Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was relatively warm evening in the Downside as you, the Reader and the Nighwings sat around the fire. Flames weren't necessary but it made atmosphere nicer. Tariq was strumming a melody, Jodariel was scanning the dark forest around, Volfred was doing... whatever he does with that flower pot and sapling and maybe except for Rhae, the rest of you were bored. 

You looked around, desperate for some enligtement, because unlike others, Rites rarely gave you that. Your eyes stumbled across the fire, then weird clump of... something... that Ti'zo brought, then fire again. The clump could almost look like the Orb. With an idea, you got up.

"Uhm, practice Rite anyone?" The question set off a sequence of wailing, grunting and overall disagreement. Poor Sandra.

"No, I didn't mean it that way... maybe we could..." the words were hard to form, as always, that's why you avoided speaking Sahrian and stayed silent often. "Maybe you could practice... with me?" The voice trembled at the end of a sentence but you hoped noone noticed. Some of them looked interested though. Picking up nearby half-burned branch you began sketching in the soft surface. A circle, then few steps by the Scribes, it feels longer in person, another circle. "Now, thats the Pyres," you whispered, more to yourself than to Nightwings. "If you throw from here, it might take, let's say, fifteen poins?" Another line in the dust. 

"Hey, sister, what are you mumbling there?" Rukey asked, though he knew that the Reader whispers nonsence from time to time. Especially when reading the Book. "And what points are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know, the points each Pyre has in the Rites?" Nightwings all looked up with mixture of surprise and incomprehension. 

"What points, miss, if you don't mind me asking, what points do you mean?" 

"Uhm..." gesturing at others they sat closer. "Do you know how Pyres slowly loose their brightness and sputter?" This thing ended up with various nods. "And do you know how much will be needed to douse it?" You began explaining how the numbers always sort of appeared and how you always knew how much was needed to douse Pyre. It needed some explantations in the math department but you made it, with Volfred joining once. 

"So I was wondering if we could reconstruct it..." you left the statement or perhaps a question in the air. 

"I can't see why only we should have all the fun, sis," Rukey was first to answer.

"It seems fair," added Hedwyn, though he seemed bit confused and concerned.

"IT WILL BE HONOUR TO PRACTICE WITH YOU, MASTER-READER!" You had a feeling that Sir Gilman has awoken every resident of this forest. 

So the teams have been made, with you, Rhae and Rukey, and second team, Ti'zo, Hedwyn and Sir Gilman. Pamitha agreed to watch from greater distance to be a rightful judge and you froze in your tracks when Volfred annonced:

"Reader, do you think Nightwings are ready? I have my concerns about wishing them a shameful defeat," he said in perfect english and laughed at your fear and others surprise.

"I apologize, my girl. Simply could not rezist it, though I see now it was a cruel joke. I hope you will still allow me to comment this Rite maybe in some newer language." You gave him a nod and the game began.

It was fun, even without the Pyres and the Voice, adrenaline rushed your veins as you first grasped the Orb. You dodged Ti'zo's claws and slipped away from Hedwyn as you plunged into the adversaries Pyre. "Noxalas!" It felt good, though your body certainly wasn't built for this.

It wasn't like the Rites, it felt more real, with no masks and much more laughting. There was no need for stars and Scribes to be watching, though Rhae said they certainly were. Just the Nightwings. Just you. Rukey managed to score a nice one but Hedwyn and Ti'zo were a great team, also scoring a few. None of you even noticed Tarig stumming his lute in faster melody and game being faster. 

Then, when you held the Orb in your hands, run with it, the robe flipping, wind tangling your hair, Sit Gilmans tail tangled with your feet and before you had time to fell, Rukey crashed into you at full Cur's speed. You heard a crack and felt a sharp pain as you fell in the groaning mess of paws and tails. 

"Ouch!" exclaimed Rukey but it seemed he was more surprised than hurt. You could't say the same about yourself. Perhaps some old wounds opened, perhaps new were created. Nightwings rushed around.

"Are you hurt, my friend?" Hedwyn's glare was worried but there was certain I-told-you-so in it. You were in obvious pain, there was not even need for words. 

"Is miss, will she be alright?" This one was hard to answer but you had worse, you were going to recover. 

But it will hurt, you thought as Jodariel lifted your body with a grunt and mumbling about stupid games and fragile bodies, it will hurt as always.

Chapter Text

The damage wasn't enormous, just sprained ankle, broken arm and two bruised tails. 

"That doctor you traveled with, Tariq... Was it Oralech?" You asked to distract yourself while Volfred examined your arm.

"You might want to bite down on something," he warned you when he started moving it. You flinched. "I will bite you if you, ouch," you rather burried your face in sleeve of your robe than to face them, making sounds not worthy the Reader. Though the year when you could came home with scrapped knee and get colorfull bandage were long gone, both Sap and minstrel tried to be gentle, parent-like. You still felt pain but however strange that sounds, it was gentle pain. "All done," Volfred exclaimed, finnishing the knot. The arm was now in fixed position and no longer ached so much, though you wasn't sure where that stick which held it straight came from. 

"Aye," spoke Tariq, "it was him. Some time ago." The look both men exchanged was aching more than your arm or leg. 

