In Loki's Honor Life 27 - Adyra's Quest, epilogue

Atlantis Archipelago, fairy island, months later.

Adyra sat on the beach with her sister. They'd returned ho with the captives months ago. Things quickly settled back into a routine once their adventure was no longer a novelty. The changes it wrought, however, were long-lasting.

Count Zede suffered a huge backlash from his ruined auction. Most of the attending nobles were guests at his mansion and they too were robbed by the daring [Rogues] that struck that night. They demanded reparation and the depleted County coffers couldn't cover them. On top of that, a prince was killed in a duel. That strained relations between the two nations to the brink of war. Because of that, Count Zede was censured by the King and stripped of his title. That ant his heir didn't get it either and the County now belonged to another noble from the King's branch family. One that was carefully vetted by the rmaid ambassador. The Count's family was given to the neighbor kingdom to placate them for Prince Phillip's death.

Goggles and the thieves were under the protection of The Master. The [Assassin] girls were over-qualified for so nial jobs, and the thieves fit the job like a glove. The drunk sailor and the guildmaster also took jobs helping them identify their marks with his inflated {Appraise} proficiency and her general governance skills, respectively.

News of Adyra's visit and the reasons behind it spread and beca known everywhere through rumors and bards' tales. They wove stories on how Atlantis' rmaids controlled magical fish with wondrous powers, capable of defeating seasoned warriors with ease, of their magical prowess, coupled with tales compiled from the elite rmaids that offered their services as rcenaries.

That compounded with the tale of Virturia's ruin fourteen years ago and cented Atlantis as the de facto ruler of the southern ocean by the east coast of the Scorched Continent. More and more ships ca with ssages, greetings, and gifts as the coastal nations rushed to get treaties that could guarantee their access to the shipping lanes.

The focus now was on the academy and the education of the new rmaids. They couldn't rely on Arista to do all the heavy lifting and needed to build a military might on par with the expectations of the world.

But the rmaids had a ridiculously huge advantage over the other land-bound species. Every single one of them was capable of breeding more rmaids. History taught that human populations could have their male mbers decimated by war or catastrophe and the population would grow back to normal in a generation or two, so long the females remained safe. That's one of the two main reasons even in a fantasy world like Yznaria, most of the dangerous occupations like Adventurer or Soldier were predominantly male. The other was the female proclivity to avoid danger, violence, and risk.

That proclivity was absent in the rmaid mindset. They were warriors, daredevils, mothers, and daughters all the sa. Now that the first surface settlents were getting visitors from the continent, the rmaids got busy with their favorite pastis.

Luring n to their doom.

On the beach, the two sisters shared a mont of silence. Sitting side-by-side they listened to the soft crashing waves and the faint giggles and wingbeats of the fairies frolicking behind them. The everlasting nights of the Age of Elicpse stole so of the charm from the stars, those more common these days than a blue sky.

"Too bad I didn't get pregnant," Adyra lanted. "Yet," she bead a mischievous grin to her sister.

Arista could only snort a laugh. She reminded them of an argunt she had with their mother regarding mingling with a certain prince. "Too bad you get to try again," the elder sister retorted.

Adyra grew a lot even though she was the sa height (or length) as before. Matured, that was the term Arista wanted to use. She ranked up her species and now her dolphin tail sported few green spots that resembled four-leafed clovers if you looked carefully. Her new species gave her Luck bonuses like crazy, and the Perk list was all geared to make the best of such a ridiculous Luck score.

"Oh?" Adyra feigned disbelief. "I thought you were going to chastise on how I should choose my partners better and stuff."

She gave a scoff back as she ruffled the red mane on her sister's head. "No. I did it once with mom and she proved wrong by having you. Now I'm wiser than that. You want to have a daughter? Go for broke. It's good to be the [Princess], right? You get first to pick on the visiting n!"

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That made the younger one blush. Not the mingling with n, but that she was cutting in the very long line of rmaids wanting so quality male company for a night of debauchery. Because of that, Adyra decided to fight back.

"What about you? Why don't YOU go and get yourself a man? The girls talk, about how you don't even glance at them!" She pushed Arista's hand away from her and pointed with an accusing finger.

Arista laughed. "Not happening. I'm not interested in n at all."

"I know," Adyra said softly. She leaned against her sister and their shoulders touched. "You and Genowefa. She complains her fins get tangled and hurt when she couples with a man," The young princess knew she nailed it when Arista tensed at the ntion of the diaphanous-finned rmaid. "You like her, don't you?"

