Archive of Our Own ^beta

~Late Spring, Begnion Era 570~

Naesala landed in the dense, yet peaceful, forest of Serenes, a pack filled with fresh foreign fruits and nuts on his back.

It had been several months since his last visit to Serenes, and he was by himself today, having learned much of the ancient tongue from Nealuchi. He wanted to ensure he had to practice what he had learned, the ancient tongue was so complicated that he'd never become fluent in it otherwise.

"Why don't the herons learn to speak our language?" Naesala had asked.

"Because, Nestling, it is the language of the goddess, and it is the only way they can communicate with the forest that the goddess blessed."

"(Naesala.)" Rafiel called out from the tree line as he approached from above, landing on the ground nearby and settling his wings behind his back. "(To what do we owe the pleasure?)"

Naesala grinned and waved at Rafiel. "(Thought I should…say hello.)"

Rafiel smiled. "(Nealuchi's been teaching you?)"

Naesala nodded and twisted, showing the pack to Rafiel. "(I brought more…foods with…me. Different…from last time.)"

"(Is it the ravens again?)" Another voice called out, younger, and a heron boy about Naesala's age dropped down next to Rafiel. He had long straight blonde hair, and a sterner expression than Rafiel, but it was clear they were related, with their eyes being the same light green, their skin the same pale color, and their wings as white as the pure snow that covered the mountains bordering Daein.

"(Just…the one raven…today,)" Naesala said with a wide grin.

The new heron's nose scrunched a little.

"(You're being rude,)" Rafiel chided gently, looking at the boy with a raised eyebrow.

The heron boy scowled and sighed. "(Sorry, brother,)" he offered in a tone that did not imply a sincere apology.

Naesala's brows furrowed, but the corner of his mouth tugged upwards. "(My name is Naesala, King of Kilvas. May I…ask your name?)"

"(Reyson,)" The heron boy said. "(Third Prince of Serenes.)"

Naesala nodded, still not quite understanding how royalty worked within Serenes. Kilvas, Gallia, and Phoenicis only had one prince or princess at a time at best, selected by the current ruler when they were planning to step down from the position before they became infirm from old age. And they typically weren't the current ruler's offspring, unless they were the best fit for the position.

Kilvas didn't currently have a prince or princess. Naesala might pick one out someday, in case things went wrong, but he still had a lot of time left, and he had to figure out the Blood Pact first before he could step down. The curse ended with him, he'd ensure it.

How Serenes had three princes was beyond him.

"(Nice to meet you, Prince Reyson,)" Naesala said.

Reyson nodded severely, granting a cautious smile in return. "(You as well,)" Reyson said, eyes showing a degree of uncertainty.

"(Would you like to set the food you brought with you down?)" Rafiel asked. "(It looks as heavy as last time.)"

Naesala hefted the diagonal strap crossing over his left shoulder. "(It is…not too heavy, but sure, that…would be good.)"

Rafiel led Naesala into the home of the royal family, and Naesala still marveled at the way it was constructed, polished white stones shimmering faintly golden in the light of the sun. The light breeze blowing through the open doorways of the palace smelled of flowers and fresh water.

Just as pleasant as he had remembered.

They came to a room with a long table, perhaps the dining hall, and Naesala undid the straps tied around his waist and crossed over his chest to pull the pack from his back and set it on top of the table.

"(What was everything you brought with you last time?)" Reyson asked, standing closer to Naesala and looking at the different fruits being set down on the table curiously.

Naesala looked over at Reyson and chuckled. "(Did you…like…anything in particular?)"

Reyson’s eyes shot up to Naesala and his cheeks flushed pink slightly. He stepped back and looked to the side. "(The green and yellow bell shaped ones,)" he murmured.

"(Pears,)" Naesala said, "(Yeah, those are…nice…I guess.)" Naesala pulled out the last piece of fruit from the bag. "(Those do not…grow…until late summer.)"

Reyson and Rafiel looked over the display on the table curiously.

"(Do any of them have stones?)" Rafiel asked.

Naesala nodded, gesturing to a few different fruits that he had grouped together. "(Those do.)"

"(Do you have time to stay today?)"

"(Yeah, I told….the others I…would leave today…or tomorrow morning.)"

Rafiel smiled at Naesala warmly and Naesala looked to the side. "(I'm glad to hear that. I'd like you to be able to see more of Serenes than you have. Reyson, would you show King Naesala around? I'll go get Laila and we'll make something out of this.)"

Reyson nodded and launched into the air, hovering there, looking down at Naesala. "(This way.)"

Naesala folded up the bag, collapsing it down to a small bit of fabric easily tucked into a pocket at the back of his shirt and leapt into the air, following Reyson.

"(Where are…we going?)" Naesala asked.

"(The Field of Dawn,)" Reyson said.

Naesala simply tilted his head to the side in curiosity. That sounded like an important place, but he'd never heard anything like it before in the old stories Nealuchi had told him about. Instead of asking, he looked down at the forest as they flew over the canopy.

It was all so beautiful. Crystal clear water running through streams. Fragrant flowers clustered over the ground and covering every tree branch. The smell of different kinds of fruits and vegetables growing in little patches in the earth. The sound of people , vibrant and happy and jovial echoing throughout the trees.

