more concerned than perplexed. She stared down at her hand, knowing that she should be able to feel something, anything. Her breathing started to quicken as she continued staring down at her hand in disbelief. "That's... That's just... Something's not right," she whispered.

~*~

"Thank you."

Those two shaky words said more than Pluto thought was possible. She had indeed struck a chord with him, and there was much dissonance in that chord. As well there should be. There was likely some law or rule that strictly prohibited that anyone who had the slightest bit of any knowledge of even the existence of the words she had dared to say out loud to a mere mortal to be shared with, well, mortals. As luck would have it, her mind chose that moment to recall a conversation she had overheard between her father and another god about some incident where someone had let something slip to someone, and that someone had let it slip to someone else, and it created a domino effect that had ended with catastrophe. The god who had first let it slip had been stripped of all powers, bound up, and banished to some hellish half-life. The details had been too horrific to listen to, and Pluto had fled before hearing the full story.

A shudder overtook her, and she forced the memory from her mind. This wasn't a witless somebody, this was Ishazi. If there was anyone in the cosmos who could handle the truth, surely it had to be him. She returned her gaze to him only to gasp to herself in realization at what she had just thought. She, a demi-goddess, had just chosen to share a sacred secret with a a mortal man... and she was all right with it. Why? Because it was Ishazi. Ishazi, who sought her out just to get her attention. Ishazi, who wasn't frightened enough by her awe-inspiring powers that would make any other man tremble in fear and beg for compassion. Ishazi, who went on countless misadvneutres just to make her go chasing after him. Ishazi, who seemed to value every second he got to spend with her more than a mountain made of precious jewels. Ishazi, who had risked everything just to steal her away from her duties to show her what life was really about.

Oh gods, what am I doing?

All of this happened inside Pluto's mind before the poor mage had even opened his mouth to start speaking. Pluto forced herself to adopt a mask of cool and at-ease retention while he spoke, all the while trying not to bust at the seams while she sorted out whatever was going on inside of her. What was going on inside of her? It was quite the hot mess, whatever it is.

The rational part of her brain was still working, and it picked up on the finer details of his story of the Library. A few red flags popped up as he spoke, which distracted Pluto away from her mental war. She blinked once, then frowned at him as she perked a curious eyebrow. "Wait a minute. Back up there for a moment. What's this about people being chosen from across space and time? How does that even work? If it's hidden from people who don't all ready know where it is, then how in the world did you wind up there to start with? Because surely you couldn't have known what it was until you arrived there, correct?"

[Nayr]

Blast and damnation. It had all been so wonderful, too. She'd been smiling that special smile, that she only smiled when they were just Rini and Korrino. It was different when they were Queen and King or when there was anyone in the room at all, and in Korrino's opinion somewhat less wonderful. This smile was one that she only ever showed him, and he treasured it. The kiss had been wonderful, with their mouths each expressing their hunger for the other and their joy at being reunited. She'd moaned in response to the pleasant surprise, and that always pleased him. Then she'd started caressing his cheek with her thumb and bent down to put her head against his chest. She always did that, and while he understood the reasons he didn't entirely understand how she could find the position comfortable. He settled naturally into position, with his right hand on her neck stroking softly and his left behind his head, and completely forgot that this position wasn't a good idea. When her thumb stopped and she looked up at him, he cursed silently. She put her free hand on his chest, not believing what she'd felt, and the sky clouded over as her panic rose. Blast and damnation.

"I didn't want you to find out this way," he said as gently as possible, realizing afterwards that perhaps he should have used different words, "I wanted to sit together, have a picnic lunch, and just enjoy being together again before telling you, but I forgot about that."

He put a subtle emphasis on the last word to indicate what she'd discovered.

"We're currently in a sort of halfway point between asleep and awake. I'm perfectly real, and I'll still be here when you wake up, but what you saw on that battlefield was real also. I'm the piece that I entrusted to you so that we'd never be apart."

There was more to the explanation, but he opted to let her as for it if she wasn't too overwhelmed to process it.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, my love," he said, meaning every word, "I saw you smiling and wanted to let you be happy and tell you gently."

His tone suggested that he now considered the idea foolish, and that he hoped very much that she wasn't mad at him. Honesty, after all, was a very important part of the foundation of their relationship. When they'd met, it had been at a time when Rini had learned that something very big had been kept from her, and he had promised that he wouldn't lie to her or keep anything from her. He still valued that and knew that she did, too.

