Elixirs and Echoes of Honor

They arrived back at the apothecary a bit later and Pyrrha went up to her room. The climb felt long and arduous to her, her lightheadedness only increasing with every step. She had forgotten how intense a task it was to take care of a Pegasus' hooves. She really needed to rest, but it was hard with how lightheaded she was now. She probably just should have asked Kali if she could stay in one of the family's bedrooms instead of having to make the long climb up to the seventh floor. She started to sway and the edges other vision darkened, her feet starting to give out beneath her. She braced herself for impact….but it didn't come. She felt a warmth envelop her and she blinked. It looked like a Pegasus but it was translucent and sparkled in the sunlight. It didn't feel like something that was real, but she had seen this before around the Sisterhood. The Hearthveil, a spirit helper that appeared at a person's most dire moment of need. She had seen them in the Sisterhood after her sisters had suffered some form of horrible trauma, often rape. It helped and comforted a person through their greatest need. She felt a stab of anger as she could have used one before this, but she was too tired. All she wanted to do was sleep and get some rest. She really had no energy left to be mad about a Hearth veil appearing now of all times. The glittery, silvery, translucent pegasus helped her up to her room and over to her bed. Once there. she flopped down and curled up with her pillow. She heard a soft boot and looked at the floor. Echo stood there, tail wagging. She put her paws on the edge of the mattress. It took a moment for Pyrrha to figure out what Echo wanted, but she nodded. “Okay." Echo hopped up in the bed with her and practically molded into Pyrrha's body. The extra warmth only increased her drowsiness and she drifted off. She feared what the nightmares held for her, but she needed to rest.

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Blake went outside to when she'd piled up the briers yesterday. Using her plantshaping, she could feel the sunfruit starting to push up through the earth. It would take time for them to be viable, but it was a good start. She poured magic into them to help them grow faster without pushing herself too much. Too much aether going through one's body could lead to exhaustion and other physical side effects. She really didn't want to risk the burn that came with overusing aether. Sunfruit were surprisingly hardy plants and they'd be overrun with them once the bees and butterflies started visiting later in spring. The Sanctum would be very grateful to receive them since they had such large flocks of pyre larks and aurora Swifts. She heard joyful tweeting above her and looked up. Sunveil and Arielle tweeted and tumbled in the morning sun. It brought a smile to her face. Arjun, her grandfather, had kept a large flock of auroraswifts while Blake had been growing up. She honestly missed the birds and their playful nature. They were brilliant colors that shimmered in the light as they flew. She was honestly glad to have them back in the house even if Pyrrha wasn't the most trilled about it. Caring for them had been a big part of Blake's childhood so it was nice to see them tumbling in the sky again. As it sensing her thoughts. Sunveil and Arielle tumbled, then dove toward her. She held her hands out and let them land. She kissed their heads. "It's good to have Auroraswifts in the house again. Did you two ever hear stories about Arjun?" Auroraswifts were able to pass down knowledge to their offspring like humans and Faunus could due to being touched by Rhyza. In captivity, they could also live up to thirty years which was a good, long life for an animal. She knew some of the ones her grandfather had raised were definitely still alive, but the names Sunveil and Arielle didn't sound familiar. Sunveil nodded and roused."We've heard stories from our warmwings and other featherkin about him. He was a good man; many in the flock were devastated when he gave them up to the Sanctum. It was the necessary thing as he couldn't keep them up and you were busy with the shop." Blake blinked and looked at Sunveil. "You know about me?" That was the last thing she had expected. She had helped her grandfather out with them a lot, but she hadn't known she'd made such an impression on the flock for them to have passed down stories abouther.She had only been a child at the time, but she had been very active in their care especially as he had gone downhill and found it harder to climb the stairs. The day of giving the flock up was such a sad memory for her because she had loved the birds so much. She had even raised babies by hand. Arielle nodded."Those born here remember you and Arjun with an extreme fondness. You were great caretakers and those raised by you miss you greatly." Blake sighed. "I miss them too. I remember Embryl, Solirien, and Sylira well." She had hand raised the entire clutch by hand under her grandfather's watchful eye. He had probably been one of Illyria's chief expert on auroraswifts until his death. He hadn't passed all of his knowledge onto Blake, but she knew enough she could probably still raise a baby if needed. "Though I imagine they've had their own clutches by now." They'd be about ten by now. so a third to halfway through their life by now. Auroraswifts only had clutches every two to three years, at least in captivity. Sunveil nodded."They all found flightbounds and