He thought of how Kilvas had been, before The Blight. Raven children playing around, him eagerly awaiting the birth of his younger sibling, adults telling scary stories after nightfall. Kilvas had never been plentiful, but they had felt so together. There had been hope on the strong winds that blew through the rocky cliffs.

And that was all gone now.

All the plant life had been burnt to the ground, to try in vain to stop the deaths. His people starving. There were no children playing, any more. Almost all wiped out by the curse. All the winds of Kilvas spoke of these days was of death and despair.

But there was hope here, in Serenes.

There was peace.

There was joy.

He needed to see it, to believe it was possible.

"(You don't have to bring us gifts every time you come,)" Reyson said, turning his head to look at Naesala.

Naesala looked at Reyson. "(It would…be rude…not to.)"

He had come to Serenes to get something from the people here. It was only fair to repay that.

"(That is beorc hospitality. Our hospitality is different.)"

"(Raven…hospitality…is different…than either…)"

"(If you say so.)"

The forest below broke out into a clearing and Naesala stalled, dropping down a few feet in the air as he took it all in with wide eyes.

Brightly colored flowers of every hue coated the ground like a carpet, punctuated periodically by trees with pure white trunks and pastel flowers covering all the limbs.

There were many herons amongst the flowers, singing and playing, with several children of different ages, nearly all of them had wings that were light blue at the top with dark blue feathers at the bottom.

Naesala stared at it all intently. He swallowed, forcing himself to breathe evenly. "(Beautiful,)" he observed simply. "(What…is this place?)"

"(This field is said to be where the goddess would meet with Lehran, my family's ancestor.)"

"(Lehran…the saint?)"

Reyson nodded. "(It’s especially beautiful at this time of year. You picked a good time to visit, King Naesala.)"

Naesala nodded, looking down at the field with wide eyes.

Kilvas could never be this abundant with life, but maybe, someday, it could be as lively. As cheerful.

Reyson landed deftly amongst the blossoming flowers, and Naesala followed.

"(What happened to your home?)" Reyson asked quietly, as he looked down at the flowers.

"Huh?" Naesala blinked.

"(You've been so sad. You keep thinking of your home. Like you're having a funeral for it.)"

A cold panic set into his heart. Lorazieh had said herons could read- was it hearts or thoughts? Either was bad.

Naesala looked over at a tree covered in bright pink flowers. "(Kilvas is…Kilvas is not easy to rule…my people…need…a lot from me.)" He said as diplomatically as he could.

They all looked up to him. He, the only one who could find a path forward for Kilvas in the rubble and the ash and the aftermath of The Blight. He was the only one who could guide them, he was sure of that.

He just wished he knew of a way to get back to how things had been sooner.

The recovery was going to take decades at the rate things were going at.

He didn't know how to keep up their spirits for that long.

How to avoid falling into despair for so many years.

All he could think of was how lively Serenes Forest was.

How welcoming and kind and warm the herons had been.

"(Naesala-)"

"(Brother!)" A shrill girl's voice called out, and then a blur of white tackled Reyson, diving into his chest.

Reyson groaned, holding the writhing white mass to his body. "(Leanne, be more careful.)" Reyson chided.

The mass stilled and Naesala saw the face of the little girl who had been with Rafiel and Laila last time he had visited. He smiled, she was just as lively as before.

Leanne flew out of Reyson’s grasp and started pulling on his sleeve, trying to fly with desperate flaps of her wings. "(Please! Please come. I made a new branch on the tree! I sang it there!)"

"(All right, Leanne. All right. Say hello to King Naesala first.)"

"(Oh!)" Leanne cried out, spinning and looking at Naesala. "(You're back!)"

Naesala gave her a small wave. "(Princess Leanne.)"

Leanne gasped and clapped her hands in delight. "(You can talk now!)"

Naesala chortled. "(I could talk before…just not…your language…)"

"(Come! See the new branch!)" Leanne pulled at his sleeve and Naesala let her guide him through the flower field. Reyson followed at Naesala's side.

"(Don’t humor her too much,)" Reyson warned, "(She'll never stop pestering you otherwise.)"

"(I do not pester,)" Leanne proclaimed with a pout.

Reyson chuckled and Naesala smiled.

"(Pests are bad. I'm cute, so I can't be bad.)"

"(She has…you there,)" Naesala said, looking over at Reyson.

Reyson smiled and rolled his eyes. "(You'll see.)"

They made their way to one of the trees, one with bright lavender blossoms, and Leanne dropped Naesala's sleeve to run over to a small twig of a branch growing out of the side of the trunk.

"(See?)" Leanne asked.

Reyson blinked and then nodded, patting her on the top of her head. "(Very good, Leanne.)"

Leanne grinned as bright as the sun.

"(You made that…grow?)" Naesala asked, looking at the branch.

Leanne nodded, and then clasped her hands in front of her, singing. The branch started growing out further, small buds appearing on it.

"Amazing," Naesala murmured under his breath, staring at the branch.

"(It only works so well in Serenes,)" Reyson said, "(Because the goddess made it so we can talk to the sacred forest.)"

Naesala looked up at Reyson and nodded. "(Still…good…No one else…can…do anything…like that…anywhere.)"

Reyson stared at Naesala for a moment, indecisive.

