~Serana⚜️

"They're having a what?" I exclaim tripping over my own feet as I fight to get both legs through my shorts and dash to the open bathroom door. I barely manage to catch myself from slamming face first into the doorframe as I finish pulling my shorts up and lean haphazardly on the frame with a little too much of my balance going into the washroom. "Who's having a what now?!"

Mira is watching me through the mirror with her whole frame shaking as she tries to not spit out her tooth paste. I huff impatiently as I wait for the paler woman to stop laughing long enough to spit out the toothpaste and tell me what she was trying to a second ago.

Gravity rears it's ugly head before Mira gets herself under control and I take I dive for the floor. I'm not above admitting I let out a startled shriek and lightly flailed as I righted myself.

I stand back up straight to see laughter dancing around in the other woman's eyes as she whipped her mouth on a small towel. "I said Katal and Selina are having a baby." She repeats setting the towel down before making her way toward the door.

"That's what I thought you said." I supply trying to give myself more time to soak in the information so I could respond coherently.

There was a gentle chuckle from the queen as she slid past me to go get dressed.

By the time I've oriented myself and turned around to continue our conversation Mira is already pulling on her favorite short and top set that hooked together weird. "Selina's going to make a great nani." I comment walking close enough to the bed to flop down on the end of it. "Katal's going to send herself into an early grave, or more likely someone else. Definitely someone else when she gets older." I furrow my brows with a frown as I nod to myself, thinking out loud.

Mira laughs whole heartedly at my assessment of the two as future parents. "You're probably not wrong." She agrees leaning down to brush a chaste kiss across my lips before continuing to the door.

My expression clears as I track her frame to the door. "Where are you off to?" I ask curiously. We weren't exactly allowed to leave the room much with the black rot situation.

"Oh right, I didn't tell you." There was a note of hesitation to her voice as she turned around and I could see the tinge of anxiety she was trying to hide behind her queenly mask. Oh no, what happened?

Dread starts clawing at my throat as the taller woman walks back over to kneel in front of me. "Yesterday while you were sleeping I went to go interrogate Avar." She states matter of factly.

I nod once to confirm and prompt her to continue. She nods to herself and drops her gaze to her hands covering my own resting in my lap. "I have an idea on how to get your nani back." She paused again and looked up to meet my eye. "And it involves Avar. Well, more specifically his wings."

I snatch my hands out from under hers and take a deep breath. "You de-winged him?" I question, my voice was sterner than I was expecting but Mira seemed prepared for my reaction.

Pale hands grazed the sides of my forearms in a soothing caress, never once breaking our gaze. "I killed him yesterday. I ordered his death. And as anyone dying does he spoke to the only one there to listen. Avar was Helton's brother, and I'm sure Helton would trade anything for his big brother back but I couldn't just give him Avar." My hands are captured in her iron grasp, clutched between hers as if she's afraid she'll lose me. "But Helton will know his brother's wings so I need them to make a fill in and trade the fake for Evyo." Mira's eyes plead with me to understand her reasoning for doing to Avar what had basically been done to my vavi.

My jaw ticked a little at the thought but I still pulled my hands from the queens grasp and held them in my own to bring them up to my quivering lips and pressing a firm kiss into her knuckles. Taking a shaky breath I let my heart wrench just a little. "Are you sure it'll work?" I didn't have the energy or the care to be upset at my own broken whisper.

Mira's hands shift to cup my face as she draws up to stand on her knees. "It's the plan with the least amount of error, and the only one that has a chance of us getting her back alive."

Steeling my will I sit up straight and nod my head firmly. "Okay." I was proud of how strong my voice sounded in my own ears. "Is there anything I can do?" I ask wanting, needing, something to do as well.

Mira draws my head down to plant a kiss on my forehead before standing up. "You can start drafting letters to all the regions, every city in Skyris, tell them that we plan to fly on Kenysiz and that all are expected to send as many of their guard, and those willing to fight with their queen, as they can spare."

