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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 10.1, Mechanations

The day after Wild-Wolf met with his sister was simultaneously a blur of business and lots of waiting filled with a strange combination of hectic rushing mixed with no activity. One thing Roaring-Flood couldn't understand about the Stone Tribe was how everyone could have so much to do without actually doing anything important. Between moving large leaves of what Sanmer had called 'paper' from one place to another and putting mark after mark on them Princess Noriene had accomplished little and yet everyone continued to pretend as if she were setting up a long house all by herself. Not even Gift-of-the-Earth seemed immune from it, going so far as to tell Roaring-Flood "She is doing more than it appears. It is a Stone Tribe ritual."

Aside from the lengthy, almost ceremonial meal activities of the Stone Tribe Roaring-Flood had expected to have a day of relative relaxation; if the Stone Tribe considered moving a pile of leaves from one side of a table to another one by one to be work then surely he would be able to humor them. Unfortunately, per the wolf Noriene's directions he and the rest of their group were brought to a man of exceedingly tedious mindset who forced Roaring-Flood to stand naked on a raised shelf with his arms stretched and legs shoulder-width apart. It was some kind of torture, the Bear was certain, but Sanmer seemed to be enjoying the view and the experience with the Lion known as a 'Tailor'.

Perhaps there was some confusion between the languages but the Lion's first question made no sense to the bear. "Do you dress to the left or the right, Sir?"

It took Sanmer three tries to explain what 'Tailor' meant before Roaring-Flood realized that the Lion meant where his sheath was situated compared to his leggings. He preferred loin cloths and motioned to where his sat folded on the counter nearby. "I wear... ah... drape."

Once again it was up to the Fox to help Roaring-Flood make sense of what the fast-speaking Lion meant as he fired off words aplenty, apparently having some kind of 'emotional moment' over something the Bear just didn't understand. Thankfully Sanmer put the words into simple sense. "You are going to wear leggings tonight."

Roaring-Flood sighed; it was so simple a question that Bear responded in the easiest way for him to explain: he moved his paw to his groin and hooked three fingers around the length of his sheath, pulling it to the right. "Here."

He really couldn't understand why it was 'Tailor' suddenly became so flustered or how a blush could be visible beneath such thick tawny fur but the Bear just added that as one more thing that made little-to-no-sense about the Stone Tribe. The comment Sanmer added when he noticed the Lion's discomfort was just one more of them. "You know, I don't think I've ever had quite this much fun going clothes shopping before."

* * * * * *

Gift-of-the-Earth sat at a much smaller table for dinner than he'd occupied for breakfast; apparently everyone did. With Wild-Wolf and his sister dining alone it meant that the rest of them were left to come up with their own arrangements. In addition to having his brother join him Sanmer was also at their table. Although the meeting room was the same there were new additions to it: light weight dividers created by some kind of hide or leather on wooden frames. The two Wolves were elsewhere beyond view or hearing but every now and again Gift-of-the-Earth caught occasional hints of speech from tables beyond their own.

While little glimpses of discussions others shared were just barely audible the fact that they were spoken in the Stone Tribe tongue made them harder to decipher so he didn't try; the vast majority of his attention was taken up by his tablemates. His brother was going into great detail about the errands he and the Fox had run during the day, explaining the silliness of a Lion named Tailor taking measurements for clothing. Gift-of-the-Earth understood the importance of such measurements having had numerous interactions with Stone Tribes traders but he didn't see the need to disrupt his brother's story for the sake of education.

Only once his brother was done sharing the new experiences of the day did Gift-of-the-Earth bother focusing on a more important topic, selecting Sanmer to field his question. "Tell me: what is involved with tomorrow, Sanmer-hama?"

The Fox shrugged, scooping up a spoon of peas to feed to Roaring-Flood. "Dunno... never been to a royal sibling squabble."

The Brown Bear scowled. "That is not very helpful."

Sanmer shrugged again. "Sorry... this kinda thing isn't really my area of expertise, but the Princess said if everything goes well then I don't have to worry about the guards, the scholars don't have to worry about the University, and you guys won't have to worry about your tribes being attacked by the Church or some foreign power."

It was obvious from Roaring-Flood's expression that he didn't follow much of the conversation but Gift-of-the-Earth understood the majority of it (despite being unfamiliar with a few words). He was about to ask another question but the Fox stalled him by digging around in a pouch. "Oh yea! I almost forgot!"