have many sparkwings of their own."He preened his chest feathers a little."They would probably be willing to come back here as long as you let them bring their flightbounds." "No way would I separate a mated pair." Auroraswifts mated for life and grieved the loss of a mate deeply. She had seen it happen while helping her grandfather can for the binds. It was beyond devastating to see an auroraswift lose its mate. She could still hear the heart-rending cries from Lunithra after she'd seen Rhyel die in a hawk attack. Arjun had allowed the birds to fly freely and do as they pleased which had been a risk and nothing could protect the binds once they left the house. Those cries still echoed in her mind to this day. It was why she'd raised the clutch; Lunithra was too distraught over losing Rhyel to raise her chicks. So Blake had done it and bonded closely to those three. Sunveil nodded."Flightbourds wouldn't be happy to be separated like that. I'm sure the Aetherians at the Sanctum would be more than happy to let them come here. Though I'm not sure how well the girl would take to more of us being here."He turned around and preened a couple of tail feathers."She doesn't seem thrilled to have us around in the first place... Do you know why?" "No idea honestly. All I know is she was cast out of the pegasus knights for some reason. And she doesn't seem to have much love for the gods anymore." There was a time and a place for things but having just met somebody as deeply traumatised as Pyrrha wasn't the time or place to ask about her trauma. Pyrrha needed time torecover mentally and physically from her ordeal. Maybe she would come to trust Blake and her family in time,but expecting it so soon was foolish. She wished she knew why Pyrrha hated the gods. Maybe then she couldhelp Pyrrha heal her soul as well. But for now, all she could do was support her to the best of her ability. "She refused counsel at the Sanctuary of second Blessings." "Unusual."Sunveil looked at Blake, head cocked to the side. The bright purple mask around hiseyes reflected the light."I thought she of all people might want reassurance from Rhyza. Rhyza Himself told us tocome to her. We've known since late a few nights ago."He ran his beak over his bright pink primary feathers. Blake nodded. "It is unusual that Rhyza would tell you as well as send a Dawnsworn Retriever. I wonder if He knowsPyrrha's story or not." She sighed, ears flicking back. It was so strange that the gods were interfering in the life ofsomebody who wanted nothing to do with them. Normally, they would just leave the people alone. Why was Rhyza so intent on trying to offer Pyrrha help? And same with Heshia? Pyrrha seemed to think Heshia had abandoned her, but the deity had sent Blake a message to help their child. So much of this entire situation didn't make any sense. Surveil just tilted his head and raised a wing.“Only the gods know their own machinations." "Ain't that the truth? "Blake sighed and her ears fell. There was no real way to know what the gods werethinking. Why Heshia had allowed Pyrrha to be cast out of the Sisterhood in the first place was beyond both ofthem. Even the demigods were often beyond mortal ken due to them having been alive for so long. They understoodmortal choices more than the gods, but they were still closer to divine than mortal at this point. It was so hard to know how to handle any of this. "Want to come with me to the Sanctum to get my clutch?" Pyrrha was resting so she saw no reason she couldn't take Sunveil and Arielle. Sunveil bobbed his head and extended a wing."I see no reason not to." Blake nodded and motioned to her shoulders. The two birds fluttered to their new perches and she headedout to the barn. She got Symphony ready, then rode to the Sanctum. A young woman with blonde hair and purple eyes greeted her. "Oh hey, Blake. What's up?" Blake smiled. "Hey, Yang. Long time no see." They went pretty far back. Then again, it was hard to not know almost everyone in Hazel mere. They were the only apothecaries in the relatively small town, so most people bought their tinctures, tiansies, and other remedies through the Belladonna s. They also paid for convenience so they didn't have to gather or grow their own herbs. "You have access to the sacred birds, right?" Yang nodded. "I do. Why do you ask?" She tilted her head. Blake explained about Arjun and how she wanted to build her own aurora swift flock. "I miss having them inmy life; I remember how to take care of them and we have a huge sunfruit field. The only thing I'd need would be stargrains." She raised her hand to Sunveil and he lowered his head. She petted his gorgeous feathers that were glossy and shone in the sun. She could hardly believe how beautiful he was. She'd forgotten just howbeautiful auroraswifts were. She was glad to have them back in her life. A full flock probably wouldn't be possible,but a small one would be. Hearing their morning song and seeing their morning flight again would bring her immense. Yang frowned. "I'm not able to just give up sacred birds, Blake. I'm part-time Aeverian, but I'm not ableto make that sort of decision. You'll have to talk to Alana." Blake sighed. That was what she had been afraid of. So she nodded and motioned for Yang to lead the way. Yang did just that and led Blake to a woman's office. "Aevmaster Alana, someone needs to talk toyou. Do you have a minute to talk to her?" “Who is it?" "Blake Belladonna." "Yes, I'll speak to her." Yang looked at Blake and nodded. Blake