Chương 78: Grove Wardens

Kiana took a deep breath, and stood with her hands on her hips. She did her best to maintain her typical calm composure, but at this moment, she couldn't help the big smile that came across her face as she looked at the results of her labor. At this point, the handful of agricultural plots she had started with were coming to full yield. A medley of vegetables and plants, supporting each other and growing in harmony. It was a sight she hadn't seen in years - since her and Kaelu left their homeland so long ago.

They had left their home hoping to bring this exact thing to the region along with Kaelu's unique timberwright abilities. Now, after all these years, their decision could finally pay off.

"I have to say - it's way more impressive seeing it than it was hearing you describe it." Kiana turned. Orion walked up nearby, examining the fields that had grown ahead of them.

"That's quite a compliment, coming from you," Kiana admitted.

"I spent my whole life trying to get the most out of this land, and all my hard work barely achieved enough for us to survive. If I had known techniques like this, we wouldn't have been near-starvation nearly as often."

"You're giving me too much credit. The Blackloam is what makes this possible here - and Nimbus does certainly make the process significantly easier." Nimbus chirped happily upon hearing her name. She was currently floating just beyond the middle of the nearest plot, spot-checking a particular area that apparently didn't have the required amount of moisture that Kiana had taught her to look for.

"Still, your farming technique will be the reason none of us are starving anytime soon. Now that we know it works, we can plan for a bigger area if the hamlet continues to grow."

"You say 'if' as though expansion weren't the obvious outcome." Orion didn't have a remark to give to that. Kiana's expression softened.

"With each new achievement, regular people become more interested," Kiana continued.

"Eventually, people will want to be here simply because it's a place of great opportunity to contribute in a positive way. My husband and I may have come first, but more have come, and more will continue to come."

"It would seem so," Orion sighed.

"You sound somewhat unhappy with that outcome."

"I never imagined life would turn into this," he admitted.

"Every week seems to bring about something new… something that typically involves my siblings having to go somewhere I can't follow." Kiana smiled.

"You worry about them a great deal, don't you?"

"It's hard not to after all these years. Aurelia always worked herself to death trying to contribute, and Roy often made things more difficult through his schemes. Now, he's off building a road, and Aurelia has headed off with Selene."

"You are all smart children," Kiana assured him.

"There is nothing wrong with worrying. I'm nervous about both of them as well, but we can't let that stop us from doing our part here at home." A moment of quiet passed over them as they stood staring over the agricultural plots. Kiana looked to Orion after he didn't give a response. While his expression remained stoic, there was a slight trembling in his posture that had not been there a moment ago. It was as if he was working to hold something within.

"I hope that doesn't come across as preachy," she immediately added.

"It is not my intention to make it sound like you're actual children." Orion shook his head.

"It's not that… When I was younger, there were many times my father would have to go somewhere that I could not follow. Perhaps it was a trip to Bellhaven he had to make privately, or simply certain work we were too young to be involved with. Whenever that happened, and I would complain, my mother would always say something very similar to what you just said now."

"Your mother sounds like she was a wise person."

"She was - as was my father," Orion's gaze seemed to drift off into the distance.

"Maybe that's part of what made it so surreal when they suddenly disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Kiana questioned.

"I was under the impression they died of natural causes."

"Everyone tends to assume that," Orion admitted.

"The reality is that we have no idea what happened to them. One day back when I was a teenager, they noted that they both needed to head into town to gather something important. They told me I was in charge until they returned…but they never did. As far as anyone's aware, they never even made it to Bellhaven. It's as if they simply disappeared from this world." Kiana's expression sobered.

"I'm sorry if I've brought forward a tough memory."

"No need to be. If anything, I'm appreciative of it. Aurelia got the least time with our parents out of the three of us, and you being here feels eerily close to what I imagine it would've been like to still have our mother around." The words struck Kiana with more force than she expected. Her and Kaelu had never been able to bear children, and if they could have, they likely would be around Aurelia's age. She did not show the emotion on her face, but she could not prevent the tears themselves from forming.

"I'm sorry if that's a bit much," Orion continued.

"Don't worry," Kiana wiped away her tears.

"Just know, I am very glad we found this place - and found your family. It has given me something far beyond simply a chance to grow these crops, and I know Kaelu would say the same if he didn't always feel the need to act gruff." Orion chuckled.