~*~

Blast and damnation. He'd been paying attention to Pluto's questions, although he hadn't noticed how troubled she'd looked between his revelation and his talk of the Library. He was preparing to answer and explain himself when a warning sounded in his mind. Rini's dream was starting to go poorly. He sent some energy briefly, trying to gently cheer the dream with flowers or kittens or really anything more pleasant than where this dream was going, but found himself unable to guide her dream with the ease with which he'd done it so far. It was as though she was both awake and asleep all at once, and resisting his attempts to turn her mind towards happier things. Blast and damnation.

"I'll have to explain another time," he said apologetically, his voice full of regret, "I've a promise to keep."

He knew that she was just as aware as he was of what was going on and why he couldn't take the time to explain himself right at that moment. Oh, how he wanted to reach across creation to hold Rini in her dreams for a while longer, to share a few more precious moments with Pluto before their duties forced them apart again. It seemed as though it was not to be. He stretched his senses out, intending to take them back, but stopped for two reasons. Firstly, he couldn't feel the Library's archway like he had before, but more importantly, perhaps it was best to let Pluto take him back where he belonged. It was her job, after all, and the precise reason why he got himself into trouble with such frequency. She would always come for him, he knew, no matter what sort of nightmare he fell into. She'd perhaps have a different rationale each time, and most times she'd have a fairly convincing speech about why he should bloody well stay where he belongs and what sort of horrible thing she was going to do to him next time he decided to stray into parts of space and time that mortals were never meant to be, but the one constant would always be that she would come for him. There would always be the light of her divine power, the warmth of her presence, and her embrace returning him home. No matter how annoyed she tried to be with him, that feeling was plenty of reason to stray again. After all, if breaking the rules was the only way to see her then it really wasn't hard to decide to break the rules.

[Mini]

She had seen the slight cringe on his face when she had first stared at him in disbelief, but she wasn't prepared for what he was about to say. "I didn't want you to find out this way," he started out. That was never a good thing to hear, no matter what the circumstance. She couldn't think of a worse time to hear it than right now. Still not quite believing what was happening, she sat up, grabbed the hem of Korrino's soft linen shirt, and slipped her hand up under the fabric. Maybe she just hadn't been able to feel it through the fabric of his shirt. Maybe she hadn't actually been close enough to hear it. Maybe she was just dreaming, or hallucinating, or was crazy. Fingers trembling, she gingerly pressed her palm against his bare chest. His skin was warm to the touch, but beneath that, there was nothing. No sound. No thump.

No heartbeat.

Her renewed panic boiled up inside of her, evident by the billowing dark clouds that were growing larger and larger in the skies above. Her breathing was coming in short, spastic little bursts, almost as if she were on the verge of hyperventilating. Her eyes were wide and scared as she stared down at Korrino. It looked as though she wanted to both scream and cry at the same time, but she was somehow managing to hold everything in for the time being. She just continued to stare at him with her big, blue eyes, waiting for him to say something else.

"I wanted to sit together, have a picnic lunch, and just enjoy being together again before telling you, but I forgot about that," he said.

"That?!" she finally squeaked out, tears brimming in her eyes. "Korrino, you... you don't... there's no... y-you..." The poor girl wanted so desperately to speak, but she just couldn't seem to get the words out. Instead, she stammered and stumbled over words that she couldn't yet bring herself to say out loud. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead, but Rini didn't even seem to notice.

"We're currently in a sort of halfway point between asleep and awake. I'm perfectly real, and I'll still be here when you wake up, but what you saw on that battlefield was real also. I'm the piece that I entrusted to you so that we'd never be apart." He paused briefly before continuing. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, my love. I saw you smiling and wanted to let you be happy and tell you gently."