slipped into the woman's office and sat in a chair. Sunveil and Arielle still on her shoulders. "Well, hello, Blake. It's been a long time since I've seen you. I was just a normal Aeverian when Arjun gave up his flock. What can I do for you?" Blake hesitated before explaining, "I'm not asking for his whole flock back or anything; I just want tohave my own small one with the clutch I raised." she wasn't trying to be unreasonable. It'd just be the birdsshe'd raised plus their mates. Auroraswifts were flock birds unlike owls and other raptors, so having morethan Sunveil and Arielle would help them feel more comfortable and less alone. All she wanted was for themto be happy and at ease. Alana tapped her chin. "It is a very unusual request and we normally wouldn't give up sacred birds likethis, but this isn't a typical situation. Your grandfather raised a number of these birds and many remember you. A couple pairs wouldn't hurt our numbers at all." She smiled. "Plus, Sunveil and Arielle would get lonely. I'll allow it." Blake breathed a sigh of relief, her ears drooping over. "thank you, Aevmaster." "Go tell Yang." Blake nodded and left the office, following Yang out to the auroraswift enclosure. "call out to them," Yang said. "Embryl! Solirien! Sylira!" Blake called loudly. To most people, the birds would all look the same. But she knew better. There were differences in the birds, albeit subtle. Different feather lengths. Differences in the purple masks. Slightly different eye colors. Facial features slightly askew. She couldn't pick out who most of the birds were as over a decade had elapsed since she'd last been in close proximity to the flock. But they were all unique in her eyes and she was glad to have grown up with such wonderful companions. Three birds flew up with three more trailing. Two were paired with the same sex with only being paired tothe opposite. Males had much brighter plumage while females were more pastel. It was definitely unique to seesame-sex pairings in the birds but not unheard of. She had seen it before but it wasn't entirely common. Tears filled her eyes. It'd been so long since she'd seen them. It felt like an entire lifetime hadpassed since she'd last seen them. She was so glad to see the little birds again. "Guys... It's good to see youagain. Mind introducing me?" she wanted to meet their chosen mates. It was almost like meeting her own children's partners. Was this how parents felt when their children got engaged and then married? Embryl nudged his male mate forward."This is Tiralen." Solirien nudged her female mate forward."This is Velyn." Sylira nudged her mate forward.“This is Cyrith." Blake smiled and wiped her tears away. "Tiralen, Velyn, and Cyrith... Nice to meet you all. I raised your mates from babies." She had nothing against the same-sex couples. By and large, they were accepted in Illyrian society. Same with non-conforming genders. There were opponents, though, as there were for everything. But considering that several of the gods didn't have defined gender, most people found it pretty easy to accept such nonconformity. "Do you think you'd like to come back home with me?" Embryl, Solirien, and Sylira all looked a bit stunned. No doubt they had gotten used to living at theSanctum. She wasn't sure if the other three had come from her grandfather's flock or were newer bloodfrom other Sanctums to keep in breeding from becoming a problem. She definitely didn't recognise them, butthey were incredibly well cared for due to how glossy their feathers were. Granted, any Sanctum worth their salt would treat their sacred birds well, lest they risk angering the gods themselves. However, the three of them bobbed their heads with vigor. Blake smiled. "You remember where the house is?" She couldn't really have eight birds perching on her while she rode back to the house. The house was one of the taller structures in town, so it shouldn't be too hard for them to find either. She wasn't sure if the new birds really left the enclosure beyond the occasional flight for an observance of some sort. Her trio bobbed their heads. "Good. Sunveil, Arielle, follow them." The pair looked at her, expression stricken, but they bobbed their heads as well. She left the enclosure with the eight birds and Yang, "Well, I guess I'll see you at some other point," Yangsaid to Blake. “I’m gonna need a fair amount of stargrains and sunfruit. Would you mind giving me some?" Blake asked. She looked at the birds. "You guys can go back. Just don't wake Pyrrha up, all right?" Her trio and their mates looked at Sunveil and Arielle who tweeted that they'd explain on the way. The eight birds fluttered in the air and took off into the sky. It was nice to see auroraswift flights again. It'd been far, far too long. It was going to be nice having them in the house again. Pyrrha may not be too thrilled, but Blake definitely was. She sighed and looked at Yang. "How's Ruby? "She asked. "Oh doing pretty well." Yang started walking and Blake followed. "She takes her responsibility as a town guard incredibly seriously. I'm just glad that Madame Soodeh allowed her to keep living with us on Sanctum grounds after she decided clergy life wasn't for her." Yang looked up at the sky. "I don't think many other Sanctum heads would be so gracious." "Is she flourishing as a guard instead of in clergy life? But was being a Flamekeeper of Vareya not enough for her or something?" Blake didn't often get a chance to talk to Yang like this often, so she