Gift-of-the-Earth waited patiently as Sanmer pulled out a small envelope and handed it to him. Rather than ask what it was the Bear chose to find out on his own. He opened the paper pouch and froze when he looked at a piece of paper with a perfect image drawn onto it depicting himself, his brother, Sanmer, and Metal-Eyes. He recognized it immediately. "This was the day in Newport."

The Fox nodded. "I got a copy made for you... for... you know... sentimental reasons."

Gift-of-the-Earth wasn't familiar with the word 'sentimental', but he didn't need any excuse; there was something special about what their fallen Shaman had wanted them to experience and what he left them with was unlike anything the jeweler bear had ever seen before.

* * * * * *

Runs-on-Air was used to awakening with the dawn but that was usually due to a combination of light shining into his face from the open tent flap of his dwelling and the sounds of the camp rousing to start morning activities. Ever since coming to the Stone Tribe village the young Buck found himself more often than not sleeping in. The morning of what he'd heard others call 'the meeting' was upon him and he found that he was up much closer to his usual time which meant that he had time to watch Rhys sleep.

There had been many times in his life when he'd heard from very reliable sources that the Stone Tribe were complex in action, thought, and deed but he never truly had the opportunity to realize just how big the difference between them and The People until he traveled with them; Rhys was no exception. Although a Man of Symbol, the Rat was easily approachable and did not try to turn every conversation into one of the mysterious being known alternately as 'God', 'Heavenly Father', and 'Lord'.

Yet there were the things he had come to expect from one of the Stone Tribe: he was closed off at times; he was hesitant to discuss his desires feelings and needs; he was distant when he should have been close... then again, he was none of those things the previous night. They had been graced with enough time alone before bed that Runs-on-Air was able to touch on a much more intimate, much closer interaction than simply laying in the same bed... and it had been wonderful. Wild-Wolf had told him when they were younger that many of the Stone-Tribe were particularly unrestrained in such encounters because of how reserved they had to be at other times; judging from the almost feral sounds he managed to harvest from the Rat there must have been some truth to that.

The Buck's ears perked when he heard a change in Rhys' breath and he drew back so as not to have his face hovering over the Rat's before the rodent's eyes opened. The Rat nevertheless looked toward him, a smile coming easily to his lips. "Good morning."

Runs-on-Air leaned forward and brushed his muzzle across Rhys'. It wasn't a kiss-- not entirely; he realized that the Rat still scared easy. For his own greeting he chose the language of The People. "Oani, Eyara."

Rhys let out a sleepy giggle. "One of these days I'll figure out all of your strange words."

The Buck smiled. "I learn your words... you can learn mine."

The Rat's next move caught Runs-on-Air by surprise as Rhys' paw came up to grab the back of his head and pull him in for a proper kiss. It was one of the most forwardly intimate things he had experienced from his Eyara yet and that meant it was progress. The Rat's next words were even more direct despite their vague implication. "We don't have to meet up with everyone else for another hour..."

* * * * * *

Theo had gone to sleep knowing that nothing the following day would be straight-forward or simple and he awoke that morning with the same mindset. It had taken forever for him to get to sleep and the moment he opened his eyes the same busy-brain thoughts returned to him. It was hard to believe how much his understanding of the world had changed in the several weeks since the explosion in Newport and how many aspects of his life would be altered in ways he had not thought possible.

The Ermine's mind was awash with all aspects of the chaotic time. Leaving the University was not his idea and he had been forced to suffer through the embarrassing release from duty. Theo had put up with attempts on his life, assault, the rigors of traveling by foot, and had discovered along with his companions a clandestine organization bent on controlling the world from the shadows. Yet, for all of that it couldn't completely eclipse the good. Evelyn was alive and she had a son-- his nephew! He had spent time among the Tribals (in more ways than one) and had seen far more of Lehsunia than he might have had he stayed within the University. He had even met two of the royal heirs!

Theo had always been an ardent supporter of Princess Noriene Sandoval as the rightful heir apparent; she was the best choice for Lehsunia and the logical decision would be to make her queen. The Church held too much power over the country as it was and as the Princess had said Prince Regent Thaddius Rex would be too easily manipulated by them. He also knew that the meeting the heirs would share in the scant few hours after dawn was important; the troubles in Lehsunia had the capacity to grow much worse if a resolution was not found. The Princess was a scholar like he was and that meant she had the knowledge and intelligence required to rule.