The conviction in the other woman's voice had my own blood racing. Climbing to my feet as well, I give her the most determined expression I could muster. "I'll ask the Lycan tribes as well, we've already had more than a few tribes saying they'll fight for us if we ask."

Mira gives me a lopsided kind of smirk as she plants another kiss on my lips. "I love when start thinking of a plan." She comments before turning to the door and tugging me behind her. "Let's get started shall we?"

~💠~

It took the better part of four days to draft all the letters and make them all but irrefutable. It would take at most three weeks for all the letters to reach each region, excluding the Shattered Mountains and including the time to go around the region. And we were scheduled to head for the front surrounding the Mounts. region two weeks after that.

A little over a month of planning, of training, and strategizing. A little over a month and I still felt anxiety clawing at my insides. Tomorrow we left Algrie for the Shattered Mountains and to the fighting, to the war.

'Thunk'

Taking a steadying breath I line up another shot.

'Thunk'

Again.

'Thunk'

This is basically what you wanted.

'Thunk'

To fight and end this.

'Thunk'

But everything is different now.

'Thunk'

Now I have something to lose.

'Crack!'

My focus is brought back to the present as I realize my arrows have been hitting the same spot in the bullseye until the support beam behind it finally gave under the force. I let my shoulders and wings drop and roll them back with a sigh, trying in vain to work out some of the tension.

"Care to save some of those arrows for the rebels?" Mira's voice calls from the door, instantly bringing a tired smile to my face.

Looking over to my partner I gave her a small smirk. "I'm sure I'll have plenty more where those came from. I am the best shot in the castle." I gloat jokingly.

Mira huffs our a quiet chuckle before pushing off of the doorframe. "The blacksmith summoned, our armor is ready if you want to go look at it." She offers, cocking her head back towards the barrack's entrance.

Perking up at that I quickly jog over to the destroyed target. "Let me just grab my arrows." I call already pulling them from the ruined wood and straw.

I hear a very loud and very dramatic sigh telling me to hurry up. "Keep it up and I'll be practicing on royals instead of nobles." I call over my wing.

"If you shoot at me I can and will tie you up." Mira threatens with no small amount of amusement playing in her voice.

Pulling the last arrow free I turn and start walking towards the taller woman, making sure to add an extra sway to my hips as I approach. Narrowing my eyes I give her a salacious smirk. "You're not making a very good case for me not to do that."

I barely catch the look of shock crossing her rapidly reddening face as I walk by. It's enough to make me snicker with self satisfaction.

"Skies alight, Serana. You can't just say things like that when I can't pin you to a wall." Mira growls, following close behind.

That draws out a full bellied laugh as I slow down to walk beside the other woman. "If you don't want me saying things like that then don't suggest things like that." I fire back grinning like a droc.

Mira shoots me a glare as she visibly fights to not smile. "That is not what I meant, and you know it!" There was the vaguest hint of laughter in her voice as we reach the barracks courtyard.

I just hummed and took off for the platform to launch myself into the air before Mira could catch up. It doesn't take long to hear the large wing-beats of the other woman before I feel her shadow overcome me. Glancing up I'm met with the sight of the queen silhouetted by the sun as she's focused on her flight path.

The image only lasts a moment before Mira's larger wings pull her further ahead and her shadow surpasses me. Skies she's gorgeous. The thought came unbidden as it always does while watching her.

Following the older woman around to the north side of the castle, we both dive and land just outside a smaller sub-sectioned two story building that was both connected and disconnected from the castle's northern side with a great column of smoke billowing from the massive chimney rising from its center.

Mira lands on the single platform before the building's double doors first with me following close behind. My anxiety was calming down to a low thrumming through my veins as I trotted up next to Mira.

When the doors swung open I staggered back at the shear intensity of the heat coming from within. Yup not any better the second time around. The heat forces a few coughs from my lungs before I can force down the strangling sensation.

Mira waited next to me as she too adjusted to the broiling air.

