Hope

"I suppose that makes sense," Irwyn blinked. Though he had some doubts. Mostly about why he was being told such a thing. Perhaps it was an extension of trust to show sincerity… or exposing a secret before Irwyn could figure it out himself - he might have eventually guessed that the Duchess’ so-called ‘obsession’ with children was a lie, though there was no telling anymore. It was hard to estimate how difficult a mystery was to solve once you already held the answer. Usually, he might have used the other person’s expression to look for clues, however, Avys was just… smiling. Ever since he had first entered the room, she had almost constantly maintained a perfect friendly and welcoming smile.

“But that’s enough about me,” Avys said after a moment. “What is more interesting now is you.”

“Of course,” Irwyn nodded. “Anything you want to know.”

“That is a dangerously broad permission to give!” Avys chuckled. “Though let’s start with something simple. You said you don’t remember your childhood, is that right?”

“Hmm?” Irwyn raised an eyebrow, surprised at the direction. But he had, in fact, mentioned that on a few occasions in front of Elizabeth - and by extension Dervish. “Yes. My memory basically starts when I met Old Crow and was brought in to the Tears.”

“Is there really nothing else though?” Avys questioned. “Not even a distant flash? A fragment of something half-forgotten ever stirred?”

“I do not think so,” Irwyn shook his head but took a moment to seriously think about it. But indeed, as far as he remembered there had really never been any sign of a 'before'. “No.”

“How strange,” Avys chuckled. “Do you not wonder who your parents might have been?”

“Whoever they are or were, I have been left an orphan,” Irwyn shrugged, answering honestly. “They are either long dead or not worth meeting.”

“Hmm, I think I like that outlook,” Avys hummed, seemingly thoughtful.

“Do you intend to dissect every minutia of Irwyn’s past, mother?” Elizabeth interrupted. “An hour by hour might take a while.”

“I would expect you to be more interested than me,” Avys raised an eyebrow by a small margin. “But if you insist on speed then we can skip on ahead. There was one thing that caught my attention after Abonisle, Irwyn: The healer who had taken care of you has noted that you have made a particularly fast recovery given your injuries. Have you always been fast healing?”

“I suppose,” Irwyn nodded. “I usually didn’t get into scrapes but the few times I got hurt I recovered quickly. Though I had the good luck of never being seriously wounded before Abonisle, at least as far as I can remember.”

“What about illnesses?”

“Yes, I don’t think I was ever ill either,” Irwyn nodded. Then hesitated. “Is that… normal? For mages I mean. I have gaps in my understanding that I seek to fill.”

“I wouldn’t say normal,” Avys inclined her head. “But it is not unheard of for talented mages to be immune to mundane sickness. Take Elizabeth for one. though she had struggled for years with an affliction it had been purely magical in nature. As far as I know, she never suffered a flu or a cold.”

“Perhaps that was because I rarely ever met anyone who could carry it, mother,” Elizabeth spat out. Irwyn was surprised by the surge in hostility. “Though I assume you at least know how few visitors I had during my youth.”

“87, when we exclude the maids,” Avys nodded, the number so specific Elizabeth seemed suddenly at a loss for words. “22 if we exclude the physicians. But that is that, not today’s topic. Tell me Irwyn, have you considered what part you will take in this Lich war?”

“No…” Irwyn said after a moment. It had not, in fact, really occurred to him. His thoughts had been occupied with other things.

“And you, Lizzy?”

“As if I have any choice in the matter,” she scoffed.

“Then, if you allow it,” Avys seemed to not mind the continuous hostility, “I would have you two join with the military.”

“I have nothing better to do than follow Elizabeth,” Irwyn glanced to the side at her. Elizabeth herself seemed to be biting her lower lip in either anger or frustration. He decided that she wouldn’t ask for more so had to do it himself. “Thought I wouldn’t mind more details about what this assignment would be.”

“I would have Lizzy assigned as a captain to lead a company. A rather normal arrangement with her blood right,” Avys nodded, looking at her daughter for a while, her eyes only returning to Irwyn when she received a slight nod. “Now, I will pretend to plan a seemingly ‘safe’ and meritorious assignment for you. Except you will not end up setting out on it. Instead, House Fathomsight and perhaps others will attempt to hijack the ‘easy’ assignment for their own people while also demanding you be stationed somewhere with no chance of accumulating significant merits – all that as part of the reparations my husband will offer them for the trick I pulled with your sentence.”