He was also insightful enough to realize that his opinion meant little in the scheme of things and he reminded himself of that fact again as he put on his freshly laundered traveling clothing. It had been weeks since he'd last had the opportunity to enjoy the feel of truly clean clothes and he reveled in it as he dressed. Added to his belongings was a University Robe and the Academic Stole of Water Science; his own had been taken to him when he was sent on a sabbatical but the Princess was apparently very well prepared. He donned his robes with reverence, reveling in the fact that he again had the opportunity to wear them; Theo also didn't miss the fact that the Stole had three knots at both ends, signifying the rank of a Professor rather than a Scholar.

After such a long time barely scraping by and narrowly avoiding tragedy after tragedy the Ermine couldn't help but think that life was moving in an upward trajectory; the thought worried him. Perhaps it was the part of him that was still holding onto the cautious nature of a recently released University instructor or maybe it was an echo of the hesitant young runaway who could only hope that there was something better 'out there' than what he was facing at home. Regardless of the reason, Theo was a mix of trepidation and optimism as he stepped out of his room both eager and fearful of what awaited him later in the day.

* * * * * *

Brother Rhys lay on the comfortable mattress staring up at the ceiling feeling both relaxed and ill-at-ease at the same time. Runs-on-Air was laying beside him, chest on the Rat's stomach as they challenged the clock's passage by staying where they were late into the morning. Brother Rhys would normally have been up much earlier, dressed, and partaking of morning prayer after breakfast and yet for some reason he was still in bed. No, he reminded himself, it wasn't some generic reason, it was specific-- and that reason was draped across him.

The Rat had always prided himself of his take-charge attitude but that did not normally extend to the bedroom... certainly not in the invitational way he took with Runs-on-Air that morning... and NEVER right after having been so similarly engaged the prior night. It was a strange feeling, and all the more disturbing because it wasn't entirely an unpleasant thought. Rhys had not willingly found himself in any romantic entanglement since leaving Graddin and yet the Buck had a certain effect on him that he had not encountered before.

Runs-on-Air's relaxed breath tickled his ribs before the Buck shifted his place in bed, sprawling his body out across the Rat's leg, hip, and stomach, resting his head right on the Rat's sternum so he could gaze up at him and spoke his next words in the Tribal Tongue. "Lon seiba homin cil shi o deif ih naha."

Brother Rhys thought for a moment trying to put together the words. "Something about Sun and eye? That's all I heard."

The Buck slowly withdrew, sitting up on his knees as he pulled the Rat up to a sitting position as he went. "Sun crosses sky even if eye is closed."

Smirking, the Priest leaned forward and brushed his cheek across the Buck's. "Basically you're saying that we can't stay in bed forever."

Runs-on-Air smiled back. "It is what The People say when person sleeps late in day."

Brother Rhys nodded, finding that he liked the almost poetic phrase chastisement; it reminded him of more than a few passages from certain divine texts. "Oversleeping. When someone sleeps a lot we call it 'oversleeping'."

The Buck slipped out of bed, pulling the Rat with him. "Then we no oversleeping. We start our day late but not too late."

Rhys looked his naked lover up and down, wondering that he felt certain stirrings within him that should have been put to rest after a night and early morning of lovemaking. Perhaps it had to do with Runs-on-Air's perfect body or maybe it was his refreshing outlook and pleasant bearing... or his skill with--

His thoughts were interrupted by the Buck's declaration. "Tonight, Eyara... now we get ready for the day."

The Rat didn't realize that his body was already responding to his thoughts and the good view; his ears burned with a blush. Tonight? He would be able to wait. The fact that Runs-on-Air gave him something worth waiting for-- that was just one more thing for the list. The Priest went about his morning activities, whistling to himself. Despite the past-and-pending chaos life was still good.

* * * * * *

Sanmer rarely had a reason to dress someone else very often in life so it was a special treat getting to show Roaring-Flood how to put on Lehsunian clothing; there was a moment of sadistic enjoyment in seeing how much trouble the poor huge Tribal had dealing with all of it. As it turned out: lots... a whole mess of lots.

"It broke."

The Bear's simplified answer as to why he wasn't wearing his left shoe didn't go very far into detail but it did technically explain why he was only wearing one. Sanmer honestly thought after all the difficulty of getting the enormous Tribal into his pair of slacks that his Ursine companion would be able to handle the simple task of putting on socks and shoes while the Fox saw to his own 'accoutrements' but he had overestimated a routine he himself had been doing himself since he was a little kit. Holding a paw out for the evidence of destruction Sanmer had to ask "What broke exactly, big guy?"

Roaring-Flood's answer was in the form of the hard leather boot over twice the size of those the Fox wore placed right into Sanmer's paw; the lacing for tightening had apparently snapped. Sanmer spent a moment inspecting the boot before he tugged the cord, carefully readjusting the length of braided leather so as to make up for the ten inches the bear had torn off of it. "Okay... we'll try it again and I'll tie em for you."