Her hands flew up to her mouth in horror at his words. At the mention of the word 'battlefield,' everything that she had been repressing came flooding back to her. The very scene that she had begged Ishazi to make sure wouldn't haunt her dreams came crashing into her mind all at once. Once again, she was standing in that desolate dump of a wasteland. The Dark Elite had all just been wiped out. Korrino had been cornered by Dinasto. Rini was too far away to help, but even had she been closer, she couldn't have done a thing. All she could do was watch in horror as a monstrosity of a man stabbed her love right in the chest. She felt it every bit as he had with the way they were so intertwined, and before she had even had time to process what had happened, watched him vanish in front of her eyes as well. It had been cruel enough to stab him and kill him, but crueler still to leave no body behind to allow for mourning. It had taken both of her guardians to hold her back and drag her away before Dinasto spotted her, kicking and screaming and crying and in more pain and agony than they had ever witnessed before. Had she been dreaming, the sudden onslaught of terrible memories likely would have caused her to wake up screaming her head off. But wasn't she dreaming? She vividly remembered the battle, and how she had very nearly killed everyone afterwards when the Treasure had finally roared to life, awakened by her emotional anguish. She also remembered returning home to Ethera, where she hadn't much of anything at all for the last several days or weeks - she had lost track of time because what did it matter? - and the last thing she remembered was Ishazi practically threatening to use his magic to make her sleep for days on end in an effort to try and make her feel better. She had eventually relented to letting him use his magic, so soft and gentle, to put her to sleep... so if that was the last thing that had happened, then how in the world had she ended up in Ushan? Was she even in Ushan? Was she dreaming? She couldn't possibly be dreaming. Everything was far too real, and besides, how could she be dreaming if she knew she was dreaming? Korrino had said that this was some strange place between asleep and awake, but what did that mean?

All of the color had drained from Rini's face after Korrino had finished speaking and her mind had started to process everything. A light drizzle had started to fall, and thunder was growing louder and more frequent. Her shoulders were trembling, and her hands were shaking as well. She looked like she was about to be sick. There was great pain in her eyes as she stared at the man she loved more than life itself, trying to figure out if any of this was real or not. He was right in front of her. He looked real. He felt real. He couldn't possibly be...

"What are you saying?" she finally whispered, her voice barely audible. A soft whimper, the beginning of what sounded like a sob, slipped out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry. She slowly lowered her hands, curling her fingers into tight, trembling fists, and set them down in her lap. She took several deep, brave breaths before opening her eyes once more to look Korrino straight in his piercing emerald eyes. "Korrino Mafala Dentata, you... you tell me exactly what is going on right now. Don't dance around the truth, either. Just tell me."

~*~

Pluto scowled briefly in confusion as Ishazi suddenly looked very preoccupied and quickly said something about a promise. "A promise?" she repeated, tilting her head curiously to one side. A moment later, she realized what he was talking about, and she paled ever so slightly as her eyes widened in realization.

"Is she all right?" she asked, her voice full of what sounded very much like motherly concern.

Pluto stood suddenly, nearly knocking her chair over. Still scowling, she started looking around to scan the area. "Come on. It's too busy right here. Someone will notice, even with this lovely cloaking spell you've enveloped us in. Even if it's not the magic or the power they'll sense, someone will notice if the two of us simply vanish from sight, and it's far too much effort to weave the type of magic that would be needed to make sure they see otherwise. If we duck back into that alleyway where we arrived, that should work just fine. I can take you right back to the library. Or... well, if it's truly bad, perhaps I can get you a little closer. Oh, but then, wouldn't people notice if you went into that room in the library and never came out? Perhaps I should take you straight back there, then. Then again, you are the High Wizard, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched for you to just magically poof your way out of a small room, I suppose," she was muttering, apparently talking more to herself than to Ishazi.

[Nayr]

A storm began overhead as her mind ran through the implications of what he'd said. This, as one might imagine, did not help his love's mental state which in turn caused the drizzle and the thunder. He couldn't tell if she was going to be sick or dissolve into confused tears. When she did finally speak, she asked him specifically and directly to explain himself and without dancing around the truth. He took a breath and did as she asked. No point in delaying it any longer.

"We are currently in a space within your mind some refer to as a mind palace. It's essentially a manifestation of the accumulated knowledge that sits archived in your head. In this case it looks rather like the castle in Ushan because I, or rather the part of myself I broke off and entrusted to you before everything started to go wrong, have taken up residence here. My main self, the one with the corporeal form and the majority of my soul, died in battle trying to protect you. That would have been the end for me, and I would have embraced that end with joy knowing that at least you were safe even though it made me so sad to have to leave you, but it turns out that giving you a piece of myself somehow forestalled that grievous parting. I'm not certain how much of me was saved by the existence of this wayward piece, but I assure you I'm quite real. I live here now, inside your mind and inside your heart. Since I'm more or less dead, however, I don't have a heartbeat."

It was a minor miracle that he'd managed to keep his voice steady thus far, and he was sure that his perceptive lover probably knew that assuming she wasn't completely checked out from shock.

"As I said to you before," he continued once he knew he could get the whole thought out at once, "I will always be with you, no matter what."

