Chương 88: Gloomwood Squirt

Much to Squirt's annoyance, they did not camp in an earth tree clearing. Nope. Because instead, Titled Gloomwood swallowed their whole party in darkness, and brought them straight to the gods damned castle.

Yes, sure, it was a private area of the castle with nary a servant or attendant in sight, but it was still walls that Squirt would much rather never fucking see again — Cool, familiar tendrils stroked along her hands that were clenched on Mole's reins, her steed dancing in distress at the teleportation and her own irritation. The odd sensation of familiarity with something so foreign pulled her out of her exhausted irritation as she considered them. Anvanil leaned over towards her and murmured, "Should we…

dismount, Mystva?" Squirt scowled at the pink haired fey.

"You may make yourselves at home, Lord Anvanil, Lady Cirn, as my guests." Jul cleared his throat.

"Our uh, steeds should probably find a barn, Titled Gloomwood." A chuckle sounded as the shadows coalesced into the ancient that was Titled Gloomwood. Unlike any other shadowfell Squirt had even seen in passing, their expression was the closest to genuine emotion. Perhaps it was an effect of being a title holder for a millennium that they had learned to mask more believably.

"Dismount and I will send your mounts to the stables." With casual relief, everyone dismounted. Everyone except Squirt.

"Mystva?" asked Anvanil gently. She scowled, tension drawing her shoulders up to her ears, a stubborn jut to her chin. Zhadin appeared from the shadows at Mole's head, gently taking his reins in their hand and leading Squirt on the steed away from the group. The others were surprised when she didn't protest, simply remained in the saddle and refused to get down. Qzi grinned and began to saunter off after them when Jul stopped him with a hand on his chest and said, "Ah, maybe give them a minute, Qzi."

A murderous look entered the redcap's eyes. Despite the power disparity between them, Jul found himself shrinking back. As soon as he did, the redcap grinned and began whistling a jaunty tune, strolling casually down the hall after the other two. The rest looked to each other awkwardly as their steeds were swallowed by darkness and disappeared from the space. Titled Gloomwood gave them all an encouraging smile.

"Forgive me, but as my child has finally come home, I had desired the chance to speak with them. You will find rooms for each of you here. Food will be brought to the attached dining hall in short order. If you'll excuse me," and they disappeared into their own shadow before anyone could even process what had just happened. Squirt knew she was being stupid. She knew it. She did. She didn't care. She'd fucking missed Mole, and in that moment parting with him had been an impossible task.

Zhadin didn't comment, just led them down the hall to a simple looking door before leading them inside. Squirt barely registered that the room was large and comfortable, with a comfy pile of furs before a hearth, her eyes glued to the back of Mole's neck. She knew Pakos had followed them in, and seconds later she heard Qzi as he strolled in and shut the door behind him. Several long moments stretched between them, Squirt's tension so high her hands were beginning to shake, the reins digging into her palms.

Then tendrils began gentle caressing her hands. There it was again, that same familiarity. The absolute certainty that this was Zhadin. More tendrils joined, touching her legs, reaching for her cheeks, stroking her shoulders. Against her will, her grip loosened. Her shoulders eased back down. Zhadin themselves rose themselves up to be eye level with her, their hand reaching out and their fingers gently stroking her cheek. They said quietly, "I am sorry. My feelings are my own.

They made an assumption, and you suffered for it." Squirt narrowed her eyes at their solemn expression, somewhat perturbed by how sincere it looked.

"Fuck off." They tilted their head.

"You do not accept my apology?" The tension wound its way through her body again.

"No."

"Why?"

"Why, what do you mean why?"

"You are upset?"

"I'm not fucking upset and I didn't fucking suffer." She did, just no more than she might have before… before… she bared her teeth in a grimace, furious at a sudden influx of emotions. Mole danced under her feet at her agitation, and she was forced to calm herself, reaching out and petting his neck with a scowl.

"Do you wish to be alone?" She slowly came to a stop, her scowl softened by thought, her eyes fixed on the back of Mole's neck. She did want to be alone. She did. She also didn't. They waited patiently, watching the internal conflict play out across her face. When the tension began to ease from her again, their tendrils slowly stroked across her, more and more, until they could wrap around her small body to lift her from Mole's saddle and set her on the ground.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Surprising. She had thought they would have used the excuse to hold her. That is what she had prepared for, and now she found herself… Shifting from foot to foot, she buried the disappointment and scanned the room. They shifted and indicated a door.

"There is a bath beyond there with a water closet." Squirt nodded once tightly. Do you wish me to stay and make sure they don't send away the beast? It wasn't until the tension eased from her shoulders at his smiling question that she even realized that's what she had been waiting for them to do. She passed him her gratitude before turning and heading towards the bath.

Qzi followed her eagerly, which made her scowl because of course it was a relief that the redcap followed her into the baths in a castle, she absolutely wasn't scared shitless of encountering attendants, she wasn't grateful that he was coming in with her— Like the rest of this gloomy place, the bathroom was not a well-lit wonderland of shining crystals like in most noble quarters. Instead, it was a dimly lit comfort of cozy shadow.

She could see perfectly well, but the lighting was soft and warm, the air humid and smelling of comforting lavender and pine from the woods. The bath this time was sunk into the floor, not a tub brought into the space and filled with heated water. She scowled at it but stripped anyway. She would have rather had a cold stream for the familiarity of it, but this was certainly better than nothing.

