Mana Wells

After the meal had finished, Jacob and Talia stuck around with Kurt.

"Really, he's staying," said Talia.

"What else am I supposed to do? What's your problem?"

"I dunno go bug Sara or something, and my problem with you is you're a Fire Clan brat that was my enemy my entire life."

"Stop it you two," said Kurt, "I'm not going to argue that Jacob can be a brat at times.."

"Hey!"

"But he's staying, you are swearing to my side."

"Sure the…umm what do you call yourselves?" said Jacob.

"Very good question," said Talia.

"Umm, I dunno, the pillar, the durchery…"

"No mean like the whole thing, you know Fire Clan, Hamlet, The Valentines. I'm supposed to bow to you and you don't know the name?"

"I've been busy, it's surprisingly never been an issue."

"Ohh can we name it?" Said Talia, never named a nation before."

"It doesn't work like that," said Kurt.

"Why not?" said Talia, "You really think Layla cares, it probably helps everything in the name having a proper name. I would think this would be proper for you."

"Like what?"

"I don't know if it can be simple, like…Waterfall Kingdom? Because of the river waterfall. Don't put me on the spot like that Kurt," said Talia.

"That's what you're doing to me."

"Well if you don't it's probably going to be called Layla's domain or The Fae Kingdom," said Talia.

"Both lame," said Jacob.

Harvey had found his way into the house and the conversation, "Master!" And curled up towards Kurt.

"I mean I'm sort of using Harvey as my mascot, you might have seen some of the goblins."

"Harvey Kingdom? Still lame," said Jacob.

"Not so easy is it?" said Kurt.

"Okay, maybe just the Capitol that usually ends up being the name."

"I mean the Ivy pillar, the well, the springs."

"Wellspring Falls," said Kurt, "I mean after the waterfall really."

"I actually kind of like it," said Talia, "Wellspring Kingdom, WellSpring Falls as the capital. And it plays on well, and well. Well, well, well," she giggled.

"Not very menacing," said Jacob.

"Not trying to be," said Kurt.

"But like Knights of Welspring."

They continued to discuss the matter but really no one could come up with much better options. The Wallspring Kingdom. Not the best but workable. At least Wellspring Falls felt right.

Harvey seemed to like it, because he figured out he was a Hydra. Jacob got to petting the creature and they seemed to enjoy each other's company.

"So what's up with the rooms at the ends of the hallways?" said Jacob.

"I don't really know, I questioned them for a while, this was apparently the Temple of Neptune, or his home at one point."

"Neptune?"

"Some dead god, you'd have to ask the goblins. Like the river is the first one to ever be here apparently," said Kurt, "whatever that really means?, you know how stories are. I've been meaning to look into it, I've just been busy."

"So what about me?" said Jacob, "I'm not exactly sure what I should be doing. I thought we were supposed to figure that out."

Generally, Kurt needed some help with some logistics, large movements of product, paying and buying things for the goblins and elves. But Jacob had never been the paperwork type of person, Kurt knew he wanted something a bit more active. "You can ask Sara, we also have the other outpost that could use someone watching over, there are also raiding parties to hunt food, or dangerous animals."

"I was actually hoping for something in a different direction," said Jacob.

"Ohh and what's that, I do need someone to help me with some logistics, a bunch of paperwork."

"Not that direction," said Jacob, "it's weird when I was training with the Fire Clan. I know it might now exactly sound like me, but the Fire Clan makes their own armor and when we were learning about making and mending it, I sort of felt right at home."

"You want to make armor."

"Well yeah, make a little blacksmithing too. I never thought of it before, but with the leatherwork I did, I think I could get really good at it, if I had some help and materials. Something about finishing it was much more rewarding than I imagined."

"Really?" said Kurt.

"I mean I also want to talk about some of those sword lessons you've been getting to, but people need these things, I mean quivers, saddles, bags, armor, belts," said Jacob.

"I wasn't expecting that from you."

"I wasn't expecting any of this from you."

"Well I can ask the elves for some introductions, I don't really know much about the process. The goblins have. Blacksmith as well, but the elves have more skill. You should still talk to Sara. I'm sure she has a list."

Jacob also started asking about a place of his own and where he could put it. Kurt really didn't care all that much, but told him he should take his time. If he was going to apprentice with the elves, Lurt didn't know what that actually entailed. So it might be better to wait a bit, or ask Sara if she could help him out.

Jacob then reminded Kurt, he couldn't just go to the Duchery like him, that either he, Sara, Layla, or Mary would have to take him. Arthur still wasn't able to because of some of the restrictions still in place, and Layla and Cindy would have to link.

Harvey had gotten bored with the conversation and went out to his little pen outside the house. Talia kept hinting that Jacob should leave them be for a little while. But it seemed that everything was starting to make a place.

Wellspring Falls is not the worst name. Better than Kurt Kingdom, or The Far Kingdom.

Kurt met with Layla after an hour or more with Talia, to ask if she was the one to close the gate, and the naming. She seemed not to care about the naming of the kingdom.

"I can't close other people's gates, not without a lot of work and a lot of time and one that size, a lot more than my own," said Layla, "even if I tried I would have been seen, you've seen me do it. I have no idea who closed it. I'm not even sure it's possible in the end."

"What are you saying?"

"The person who opened it, had to be the one to close it, it was opened before I was born. And how they did that, I have no idea, their gates are not exactly like mine, though they are very similar."

"So what now?"

"I'm not sure, it sort of puts a damper on my coronation plans, setting the rest free was supposed to be the moment, and it seems that's impossible. But they are not completely lost, we would have to make the journey ourselves on this side, which is a bit more troublesome. I'd hate to delay it but there are so many other things. We have to move from Lake Longbow, and the border crossing after that. Carl and the Valentine Clan."

"Plus we don't know what did it."

"Yes, that too, I'm going to send a couple of goblins to take a look and report back, no attacks, just information if we can get it, but that's going to take a while."

"Warlord Travis?"

"He insisted."