He reached up and, unless she made some move to reject the gesture, caressed her cheek gently and lovingly. His words would fail him if he continued to speak so he tried now to slowly, gently, and with all the love in his heart communicate as much as he could of his love for her and of how he would never leave her. He would have to trust now in how wonderfully intelligent she was. Her questions had been insightful and piercing in the past, and he counted on that quality now to clear up what remained.

~*~

Pluto had indeed grasped the situation, and was now occupying herself with trying to solve it. Her matronly manner was rather entertaining, and he had to keep from smiling broadly at his friend's idle habits.

"She's all right," he began, "Just dreaming. I wove some magic around her to help her sleep while I came to talk to you, and I've been using my power to keep her from slipping into nightmares as we've been talking. I don't know what's happened, but she isn't responding to my nudges. I promised her I'd be there when she woke, you see, and also that I wouldn't make her stay asleep."

He paused a moment, recalling what he could of the streets and alleys of this section of town.

"There's a back street not far from here that will shelter us just fine."

He extended his arm and set off as soon as she was prepared to follow. He led them down the street a ways and turned left down a less populated side street, then brought them in behind some buildings into a small secluded courtyard. Once they were there he dropped the illusion, returning them to their real appearances.

"All right," he said once that was accomplished, "Let's go directly to her room. I'll deal with anyone who asks confused questions later. My primary concern is being right there beside her when she wakes up, exactly as I promised."

Once they were there he would likely invite her to stay long enough to assure herself that the Treasured One was indeed all right. His lonely friend would be very concerned with returning to her post before her father grew angry, but her attachment to the princess of Ethera was obvious. If given a proper excuse, such as a direct invitation, she would likely prove quite easy to persuade to actually say hello to the young lady who mattered so much to both of them. One challenge at a time, however. First he would trust her as he had so many times before to bring him back where he belonged.

[Mini]

Korrino spoke, his voice soft and delicate as he elaborated on what their current situation was. He had a good start with it, sounding almost lighthearted as he told her what a mind palace was. It reminded her very much of their time spent together in Ushan. Korrino was such a wonderful teacher and mentor - he had essentially taught her a lifetime's worth of magic (as well as hundreds of thousands of other little useful things) in little over a month. If she hadn't been so acutely aware of his nonexistent heartbeat, she could have easily been made to believe that they were back in Ushan now, back before everything went so horribly wrong. Wasn't that a perfect way to phrase it, she thought.

As he continued speaking, she started to note the very slight subtleties in his voice: a tiny waiver here, a slight pause there, the slight catch in his voice as he said that this was where he lived now. He was trying to keep his voice as calm and steady as possible, perhaps for both of their sakes. Korrino wasn't the emotional one, though. He couldn't be. A king didn't have those kinds of luxuries, but he wasn't a king right now. He was just Korrino, and she was just Rini. It hurt her to hear him trying to mask his own pain, but it hurt even more to hear what he said next.

"Since I'm more or less dead, however..."

Dead.

He was dead.

Did the however even matter? Korrino was dead. She shook her head back and forth, barely even aware that she was doing so. Tears welled up in her eyes as she just stared at him in shock and in disbelief, trying to fathom how any of this could have possibly happened. Korrino, the love of her life, the only person who made her feel alive like never before, the man she couldn't even begin to imagine not having by her side every single day, was dead.

And yet here he was in front of her once again, looking as alive and as radiant as ever. There was no way that any of this could possibly be a dream. It was just too real. The feeling of their bodies laying against one another. The smell of the fragrant flowers and the damp earth all around them. The way his eyes bore straight into hers. She knew it now, knew it deep in her heart and in her soul that this was real. It was all really happening. Korrino was dead, but he wasn't gone.

His hand, just as warm and as soft as she remembered it being, came up to her face. His fingers brushed against her cheek in a gentle and loving caress, and his thumb brushed a tear away before it had the chance to fall. Words stuck in her throat when she tried to speak. Her bottom lip started to quiver. The look in his eyes right now was almost too much to bare. She lifted a trembling hand to up to the one that he had resting against her cheek. Her goal was to give him a reassuring squeeze, but she didn't quite make it before she lost it and fell to pieces. Too overwhelmed by too many emotions to name, all she could do was bury her face against Korrino's chest, wrap her arms as tightly around him as she could, and sob uncontrollably. Korrino had likely never seen her cry quite like this, but her heart had never been broken into millions and billions of pieces before. There were a few times when she tried to speak, but her attempts to vocalize came out in jumbles of mostly incomprehensible whimpers.