"Ah! Allo yar maj'esties!" A booming boisterous voice calls from the far side of the forge pit drawing our attention to the ebony skinned woman blocking something from sight with giant black and maroon wings that could rival Mira's in size.

"Good afternoon Gabria." Mira greets with a respectful nod.

"Always good to see ya, yar maj'esty." Gabria returns with a bright smile made brighter against her dark complexion. "I have ya arma' just as requested." She informs her thick Rift accent making the words bounce.

"Aye, Serana and I have been eager to see your craftsmanship work it's wonders on the armor we gave you." Mira quickly rounded the forge pit to get a better look at the armor still concealed by the other woman's wings.

Coming around as well my breath slightly catches as I take in the full sight of the two armor sets. They were black with silver accents on Mira's and gold accents on mine. The helmets held the likens of the Drace, his mouth gaping wide to form the helm with his snout curving back to form the dragons head over the rest of the helmet with horns flowing along its curve and coming to protrude from the back of the crest. The lower part of the eye openings was made by the Drace's split lower jaw that spilled fire from either side to make up the rest of the cheek guards and flowed back to form the rest of the helmet slowly morphing into scales as it re-merged with the dragon's skull.

The next thing that caught my attention was the chest piece, the fire theme continued, flowing from two thick blade guards that rested on the shoulders and wings. The plate itself only covered the upper chest with the royal crest of two apposing dragon heads protruding from its center, the rest of the armor's torso, along with the majority of the armor, was made of scale mail. The gauntlets were fingerless on mine but plated on Mira's with the clear idea of dragon feet in their design. The same could be said for the boots and thigh guards. The wing guards on both sets were feathered looking and would blend right into my own when put on. I noticed my wing guards had a built in quiver on the left wing while Mira's were designed with a hole for her sword hilts.

"They're gorgeous." I breathe, nearly out of breath with the force of my awe.

Mira made a faint sound of ascent as she stepped closer to the masterpieces. "I have no idea how much I pay you, but you need a raise." Mira intones as her fingers ghost along the armor's chest plate.

This earns a hearty laugh from the blacksmith as she turns to retrieve something from across the room. "Is no' a problem, yar maj'esty. I enjoy my work, and I enjoy it mor' knowing I keep my people safe." The woman pulls something off a weapons rack that I can't make out between the glow of the forge and her shadow. "I also made Miss Vynox a new bow." She turns then and walks back with a folded bow that gleamed an odd purple in the firelight.

The blacksmith hands me the weapon to unfold and inspect. I was surprised by its lightness considering it was clearly made of metal. Testing the bows weight I find it to be a bit heavier than the one at my side but not much. Pulling back on the bowstring I hold tight, with my fingers over my talons, to test it's pull-strength without accidentally dry firing it. I would hate to accidentally ruin the bow because my hand slipped. Of course I'd probably be more upset about my face if that actually happened. I debate with myself is I bring the bow back to safely release the string. "What kind of metal is this? It weighs almost nothing." I question folding the bow back up and replacing the marble wood one on my hip for the new one.

Gabria takes my old bow to return to the armory as she answers. "It is made from melted down trygmerzite and black steel. I would also suggest no' getting it too close to fi'a, it won't melt but it gets fucking hot, quick." She informs setting the bow down on a weapons rack.

"Noted." I nod stepping a little farther away from the forge.

The blacksmith chuckles before extracting the black scale mail from my set of armor and holding it out to me. "If ya do no' mind I need to make sure the armor is a perfect fit."

I make sure to keep a grimace off my face, however displeased I was with the idea of wearing so much in the presence of a sweltering fire, I wasn't going to insult the woman who had spent weeks to make the armor and went so far as to craft me a new bow of her own accord. Removing my bow harness and quiver I hand them to Mira to set down.

