The Clan of Outcasts [Season 3]

Part 32: "Rejoin"

The White Castle (North)

The woods around the White Castle stood silent--more so than ever before. The only movement was the occasional flutter of birds. A keen observer passing through the wooded paths might realize that there was a bird sitting on just about every branch, and if a bird chose a different perch, another would fly over and assume their original spot. The positions of the birds fluctuated and moved--but the unsettling feeling of being under rapt surveillance persisted for the entire length of the forest path.

A heavy wind gusted through the trees, disrupting the birds and sending them squawking in all directions. When all was silent, a red-haired man in a Ranger's uniform stepped out into the open. Glancing over his shoulder, he whispered. "All clear, your Majesties."

Six figures stepped out of the undergrowth undetected.

Jaran clapped the Ranger on the shoulder. "Thank you, Tristan. You may return to your post--but be alert, because we might yet have need of you and the other Rangers."

Tristan nodded. He saluted the royals, pulled a billowing wind around him with his hands, and sailed up above the treetops and away.

Zayra stopped just short of running up to the familiar battlements, as she realized that the castle would more than likely be thickly guarded. She gripped Beren's hand.

"We're almost there!" she said.

Quilla paused to examine her hands and feet, as if to reassure herself that she was all there. "I don't think I've ever gotten from one place to another that fast," she mumbled.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the group, Kaidan glanced at Queen Azelie. "Can you locate the others by their thoughts?"

Azelie paused for a moment, then nodded. "They're still together. I've made contact with Javira, and she says Velora and a couple others are on their way out to get us inside."

Polaris shadow-jumped in front of the group. "Stand your ground!" he warned. "I sense the formation of another portal!"

The air shimmered in place between two trees, and out of thin air stepped Velora, Lizeth, and--

"Brother!" Quilla shrieked, throwing herself at the tall, dark man in the robes of a Mage.

"Wh..." Risyn's stoic demeanor cracked for possibly the first time since arriving at the Castle, as he stared down at his sister's head, and felt her arms around him. His hands trembled as he embraced her shoulders, almost as if he weren't sure if she would vanish the moment he let his guard down. He dropped to his knees so he could look her right in the eye. "Quilla? Is it really you?"
She was already crying, the glittering tears running down her cheeks. "Yes, Risyn, it's me! I thought I would be trapped on Haggard's ship for the rest of my life, never to see you again--but then I meet three new prisoners the Captain placed on the crew--and they knew you, and they promised to protect me, and bring me back to you--"

"And they did!" Risyn threw his arms around his sister once more. "Powers be praised, they have brought us all together again!"

The Elfin royal with skin as dark as the trees frowned as she surveyed the six people before her. "Not all of you," she objected.

Jaran broke away from filling in Lizeth on what had become of Nyella, and bowed to her. "Princess Tamarind," he greeted her. "Thank you for your assistance in ensuring the safety of my people. We had to leave some of our number behind, to ensure the continued protection of Gybralltyr."

Princess Tamarind nodded. "We concluded as much when that dragon which had escaped our sanctuary not very long ago suddenly returned, of its own accord. We learned that it had come to us from Gybralltyr, and we realized, through covert means, that the Key had arrived in Gybralltyr, which meant the Gate was at risk. Even now, Prince Spruce is on his way to Gybralltyr with a detachment of Elvish soldiers, ready to repel any who attempt to approach the Gate." Her eyes traveled over the group and stopped when she saw Zayra. "You were not among the ones who departed through the Wasteland portal, nor were you one of the prisoners taken from the Harbor."

Zayra shook her head. "I was... a bystander caught in the middle of all of this." She wrapped an arm around Beren's waist. "My husband and the others managed to rescue me as well."