"(Here,)" Leanne proclaimed, holding a few bright yellow and orange flower petals up to Naesala.

Naesala cocked his head to the side. "(What?)"

Leanne waved the flower petals at him. "(No pluck flower but fallen petals are okay. These are my favorite.)"

Naesala blinked and held out his hand to accept the petals.

"(They're from Momeri flowers,)" Reyson explained. "(They’re Leanne's favorite.)"

"(Mean hope. Promise. New dawn.)"

"(The goddess was said to love them in particular.)" Reyson bent down, gently cupping a flower to show Naesala. It looked like a sun, the way the many petals spread out in a circle, the center a bright white with fiery orange at the tips of the petals and red stamens.

Leanne nudged Naesala's hand, holding the flower petals. "(Keep them. No sad anymore.)"

Naesala chuckled. "Goddess above, you're an intrusive bunch," he remarked under his breath with a small grin, but then nodded his head and lifted up his hand holding the petals. "(Thank you, Princess Leanne. I…appreciate it.)"

Leanne smiled up at Naesala and Reyson shook his head, gently laughing.

"(Do you want to stay here a bit longer?)" Reyson asked. "(Or go somewhere else?)"

Naesala looked around the field. "(What else…is there…to see?)"

"(I'll show you.)" Reyson said, flying up into the air. "(Leanne, make sure you're back for dinner. They’re making something special out of the gifts King Naesala brought.)"

Leanne nodded and looked back at the tree, touching the branch she had grown tentatively.

Naesala tucked the petals into a pocket on the inside of the front of his shirt and followed Reyson throughout the forest.

There were streams and lakes and arbors and marshes, with small buildings throughout the forest, built out of the same material as the, well Naesala supposed it was the castle, and constructed in a similar fashion to it as well. Herons played in the waters of the forest, some resting on the surface of the lakes.

"(What about…the edges..of the forest?)" Naesala asked as the morning wore on to mid afternoon, after realizing they had mostly stayed in the center of the forest.

"(Hm?)" Reyson asked, turning to look at Naesala. "(The mountains to the west have sulfuric soil, it's hard to live there.)"

"(What about…the southern coast…or the east?)"

Reyson shook his head. "(Beorc intrude on the edges, they attack us if they see us. Only the heart of the forest is safe.)" There was a bitter tone to his voice.

"(Oh, I am…sorry…to hear that.)"

Reyson shrugged. 

They eventually stopped to rest at a small pond that was empty of people. Naesala perched in a tree branch as Reyson transformed and floated on the surface of the water.

Naesala stretched his wings and leaned back against the tree trunk, looking around at the forest.

"(You should come down,)" Reyson called out after a while.

"(No thank you…ravens are…not waterfowl.)" Naesala called back.

"(It looks better down here.)"

Naesala huffed and leapt down from the tree branch to the shore of the pond adjacent to Reyson. "(You are…very demanding…your highness.)"

He looked up at the forest canopy. It was picturesque, the way the sunlight dappled the ground through the leaves, or how the trees grew, framing the rivers leading into and out of the pond like arches, pink flower petals falling to the water's surface and scattering across it.

"(It…certainly is…nice…)" Naesala offered, looking around again.

"(I spent a long time making it look like this.)"

Naesala blinked and looked at Reyson. "(Like…this? You…made it?)"

Reyson nodded, staring up at Naesala. "(This is as far as we can safely go, but I like to rest away from the others sometimes. I sang to the forest to grow it this way, to make it tranquil and restful.)"

"Amazing," Naesala muttered again, looking at the trees again. "(But…dangerous?)"

"(The others can get too loud sometimes.)"

"(Thanks for…sharing this…with me.)"

"(Leanne's right, you know. You are very sad.)"

Naesala chucked humorously and sat down on the ground.

"(I thought you could use a quiet place to rest, and restore your spirit.)"

Naesala nodded, closing his eyes. "(How…much…can you see?)"

"(A great deal. The more you think about it, the more I see of your pain. You lost many people.)"

Naesala nodded. "(Our…food source became untrustworthy…it will be…many years…before Kilvas can…grow food…again.)"

"(Then where do you get those gifts from?)"

"(Other countries…are…where Kilvas gets…all our food…from.)"

"(If your people need that food-)"

"(No. It is…excess. More than…we can eat…I got them…for this…visit.)"

Reyson watched Naesala for a moment. "(Very well then.)"

Naesala sat at the riverbank, looking up at the trees. He listened to the sound of the birds in the trees, the leaves blowing in the wind, and the sound of song in the distance. He inhaled the clean, crisp air perfumed by a myriad of delicate floral notes. He lost track of time, mesmerized by the way the leaves and flowers danced in the wind, scattering sunlight onto the forest floor.

Hours passed by like minutes.

He felt calm. Tranquil. More at peace than he could remember being in the past several years.

A chime rang out through the woods, snapping Naesala out of whatever trance he had slipped into under the influence of the peaceful aria of the forest.

Reyson flew out of the water, transforming and landing on the ground near Naesala.

"(We should head back.)"

Naesala nodded, rising to his feet and the pair flew back to the center of the forest. "(So…what is this?)" Naesala asked as they landed in the clearing in front of the building.

"(What?)" Reyson asked, turning to look at Naesala.

"(Is this…Serenes Castle?)"