Gabria quickly stepped forward and bent down to help me step into the scale mail. It felt a bit awkward to have so much covering my body as the armor was pulled up my legs and under my wings. Slipping my arms into the sleeves I hold the mail up as the darker woman slips behind me to secure the armor behind my neck and affix the extra strip that fell between my wing blades. Thankfully the armor hand an interior layer of leather so the metal wasn't flush against my skin.

"Guess we'll have the flight to the Shattered Mountains to get used to the weight of this." I comment as the blacksmith slips my chest piece over my head.

"Hmm." Mira steps forward into my peripheral vision but addresses the woman now strapping on my gauntlets. "After you've done your final check could we take these to the training yard for some light sparring? It's been a while since I practiced with armor and Serana should get a feel for how the armor will affect her shooting."

Deep chocolate eyes glance up to first the queen then me before she turns to grab my boots. "Of cou'se yar maj'esty. May I suggest a practice in landing as well. If ya have never worn arma' befor' ya may find it 'arder to land without yar talons." The woman is in front of me again kneeling to help put on the boots and check their fit.

Slipping my left foot into the armor I find the inside to be layered with a thick pelt of fur that I could easily sink my gallons into without damaging them or the boot. The main purpose though seemed to be for keeping my foot in place. Not that it's really going anywhere. I wince slightly as Gabria does some sort of twisting to the boot to make the lag seal tight around my calf and shin.

When she stands up to retrieve the thigh guards I test my mobility and am pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't seem to hinder my motion at all. The knee guards were cool, they came out in a spike when I bent my leg and would definitely hurt if kneed somebody with them. Setting my feet back down I lean around to continue my inspection of the boots while my thigh guards were put on. The four 'dragon claws' that decorated the toe of the boot seemed to serve another purpose other than design. As I slid my foot back and forth I found that they worked almost like my talons to help me catch a grip on the otherwise smooth surface of the smithies flooring.

I was so distracted inspecting my boots that I didn't notice Gabria had applied my wing guards until she was handing me my helmet. "Everything looks good. Just need to make sur' ya can see out yar helmet." The pride in the woman's voice made a grin stretch across my features. This is the sweetest woman I have ever met.

Chuckling softly I take the helmet and slip it on. I was a little unprepared for how narrow my vision became with the helmet cutting out a good portion of my peripherals. "Talk about tunnel vision." I comment looking around to see how badly it really narrowed my sight.

My eyes a drawn by a familiar chuckle to land on a similarly armored figure being inspected by the blacksmith. "You get used to it, after a few minutes you won't even notice. But that does mean you need to be extra vigilant while in a fight." Brilliant blue eyes were staring back at me from beneath the admittedly intimidating helmet.

Between the black and silver of the helmet and the glow of the forge normal dark blue eyes were a shade I didn't remember knowing until this moment, remembering the glimpses of the ocean I had seen through the shifting rocks of the Shattered Mountains the day before my life had completely changed. "Skies alight." The words escape on a long exhale without my conscious consent.

Both woman apparently heard me as Gabria leans in to whisper something in Mira's ear. Whatever it was it earn her a hard smack on the arm by the queen. "Ms. Razigez." The tone of voice Mira used to address the woman was nothing short of a lethal warning.

Gabria for her part back up a couple paces and raised her hands in a show of surrender. "All I am saying is I know that look, and I know what it leads to." There was far too much amusement in the blacksmith's voice for her own well-being.

Mira's response was to cross her arms and level the most sour glower I've ever seen someone give. "That does not give you permission to point it out, especially in reference to the two of us."

Glancing from one woman to the other I figure out what Gabria has probably said and decide to chime in. "If she said I'm fucking you senseless tonight because of the image of you in that armor she is one hundred percent correct and will be even more so after watching you spar, I'm sure." The lack of decorum about our future bed activities was beyond worth it see Mira flustered.

Gabria seemed to get a kick out of it as she through her head back with a hearty laugh that filled the smithy. Mira on the other hand was now glaring at me and I'm sure if she wasn't wearing a helmet I would see that she was far closer to the color red than white. "Must you?"