“Are such merits so important?” Irwyn asked, aware of his ignorance.

“Of course!” Avys smiled a bit wider. “After all, not claiming enough merit during a Lich war is downright suicidal for any mage’s political career! No one supports a perceived coward when they make a bid for an office of influence. They would be passed for promotions both within and without the military and their social status might even receive severe damage. Ostracization is a real danger.”

“Except Elizabeth has next to no political ambitions,” Irwyn glanced to the side again. She had mentioned such herself. “She pursues no career nor office.”

“And cares little for her social perception as she has next to no acquaintances among peers in the first place,” Avys nodded. “Oh, how woeful, the ‘revenge’ of House Fathomsight. It will surely set her back for years before they need to plan the next retaliation.”

“Are they that ignorant though,” Irwyn had to doubt.

“Blinded by tradition and Pride,” Avys nodded. “They cannot imagine someone who had stood up to them and humiliated them so having no political ambition whatsoever. At least those at the top of their House are like that. The funny thing about hubris is that it makes them deaf to those who advise them better. And do not forget they will be actively led to reach the conclusions I want them to.”

“It seems you have everything about me perfectly figured out then, mother.”

“But you will be quite busy before then,” Avys completely ignored Elizabeth's words this time.

“So you have already made yet more plans for us,” Elizabeth immediately concluded. “Funny how we were not involved in the process either this time.”

“A formal gathering - Exenn,” the Duchess did not react to the new jab either. “In two days’ time. As is traditional upon the declaration of a Lich war. The entirety of the Duchy’s nobility will attend, including most children. You should prepare. Most do not insist on formulaic etiquette but can be easy to insult.”

“We will be challenged to a pointless, boring fight by every dimwit wanting to suck up to House Fathomsight anyway,” Elizabeth replied.

“Yes. That doesn’t mean you must acquire new grudges through carelessness,” Avys said. “Moreover, you should keep care to not reveal your actual competence. A fraction should be enough to dominate your peers in battle.”

“We are not stupid, mother.”

“Even the wisest sage might require a reminder from time to time, Lizzy,” Avys sighed, barely not letting the smile slip. “To assume infallibility is inherently a fault.”

“Then thank you for restating the obvious,” Elizabeth grunted.

“I am sure we can figure out the exact details of how much to reveal in advance,” Irwyn moved to defuse the hostility by changing the topic. “Was there anything else, Your Ladyship?”

“Do Stars weep, Irwyn?” Avys immediately asked without missing a beat. Which caught Irwyn rather off guard considering he had just been solely focusing on de-escalating. Unbidden, the WEEPING STAR flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed the thought. In the first place, he had no idea what that was actually about. He was unsure what he would have answered if he had been asked about the impossible mark directly but decided, in the heat of the moment, that in this indirect case he would rather not elaborate on it to Avys.

“I wouldn’t know, You Ladyship,” so he instead carefully answered. “I have not had the pleasure of meeting any.”

“Then…” Avys clapped her hands… Except in that exact moment they should have touched something happened, interrupting her mid sentence.

In a surprisingly long instant, Irwyn felt magic reach down to him, or at least he thought it was magic because he could not feel any mana or spell work but could feel the concept behind it. Like a clock that wasn’t, ticking away seconds that never happened. And into it, he sunk, an endless moment consuming him from skin and then delving down, down, down. It felt strange as it climbed inside, deeper and deeper. Into flesh and bone, then beneath the corporeal, encroaching upon Irwyn’s very essence.

And there it found a shining Star. Nascent, weak, brittle, but a Star nonetheless. And it writhed and resisted being bound. Where Irwyn’s body had succumbed in a mere instant, his soul resisted, refusing to bend. Then the unending moment abruptly ended.

The result was a strange juxtaposition. Irwyn could not move. But his mind was still there, present behind the eyes which would not blink nor dry. His thoughts were much much slower, though still enough to focus on one thing fully while the magic already in his Vessel seemed to be dormant - not just refusing to move but not reacting at all to any attempts to use it, as if it weren’t there. Summoning any more from his reservoir proved futile as well: He summoned it into the so-called ‘Funnel’ that would pour it into the Vessel without issue but it could seemingly not pass any mana on whatsoever. As if he was trying to walk through a solid wall.