Reyson scoffed and shook his head. "(Castles are for beorc,)" he said in a measured tone. "(This is the Sacred Temple of Serenes, built in dedication of Lehran before the dark god created the Great Flood.)"

Naesala nodded. "(You live…inside…right?)"

"(We do, my immediate family and extended relatives.)"

"(Are there…many?)"

Reyson frowned and shook his head. "(The beorc have taken many of them. I have a few aunts, uncles, and cousins left, but not as many as there were. As many as there could have been.)"

"Huh," Naesla remarked. "(Do herons…have…large…families?)"

"(We can. My parents have been lucky. None of us have been hurt by beorc invading the forest, but many families aren't so lucky.)"

"(I'm sorry to…hear…that,)" Naesala offered. Laguz didn't usually have large families, just a few children over a lifetime.

"(If herons had children as frequently as other laguz tribes, we would never survive.)"

Naesala blinked. He didn't think he'd get used to being read so easily. "(Do…so many of you…die?)"

Reyson nodded. "(Before we established ourselves as our own kingdom, it was much worse, with beorc plundering the forest to hunt us and capture slaves and such. My father says that your chamberlain, Nealuchi, was integral to that, but,)" Reyson paused for a moment, closing his eyes, hand balling into a fist, "(It’s only marginally safer for us now, with treaties in place with Begnion.)" He scoffed and tossed a stray lock of hair back over his shoulder. "(The royal family is relatively safe, though that also means very little.)"

"(I know…how little…Begnion respects…laguz kings.)"

Reyson sighed and nodded. "(Only as much as they have to in order to appease the treaty they signed in Goldoa, and nothing more.)"

Before Naesala could say anything more, Leanne called out from the forest near them. "(Reyson!)" A few moments later, she landed by them and pulled at Reyson’s wrist. "(Come on, it's time for food!)"

"(I know, Leanne,)" Reyson said with a soft sigh.

They flew into the temple, finding the others waiting at the dining room with food on the table, large piles of sliced fruits, berries, and glazed pastries glistening in the sunlight, filled with thick, sticky jams and fruit reductions. There were pitchers filled with water and a variety of juices.

Even before The Blight, there had never been as much food in one place, even during a festival.

Naesala sat and dined with the herons, enjoying himself. Some day, he'd make it so a bounty like this could be had in Kilvas at least on occasion.

---

The next morning, Naesala prepared to head back home after having breakfast with the herons.

As he was getting ready to say his goodbyes, a chime sounded throughout the forest. The herons looked up towards the tree growing in the next room, still, with pale faces, and wide eyes. Naesala's eyes narrowed.

"(Is there…a problem?)"

Rafiel closed his eyes, a hand curled tightly over his mouth as he turned his head.

"(The forest is warning us that there are beorc attacking a settlement to the north,)" Lillia whispered through grit teeth, hanging her head as tears fell down her face.

Naesala scowled, looking them over. They were already mourning the loss of however many herons would be killed or taken away. To wither away and die within human buildings if they made it that far.

Nealuchi had explained what happened to herons forced to live outside of the forest. Of how the chaos poisoned them, made them ill.

"(North?)" Naesala hissed out.

Lillia nodded.

Naesala nodded. "(I will…be back…soon.)" Naesala flew up into the air and transformed, flying northwards.

Finding the discord caused by the attack wasn’t terribly difficult. He heard the noise in the distance first, several herons screaming in terror like a crystal chandelier falling and shattering against a stone floor.

Then there was the sound of human weapons, bows and swords and iron and steel. Shouting in the modern tongue, rough and crass, it didn’t belong in a place like Serenes Forest.

Neither did the smell of blood.

He found the site of the battle quickly after that. There were a dozen humans or thereabouts, many herons were injured or dead. Humans were grabbing and pulling them, fastening iron bands attached to heavy chains around them.

There was the chime of the forest again, and Naesala paused before attacking. Lorazieh didn't want bloodshed in the forest, it was disrespectful. Naesala could be more respectful than the humans were.

But there was only one of him, and he was far from an expert in combat.

He needed to be careful. He could not die until Kilvas was freed.

He moved in, grabbing an arm with his talons as it moved to strike at a heron and pulling the human back several feet before dropping them roughly to the ground.

"A crow!" One of them, a woman, shouted.

Naesala darted into the canopy, flying around and darting in again, harrying and harassing the humans, snapping bow strings, tossing weapons, enraging them.

All the while, he circled closer and closer to the edge of the forest, leading the humans away from the herons. The humans were so focused on striking him down that they never noticed they were being led out and away.

He was injured, of course. Cuts, scrapes, an arrow or two lodged deep in his side. He wasn’t an invulnerable laguz king. 

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

Ravens weren't built to endure like hawks or lions.

But ravens were fast and clever.

When then humans broke through the trees and onto the plains surrounding Serenes, they seemed confused, how were they here? However, they seemed glad to seize the opportunity to attack him in a clear sky, with no foliage hindering them or blocking him from view. FThey eagerly followed him a hundred feet further from the forest’s edge.

That was far enough.

They didn't seem to realize their mistake.

And he didn't give them the chance. He struck them as viciously and viscerally as he knew how, aiming for all their weak vital spots through their armor when he could.