"I'm not leaving you," she finally managed to get out amidst her sobs, clinging to him as if afraid if she let go, he would vanish into thin air. "I... I'm st-staying right... right h-here, with you."


~*~

Pluto paused her outward thought processes as she picked up on some of the things Ishazi was saying. She frowned and gave him a concerned look. "Wait, go back a moment. You had to use magic to help Rini sleep? And your mention of nightmares..." Her face softened as she thought of her little Treasured One plagued by nightmares. "Oh, the poor thing," she muttered to herself. "Come on, then. Let's get you back. She needs the love and support of her friends and family now more than ever," she said, a soft smile on her face. Ishazi might have noticed that Pluto didn't seem to include herself among the ones to be there to give her the love and support she needed. It was likely common knowledge to the both of them that Pluto would have given anything to help bring the smile back to Rini's face, but she had been away from her post for far too long now.

The demi-goddess followed without hesitation, but she was unable to keep the troubled look out of her eyes as they walked briskly along, headed to the secluded courtyard. Her mind was in a dozen other places as she extended her powers outward all around them, doing so with all the elegant grace of someone who had been at it for years could pull off, as she checked every little nook and cranny for anyone or anything suspicious. Nobody followed the pair to the courtyard, and it was abandoned for several blocks around. By the shabby state of the place, it seemed that not too many people passed by this way - exactly how Pluto liked it. Of course, she would have preferred to be out in the middle of nowhere where there was zero chance of anyone or anything sensing them, but that would have taken either too long or too much effort.

Once Ishazi dropped their illusions, she closed her eyes and held out her right hand. Her staff materialized out of nowhere, and she swung it around once before slamming the bottom into the ground. Archaic looking runes, symbols, and several pairs of magic circles weaved out from the ground and started dancing along all around them. She could have probably just grabbed him by the ear and instantly teleported the both of them straight back to Ethera, but where was the fun in that?

"Ishazi, I might just be worrying about nothing at all here," she suddenly said as her magic circles spread farther outward, encircling the both of them. A wavy, hazy looking wall of transparent energy shot up from all sides of the outermost circle, and the courtyard started to blur, twist, and melt away. "And I really hope that it is nothing at all - she's been to hell and back with everything that has happened to her, so it's probably to be expected that she would be having nightmares now that she's returned home and has time to cope with everything, but nevertheless, tell me what you know of her nightmares. How severe are they? Has she told you anything of them?"

[Nayr]

As soon as he said he was dead in as many words, he saw the tears well up. Although he tried to stem the tide, catching one on his thumb, it was to no avail. She was clearly trying to put her hand on his to reassure one of them, he wasn't certain which, but her composure disintegrated before she could complete the motion. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest as she wept, mourning the dead lover to whom she clung. He knew grief was sharing space with confusion as the emotions poured out of her, but was powerless to help in any way. As she sobbed, he could hear her whispering, trying to say something but failing each time. Eventually she managed to say what was on her mind, albeit between the sobs that she couldn't stop.

"I'm not leaving you. I... I'm st-staying right... right h-here, with you."

He didn't respond right away, electing to let her cry before addressing her statement. She needed to get these tears out sooner or later, so he just held her and thought of what he loved about her in an attempt to pour love and happiness into her broken heart. Once the sobs began to die down, he kissed the top of her head.

"It always makes me happy to hear you say things like that," he said, "I've never wanted to leave you, nor to let you leave me. Had I know what would happen, I would have done things differently."

He paused briefly to separate that thought from the one to come.

"I don't know how or why I've been given a second chance to be with you, but I don't intend to squander it. You do need to go back to your body soon, but before you do I'll teach you how to get here again so you can come whenever you want. I will always be here for you, and if you take good care of yourself out there I'll make it worth your while in here."

He paused again, as if checking on something.

"We have a little time still before Ishazi starts trying to wake you. I have a bottle of sweet wine we could open and a light lunch we could enjoy."

He smiled warmly at her, hoping that she wouldn't think he was trying to get rid of her. If he had his way they'd never leave this garden, but other matters beckoned. Her story was not yet finished, and perhaps neither was his.

________________________

Pluto's face shone with concern for Rini as she assimilated what he had said, and spoke in that businesslike tone she used when she was trying to ignore or conceal something.