The Bear made a face. "It broke."

Sanmer rolled his eyes; the Bear was acting just like a little cub. "I fixed it. You can wear it now. Come on-- gimme your foot."

Roaring-Flood reached down and grabbed hold of laces on his left boot with a claw. Using scarcely any effort he tore a section of leather strip off of that boot as well. Sanmer realized at that point that the first casualty of finery was not an accident, especially when the Bear announced "This one broken now too. Better to not have."

In as even a tone as he could manage the Fox addressed the bear, not even bothering to hide the fact that his ears had fallen back to his skull in frustration. "I take it you'd prefer to go to the ceremony without any boots."

The big Bear crossed his arms over his chest. "Feet don't break."

Sighing, the Fox shrugged. "Well... at least you're wearing everything else... I suppose they won't be THAT mad."

Roaring-Flood let out an affirmative snort and about-faced, heading out into their main room. Only then did Sanmer realize that a decent-sized rip had appeared in the back of the Bear's trousers to allow room for his tail to poke out. Sighing, he stopped caring and followed after the Tribal. "Oh well-- more attention off of me."

* * * * * *

Princess Noriene dressed alone; she had not prepared for any major social function by herself in nearly ten years. Then again, she'd had her handmaiden. The first twenty minutes of the two hour procedure was spent crying, sobbing silently once she had the time to actually sit down and realize what she had lost-- what had been taken from her. Life was not easy; she had known as much but she had trouble coming to grips with how much she could be forced to pay before everything was finally set right. In the end she focused on that one thought: it WOULD be set right.

Once she recovered the Wolf spent another ten minutes staring at herself in the mirror, talking to herself, reminding herself what was at stake and that such breakdowns were not becoming of one in her position; she could not afford to be weak, not with everything so close. No... the plan would move forward. She would meet with her brothers at the Overlook. It was close enough to the castle to make it easy for her brother's handlers to move him but far enough away that it could be considered common ground. They would meet and they would resolve the argument once and for all. She finally began adorning herself with jewelry.

She had no delusions about the Church willingly surrendering control of Lehsunia; Thaddius was their best chance at getting the nation in a stranglehold but Noriene had the ability to see a greater distance, think in broader scope and plan further into the future than the closed-minded, tradition-following, calcified, stuffy clergy. Despite the fact that the Mechanists had made inroads among the faithful in Lehsunia she was unwilling to think that the Church controlling the throne would be a good thing... especially not after they had kicked her to the curb and attempted to kill her... even going so far as to infiltrate the University so as to have another weapon against her.

She snorted at her own image. "They thought controlling Thaddius made you redundant, did they? It's time to show them how wrong they are."

Her father's family had ruled Lehsunia for generations. In her flowed the blood of royalty and nobility. She came from the liege lord of the kingdom and her mother's line was the greatest in the White North. The mongrel children of a fallen 'divine' race had chosen to make a power grab in her father's kingdom by keeping her mentally unstable older brother as a puppet ruler. She checked her elbow-length gloves, smoothing them out before carefully putting on one, then the other.

The Church was responsible for her mother's death. The Mechanists were responsible for her fall from grace and the death of her handmaiden. The Mechanists and the Church were united in Lehsunia which meant that meeting with her brothers put her in the crosshairs of her two greatest enemies. Despite everything that had happened to her, everything that had been taken from her, and everything yet to come the Princess was not afraid; a sense of calm certainty overcame her as she started to ready herself.

She left the fur dye around her eyes for last and she completed her ensemble as if applying war paint. Standing, Princess Noriene Sandoval, Princess of Lehsunia and Noblelady of Soyria rose with all of the noble bearing that her position, lineage, and bloodline granted her. Her enemies were gathering at the Overlook. She locked eyes one more time with her reflection. "Best not to keep them waiting."

* * * * * *

Despite the fact that many of the men waiting to accompany him to the Overlook had originally traveled to Graddin with his sister, Prince Malcom did not mind their presence at all; the Bears he knew were members of the Valley Tribe and the Ermine wore the robes of a Water Professor. Despite how closely tied his sister was to the University he did not second-guess the Ermine's presence; Malcom had always been a good judge of character and he had no reason to doubt the professor's genuine bow and welcome. The Prince reached out a paw and straightened the scholar. "We are all equals in this endeavor, my friend. Save your bow for the coronation."