When it was over, he landed on the ground, transforming out of fatigue, panting heavily, blood falling down the side of his face. He had a little medicine on him, which he used to touch up his wounds, focusing on the wound from the arrows as he pulled them from his body.

He staggered to his feet and wiped blood from his mouth with the back of a long black leather sleeve.

He looked at the bodies on the ground, spat out blood and spittle onto the grasses near them and flew back into the forest, where the herons had been attacked.

It was as ugly as he expected. A few dead, many hurting, some able to stand, crying, trying to sing with hoarse voices over the bodies of the more severely wounded.

He didn't have enough medicine to heal all of them, but he spread what he had over the worst injuries. The herons paused to watch him work.

When he rose, he winced, shooting pain rocketing from his belly, where the tip of the arrow had been, and he convulsed, trying to swallow a cough, but tasted blood in his mouth and spat it out.

He was vaguely aware of falling, but not much else.

---

When he awoke, he was on a soft bed, a gentle, cool breeze blowing throughout the sunlit room. Without a ceiling, was it really a room?

Probably.

He sat up, despite the aching of his body, and looked around.

The Sacred Hall of Serenes, by the look of it. His body was whole, but sore where he had been hurt.

He got out of the bed with a small hiss at the pain and walked out of the room. He wandered through the halls.

"(King Naesala.)"

Naesala paused and turned, looking up at Lorazieh.

"(King Lorazieh,)" Naesala greeted, "(I…I guess…you healed me?)"

"(Yes.)"

"(Thanks…How are…the…hurt…herons doing?)"

"(They're recovering.)" Lorazieh paused for a moment.

"(Something wrong?)"

"(I thank you for saving my people, however,)" he trailed off, looking up at the forest canopy above. "(We have a delicate relationship with Begnion. I fear what will happen if the people of Begnion find out about what happened.)"

"(It is…on me,)" Naesala said, "(And I am…not worried about…my relationship with Begnion…getting any worse.)"

"(But will they know that?)"

Naesala paused to consider. There weren't any survivors amongst the humans who had attacked. Sure, there were black feathers around the area from him, but could he expect humans to figure it out?

"(I will…ensure…that they do.)"

---

Naesala followed a few human guards into the office chambers of the prime minister of Begnion in Mainal Cathedral in Sienne, the capital of Begnion. The doors were wide and tall, tall enough that he didn't have to bend down, even though laguz were taller than beorc and his folded wings went high above his head.

"King Naesala," a younger man with short dark brown hair and dark hazel eyes greeted. He sat in front of a large, opulent desk filled with books and papers, wearing the white robes common to so-called human saints, embellished with dyed trims and embroidery.

"Prime Minister," Naesala greeted gruffly. This was a new leader of Begnion. The previous Prime Minister, Duke Germain of Gaddos, had been forcibly retired two years ago by Apostle Medina, the 35th Empress of Begnion. Duke Wenzel of Asmin had then been made Prime Minister, and Naesala hadn't spoken to him much, even when he was a senator. Just the one time, after he had been made Prime Minister, and they had discussed the Blood Pact.

Wenzel had arranged it so that there was a clean slate, all prior requests were to be disregarded, only the exact terms of the original contract and new requests had to be honored. They had agreed that all future requests had to be written down and signed.

“I am only a sub-human, after all. I can barely tell you humans apart, and I struggle to understand your calendars. I’m afraid I’ll forget a request if I can’t have it on my desk to look at until it’s completed, or deliver the request to the wrong one of you.”

But Wenzel had refused to allow Naesala to see the original contract, so Naesala wasn’t really sure what to make of him.

"I'm told you wanted to speak with me?" Wenzel asked.

"Yeah, Serenes Forest is under my protection."

Wenzel blinked, brows furrowing briefly, and then he frowned. "Why does it need your protection? It is beloved by the goddess."

"Tell that to the humans attacking the herons who live there, and desecrating the forest with blood and violence during the process."

Wenzel sighed, sitting back in his chair. "The herons, hm?"

"Is that going to be a problem, Prime Minister?" He could back out of protecting Serenes, if forced. But at this way they would know he had killed the humans who had attacked Serenes recently.

Wenzel shook his head gently. "No, no. The goddess loves the herons, but they currently live in sin."

"In sin?" Naesala asked.

Wenzel nodded. "You may not be aware, but the herons were always close servants of the goddess, before the Flood, and even after, some were appointed as her saints. For sub-humans, they were a cut above, eidolons of what your kind could be. And yet they reject the apostle, her voice. They claimed her to be false over a century ago and proclaimed Serenes to be a separate kingdom, with Lehran's descendants as its royal family."

Naesala considered at length. "So, their sin is the rejection of the apostle?"

"Yes, very good, King Naesala. The apostle at the time said that nothing should be done, Serenes Forest was still sacred to the goddess, and the goddess wished for reconciliation. That has been the stance of every apostle since."

"So you don't mind then?"

"Not at all," Wenzel said, "In fact, you have my blessings to protect Serenes Forest. I will pay you to continue to do so as proof of that."

Naesala’s brows raised. "Oh?"

"Yes, and in return, I hope that you will make the stance of the apostle clear to the herons? Perhaps this will convince them to return to the teachings of the goddess."

"I'll pass the message along, but I can't promise anything about their actions."

