Chapter Text
A herald of Rivendell is upon the middle of the market square. Gold accents her navy blue coat and silver armour that cover her dark skin. A pair of dragon wings sit on her back and every exhale leaves a small hint of smoke. As if the high noon Sol was a spotlight, the sunlight reflected off on the herald's jewelry.
Everyone started gathering around her. Impulse, Crumb, and Tubbo grouped together in a smaller side of the crowd before the back side was completely full. Seated on one of her many castle pieces closer to the ground was the sovereign, listening close to what the herald has to say.
"Greetings, citizens of Gilded Helianthia." The herald faced the beanstalk. "And greetings to Queen Moon and her court."
Whispers amongst the crowd died down as the herald waited. "The Elven King of Rivendell has blessed me with the opportunity to share with you all the news he wishes me to send." She took out a scroll from the bag hidden under her robe and opened it up with a satisfying sound. "I, King Smajor of Rivendell, hope that everyone recieves this news, and especially her majesty, Queen Moon. Xornoth has escaped his prison, unknown to us his location or even how-"
Chaos erupted amongst the crowd, some people shouting and crying. The herald dropped her professionalism, attempting to calm the raging crowd. Crumb ducked under Tubbo as Impulse tried to defend the two from getting squashed by the crowd. They tried saying things to eachother but to no avail.
No amounts of silencing did the trick. Some people raised whatever they had, hitting others as well. The herald did her best to protect anyone and dodge unexpected attacks.
Clink clang clink clang!
As the metal pans collided, the noise dispersed and the source of the noise spoke- A mermaid with black hair and blonde highlights. "Gilded Citizens!" Queen Moon's Sol Advisor shouted. "We ask of you to remain calm and civil as the herald hailing from Rivendell tells the news! Have you no respect or shame?"
The crowd collectively bowed their heads at the Sol Advisor then at the herald. "Thank you." The two said to eachother.
"Ahem-" She attempted to return to her position. "We... we request for everyone to keep their guard up. Xornoth will no doubt cause more chaos than he already did. Stay safe, may Aeor or whoever your chosen God is bless you." The herald wrapped the scroll back together and put it into her bag. Surprisingly, the crowd turned dead quiet. She took a bow and left to her horse, the crowd shifting to give her a path.
Once she took her horse and galloped away, the citizens started talking quietly.
"Xornoth is out?" Crumb repeated the herald's words.
"Oh wow, time to hide my horns again..." Impulse groaned.
Tubbo pat their friend's back as the cat hopped onto his. "Hey boss man, it's gonna be alright! You look nothing like that Xornoth anyways!"
"I..." Impulse smiled and chuckled. "Well, thanks Tubbo."
The three continued idly chatting, waiting for Impulse's magic to work before walking around the fields. Tubbo kept complaining about Crumb not walking, once she got off his back, she went straight for Impulse's shoulders. After all, he was the one that didnt mind having a deadly cat on his shoulder.
"Hello!" A calm and familiar voice greeted them. They all turned to see the Sol Advisor in her court attire- A simple golden dress that fades into a true ocean blue.
"Niki! Nice seeing ya!" Tubbo greeted back as Crumb gave her a high-paw/five. "You did well back there!"
"Thank you! I'm glad they're rather easy to settle down these days." Niki laughed and stopped after a short while. "Although I'm here on formal matters." She walked over to their demon friend. "Nice to see you again, Sir Impulse."
Impulse took a shallow bow. "Nice to see you too, Lady Niki. What does Pearl need of me?"
"She just asked me to get you. Meet her in the casual piece."
"I see, I'll head right up." Impulse waved goodbye to his two young friends. "I'll catch you guys later!"
"Bye Impulse!" The two said in their varrying voices.
Draconic-esque wings sprouted from his back, lifting off immediately. Niki too, waved goodbye to the others and left.
"Alright Tub, where we headed?"
"How 'bout we go see Sir Manifold then Ranboo?"
"Yee! Then let's go!"