She let out a huge puff of air. "I can't, Adyra, I can't."

The pain in her voice struck Adyra like a hundred poisoned daggers. Nenandil and Arista kept that mostly to themselves, but over the years she learned that Arista had a lover in a past life that died a tragic death. She'd never got over it.

"Sister, would you tell of your wife? The one you had in Windere?" She regretted asking imdiately. Adyra raised her head and saw that her sister was crying. Her tears crystallized and fell down on the sand below looking like glass beads. The fabled rmaid's tears.

"You deserve to hear," Arista spoke after regaining a modicum of self-control. "This is a story about a [King] that was female, his wife a [Prostitute] that beca [Queen], and a stupid God."

Adyra nodded. "Take your ti."

"I was called Rosewise Honorcoin, an Eleon [Sorceress]. Eleons are an ethical group of what the continent people call a halfling. Blind and traveling the underground Dungeon with my mastiffs, I was ambushed by an adventurer party..."

It was a long and cathartic night. The fairies hearing the [Princess]'s tale wept along with the rmaid sisters.

Months beca years. A decade blurred by.

Queen Shallot and Kendel the [Juggernaut] decided to retake Kohlrabi. The squabbles of the two warring princes had all but ruined the country and raised a huge debt as the neighboring nations invested in the conflict.

"Aren't you going to order to stay?" the half-elf teased Arista.

The rmaid just fluttered her eyelashes. "Good riddance to you. Your black armor is a sore sight." He pretended to be offended. She ignored him. "Shallot. I hope the golems serve you well."

The Queen rubbed the storage ring. "I'm sure they will," she smiled back.

The ring had five hundred high-level cloth golems woven with Arista's {Living Silk} and inhabited by the souls of selected warriors she gathered from several conflicts. Even Prince Phillip was among them. While five hundred barely made a sizeable army, they had quality, experience, and power. Arista promised these five hundred a new life should Shallot succeed.

"Good luck," she kissed the Queen goodbye. "The fairies and I will watch over my godsons so fight without any worries."

"I will."

They departed in a rcenary ship. Shallot's campaign would be a bloody and quick one. The "Silk Army of Kohlrabi", led by an invincible [Juggernaut] general would beco another legend in the annals of the vast Yznarian history.

The political landscape of the continent shifted as the Kings and Dukes duked out in their ga of backstabs and wars. The rmaids multiplied, Arista captured so monstrous anglerfish to farm glowing organs by using regenerative magic. On the day she completed thirty years, Adyra was crowned Queen of Atlantis. Eathelin decided to abdicate in favor of her daughter.

Holding her niece and goddaughter in her arms, Arista watched her sister's (literal) crowning mont. The little rmaid squealed as she watched the coronation ceremony. A tentacle and a mighty serpent's tail held the artifact crown as it descended upon the head of the new [Queen]. The Heralds still couldn't let the other one have the upper hand in their eternal and infantile sibling rivalry.

"Look, Aria. That' your mom," Arista gushed. "One day, it will be you there, bearing the [Coral Crown]."

The child squealed and reached a hand toward the beaming [Queen].

Later on, in the Royal Family private chambers, the new ruler of Atlantis had no smiles to give. "Must you go, sister?"

Arista nodded. "I must. It's too stuffy in here for , now. It's only for a few years, though. I want to travel the world and fight so demons on the other side of the continent."

"I hate it," Adyra confessed. "I hate it how you are always alone, sister. You never let any of us, not mom or , in that shell of yours. I can only peek through the cracks at the abyss inside."

Arista hugged her but the [Queen] pushed her away. She was far from finished. "I don't want to be just another sad tale you'll tell your future sisters in your future lives!" She scread. "Is this the curse of immortality? To be forever burdened with an ever-growing sorrow for the people you left behind? I'm here, right now, in front of you, for crying out loud! I love you! Please don't push away."

The reincarnator wished to point out it was Adyra that pushed her away right now, but it would only stoke embers she wanted to smother.

"I have a gift for you," Arista said. "It's a Perk I don't use anymore because I have sothing better now."

Hardened Mana Shield (very rare, heritage): 25% of any damage you take is subtracted from MP. This Perk passes to your heir when you will it so or when you die.

"It's wonderful, but not what I want," Adyra insisted with upturned eyes. She finally gave up on trying to hold her sister back, "Will you co back?"

"Always. I'll co here at least once a month, and after so ti, I'll co to stay."

"May the gods watch over you, sister," She said with a goodbye kiss.

Arista laughed. "I wish they'd leave alone instead."