"No, no, of course not. It will take time to mend a century old divide. You can expect to receive 10,000 gold a month so long as you do what you can to protect Serenes Forest and the herons from harm."

---

"(Until they have no more laguz slaves and stop calling us sub-humans, there can be no reconciliation,)" Reyson snapped heatedly as soon as Naesala had explained the Prime Minister's position, and the Apostle’s desire.

Naesala couldn’t help but chuckle. Reyson was fire to the average heron's water.

"(Reyson is passionate,)" Lorazieh called out, "(But he is correct. The goddess would not approve of the supremacy that the beorc claim to have over laguz nor the way the beorc treat the laguz based on that supremacy. So long as her self-proclaimed voice speaks such lies, I will not be convinced that she is who she says she is.)"

"(That is…not…my problem,)" Naesala said, "(He…asked me…to make sure…you knew…Begnion’s higher ups…are not…behind the attacks. Reconcile or not…it matters little…to me.)"

"(You'd prefer that we didn't,)" Rafiel said gently.

"(Of course not…they are…cruel…to laguz. Never trust them.)"

"(Do you think they will change their mind about agreeing with you protecting us?)" Laila asked quickly, concern on her face.

Naesala shook his head. They'd have to pay him more to stop than they had already paid him on the current command. If it went on long enough, they never would want to stop paying him, it would be too expensive. "(I doubt…they will.)"

---

Naesala organized it so that the ravens would guard Serenes Forest in patrols, staying to the edges. Some learned the ancient tongue, and others did not. By request of both Lorazieh and Wenzel, peaceful beorc were allowed to enter the forest to pay respects, but they were watched by ravens the entire time they were in the forest. Ravens were not to kill anything in the forest, even beorc who were violent. They would be grabbed and carried out of Serenes before a proper fight would carry on.

Having his ravens guarding the forest did many things for Kilvas. Firstly, the herons insisted on providing food to the ravens who settled in on the edges of the forest, keeping watch, so while Kilvas could not yet provide for itself, his people did not starve so much as they did before. It gave his people a sense of pride, and gave the warriors things to do, keep them sharp and quick, while Naesala kept the ones who knew of the Pact in Kilvas, available to do the bidding of the senate. He no longer had to plunder ships and towns for food, so he no longer had to deal with Goldoa telling him to stop tempting war with the humans as well.

Naesala became fast friends with Reyson and Leanne, and good friends with the other herons of the royal family. Laila taught him how to style hair in the traditional heron way and he found that he greatly enjoyed working with their hair, helping them get ready for festivals and celebrations with elaborate updos. It took hours sometimes, for a look, but he had dexterous fingers and a clever mind and he was very good at it.

As Kilvas slowly began to grow crops transplanted from the mountains of Daein, Naesala grew a garden on the cliffs by the castle, producing the favorite foods of the royal family of Serenes. He kept its existence quiet, most people of Kilvas still believed that the soft crops of Begnion they had started growing after the Sarasa treaty were to blame for the deaths of half of the ravens of Kilvas. They were slow to trust any food grown on Kilvas, but he had reassured them that the crops of Daein were well suited to the climate of Kilvas, and they trusted him.

So long as he never broke the terms of the contract, they would never have reason to doubt him.

So he grew "softer" crops in private, for the herons. They didn't like him stealing food for them, but he still wanted to give back to them for all their help, so he'd grow food for them.

They'd argue that protecting the forest was enough to repay whatever debt he thought he owed. But they didn't, couldn't understand. He learned to guard his heart so they would stop getting close to the truth.

Begnion had paid him over eight-hundred thousand gold by now, but he stayed vigilant. Catered to their desires such that they would never feel the price of taking Serenes away from him was worth the cost. He even pretended he didn't have too much personal investment in Serenes to keep them from thinking they could use that as leverage, newer members of the upper echelon unaware of how he had even started protecting Serenes in the first place.

The herons could spread out farther throughout the forest, they never went to the edges without a raven escort, but they no longer lived only in the heart of the forest and their population flourished. While some humans broke through and caused problems, it was much less than it had been. Fewer herons died than ever before, and so their people thrived.

And Naesala refused any repayment from the herons for it. Kilvas was far away from being able to thrive again, but helping the herons thrive gave him hope for his own people.

---

~Summer, Begnion Era 577~

Naesala sat on a rocky bluff overlooking the southern beach of Serenes Forest. There were herons exploring the sands and shore, Leanne was skipping around the waves lapping at the white sands.

It was the first time the herons had ever been able to visit the beaches of Serenes, lush with life and grasses and tidal pools in ways that other beaches were not.

Human pirates had long occupied the area, poisoning it with drunken revelry, battle and bloodshed. It had been nearly two years since the pirates had been forced out, and the herons could finally walk the beach for the first time.

Nealuchi was down there with them, talking to Lorazieh and Rheanna, the king and queen of Serenes. They were sheltered under some trees growing amongst the sands, protected by shade.

Naesala didn't particularly care for beaches. Kilvas didn't have any, all Kilvas had were high cliffs and crashing waves and sharp rocks meeting the waters, promising death to any who fell off the cliffs. To him the ocean wasn't a thing to be enjoyed, but respected and feared. Sand was similarly foreign to him, odd to walk in, crunching and shifting underfoot like snow, but hot to the touch, and uncomfortably gritty.