The White Fox lingering near the Bears had the kind of smile hinting that he was used to playing devil's advocate. "Pretty optimistic hoping for a quick fix today when this argument's been going on for months, isn't it, your Highness?"

Prince Malcom tugged nonchalantly at his sleeve; he'd occasionally found a reason to wear Lehsunian garb over the years but it was rarely his first choice. Based on the big Black Bear's special attention to the action the Wolf had a feeling that there was more than a passing degree of empathy in the massive Ursine. Addressing the Fox, Malcom offered a smile. "Despite my sister's optimism about a resolution I'm more inclined to follow your mindset. No, Sir Fox-- I do not expect any real answers regarding a monarch to come out of the discussion today. My purpose for being here is wholly about my brother's safety."

Brother Rhys had spent enough time with Prince Malcom to know about his reservations and he was diplomatic enough to elaborate for him. "It has been awhile since the Prince has been able to visit his brother."

Malcom nodded, motioning with a paw for the Priest to be at ease. "Yes... but more than that my sister has many accusations regarding his caretakers that need to be addressed. I will be most put-out if I find that even one of them has merit."

The Fox smirked. "That's a good way to put it... 'most put out'. I'd be 'most pissed off' myself but I guess that's just another one of those signs of upper class word choices."

The Ermine glanced around the gathering. "Where IS the Princess? The attendant told me to come down here but I thought she'd have joined us by now."

Malcom shook his head. "No. It wouldn't be proper for the Princess and I to travel together. She will likely be escorted by some of the men she hired separate from our party. I am curious however as to the whereabouts of the Dragon that had been with you. Is he not joining us?"

As if suddenly realizing Kesst's absence for the first time everyone looked around. The Prince didn't bother mentioning that he already knew that the Dragon would not be joining them... but he'd promised not to speak of it.

* * * * * *

Kesst hadn't had time to explain anything to his traveling companions when he fled from Graddin the previous night. He would have preferred to say nothing to anyone but he was surprised by Prince Malcom outside of town; the Prince was accompanied by his Wolf. A thousand excuses had run through the Dragon's head but none of them were needed; Prince Malcom had stepped aside and explained everything with a simple declaration. "Fulgaré told me what Wiesen meant to do."

One day previous Kesst would have no idea what the Prince meant but in the early hours of the morning as the two stood face-to-face on the road it had become all too clear to the Dragon. Kesst extended his talon and the Prince held out a paw. They gripped wrists and then each went their separate ways; Malcom returned to Graddin and Kesst started his long journey back to Newport to complete some unfinished business his creator had left behind.

Kesst's mind was awash with countless things he couldn't possibly have known and yet did. Wiesen had told him that a partial soul could only remain fettered to any given clockwork mechanism for a certain amount of time and then had to be reunited with its missing components. No, the entirety of it need not be rejoined but the vast majority had to become one again if it was to continue to exist. For dozens of lifetimes Wiesen had been forced to kill his own creations by consuming the essence of life that he had given them, replacing their existence with his own in their body.

His last 'child' was Sir Crook and that final 'murder' had broken him. He'd vowed never to do it again and so was punished by the Church... by his brother, Fulgaré. Despite the harsh punishment he refused to step into line but he had known that if he failed to rejoin the portions of his souls then both would die and so he set Kesst free and Kesst had run. It had taken decades for Wiesen to track him down but when he finally did the only possible resolution was for one of them to die. Kesst raised a talon up to his face and brushed away a tear that had found its way down his cheek; he was a clockwork Dragon that could cry. It made no less sense than a creation that had been allowed to exist because of the sacrifice of its creator.

Kesst had not traveled on the road between Graddin and Newport when he first arrived in Lehsunia; he had stayed to the wilds so as not to be seen. Yet again he did not take the road, but this time it was because he chose to fly. Tearing his cloak from his shoulders the Dragon released the latch on the mechanism provided to him by Julius Blackburn-- the late Julius Blackburn. Wings unfurling, Kesst pushed off of the ground, spreading his wings to their full extent, and took to the air. Such a short time ago he would have been afraid of being seen; he would have remained bound to the earth on penalty of being seen and hunted. He was no longer afraid because he was a new Dragon.

Thanks to his creator's sacrifice he was a FULL Dragon-- as full a Dragon as Fulgaré, or as any of the other half dozen members of the clergy who had some claim to 'The Lineage'. Wiesen had unfinished business in Newport which meant that Kesst had unfinished business in Newport so he was going to take the direct route. With the wind at his back he would make good time and, with luck, would be there by morning. Kesst was a Dragon. He was no longer hunted; Kesst was now, at long last the Hunter.