Chapter Text
3 years ago....
Queen Era frowned at the map, staring at the amassed red dots scattered around her kingdom. Since her father passed away, it was becoming more and more difficult to feel safe. The Great War between Ocean and Land was a stain on her lineage, and she was trying to do everything she could to clean it off.
Her father was a great man, a wizard, and wise in the ways of the magicks. He practiced it for decades, teaching Era’s mother, who in turn taught Era. Domain used to be a magical land, but when the Great War began, it turned into a massacre. The coastal towns were raided, burned, and wiped off the map. Any traveler visiting would see a tragedy written in ash and bones, left in the wake of the Oceanfolk who killed anyone daring enough to rebel against their tyranny.
The Oceanfolk were called that because they stayed on the ocean. Small islands out further than the eye could see, that was where they lived. Instead, the blasted pirates decided it wasn’t enough. Domain, being a peaceful kingdom, was a perfect target. In the end, Domain summoned every magic user, traveling to every broken town, taken over by the Oceanfolk.
In those towns, those burned down villages, those empty homes, Era remembered using her magic to turn the same fate upon the people that had taken over. Families of Oceanfolk, children, women, everyone. She saw firsthand the terror that magic could instill against those who couldn’t fight back, those with the disadvantage of being a human. A normal person.
Like wine on a wedding dress, the legacy she’d inherited refused to dissolve. Her fate would be forever forced to continue protecting their kingdom from any enemy that dared arise. Nix, her advisor, sat down at the table beside her.
“You’re worrying. I can see it in your face.”
Era scoffed, forcing her face to relax. “Any tension that arises could be fatal to my rule- to my father’s legacy.”
Nix pushed the red dots off, rolling up the map. “The King was just a man, at the end of it all, Your Highness. You’re just as human as anyone else in this kingdom.”
“No. I can be so much more than that.” Her green eyes hardened, and she stood, tossing her red braid over her shoulder. “Get me the captain of the guard. I need to have a word with him.”
“Era-”
“Now, Nix.”
Nix sighed, turning their body away from her, only to glance back a final time. “You’ll regret this course, Your Highness. Your father did.”
Present day…
Nym kept their eyes down as they left the tavern. The skies were dark, and thunder rumbled above. Heavenly walked beside them as the rain began to fall. Their quiet departure was not uncommon, especially in their profession. As Dustrius operatives, searching for magic users, it was better to be seen by only one person- the one they were recruiting. Nym’s companion was tapping on the side of their leg, and it was slowly driving Nym to madness.
“Quit that.” They finally snapped. Though the half-mask covered their face, their voice was still clear.
Heavenly paused temporarily, but Nym knew that the younger one would start the tapping again.
“His Highness hasn’t contacted us, Nym. Do you think we’re in trouble?” Heavenly whispered, eyeing every house with lights still on.
Nym scoffed. “Hardly. No news is good news in Dustrius.”
The two had been traveling on foot for two months, finding magic users in Domain and transporting them with a Teleportation Orb to Dustrius.
“Did you hear that one’s mind? He was so.. Bright. So intelligent.” Heavenly’s voice was filled with awe.
“He talked of Detectors in town, Heavenly.” Nym hummed. “We’d best be leaving before they catch wind of the Orb.”
For hours, they walked side by side, exiting Pinsk and heading towards the Fencere, a small pass-by town. There, it was said that a naturalborn user resided. The naturalborn were rare, but not impossible. Their wild magic was said to be more powerful than any trained wizard, though their stamina for performing said magic was far less than the disciplined.
Heavenly had begun tapping their fingers again, and Nym was clenching their hands at the side of their cape. The forest was normally a dangerous place, with wolves, bears, and creatures that lay hidden in the shadows, but with magic at your side and an orb that warded off ill-intent, Nym had no concerns. Their shadow-like capes blended into the cover of the trees, and though traveler’s lanterns shone through the cracks, none were bright enough to reveal the pair.
By morning, they had arrived at the town. An inconspicuous method was better, Nym decided, pulling their disguise off and letting their brown hair fall naturally.. A hiss of air left the mask- filtered to keep their airways clear- as they tucked it into a satchel underneath their cloak. Heavenly followed suit, pushing their silver hair behind their ears. Stitches stretched across Heavenly’s face, separating the grafted skin. Dustrius was advanced in their medical knowledge, and that alone had saved Heavenly after being found on the shore of Dustrius.