“What are you doing?” Irwyn heard Elizabeth’s voice but it was… distorted. He could understand the words clearly and yet they didn’t quite sound right - though Irwyn could not point out exactly what caused that feeling in the first place.

“Just a bit of Time magic, so we could speak in private,” Avys’ smile finally slipped as she sighed deeply, weariness almost physically seeping into the sound. From the constant amicable grin, her visage turned into something between a frown of tiredness and disappointment. “You are being too hostile, Lizzy.”

“Not a bit more than you deserve,” Elizabeth shot back, gritting her teeth as if she wished to instead be spitting venom.

“No, I do think it is quite a bit more than I deserve,” Avys shook her head, then fixed Elizabeth with a stern gaze. “I have no delusions that I have been a perfect mother, but you make it sound like I hurt and abused you. That is not the case even under harsh interpretation.”

“You have manipulated me since young,” Elizabeth accused.

“As any responsible parent should,” Avys nodded. “Or do you think it’s a coincidence that you and all your siblings are so flawlessly hardworking? That almost none of you have so much as a single severe bad habit? No insurmountable flaws in your personality, not one developmental flaw. Even if you begrudge me the effort, do not deny the labor of years.”

“You talk as if you had been there for me all along,” Elizabeth’s lips thinned. “But how many times have we seen each other when I was young? How many times have you met with me like this before my talent became apparent? When I was sick, you rarely bothered to so much as convey encouragement.”

“Then perhaps you would prefer to be the daughter of farmers?” Avys raised an eyebrow. “Tolling the fields from such a young age your body fails to properly develop, irreversibly stunting muscle and bone. Living in the same dirty hut with one room for the three generations of your bloodline, so constantly close to your whole family as you spent your days together in backbreaking labor or rationing what little food is left after taxes. Would you prefer that then?”

“You are diverting from the topic.”

“Am I?” Avys inclined her head. “You are the daughter of House Blackburg. With all the good and the bad that entails. I have spent the last 40 years fighting a war the other side cannot be allowed to discover. Yes, Lizzy, I did not have the time to personally raise you nor any of your siblings for the most part but I have done everything I could every step of the way. I am just one woman, there is a limit to what I can bear to do.”

“Liar,” Elizabeth scoffed. “The great Avys von Blackburg, beguiling a whole nation with a wave of her hand but couldn’t find the time to visit me once a year? I am no longer that gullible, mother.”

“I cannot change your mind at this point, I see,” Avys sighed. “So I will not ask you to. All I want you from you is to stop poisoning the well.”

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth shrugged.

“Don’t play obtuse with me,” Avys stared her down for a moment. “What do you think happens if you actually convince Irwyn that I am some great evil that needs to die for you to have a future?”

“That is extreme,” Elizabeth paused.

“The way you have been acting could be easily interpreted that way,” Avys sighed again, shaking her head. “So, I will reiterate it. For all I care, never speak my name again. Quietly spite me for who I have always been. Go on and become the kind of mage no one but a Lich would ever willingly fight if you can manage it. Until you feel out of my ‘horrible’ and ‘malicious’ influence. But Stop. Poisoning. The. Well… Understood?”

“Yes…”

“Thank you,” Avys nodded. “You know my bottom lines Lizzy. Make sure they aren’t crossed and I will support you, no matter what you choose to do with your life in the end. All right, get back into position.”

“I am going to tell him,” Elizabeth immediately said.

“You are welcome to,” Avys raised an eyebrow again. “But unfreezing to radically different surroundings can be distressing. Of course, if you think spiting me is worth that, be my guest,” after that, Elizabeth did get into most likely the same position she had been in before Irwyn had been ‘frozen’ though he hadn’t been looking at her. Avys on the other hand managed to plaster the exact same smile on her face and moved to clap her hands together. It was difficult to tell but Irwyn would bet that had he actually been frozen he wouldn’t have noticed anything strange.

“...that will be all,” Avys finished her clap. “It has been lovely making your acquaintance but I am quite busy. You are both dismissed.”

“Your Ladyship,” Irwyn bowed his head, making sure nothing showed on his face before both he and Elizabeth took their leave. He wondered if the Duchess noticed the slight shake of his hands.