"We are glad you're here too. Many others will come, but I don't think it'll ever be the same as that first month when you both decided to check out our home."

"And look at what it's become," Kiana gestured.

"Maybe you're anxious, but I'm content to see where this hamlet of ours goes in the years to come." Something about the way Kiana said it seemed to strike both her and Orion. Ours. Kiana and Kaelu had long since established their place as part of their settlement. Feeding everyone and building these new structures would not be possible without them present. Still, there was something about saying it out loud that seemed to bring the journey to its proper current-day version.

And - apparently - it was more than them that took notice. [[Community Connection Finalized]] Before either of them could speak further, Golden Weave erupted from the ground underneath Kiana's feet. It generated wind, but it was gentle enough that it didn't cause any damage. Still, the golden light swirling in a helix around Kiana was unmistakable.

"What the hell!?" Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The yell came from nearby. Kiana turned to see Kaelu standing at a nearby construction site. Aegis and Rowan stood in awe as golden light swirled around his form in an identical way to hers. Both of them were enveloped in perfect unison, as if the System somehow knew about their marital connection.

"No way…" Orion's words were cut off by a sudden burst of wind. The pillars of Weave rising into the sky began to curve toward the ground - converging on the ground directly in-between the married pair. For several seconds, the Weave rapidly funnelled into that location, condensing into a familiar and unmistakable object. A dragon egg - which had immediately begun to hatch.

[[Drake Hatching: Grovewarden Drake]] What came out was potentially the tiniest drake that had ever hatched - just a hair smaller than Quill was. It was a light-green color and covered in living foliage, small blossoms, and twig-like growths. It looked as though a miniature grove had grown directly out of its body. It had delicate, translucent wings resembling flower petals, and it carried an almost weightless presence. With the drake's hatching, the spectacle finally ended.

The golden Weave diminished, and the wind died down after a few more moments. All that was left to show anything had transpired was the new drake itself, and the large crowd that had gathered around the commotion.

"Oh…" Kiana finally managed to speak.

"That did not happen on purpose…" She scanned the crowd's reaction. Most people were wide-eyed or awestruck, but there were a handful of exceptions. Uncle had a genuine smile, while Sevrin stood nearby with a look of displeasure. Lastly was Kindle, who seemed mostly neutral as he stepped forward from the crowd.

"Kindle," Orion called out as the boy approached.

"Do you know what it does?" Kindle stopped and knelt down next to the newly hatched drake. He held out a hand for inspection. After a few moments, the new drake hopped into his hand for him to pick up." She is a Grovewarden Drake," Kindle explained.

"Her abilities revolve around stabilizing and conserving nature. Ideally, we would give her a large plot of land nearby to manage. She would protect the plants and trees that grow there from being taken down. In return, she would provide the resources that we would typically want from said conserved land."

"Resources?" Kiana repeated.

"Like fruit from the fruit trees?"

"Yes. Crops from plants, herbs for medicine, and even lumber from trees. She would provide as much as she could, so long as it doesn't cause damage to the ecosystem itself."

"And if the conserved land doesn't produce something we need?"

"We bring it to her to add. If she can, she will oblige." The new drake chirped excitedly, seemingly pleased with Kindle's explanation.

"I see…" Sevrin stepped forward at this point. His expression had softened some, but the concern was still apparent on his face.

"So another new drake," he concluded.

"And it allows for Drakehaven to have a self-sustaining, self-harvesting forestry area?" Kindle gave him a flat glance.

"That is the essential ability, yes. You can happily report that it will not provide Drakehaven some absurd change to its military power or threat level." Kiana glanced toward Orion. He was watching Sevrin like an eagle, ensuring he did not do anything malicious in response to Kindle's somewhat insulting tone. Fortunately, Sevrin had no such intention. He simply sighed, seemingly filled with more tired than frustration.

"So it seems," he finally replied, almost sounding grateful. He then turned and walked away. He almost seemed eager to leave the situation before he overheard something that he would have to report with more urgency. Kiana couldn't help but smirk. She knew the siblings were incredibly weary of Sevrin - as they should be - but she had interacted with him during times he taught Talia or helped with crop harvesting.

He was certainly not a loyal ally, but he had grown more interested in seeing Drakehaven flourish as his stay became more and more extended.

"Given all that," Orion interjected.

"I believe that means we'll have to determine a nearby area that we can officially cordon off from future growth."

"Before you get too excited with all that," Kindle interjected.