"Yeah but walk on your four feet-"
Crumb shifted into the more humanoid form, the second stage. She scoffed with a smile. "Tubbo, I cant walk on four legs when I only have two!"
"You..." Tubbo used his shoulder to hit Crumb's arm. The latter giggled at the gesture.
The two continued to tease eachother on their way to Rivendell. Through the Overgrown's safe paths, they got bored and decided to play a game of Eye Spy.
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The orange castle piece was small yet cozy. It had no door and had windows with glass, but the golden and green curtains could be used as cover. The walls had a painted crops dotted around. Inside was a kitchenette and a seating area with 3 couches and a wooden table, Pearl was brewing something on the Brewing Stand, it smelled of Golden Flower tea and was boiling.
Sharp claws hit the wooden flooring. "Hey Pearl!"
The queen turned around, a bright smile on her face. She ran up to him and hugged the visitor, they clumsily span around and halted before they fell off.
"Glad you got here safely, Impulse!"
He acted worried and exasperated. "Oh no... that word you barely use..."
Pearl put her hands on her hips as she was jokingly annoyed. "Oh c'mon!" She hit his shoulder as light as she could. "I only want the safest visit for you here."
Impulse genuinely winced and rubbed his arm. Before Pearl could apologize, he spoke. "Well... that's certainly difficult with Xornoth escaping." He shrugged and pointed at where his horns used to be. "But it's fine, not like a little magic cant fix!"
A click of a tongue caught the demon's attention. "Unfortunately, magic might make it worse."
"Huh?"
"You weren't here last time, but other demons went to Rivendell dungeons since they all used magic to hide themselves... Making them extremely suspicious."
Impulse crossed his arms, holding them tight. "I feel so bad... aren't those the worst dungeons to get sent to?"
Pearl nodded in agreement with her eyebrows furrowing. "Elves have no remorse. With the Crystal Cliffs being allied with them, I'd suggest limit your magic use."
"Cant you... bail me out?"
"I can try, however, I am mostly known for battling Xornoth head on 'without care'." She emphasized her words with air quotes. "They might not trust me."
"Oh, yeah that is a slight problem..."
They sat on the couches after a while of silence, watching birds fly around above and in front of the Mythland Castle. Cold wind allowed itself inside, prompting Pearl to prepare the tea.
As she left, Impulse let go of the spell he casted unto himself. His straight up horns shot through his hair and nearly pierced his hat and a thin tail with a sharp yellow "i" at the end of it sat on his lap.
After some clinks and a few mumbles, Pearl came back to the seating area with the teapot and a few cups, setting them onto the round oak table. The teapot had obscure patterns and colors, even a little Mezelean flag caught Impulse's eye. She set down the cups which was definetly also from Mezelea, pouring the fragrant tea into them.
"Aha!" Impulse said with muscle memory. "Golden flower tea."
"Indeed! I've got a fresh batch of marigolds from Katherine, so I decided not to let them go to waste."
The two got their cups and cheered, sipping right after.
"Impulse." His head snapped to Pearl. "If you ever need a place to stay, do find one of my advisors and say." She quickly finished her cup of burning hot tea.
"Understood, thanks a lot, Pearl!" The two hugged when they set down their cups.
"Anytime, help yourself to some more tea and some books. I'll get going now!"
Impulse said goodbye as Pearl's thick orange wings expanded and lifted her off the ground. He was now left on his own in the comfy castle piece.
Time was spent leisurely, simply finishing the tea and planning projects. There were a few machine-related books in the shelves, including a sketchbook with some pages torn out already.
It felt like hours later when something took his attention. There was a strong feeling of wizard magic, Impulse had spent a good time with Scar, it was different from his but it was certainly magic. He took a peak out of the few windows, the setting sun slightly blinding his eyes...
Rivendell knights?
Confused passerby's stared at them before leaving, two people confronted the patrol and suddenly people around stopped to watch. They were discussing something, there was no way to tell about what without showing up.
Whatever it is, he hoped they wont come for him.