hadn't really been aware that Ruby hadn't really clicked with being a Flamekeeper. It was the most combat-oriented position clergy could have. Blake knew Ruby loved combat and excelled at it. Was the role of Flamekeeper not enough for her? "She struggled with the ritual and liturgical aspects of the role. All she wanted was the combat part. She found the sitting still parts too hard and she just couldn't keep the liturgies memorised either. She wants to be active all the time and the routine patrols around town really settle her down. I would say she is flourishing." Blake smiled, her ears twitching slightly. "That's good to hear for sure. I'm glad she's flourishing. How's your mother?" Well, Summer wasn't Yang's birth mother, bat she had raised Yang. Blake didn't know the full story behind how long had wound up with Summer, but it was really none of her business. Yang had never volunteered the info so Blake wasn't going to ask. They were the same age, so it wasn't like Yang would even remember what had happened. Summer and Kali had had them spend a lot of time together as kids, but their busy adolescence and now adulthood had seen them drift apart. She was always glad when she got a chance to catch up, with Yang. “'Bout as crazy as ever." Yang chuckled and Blake's ears twitched. Summer served Aros the Trickster which spoke volumes about her personality. “She's having fun caring for the Myrren Jays. She's the only one that can ever get them to listen." Yang laughed and Blake smiled. Myrrens were in famous for being as tricky as crows and ravens while also having magical abilities that went beyond what the corvids could do. "So they haven't warmed up to anybody else, huh?" Granted. Most people didn't want to serve Aros. A deityof chaos, luck, and illusion wasn't exactly easy to serve. It took a special person to serve such a god. Summer was the perfect one for it, though; she seemed to thrive on making people second guess themselves as well as the unpredictability that Aros brought to the table. Yang shook her head with a chuckle. "A Myrren needs someone of quick wit, keen mind, and good humor to handle them just like with serving Aros. They won't accept somebody that can't handle being Aros' steward. She's one of the only ones here. Aros has specific requirements for who serves Them and few can meet up to those standards. There's a reason I'm a Flamekeeper of Vareya and not one of Aros' Minions." "That does make sense and it describes Summer well, I can only imagine what will happen if she passes before the flock accepts somebody else." Sacred birds could be fickle things, she'd learned. Being so connected to the gods instilled a certain level of fickleness into any animal like that. Pyrrha and Nendia were close, but she was certain Nendia would leave Pyrrha were certain criteria met. She was glad Auroraswifts were among the lesser fickle sacred birds, but they could still be very quick to abandon a person if Rhyza told them to. Blake was devout, but even she could recognise the gods didn't follow mortal ways. Yang sighed. "Aros wouldn't let there not be an Aeverian taking care of Their birds. I know They will findsomebody to handle the flock before she dies. There's still time for a child or two to come up and be one of Aros' Minions. There are plenty of kids under the age of twelve that haven't had the Rite of Awakening yet." Blake nodded. "Fair point.The gods won't let their flocks go unattended." Aeverians were incredibly important to the function of any Sanctum. If Blake weren't so seton taking over her family business. she could see herself as an Aeverian. She truly enjoyed taking care of animals especially birds. Auroraswifts instilled a love of songbirds into her that would likely never go away. Marina preferred raptors due to her silvershadow owl being her familiar. "We'll have someone learning to care for the Myrren jays in due time. I have faith that Aros will find a newMinion to take care of the flock before too long. Mom will be glad when she can retire from being an Aeverian, though; she loves it, but it is a lot of work." Blake nodded. "It really is." Raising her clutch had been a lot of work even with Arjun watching over her andguiding her along. Keeping such young baby birds alive was hard and had taken a physical toll on her. They had needed to be fed every few hours around the clock. She was in charge of them, though Arjun had helped her makesure she didn't kill the babies through aspiration. It had been a hard but rewarding experience…and now she wouldget her babies back. She hoped they wouldn't miss the larger flock too much." They fell silent until they reached the storehouse for the flocks' food. Yang went over and grabbed a sackof stargrains as well as a few sunfruit. "Will you be able to carry this all the way back to Symphony?" "...Good point," They left the storehouse and Blake reached out to Symphony with her mind. It took a few minutes for the blue roan mare to get there, but she did.Yang put the stargrains and the sun fruit in the saddlebags and grinned at Blake. "Well, don't be astranger, Blake. Drop by whenever. I'd love to catch up more." Blake mounted Symphony and nodded. "Yeah, This was fun. We'll have to meet up more often. Thanks for the help." Yang continued to grin and waved to Blake. Blake returned the wave and clucked Symphony into a jog. No need to rush off really. But she was happy with the turn of events. With a swish of her tail, Symphony set off from the sanctum and back home.