Elixirs and Echoes of Honor

Sorry for the shorter chapter; I ended this at the point where it felt like it ended.

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The next thing that Pyrrha knew was exuberant singing. Her eyes cracked open as the song started and she looked around. Arielle and Sunveil swooped around the room, singing a joyful song. Kali had warned her about this but she hadn't expected it to quite be so loud. The two birds flew in circles near one of the windows and Pyrrha blinked. Did they want out? She could see the sun starting to barely creep above the horizon. This was a little earlier than she was used to waking up though not by much. She sighed and rolled out of bed. She poked around the windows, half groggy, until she found a latch and the birds flew out in a rash of frosty air. She closed the window immediately, letting the birds sing their song outside. She really didn't want to let too much cold in. She was sick to death of the cold after wandering through The whole winter. The room was pleasantly warm despite not having a fire going. There was a fireplace in the room but no wood. She would have to talk to the Belladonna's about having some wood brought up here so she could have afire. The rush of cool air had dropped the temperature in the room a bit, so she went back to the bed and curled up, shivering. She had dropped a lot of weight and staying warm was hard. She heard a soft whine from the side of The bed and looked down. Echo stood at the edge Then put her paws on the mattress, lifting herself up a bit. Pyrrha blinked. "You want up here?" That much she could ascertain but she couldn't figure out the reason. Echo nodded and Pyrrha moved aside. The dog laid right up against her and the temperature automatically climbed. "You're really warm…" Echo let out a whisper of a bark and wagged her tail. Regardless of the dog's motivations, Pyrrha closed her eyes and fell back into a doze. She hadn't slept this well in months. It was the first time she'd had a mattress and normal blankets. The ones she'd brought with her had worn out and left her only with her bedroll. Nights had been freezing since she'd left in fall and she had forgotten what this kind of warmth was like. She had really missed it... She had missed having a mattress, blankets, and a pillow. This felt like heaven right now and she didn't want to get up. Eventually, though, she heard a knock on the door. "Pyrrha, Mom's cooking breakfast. I know you're not eating a lot right now, but you need to eat something. We don't want you to starve." It was Blake's voice. She really didn't want to get up. She was warm and comfortable. It was the most comfortable she'd been in too long. And she really didn't want to eat... It felt like so much effort to go down the stairs all the way. The knocking became more insistent and Echo nudged her as well. She sighed and sat up, greeted by the cold room. She shivered. She really needed to get a fire going in here or at least take a warm bath. It would probably be warmer in the kitchen, so she supposed she might as well go down if only to get warm. She got out of bed and changed into fresh outfit and slipped on her boots. It felt odd to have fresh clothes and not her threadbare ones, bat she wasn't complaining; it just felt strange. Echo wagged her tail and let out a whisper of a bark again. "Let's go." She went to the door and opened it. Blake smiled at her warmly. They headed down to the main living area where most of Blake's family was gathered. Her wall of a father sat at the table, playing a board game with the younger kids. She didn't see the brother that had kicked up a fuss and her heart sank. “Am I preventing your brother from eating with all of you?" Blake sat down and she shook her head. "Ever since he turned sixteen and was given the choice, he's preferred to eat alone. He's just always been on the asocial side. Don't worry about it too much." She smiled at Pyrrha who gave a small nod. She still felt like she was coming between the family. Granted, her own family had been separated, at least from her recollections of them. She hadn't seen them since she was a child. The pegasus knights were really mainly for nobles with no land to inherit, shipped off to serve Heshia because they were inconvenient and would get in the way of the family's affairs. Kali placed a small plate of hearth cakes smeared with fireberry jam on them. They were small when compared to the ones that she served everyone else. "Remember, Pyrrha dear, if you can't eat every thing, you don't have to apologise. And if you want more, just let Me know. I have plenty of ash root stew left over. You can have as much as you want." This woman really was too kind... No wonder the family was so cohesive and pulled