"There is one other thing." Kindle proceeded to walk over to Kiana while the field watched. Once he stood in front of her, he extended his hands up to her, gesturing to hand off the little drake. Anxiety immediately overcame her as the little drake eyed her and chirped.

"Why are you handing it to me?" she questioned.

"Isn't it obvious? This one hatched because of you and your husband's bond. She is yours to care for, much like Zephyr for Talia or Quill for Roy."

"Our own familial drake? I don't know if we're prepared for that…"

"You'll do fine," Kindle spoke with zero assuredness, only factual certainty.

"You have always been kind to both Shale and Nimbus, and their personalities are much harder to sync up with." Nimbus gave an angry chirp from her station over the crop fields. Kindle ignored her, and pushed once more toward Kiana.

"You're the reason she's here," Kindle continued.

"You also should be the one to give her a name."

"Me? But Aurelia usually…"

"Aurelia is not available to give her a name." Kindle did not delve deeper than that. Sevrin was still close enough nearby where talking about the Ironvale visit would have been unwise. Kiana knew this, which made it more difficult to argue than usual.

"I guess," Kiana took the little drake in her hands, observing her up-close.

"How about… Inage'i?" Kindle's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Ee-nah-gay-ee?" Kiana nodded.

"That is the word our people would use to describe the forest and woodlands." She looked down at the little drake, who chirped quietly. Kiana smiled before continuing.

"Perhaps it's not as punchy as Aurelia's typical names, but I feel like it is fitting for this little one." The drake chirped affirmingly. There was no confirmation status window that appeared like the siblings had described to Kiana. Perhaps they were able to see it, but she did not have that privilege. Still, it felt as if the name was fully set in stone.

"Very well," Orion affirmed, looking toward Talia.

"You and I can survey the nearby land and pick out a fitting area. We don't want to pick something in the way of future growth, but we also want to make sure it's easily reachable and defensible." Talia nodded from where she watched nearby. She turned and headed off to prepare without another word. Kiana had noticed the shift in her persona ever since a few days ago when she had her near-death experience. It was understandable, but Kiana couldn't help but feel saddened by the change.

After a smaller amount of time, the rest of the crowd began to disperse and go about their business. Elias went back to his Obelisk, noting that a drake sounded like too much excitement for him. Regina seemed to carry a similar opinion, asking if everybody was going to receive a drake at some point.

"Unless it's going to cure my back pain, I'm not sure I want another little one to take care of." That was where Regina had left it before heading back to the warehouse. Lilly said very little, but seemed to file away the new anomaly amidst everything else she was learning about Drakehaven. Eventually, even Kindle and Orion went on their way. The only one left standing there was Kiana - as well as Kaelu, who had come closer once the crowds had departed.

"What do you think?" Kiana asked, smiling more openly.

"Our little piece of the community." Inage'i chirped delightedly in response, now floating around Kiana's shoulders rather than remaining seated. Kaelu looked at the little drake with a mixture of surprise and dread.

"I was already feeling like we were too drawn into this community," he commented gruffly.

"Now, it's as if their Weave is confirming we don't have a choice." Kiana sighed.

"You've always mistaken 'belonging' and 'trapped' as the same thing."

"They're often one and the same. What would happen if we wanted to leave this home?"

"That depends. Are you eager to do so?" Kaelu opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked at Kiana and her fields - he could see from her posture and expression that she was happier here than she'd been in a long time. He then turned to the buildings behind them. Almost all of them now had some portion of his craftsmanship as part of them. The final resting place of his gaze landed on the two-story workshop that would also serve as their permanent home outside of the Waystation.

"No - I suppose I am not."

"Better!" Kiana smiled.

"You can act gruff and distant all you want toward the kids, but don't think you're going to get away with that with me." Kaelu huffed.

"Doesn't mean I won't try."

"Whatever makes you feel better," Kiana placed a hand on his arm.

"I'll keep your little secret from Roy, at least."

"Please do." With that, Kiana gave him a brief kiss on the cheek before turning back to her agricultural duties. Kaelu looked shocked by the gesture. Kiana knew he did not like any public displays of affection, which meant she only did so when she couldn't contain herself.

"Thank you for finding us this home, my dear," Kiana smiled.

"Between our responsibilities and providing wisdom for the younger generation, I think we've finally found what we were looking for all those years ago when we left behind our old life."