Heavenly said there was no memory left from before waking up in the sand, but Nym saw beyond their blockage. There were fragments of a crew, a family, of islands far beyond what any human eye could see. Nym wasn’t stupid, and knew Heavenly used to be an Oceanfolk before some accident. They were lucky that Nym found them at all.
As the pair wandered into the town, vendors were setting up their stalls, waving useless items at the two.
Heavenly leaned closer to Nym and smiled, though it looked a bit eerie with half of it scarred. “Are you sure we don’t need lamb skin?”
Nym held back a smirk. “Not in the slightest. Getting rations might not be a terrible idea. Use the Domainian gold.”
They split off into different directions, Heavenly heading towards the morning market, and Nym towards the wagonhouse. If their sources were correct, the child of the wagoneer would be the naturalborn they were searching for. However, when Nym arrived at the wagonhouse, an old woman sat at the counter, wrinkled and aged. Nym would’ve called her a raisin if they didn’t have dignity.
“Madam.” They said respectfully, and the old lady squinted at them. “I’m looking for an old friend from childhood.”
The old woman smiled, “My dear little Kim used to live here before they ran off on an adventure with some nobody. Did you know them?”
Nym’s eyes sparkled at the name. Something told them that that was exactly who they were looking for.
Emrys opened the door to the tavern in Floksen. For the past eight months, she’d been searching across land- land, for the sea’s sake!- to try and find Spirit.Traveling with her was Mystery, her right hand-woman, who had been a great help in adapting to the looks and styles of the Landfolk. Domain, for all the horror stories Emrys had been told, was a beautiful land of green. Fields like Gwen had never even dreamed of, roads to towns beyond what she believed could exist.
Instead of a thin shirt and a leather jerkin, Emrys now wore a dress. It was itchy, uncomfortable, but Mystery insisted it was what the landfolk wore. Sure enough, as she looked around the tavern, every woman was adorned with a flowy dress to match the warm weather. Much like the others, Emrys had a coat on to protect herself from the thunderstorm approaching from the east. Mystery entered the tavern behind her and immediately went for the bar. Emrys grabbed her arm to prevent another Escringy situation.
“We’re here for the night and information.” She said quietly, keeping a grip on Mystery’s arm. “Do I make myself clear?”
Mystery smiled, shaking her head of curly hair. “Understood, cap-” A dirty look from Emrys changed the word. “Emmmmmmmrys. Yes, you’re understood.”
Domain was told to hate Oceanfolk after the raiders on the coasts, so Emrys was attempting to keep her identity as a fleet captain completely hidden. It was dangerous in the kingdoms anyway, with rumors of attacks from both sides spreading like oil in water. She moved her brown hair out of her eyes and handed Mystery five pieces of gold, enough for a room and possibly dinner. Ocean, she was starving.
Mystery turned to head back to the bar, taking a comfortable seat on a stool and talking to the tavernkeep. Emrys shook her head with a smile, then moved towards a man sitting by himself in the corner booth. He had his nose in a book, and was very short. Unusually short. On his back was a snail shell, and upon closer look, Emrys realized it was a pack. She sat across the table, and his hazel eyes darted to her face.
“Chrys.” He said quickly. Emrys paused.
“Pardon me?”
He held out a hand, setting his book down. “My name. It’s Chrys of Mallow. Collector of ancient wonders and knowledge!”
Emrys shook his hand, forcing a gracious smile on her face. “Is that so? I’m Emrys. Emrys.. of..” Her eyes darted back towards the door, then stopped on a bottle of wine. “Merlot.”
Chrys leaned back in the seat, tapping the bottom of his chin quizzically. “Like the wine. Stains a lot. Also called blackbird, due to the color of the grapes used to make it.”
“Yes.” She tried not to stutter- any hesitation would give away the lie, not that it was a good one anyway. “Like the wine.”
The little man let out a humph, then picked up the book again. Emrys reached over and took it out of his hands, looking at the cover. She wasn’t particularly interested in his reading, rather in getting information out of him. “Chrys, would you happen to hear anything about any strange-looking person washing up on shore in Domain? You seem very knowledgeable, and I think if anyone can help us, you can.”