"Oh, the poor thing," she said, "Come on, then. Let's get you back. She needs the love and support of her friends and family now more than ever."

Something about the way she said the last part as well as the word choice indicated that she counted herself in neither category. He had things to say about that, but they would have to wait. Now was not the time.

When the two of them reached the alcove and had returned to their true appearances Pluto looked around, surveying the place with every sense that wouldn't alert her father. He didn't mind terribly that she was double checking his choice, as there was likely some rule or other involving gods appearing around mortals. Once she was satisfied that they were alone, she summoned her staff. She could just as easily have just used her power to move them across the distance without bothering with her badge of office, but using it invoked the duty that she felt she was neglecting.

It was a wonder to behold, as always. Its length was silver in color, but the metal that composed it was the likes of which mortal smiths would sell their souls to work on. It was adorned its entire length with scrollwork inlaid in shades of gold, ruby, emerald, and lapis lazuli. Protruding from the lower half of the staff at seemingly random intervals were extensions of the same metal at angles that some considered to be of some arcane significance unknowable to the mortal mind. He, because of his association with the demigoddess, knew the truth: the protrusions were the teeth of the immense master key to the cosmos that served as the symbol of her position as the guardian of the pathways of space and time. Though artisans across the worlds depicted her holding the powerful and unmistakable implement, all were by design ignorant of its true purpose. Its stunning beauty, however, was universally agreed upon.

Pluto spun the dazzling tool once around and planted it in the ground before her, snapping Ishazi from his rapt admiration. Almost immediately runes, symbols, and magic circles began to appear around them, dancing of their own accord into their appointed positions. This was the major difference between the two of them: whereas he stepped across the boundaries between realms like a thief skulking between one room and the next, she opened gateways as though striding regally through the doors of her residence. It made sense that she would travel thus, as such travel was her right as a goddess, but it was no less impressive despite the many times he'd seen it previously. As the alcove began to blur around them, she spoke in a worried voice.

"Ishazi, I might just be worrying about nothing at all here, and I really hope that it is nothing at all - she's been to hell and back with everything that has happened to her, so it's probably to be expected that she would be having nightmares now that she's returned home and has time to cope with everything, but nevertheless, tell me what you know of her nightmares. How severe are they? Has she told you anything of them?"

Ishazi paused to consider her questions before eventually responding.

"I don't know much for sure," he disclaimed, "She wasn't interested in a deep conversation. My working theory is that she's having some difficulty mourning her love for that person. You know as well as I if not better how close they were, and I'm told she watched him die. That takes a toll on the stoutest of hearts."

He fell silent, remembering the many experiences he'd had with this. He rallied himself and continued.

"As to the severity of the nightmares, they were bad enough that she wouldn't sleep unless I made her and promised both not to keep her asleep and to be there when she wakes. I'm not certain what she's seeing right now, but she isn't asleep anymore in the traditional sense. It's as though her mind has found some retreat somewhere and has left her body behind temporarily."

He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but somehow he was certain the Black King was somehow involved. He'd have dismissed it as impossible, but as his friend had pointed out to him earlier it was foolish for him of all people to dismiss anything as pure fantasy.

[Mini]

Try as she might, Rini couldn't stop her tears or her sobs. This overwhelming outpouring of grief, fear, and confusion had been a long time coming. Until this point, she had kept most of her emotions bottled up and buried as far away from her conscious mind as possible. Every minute spent pretending that nothing was wrong was another minute where she didn't have to deal with the crushing reality that her lover was dead and gone. Never again would she go on moonlit strolls through the gardens with him, or snuggle up with him next to the fireplace, or listen to him give bone-chilling speeches to his people, or share secret glances across the ballroom. There was just no point to anything anymore, but nobody around her seemed to be able to understand that. Everyone wanted to talk. She didn't want to talk. Talking meant she had to face her worst fears come to life, and she didn't how to even begin to do that. It was far easier to let herself drift through the days, feeling numb and empty. Her apathy had slowly driven just about everyone away over time. Being alone was all that she wanted. The only problem was that being alone brought with it the soul-crushing loneliness that felt like it would swallow her up whole. It was when she was alone that she would start to cry. Her tears were ceaseless, and she would wind up crying herself to sleep and dream about everything she had been trying to run away from while she was awake. How could she run away from her own thoughts and memories? Life had turned into a terrible waking nightmare. She was miserable when she was awake, but too afraid to sleep. The minutes crawled by agonizingly slow, but they eventually turned into hours, and those hours soon turned into days and weeks.