The herons seemed to like it, and they only felt comfortable coming out this far with him watching over them directly, so he sat nearby, overlooking the beach, watching them mill about below while he munched on a piece of fruit or two.

They planned to stay at the beach for the better part of a week. Naesala was in no mood to rush them. This was their land and they deserved to explore it safely.

---

During the second day, Rafiel flew up to where Naesala was resting amongst some trees on a cliff overlooking the beach.

"(Rafiel,)" Naesala greeted, jumping down to the ground.

"(Naesala, could I ask a favor of you?)"

"(As long as it's not to play around on the shore, it's no problem.)"

Rafiel chuckled. "(I was thinking, we're isolated in Serenes Forest. The last time I left was for Prince Kurthnaga's naming ceremony in Goldoa, over forty years ago, and even then, the visit was brief.)"

"(That’s not a bad thing, the forest is a wonderful place for you to live. Why should you go elsewhere when it won't be as good?)"

"(Isolation isn't what the goddess desires. I have no plans to visit anywhere else yet, but I'd like to learn about the other countries. And I'd like to learn the modern tongue.)"

"(Ah, you want me to teach you, is that it?)"

"(Yes, if you wouldn't mind.)"

"(Mind? Why would I mind? We're friends, aren’t we?)"

"(Yes, but you already do so much for us, and we have so little to offer in return.)"

"(Come now, Rafiel. We're friends. That friendship is all I need to help you. Why bring equivalence into it?)"

"(I suppose that you have a point. Could we begin now?)"

Naesala looked down at the beach. "(You sure? You lot seem to be enjoying yourselves down there.)"

"(You're going to be here for a while, I thought it might be best to begin now, since a long time passes between your visits otherwise.)"

"(Ah, of course. Sure, no problem at all.)"

---

~Fall, Begnion Era 577~

While Naesala didn't mind teaching Rafiel about the other nations and the modern tongue, and while he enjoyed spending time with the other heron royals, Reyson was closer to his age and Leanne reminded him of the younger children he had used to play with as a child. The ones from his home who hadn't survived The Blight. So he spent most of his time in Serenes with the youngest siblings of the royal family.

Reyson always pushed to the further reaches of the forest, exploring swamps and rivers and trees that the herons hadn't been able to safely set foot in for decades. The forest was wilder out here, without the influence of the songs of the herons to help maintain it. Vines crept up trunks and hung down from branches, suffocating the trees in ways the herons could prevent.

Reyson would work for hours at restoring the woods to a more harmonious state, until his voice was raw from the effort and he would collapse into a bed of ferns and flowers to rest during the night. Others occasionally joined him, Leanne and Lillia more frequently than any other.

Naesala didn't mind whiling away hours in the relative calm of the fringes of the forest, though his direct protection was rarely needed. The patrols around the borders of the forest were very effective. Of course they were, he had arranged them and put sensible generals in charge of the patrols, it was extremely clever of him to do it that way, if anyone sought his opinion on the matter. Not that anyone needed to, they could see how well his plans worked and figure out how clever he was on their own.

Today, Leanne was with Reyson, playing in the water, using her wings to splash her brother while they took a small break from singing. Leanne had said it was to rest, but neither one of them seemed to be getting any of that. Naesala chortled from where he sat in the branches of the trees as Reyson jumped into the stream while transforming, kicking up a large wave of water at Leanne with a beat of his wings.

Leanne squealed in delight as the water crashed down over her, holding her wings protectively over her face. Giggling, she splashed water back at him. Naesala smiled as he watched the heron siblings having a good time. He was unprepared for a blast of water to come hurtling towards him, and reacted slowly, getting drenched before he could take to the air.

"(Oh, come on,)" Naesala bemoaned. Both Reyson and Leanne fell back into the water with laughter. Naesala couldn’t help but smile at their delight, but he petulantly shook his arm and wings free of water. "(Which one of you did this?)" He asked grumpily, only causing them to laugh more.

"(If you're so clever, figure it out,)" Reyson challenged.

Naesala snorted, pulling out his ponytail to start wringing his hair dry. "(Obviously it was both of you.)"

"(How do you figure?)" Reyson shot back

"(You could have done it on your own, but Leanne couldn't have. Yet, she's hiding behind you, probably because she thinks I'm going to be mad at her.)" Naesala tilted his head to the side and watched as Leanne bit her lip. “(So she was clearly involved too.)”

"(You can figure that out without being able to read her?)" Reyson asked.

"(Well, like you said, I am really clever,)" he teased with a wide grin. "(Anyway, I'm not actually mad.)"

"(It would be easier to believe that if your heart wasn't closed off,)" Reyson said.

It was always like this. The herons had difficulty accepting that Naesala needed his heart closed off, they weren't used to being friends with someone whose feelings they couldn't feel. But it was necessary. He had so many secrets that he intended to take to the grave, and the herons had already come dangerously close to figuring him out plenty of times.

"(Sorry, secrets come with being the King of Kilvas,)" Naesala said with an air of smug superiority, keeping them off the trail of his guilt.

"(It’s okay, Reyson,)" Leanne said. "(He's our friend.)"