Chrys’s hazel eyes locked onto her own green eyes, then back down to the book, and back up. Then he made an odd skittering noise and stood on the chair- not that it helped his height- leaning over the table. “You’re asking about Oceanfolk, miss. Not a good idea in this place. They don’t like our kind.”
“Our kind?” Emrys moved away, a little startled. Chrys’s eyes hardened.
“You’ve got a reef knot on your dress, ma’am. That’s an Oceanfolk knot.”
Emrys’s eyes darted down to her rope belt, then quickly put her hands over it. Shells in the sea, she should’ve realized that. Chrys leaned away, sitting back down. “So it is. I assume you’re one as well?” Part of her wanted to scan him for any indication he was showing, but she knew she wouldn’t find anything.
“Not publicly. I say I’m from Mallow, a small town on the southeast coast. Nobody here comes from there, so they can’t say I’m lyin’.”
“You never answered my question, Chrys.” Emrys reminded him.
Chrys grumbled, then sighed. “There were rumors over the mountains of a washup in Dustrius. They said that they died shortly after being discovered.”
The last sentence flew over Gwen’s head, and she stood up, dropping his book on the table. “There’s a chance. Thank you.” She waved at Chrys who went back to his book as she darted towards the bar, where Mystery was talking to the tavernkeep.
“Do we have a room yet, Mystery?” She interrupted their conversation, and her right-hand woman glanced over.
“Yes, ma’am. Just getting dinner.”
“Which way?”
Mystery started giving directions, and Emrys started walking before she was finished. A lead. After eight months of scouring Domain, there was finally a lead, and it was in Dustrius for the sea’s sake.
After eating dinner and telling Mystery about her findings, Emrys lay awake in bed, thinking of their lost crewmate.
I will find you, Spirit. If I have to use any method necessary.
Sun hadn’t left the tavern since yesterday. The Guard had found out the absence of Bug, and now they were sending a carrier to Capital to inform the Royal Guard. The historian hadn’t meant to stay for so long- she needed to do research on dragons, but seeing the tavern empty and two young children isolated without their older brother… Sue her, she had feelings too.
Chaos had been curled at her side for hours, barely asleep. Night, on the other hand, seemed more alert than ever. The Detectors had been inside the tavern- and though Sun attempted to not eavesdrop, she caught the word ‘magic.’ That had been enough for her to hear, so she focused solely on the twins. Her orange hair felt more greasy than ever, but the little ones needed company. She owed it to Bug, at the very least.
Bug had never seemed like a magic user, he was a good man and built the core of the community. Any event ended up being hosted either inside or outside Bug’s tavern. People traveling through Pinsk heard only good things about the rooms, the mead, the food, and especially the company. It wasn’t hard to figure out why as soon as they stepped foot inside the warm building.
Oh, Bug. Sun closed her eyes. Where have you gone? What have you possibly done?
No response, no idea of where he could possibly be, appeared in her mind. Sun leaned back in the wooden bench, resting a gentle hand on Chaos’s head and Night’s shoulder.
“Rest. The Guard will find him, I’m sure of it.”
“What if they don’t?” Night asked, turning to look at Sun.
She forced a smile onto her face, though the possibility had already been marinating. “They’ll find him, Night. Now rest. I’ll wake you if there’s anything.”
“Do you swear it?” The young one asked. Sun nodded.
Though it was reluctant, the answer worked well for the boy, and he curled up, placing his head on Sun’s lap. It hadn’t even been a few moments before he had fallen asleep, breathing softly.
Sun looked back up at the empty tavern where the green colors of the common Guard seemed so out of place. She shook her head, sending a prayer up to the stars in hopes Bug would be safe, wherever he was. The last thing she wanted to do was break the news of his death to the twins.
Captain Astra stared out the window of the room he slept in. He wasn’t always the Captain. He didn’t like being in charge, not when it affected him like this. The soldiers under his command were loyal, especially Midnight, Crab, and Uni. The captain missed when life was a simple route of following instructions and working for the good of the kingdom. Domain was a dear place to his heart, and he loved it deeply.
