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βA heart's a heavy burden.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #CD5C5C β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #C5E3BFγ
|| Still Into you || Paramore ||
They had to call Itward, but Cress would let Heron handle that. They needed Kora here, after facing her mother for the last time, Cress realized something. Love was the way to beat this. Sure, they were feeling down now, but watching the knights get on their hands and knees in tribute to the fallen, it was heart warming. The crowd came to watch, some asking knights what they could do, a certain little boy and his father, the head of what was once the Tartarian Knights, kneeling before Cress, one hand pressed to the ground. "Please Princess, tell us what we can do." Cress sat up and smiled, directing them to a sheet of pansies. "Would you mind planting these? They're pansies and are very delicate. So please treat them like you would your own son." The knight nodded, picking up the purple flower cartons and taking them to where Cress had pointed.
She smiled, seeing father and son bond, remembering how her father bonded with the twins. All because of some fake lava rocks. There was dust and dirt and a painted desert sun beating down on them, the sound of silence turned to laughter, friends helping one another to turn soil, to put down bags of plant nutrients and plant flowers. They were building a garden, not just of flowers, but of food and kinship. People were laughing, their tears turning to smiles over a couple of daffodils, the pain overturning thanks to a couple of chrysanthemums. It was exactly the kind of peace that Cress wanted to spread. She sighed, smiling as she wiped sweat from her brow. Heron was talking excitedly to Itward, no doubt updating him on their most recent adventure and finding out when Kora could be transferred there.
Just like Nee told her to, Cress was going to do her best. When Cress next looked up, there were two standing before her. Una's vassals, Thyella and Ortherus. It was clear that they were in pain, the two of them looking greatly saddened. "What's wrong?" Cress asked, a pit dropping in her stomach. So Una was being sent to Ashia? No doubt Nee was getting ready to receive her body then, clearing a space for the glass coffin that Una slept in. So Una was in pain? Yet she was being forced to live. Cress wished she could look up at the sky, the real sky, not the one painted in a motif across the ceiling. Although it was rather nice, Cress missed the sun. "Please, just call me Cress. Nui is the name Narina gave me." She felt more comfortable using her earth given name.
"I think it'd be best if we let Una rest among the stars." Cress looked around, pulling out a beautiful flower that looked like a nighttime sky. "I'll be planting these in her honor." She said, hoping that the tribute would be enough. No doubt Una would be going to the same resting place as her mother, while her father and brother would rot for all eternity. No, there was no tribute for monsters. Una's story was one of tragedy, even if she was cured, she would have to do countless hours of therapy to return her body to functioning order and even then, there was no guarantee that she would get to live without an attendant. No doubt Una would need constant supervision and would be at risk for falling or injuring herself.
There was one more item to discuss. Thyella and Ortherus, they had no idea where to go now that their Mistress was gone. Like lost puppies, they had come to Cress in order to seek advice. If there was one thing Cress wasn't good at, it was advice. "You aren't purposeless." Cress stood, stepping over the greenery to them. "Rise to your feet," she took each of their hands, making them stand upright, removing the collars that shackled them to the throne. "You are free, your life is whatever you want to make of it." Cress smiled warmly, "From here on, there will be no being ordered how to dress or when to speak, you don't have to do anything you don't want to and if you still want to serve, then Ashia Palace is always hiring." Cress winked.
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βYes Mistress.β
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
γΙΞΉΞ±ΖΟgΟ Ρ cΟΖΟΡ: #FFAEB9 β ΡΠ½ΟΟ gΠ½Ρ cΟΖΟΡ #63D1F4γ
|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||
They were in the pod, returning to the palace. Nee looked nervous, her hands were shaking, she seemed almost cold. How ironic for the ice queen to catch a chill. "Are you okay?" Shiro asked, putting a hand on Nee's forehead to take her temperature. It felt cool though, normal. Shiro asked what was going to happen next and Nee seemed uncertain. Chaos. The news was beginning to spread, Shiro could see the effects of it taking hold already, a mixture of emotions in the crowd. Shock, fear, uncertainty, happiness, pain, they were all there, worn on the faces of Ashia's citizens. "It's already begun," they headed up the tunnel, no doubt now, the Rubble and Sanitary Tiers wouldn't have to live in ruin. They could move out, spread their wings, build houses and families without fear of too little space or resources.
"We're the only ones..." they were in front of the palace now and a crowd was beginning to form. Protesters, protesters protesting the new rule. "There's a lot of them," Shiro whimpered, squeezing her legs together since the pup was afraid of crowds and didn't want to have another accident in the same week. "I'm scared," the knights escorted them inside, into the safety of the castle. Xion was waiting for them, a grim look on her face. "There are riots breaking out, the people, they don't want to accept the Ashian rule." Shiro knew that she was useless in this situation, military was not something that the pup was very good at.
"What if you made a speech acknowledging their deaths?" Shiro asked, taking a page out of Cress's book again. "That kept Tartaria under control. Maybe if you explain to the people what happened they won't be as upset?" Shiro couldn't make speeches, but Nee could. Shiro was afraid of things like public speaking, she had frozen up at the ball and had nearly tinkled just sitting in the car. If Nee wanted Shiro by her side though, Shiro would stand there and hold her hand and imagine the audience wearing funny hats so that she didn't have to see what they really looked like. Shiro wiggled, wondering what they thought of the idea. "There you are!" Corren yelled and Shiro jumped, hiding behind the wheelchair.
While Corren marched towards them, Maven came from behind and Shiro squeaked as he held her shoulder down and plunged the pen into it, injecting the contents. "Owie," Shiro whimpered as Corren caught up and put a bandage on it. "I've received word from Heron, Koryha was in a terrible incident and I'm making space for her in the royal sick bay." That was the bay Corren worked in after all, so he would receive Kora there. Corren almost seemed detached from his emotions as he described the process he was going to use to treat Kora. Apparently, Kora had been vegetative for two days, which luckily, would cause her no damage other than maybe some mild neediness. It was like sleeping off a hangover, whatever that as.
"Please, take care of my friend." Shiro said, holding Ellis tightly against her. Corren nodded his head and handed Shiro a lollipop. "You have a lot of work to do," he said and Shiro nodded her head, knowing that they had their work cut out for them. "We know, we're getting started." Shiro tried not to cry, her bottom lip quivered and so the pup put her pacifier in her mouth so as not to burst into tears.