"(Of course,)" Reyson said, "(I didn't mean to imply that you had no right to your privacy.)"

Naesala chuckled and landed on the riverbank, cocking his head to the side. "(Think nothing of it, Reyson. I know it must be strange and suspicious to you. But Leanne's right, and I'd never have ill will towards you.)"

Reyson nodded.

---

Later on in the day, Reyson challenged Naesala to a race to pick some fruits to have for a snack, there were trees with ripe apples a couple of miles away. Leanne contented herself to play with some of the flowers she and Reyson had sung to life.

Naesala had gotten the last apple he could carry while Reyson was still working, when a shrill scream tore through the air.

"(Leanne!)" Reyson called out.

Naesala dropped the apples, transforming and racing through the trees to where Leanne had been.

There was blood and heavy footprints on the ground. Naesala looked them over and flew in the direction they had gone. The humans couldn't have gotten far with her.

And then he was quickly upon them, as he had figured. One of them had Leanne under one arm as he ran throughout the woods. There were four of them. Two had bows.

Naesala followed them, trying to figure out how to get Leanne back safely. He could take a few hits from an archer, but Leanne? He called out into the air, there should be a border patrol nearby to come help him. How had the humans even snuck in here in the first place?

He swooped down from their right flank, grabbing the bow from one of the archers and flew back up, depositing the bow in the branches of the canopy and well beyond their reach.

An arrow whizzed through the air, grazing his chest. He wheeled around behind a tree and swooped down after locating his next target, snatching the bow in his talons and taking it away, after a brief struggle, as a sword from another human in the group cut into his wings. He flew up and disposed of the bow and then set upon the human holding Leanne, grazing his face with beak and talons, forcing him to drop Leanne to shield his eyes from attack.

Naesala transformed out of his shifted state, grabbing Leanne out of the air before she hit the ground, and flew up into the air, holding her close to him, one arm around her body and the other on the back of her head.

"(You're all right, now, Leanne)" Naesala whispered to her. "(They're never going to hurt you again.)"

Leanne clung tightly to him, crying loudly into his chest.

He rubbed his thumb against the top of her head as he looked down at the humans.

"We've heard all about you sub-humans!" The one with the sword shouted. "You won't attack us in the forest!"

"You think so?" Naesala retorted.

"All we have to do is get our bows back and you're done for!"

"I'm flattered you'd go to the trouble of climbing a tree just to deal with me," Naesala remarked, catching an approaching murder of ravens flying towards him in the corner of his eye.

He waited there, keeping their attention on him, while the archers tried to climb the trees, but kept slipping on the bark and branches. There was a low hum nearby not coming from Leanne.

"Darkwings!" Naesala called out when the ravens were close enough to him, "See the visitors out!"

And the approaching ravens dove down, grabbing onto the humans with talons, one or two ravens to a human, and carried them out towards the edge of the forest.

Naesala sighed and flew towards the heart of the forest. "(I'll go make sure there aren't any more intruders.)"

"(Naesala,)" Leanne called out suddenly, raising her head to look up at him.

"(Yeah?)"

"(Don’t kill them.)"

"(They would have killed you, or worse.)"

"(I- I know. But they'll never be kind to us if we kill them for their mistakes.)"

"(They'll never be kind to you, regardless of what you do.)"

"(Please.)" She pouted a little at him.

Naesala closed his eyes and groaned. "(Fine. I'll give them one chance. One.)"

"(Thank you.)"

Naesala tore through the skies, landing in the branches of a tree at the very edge of the forest. “Wait!” he called out, as the ravens were in the process of tearing the humans to pieces, but not too far gone that the humans couldn’t limp away.

The ravens stopped and flew back out of reach of the humans’ weapons. All eyes were on him. He looked back down at Leanne.

“Are you sure?” He asked her.

Leanne nodded, turning to look over at the humans. Reyson settled in the tree behind Naesala.

Naesala sighed, setting her down amongst the branches and leapt out of the forest, landing within talking distance of the humans. “Do you know who you attacked?” He asked sharply, spreading his wings out, making himself look more intimidating.

“That- that was a one of them royal herons,” one of the archers said, eyeing Naesala and the other ravens warily.

“Yes, a princess of Serenes. I would be well within my rights to kill you for daring to touch her with your filthy, disgusting hands, never mind the harm you did to her.” His eyes were narrowed, corner of his mouth pulled back in a snarl, and brows drawn heavily over his face. He was nearly shouting in a dark tone. They drew back from him. “But she would prefer to show you mercy. Herons give a damn about the goddess’s teachings, after all.” He paused thoughtfully, taking a deep breath, but keeping his face the same. “So I will show you the mercy that you don’t deserve. But if you ever come within ten miles of the forest again, you will not be so lucky as our black wings will foretell your death.”

“R-right!” They exclaimed, turning and running from Naesala as fast as they could.

One of them, a mage of sorts, bowed towards Leanne before leaving. “Thank you, your highness!” She shouted out before following the rest.

Naesala exhaled heavily through his mouth, waving at the patrol. “The rest of you, go clean up where they were, take all the human refuse out of the forest.” He looked over at the trees, where Reyson was tending to Leanne, looking at the bruises on her arms and face. He looked back at the sub-commander and pointed before waving him over. “You come here, we need to talk about how they got so far inside.”