Moss. That was his name before he was a captain. Out of respect for his new position, his brothers in arms now referred to him as Captain or Captain Astra. He hated it- those closes tot him used his name. The silver helmet on his head seemed to weigh down like a crown of thorns. The name he’d taken over, it had been marked with its fair share of blood, but now he had the opportunity to clean it, restart. Do better than the last.
He missed the last captain. Though the man was a beast in battle, he was a kind soul, and always took every loss to heart. He was one of the men, despite his station above them. Now, it simply felt like Moss was struggling to maintain the little authority he’d garnered.
Captain- No, Moss turned from the window and exited his room, headed towards the mess hall. As he entered, every soldier stood as a show of respect, but he waved his hand, dismissing them. He ignored breakfast and went to the corner where his little group sat.
Midnight had already pulled her steel armor on, with a braid that went from the top of her head and hung down to just above where her chestplace rested. Crab’s black hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and she wore her usual peach-colored scarf around her neck. A casual brown tunic rested on her shoulders, and her leather pauldrons sat beside her. Uni, the closest to Moss’s second-in-command, had left their pink-purple hair down, but didn’t look any less intimidating than she usually did.
“Captain.” Uni said teasingly, and Moss suppressed a sigh of discomfort.
Midnight shook her head at the comment, flicking a piece of mashed potatoes at Uni, who ducked just in time. “Be nice! He does not like that name.” She turned to face Moss, a soft look in her red eyes. “How did you rest, Moss?”
“Slept alright.” Moss replied, resisting the urge to rub at his tired eyes. “What’s the news?”
Crab gasped at the opportunity, raising her hand. “I’ve got news! We received a carrier pigeon this morning from Pinsk that a tavernkeep went missing two nights ago and his two younger siblings were left behind.”
“Hm. Any sign of him leaving, or anything that could point to it being intentional? We’ve had deadbeats before.”
Midnight shook her head. “The letter said he was a well-respected man in the town, and that he wouldn’t ever want to leave.”
“And, get this, the Detectors found evidence of magic.” Crab cut back in, purple eyes shining.
“Magic?!” Moss stood up, eyes going wide. “But it’s illegal-”
“That doesn’t mean people don’t use it, Moss.” Midnight reminded him. “We should at least go check it out. You can stay here, take care of the guard-”
“No.” Moss spoke before he could stop himself.
“Captain, you have responsibilities to attend to, the Queen needs you to obey.” Midnight tried to argue back.
A memory of a similar conversation between him and the old captain of the guard from five years ago flashed through his mind.
“Moss, one day you’ll understand that duty and responsibility become two different things when faced with the biggest concerns.” The captain had said, placing a kind hand on Moss’s armored shoulder.
Moss had been so worried back then. “But won’t you get in trouble for abandoning Capital for something in the South? You have plenty of men to go fight, sir.”
“The Queen understands that my loyalty to my men is above any other obligations. When I became captain of the guard, Moss, I made an oath to fight beside my men.” He had smiled. “So you’re in charge while I’m gone.”
Moss blinked back to the present and saw Midnight looking at him the same way he knew he had been looking at their old captain back then, and he sighed. “There’s a difference between duty and responsibility, Midnight. My duty is to the people of Domain. The Queen will understand.”
There was a pause that seemed to last for an eternity, then Crab laughed. Moss’s eyes flicked to her face and he tried not to show his embarrassment. “You sound just like the old captain.”
Some small spark lit in Moss’s chest. He smiled. “He had his priorities straight. I just wish he was still here.”
Midnight lowered her eyes. “Why did he even leave? He was respected among basically everyone in Domain- the Queen even offered him a seat on her council!”
“He wasn’t the only one who left.” Uni spoke up. “Other soldiers abandoned the guard with him. It was all after that Southern Coast battle.”
A silence settled over the group for a while, before Moss coughed and stood up. “Let’s pack our things, soldiers. We leave for Pinsk at dusk.”
Midnight, Crab, and Uni all looked at each other, then back at Moss. They stood in unison, placing a fist on their heart and lowering their heads, a traditional symbol of deep respect in Domain. After a moment, they all left the table, and Moss himself headed towards the throne room, heading to inform Queen Era of his departure. And as he walked, he felt a little more ready to be a proper leader. Duty over responsibility.