Yearning

Bad News

[Xadia]

"Of all the damn leaders, of ALL the clan leaders of our race, they had to choose me for this alliance!" Horus snarls angrily as he threw a crumpled scroll onto the table in front of his wife and son. "I tell them that my only son is not interested in marriage, and yet they tell me I should marry off my own granddaughter to the son of a human king we know barely anything about!"

"I don't like this either dearest, but please don't shout so much." Alouette says gently and winces before rubbing her ear. "Reyna doesn't deserve this sort of fate."

"I agree with mother, I don't want to force my own daughter into this sort of thing." Ibis says with a nod. "Reyna would definitely object to this, and even if we dragged her to this kingdom for the marriage she'll be fighting and sulking the whole way in an attempt to get out of it."

"Why can't anyone else do it?"

"Because no one wants to send their child to the other side of the world." Horus grumbles and glances out the window where he could see his granddaughter playing outside in the shade of the old tree with a bunch of younger screaming and giggling elflings.

It pained him to think of sending his granddaughter to this desert kingdom and never get to see her again. He wanted peace, for elves and humans to get along and stop treating each other like enemies, and finally there was a human king who was willing to make peace with a marriage alliance. As far as he could remember, Neolandia was located far from the borders and was in no danger of having to deal with clashes with elves like its neighboring kingdoms like Duren and Katolis, so why did this man even want an alliance in the first place?

It had already been decided in a meeting Horus had been invited late to (on purpose it would seem), that his only granddaughter would be sent to Neolandia when she came of age and married the crown prince. Ancients help him, Reyna was going to hate him for this.

---

"This isn't fair! Why do I have to get married?!" Reyna protests. "The other Skywing leaders have kids too that are old enough to marry! I'm only seventeen, it's not fair!

"You will only marry in the summer you turn eighteen." Ibis assures her. "King Ahling assured us in the letter that he won't have you marry someone older, and he hopes you get along with his son well enough."

"I don't care if he's my age, I don't want to get married!" Reyna yells angrily and slammed her fist on the table. "I have my whole life ahead of me, I want to be a healer and a mage! Getting married to a prince is going to put an end to that!"

"Not necessarily, not all who marry into royal families drop their entire careers." Ibis tries to explain. "Perhaps while you are there, you can still practice healing under one of the royal physicians in the palace. As for your magic, maybe they'll let you keep some magic books and let you practice when you have time."

"I still don't want to get married, it's not fair!" Reyna yells angrily, her eyes now brimming with tears as she shoves her chair back to stand up. "I won't do it! You can't make me!"

"Reyna!" Horus yells as the teen storms out of the room and runs out the front door. "Damn it, she really did inherit my stubborn nature."

"No she didn't, that's Nula's stubbornness rearing it's head." Ibis groans as he stood up from the table. "I suppose she flew off, knowing her. I guess we won't be staying for dinner and spend the night here like we planned, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault at all, none of us had a say in this."

🪶⚔️🪶⚔️

It wasn't until late at night that Ibis was able to return to his village and land softly near the house he shared with his family. The lights inside were still on, indicating someone was still awake and inside. He managed to shed his arm feathers and head into the house, not noticing anyone until a loud cough caught his attention from the living room.