together. She was starting to wonder if she would get in their way at any point. She didn't want to be a burden to them at any point... They had told her to focus on healing, but she wanted to do something to help them in return somehow. "Okay. Thank you." The hearthcakes were something she'd only had a handful of times in the southeast corner of Illyria. Everything only grew in the area around Shadewrath Mountain which was rich in volcanic soils. They must have had a decent amount of wealth to be able to afford these ingredients. With that on her mind, she really didn't want to waste this particular meal. She cut into the hearth cakes and the nutty flavor of the embergrain flour and the sweet but slightly tangy flavor of the fireberry jam made her taste buds sing. It still felt strange to be eating a fully cooked meal, but she wouldn't complain. She was more than happy to eat something that wasn't a cold root. unseasoned fish, or a frosty plant. Sadly, her body only accepted a little over one and a half of the hearth cakes. She wanted to eat more so badly, but her stomach started to revolt. She didn't want to make herself vomit, so she reluctantly stopped. She'd been so focused on the food she hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation going on around her. She glanced at Kali who simply seemed to be listening Pleasantly. "Mrs. Belladonna—" "Call me Kali. Please." The woman spoke gently, but there was a firmness there that said she shouldn't contend the point. "But what is it, dear?" Pyrrha frowned. "What should I do today? I know you guys said I shouldn't worry about doing anything in the shop, but I feel like I should do [something] to repay you for Your kindness." She couldn't get over that she felt like she was taking advantage of them and their kindness. She wanted to do something in return for them. They were giving her room and board completely free of charge. She was lost without he knights and had no idea what to do with herself. She craved the structure that came with the Knights even if her heart hadn't ever been in the religious aspect of it all. "Well, if you want, you can come with me to the Sanctum to find Kaelen for Nendia's hooves. After that, how about I give you some money and you can go out on the town to get what you need? I have a couple golds and a fair few silvers you can use." Kati smiled pleasantly, but Pyrrha's eyes widened. "Are you sure?I know most commoners never see a gold in their life, let alone possess one. I don't want to take money from you when you're already feeding and housing me for nothing." Kali's generosity truly was something she'd never experienced before. Pyrrha was used to two golds every two weeks in the Knights and she'd had a lot saved up before leaving. Unfortunately, it had all been taken upon her guilty verdict as compensation to the knights for breaking the Covenant. She truly understood just how much a gold piece was worth. "Velora told me to keep them for turning the tides with a single hand for somebody someday." Kali continued to smile. Velora? She wasn't aligned with Rhyza? That felt counterintuitive to her. Kali was so warm and kind and gentle like the rays of the dawn. What could she have to do with Velora? It made no sense. “Are you sure...?" Pyrrha's voice quivered. "You could use the money for your family..." She didn't want to take such a large amount from them. "I'm positive. You've earned the sun's second blessing. You've suffered long enough. You were guided here for a reason. Let us take care of you." Kati paused. "Plus, it'll let you start to get to know the townsfolk. We won't force you to stay with us forever, but until you're stronger and can stay steady on your feet, you'll be here. The more you can integrate, the better." "Thank you. Your kindness is like finding warmth in a frost bloom." She couldn't thank them enough at all. To give her gold pieces when it wasn't necessary... She did have some basic necessities, but she really did have things she needed. Nendia's tack had seen better days. The boots from the Sanctuary of second Blessings didn't fit entirely properly, and the clothes only covered about two weeks' worth. She also needed heavier clothes for the cold weather. Yes, it was on its way out, but with as thin as she was, the cold went right through her. She at least needed a cloak sooner rather than later for when she went outside. "It's no trouble, dear. Ghira, Jordi, Selma, Shae, can I trust you to clean up breakfast while I take Pyrrha to find Kaelen?" "Yes. Mother, "the younger three intoned, though it was by no means enthused. "I'll make sure they clean up," Ghira said, an amused smile on his face and histone warm. Kali clapped her hands together and looked at Pyrrha with an enthusiastic smile. "Let's go then!"