It was all of this that came pouring out from her as she clung to Korrino as if he were the only buoyant piece of wood in a vast, arctic ocean. Gut-wrenching sobs racked her fragile frame. It was nothing short of a hot torrent of grief, erupting out of a super volcano. Her grief might have very well been the end of her, but being wrapped up in his warm, protective embrace and allowed to cry until she had no more tears left to cry was exactly what she needed right now. It was a long time before her sobs subsided and her trembling and shaking slowed, but she did eventually calm down.

It wasn't until Korrino's gentle kiss and his mentioning something about returning to her body before Ishazi tried to wake her up that Rini finally lifted her head up just enough to glance wistfully up at him. She just stared at him for a long time before she found the courage to speak aloud.

"How?" she asked softly. "How are you... How are you so strong?" A soft little sniffle slipped out of her. "It's... It's not fair, y'know? I try so hard to be strong, and every single time I try, I just fall to pieces. You just told me all these terrible, horrible things, and by all accounts, it should be you who's upset and me trying to comfort you. Yet here I am crying so hard into your chest that I can't even function." Another sniffle escaped. Rini lowered her head to nuzzle against Korrino's chest, and she shut her eyes as she tried to compose herself.

"And to top it all off, here you are trying to distract me with food and sweet wine." Despite herself, a hint of a smile flashed across her face. "You know what happened the last time you gave me sweet wine," she added.

~*~

The cosmos, alight with colors beyond mortal imagination, sprung up to fill in the blurry gaps of the landscape around them. Stars, planets, distant galaxies, dazzling nebulae, and glimpses of worlds that were yet to be along with worlds that never would be danced around the shimmery bubble that had formed around the two travelers. Many would live their whole lives and never see anything near as beautiful as the sights soaring past the two, but Pluto barely seemed to notice any of it. Her attention was focused solely on Ishazi. In fact, it seemed almost as if she wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to when and where they were going.

"What do you mean, 'that person?'" she asked curiously, batting an eye at his curious choice of words. With his next sentence, 'that person's' identity became quite clear. The demi-goddess couldn't help roll her eyes at Ishazi's avoidance of his name. She didn't know much about his past, but she had figured that there was some sort of feud or bad blood between them. The man had kidnapped Rini, or at least that's what Ishazi had said. Rini had told the story a bit differently, but no matter what had happened, he had died to save Rini's life. That gave him a golden star in Pluto's book.

"Ah. You're talking about the King of Ushan, then. Correct me if I'm wrong, but 'that man' seems to have quite a collection of names. Rini called him Korrino, I believe, yet you called him Gahagga, and he calls himself the Black King." She frowned grimly as Ishazi mentioned that Rini had apparently watched her lover die. Pluto hadn't known that. It stung for her to hear of something so terrible happening to Rini, and it hurt even more to find out about something so tragic after-the-fact. Living life in a place between worlds was not as easy existence.

"Ishazi, I..." She stopped suddenly, as if searching for just the right words. Her face was impossible to read - she was an expert on concealing her inner workings, but Ishazi knew her well enough that he could probably detect a slight sadness in her eyes. "I'm not able to be as in-touch with everyone as I would like to be," she admitted slowly. "I only know what you've told me about Ushan. When the Treasured One was there, she was blanketed from me. In fact, most of Ushan is, for some reason. My guess is that while they do fall under my father's jurisdiction, there are other deities ruling there. It's easy for me to keep tabs on things in Ethera when I'm able to, because Ethera is one of our home realms. The same goes for Dinasto's kingdom - trying to watch what was happening was like standing up in a fishing boat and looking down and trying to see the bottom of a deep ocean trench."

A soft sigh slipped out of her. She turned away from Ishazi, glancing out towards a swirling mass of pink and purple galactic gasses. "I didn't know that she had to watch him die. I can't even imagine what that would be like."

What Ishazi said next abruptly got her attention. Startled, she turned back and gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean her mind has left her body? Can you be more specific?"

[Nayr]

Korrino smiled.

"Yes, I do."

He chuckled to himself at the memory. It may or may not have been the exact reason why he was planning to share a bottle of sweet wine with her again.

"To answer your question, I'm strong because you need me to be. We can't both grieve my death at once, you know. Besides, on my end it's mostly contemplating my life and thinking about what I'm leaving behind. Coming to peace and allowing myself to move on and all that nonsense. I can do that any old time and besides, given that I'm the piece that he gave you to hold onto I don't even think I personally even have the capacity to move on. Not that I'd want to, mind you. I'm just fine being here with you drinking sweet wine, because of all the things I've done in my life there's only one thing I'd truly regret being without, and that's you."