The heated pool was big enough for their entire group to bath in at once, so she wasn't bothered in the least when Qzi and Zhadin both got in. The three of them scrubbed themselves clean in a comfortable silence broken only by quiet passing of soap or scrub brushes. Squirt cleaned every inch of dirt and grime from her body, lost to the process and swirling, nebulous thoughts with no real words behind them.

There were no corners for the attendants to hide behind in wait, no servants quietly replacing towels or cleaning the room in the background, only a small slit in the castle wall of a window to the outside where she could see the stars of the night sky. Dunking herself entirely to wash off the last of the soap, she stood again quickly, wiping the water from her eyes and finding herself staring blankly out the window. Still, no one interrupted them. No hidden doors to the servant's quarters opened.

She doubted they even had any. It wasn't a fast process, the way safety slowly seeped into her bones. It took several long moments for her to realize they were the only ones in the room. A quick check with Pakos revealed that he couldn't smell anyone and could find no hidden servant doors at all. They were alone. Safe. She didn't know how long she stared out the window at the night sky. As her sense of safety grew, tension gave way for weariness. A bone deep weariness.

A tendril brushed her cheek, and she wondered when her eyelids had grown so heavy. She shook it off and took the towel she had been handed, marveling for a moment over the simple pleasure of its quality. This was no worn rag or rough linen, but an absorbent fluff with a tender touch for her skin. Then she was handed a simple set of clothing to sleep in that weren't hers, but somehow seemed to fit, anyway.

She accepted it, too tired to argue when all her clothes were filthy, anyway, rubbing her eyes that were barely open. Damn the warmth of the water. It had sapped all remaining energy from her body. Strong arms scooped her, and she moved her palms from her eyes to stare tiredly at Qzi's somewhat nervous smile. That safety that had been slowly seeping into her bones snapped into place with such ferocity, she couldn't even summon the ire to scowl. No.

Far worse, she was suddenly keenly aware of how much she had missed the redcap. No, wait, she hadn't missed him, just the sense of safety he… he… Against her will, her arms wrapped around his neck, her cheek finding its way to his shoulder. At least, she told herself it was against her will. It wasn't because his smell wrapped around her and invited her in. It wasn't because his arms felt like home. And it most certainly was not because she had missed him. She was tired. That was all. Definitely.

By the time he had carried her over to the furs to lay between the deer and moon hound, she had fallen fast asleep. At a loss and panicking a little, he turned to Zhadin with the smallest whimper. Zhadin chuckled at the hapless redcap, helping to guide him down to lay against the deer. Then they nodded to him and murmured, "I will be back."

"Hey!" Qzi hissed, but Zhadin merely slipped into the shadows to their waiting parent.

"Zhan," they said in greeting, the equivalent to mom or dad. Here, in this tucked away section of the shadow plane, no one would overhear their words. They sighed with relief, letting their zhan's tendrils run over them in greeting.

"… I have chosen."

"I saw," they said with a wry smile.

"… they could have killed her." Their zhan shrugged.

"They would have killed you, first. No. Have faith in your choice. She is a clever one." Zhadin considered this and realized their zhan was right. A familiar sadness of processed grief entered their zhan's eyes. Hesitating, they asked, "You do not mind? Her color?" Their parent laughed, and Zhadin relaxed with a smile, glad for their parent's easy acceptance.

"Sometimes, my child, I forget how little you know of our home." They shook their head.

"My cousin would have kept her as a servant honestly and kept her well. Our culture is different and places more emphasis on equality. They would have known her struggles and sought to keep her from harm." They considered this.

"… and yet she ended them."

"Indeed she did, spectacularly if I might add. In all truth, my cousin unleashed from their prison had not crossed my mind as even possible. Had I crossed that boundary, I am not sure I would have won that fight." Zhadin nodded, having felt the incredible power themselves.

"Now. You owe me a story, my child. The last I saw you, you had been called to arms by the young Ranin to overthrow the king." Their lips twitched.

"It is a long story."

"I am excited to hear it."

"We will not have time for all the details. She will wake in approximately eight hours and be eager to return to the forest. Stone walls hold few pleasant memories." They nodded more solemnly.

"In this, I am not surprised. Color is given too much credence in these lands. Always has. They forget the origins."

"Origins?"

"All fey were created equal, my child. It is the fey themselves who created the disparities. Hammers cannot embroider, needles cannot smith." They paused, curious now.

"Zhan, do you know why there are no records of greenlings in the Capital?" They shook their head.

"There is much I will never know of the greater Fer'ich. I have never left my territory, not since I first took the title for myself. In truth, I was much perplexed by your letters when you mentioned the fact." They had expected as much.

"She will need much protecting." Their parent smiled, a knowing, nostalgic look to it.

"Indeed. Perhaps even the Whims have called on you for it."

"Of that, I have no doubt. I am not the only to feel the call in my heart."

"Oh?" They leaned forward.

"How about I start from when I arrived in Everwinter?" With a sigh, they said, "Very well. But I expect a visit every night until you leave my borders."

"As you wish, zhazha."

"Now, tell me of this pixie huntress that has captured your love." They laughed.

"Well, it all started back with a summons from Annabelle and a nosy redcap…"