He kissed the top of her head again. She was the light of his world, and even if he was the marooned piece of a soul that no longer walked the world he was still her lover.

"Now about that food and sweet wine..."

He gave her a smirk that communicated the rest of that sentence better than words ever could.

_________________________________________


Ishazi felt Pluto's sadness as his own as she talked about how hard it was for her to just watch them as their adventures unfolded. It was worse that she couldn't even do that much outside of realms that worshiped her. His heart went out to her, but she wasn't done talking yet.

"What do you mean her mind has left her body? Can you be more specific?"

He shook his head, trying not to respond to her startled look and puzzled tone with panic.

"I can't, unfortunately. When people dream, their mind wanders but doesn't really leave. Affecting dreams through a connection is all just a matter of providing a nudge towards more pleasant ideas and letting their minds fill in the blanks. Whatever it is that's going on with her isn't something I can affect. It feels as though her mind has traveled somewhere and is no longer within her body. It isn't as though she's dead or split or something. She's just gone away somewhere. I can call her back once we get there, but it isn't like shaking someone out of a nightmare. I'll be reaching out and trying to coax her back into herself so that she's even capable of waking up."

He trailed off there, unsure of how to explain it further. He hadn't encountered anything like what he now faced before, and had only theoretical knowledge of what was going on. He wasn't worried, but it bothered him a little that he had no answers to give his goddess. Another reason why he had to convince her to stay. Her presence would be important not just to him, but also to the wayward princess they both cared for.

[Mini]

Rini's smile grew a bit as Korrino chuckled. His chuckle was music to her ears, and it brightened her soul immensely just hearing it. Coincidentally, the light rain falling down in the garden had finally let up, and the clouds were starting to clear some. However, she noticeably cringed as Korrino said the phrase "my death." There was nothing she wanted more than to close her eyes and pretend that none of this was happening, and that soon she would wake up from this nightmare to find herself snuggled up against Korrino back in Ushan. Such a thing was impossible, of course. She also frowned in confusion as he went on to say once more that he wasn't really all of Korrino, but just a piece of him. It seemed strange to hear him refer to himself as "he," as if he were talking about a different person entirely.

Tears welled up in her eyes once more, but she did her best to fight them off. He kissed her forehead, and she adjusted her arms around him in a big, warm embrace. "I love you, Kor. I love you so much," she whispered.

She would have been more than content to stay right where they were, holding him and enjoying the companionable silence, but Korrino broke the short silence with an offer that she couldn't refuse. Seeing his smirk brought out another peak of the smile that had been missing from her face for days now. "You actually have food and wine?" she asked curiously.

~*~

"That doesn't make any sense," Pluto muttered, shaking her head, "A mind or a soul cannot just leave a body behind that easily. It just doesn't happen. It especially shouldn't happen if you used your magic to help her sleep, too. If anything, that should be acting as some sort of anchor to keep her soul right where it belongs," the demi-goddess pointed out, clearly as perplexed as to what was going on as the Wonder Mage was.

"I don't like this. I don't like this one bit." Pluto twisted her staff 88° to the left, waited two seconds, then yanked the bottom of it up out of the "ground." The motion was immediately followed by a tremblor strong enough to knock Ishazi onto his rump if he hadn't been prepared for it. Normally, Pluto took the time to ease her travelers to their destination. How lucky for Ishazi that Pluto deemed him special.

The spacescapes that had been zooming all around them dissolved away, replaced instead by the familiar white shimmering walls of Rini's bedchambers. It would be familiar to Ishazi, at least. In truth, Pluto had never set foot inside of the princess's private quarters. The transition from floating in the middle of everything to Ethera took less than a second. Satisfied that she had delivered him safely back to Ethera, she took a quick glance around and nodded to nobody in particular. Her eyes lingered on Rini's slumbering form, who had been tucked gently under her blankets. Pluto had to constantly remind herself that the Treasured One was no longer a little girl. A soft sigh slipped out from her. Oh, how she wanted to stay...

"I've brought you back to approximately one hour after we left. There was a bit of a difference in time flow between here and there, but nothing too bad. It's nothing at all like the dissimilarity that exists between Ethera and Ushan. If you're lucky, no one will have even noticed you were gone."