"You should get some rest now, my girl. We still leave early in the morning." And so they left you alone in the wagon, not even with the stars. Perhaps they warned the others to not interrupt you or perhaps Nightwings had other worries. 

It wasn't your fist time getting hurt. You were after all a crippled scholar, finding comfort in books, as your body was an anchor, pinning you to earth as mind roamed free. There were various time you spent bed ridden, including the time after you've been casted into Downside, where the first part wasn't even bed but hot ground in which Nightwings found you. You were lucky they managed to save all the parts of their Reader, though it never really mattered. Nothing bodily related matters in the Rites, in the end. Not for you. And with that you closed your eyes and hoped for some rest.

Awoken by rumbling of the wheels and sounds the drive-imps made, the realization that Blackwagon was already packed and on the way hit you. Perhaps you've been exhausted after all. You got up, a thing that involved various odd movements, including untangling your bandage from a nail where it got somehow got stuck, and walked (more like hopped) towards the main room. 

"Miss! Good, well, good morning to you! I'm happy to see you, like, to see you up and well. You are well, miss, right?" Rhae was beaming as always and it was hard to cause her any concerns so you answered to make her happy. The stomach reminded itself and the fact that you surely missed breakfast. Hoping Hedwyn won't mind, you served a bit of remaining suplies, atempting to make something edible with one hand. 

Right in the most embarassing attemps of making breakfast, Hedwyn interrupted you, perhaps it was Rhae's fault - telling everyone about the Reader being up.

"Let me..." He gently pushed your arm away and after a short moment he made something tasty looking from those poorly looking ingredients. 

"Do you want me to feed you as well, my friend?" the question sounded so innocent coming from him. 

"No!" you shoke your head, maybe too harsly, as warm blood rushed to cheeks. "I'm not that crippled," you added, needing to explain youself. 

"I meant no disrespect-"

"I know you did... sorry..." you sank in the nearby chair. 

"He just wanted to help," said the Lone Minstrel, appearing suddenly, maybe from thin air. 

"I know he did," the attempt to not sound snippy wasn't really succesfull. "I know. I apologize..." you tried to stay calm though certain pressure was building in you. Your breakfast continued silently, with bits of guilt. "I know," you whispered one more time before leaving to spend some time with book. It has not been your best Downside morning so far...

Chapter Text

The Blackwagon finaly stopped and absence of jolting and rumbling eased the pain. It was time to pursue the Vocations.

You were in no shape to go scavenging for resources, Volfred suggested studying the Book. He decided to join, so you debated over passages with one handed gestures and him turning the pages. It seemed to bring it's vault even though it had some disagreements.
Some of the discussion continued untill dinner where Hedwyn stopped us in polite way.

"I'm just saying it could mean that..." you insisted on having the last word.

"And I'm saying it doesn't have to." 

"Enough you two. No Book discusion during the dinner." That's fair. 

During the dinner you sense the block that formed in you during the day fading. The last bit is gone when Rhae looks up to the sky where the first stars are begining their cold journey. 

"The stars, they are so bright I think. I wonder, perhaps, one of you know where did they came from?" She stares at them in wonder and giggles. "I know the Scribes, they are surely somewhere between them, they are but what are stars exactly? How did the Scribes ended up between them, I wonder?"

The food in front of Rhae lies untouched as she continues to ask about the stars.

"Rhae? You have to eat-," Jodariel says in voice used to command armies. You gesture at her, asking for a chance to try something different. 

"Rhae?"

"Yes miss? You really seem to know the stars, do you? Given we are travelling like that, I guess you do?"

"I know something about the stars. I could tell you something about them after the dinner..." The suggestion gave you raised from Volfred and finaly managed to get attention of the lone minstrel, who seemed lost in thoughts more than usual.

"You could? Would you, miss? Would you do so, if you were so kind, please?" Those big eyes are hard to rezist.

"I will. But eat your veggies first."

"And that one?" The moon-touched girl asked again, pointing at one of the many stars. You were lying in the grass, heads close to each other to have the visions almost the same. Volfred have up on explaining and left, mumbling about kids and something. You remained patient. You also promised. 

"Sagithol. The whistling prince."

"That one?" Almost white finger pointed again.

"Scorpus, the Old cutter... that's your star." 

"My star? It belongs to me, miss? Can stars do so?" You might have raised more mess in that young mind, with that incoently meant addition.

"You were born underneath it. So was sir Gilman." 

"Which one is Jodi's?" At least she didn't ask for yours.

"Capriast... Moon stag hunter." You saw a nod from Jodariel's side. 

"Mister Hedwyn, come here, come here! The Reader can find your star! She can find anyones' star!" The little girl spoke so high of you and asked for so little. But Hedwyn listened, for it was hard to rezist Rhae and lied down next to you. 

"That one," you pointed one handed, "bit to the left. It's Lenoriel." Though you didn't have a chance to celebrate much of a birthday here, you remembered the dates together with the stars.

And some time after it was just you and the trio that rescued you underneath the stars. Rhae fell asleep on Jodariels arm, cuddling Ti'zo, and the horned woman was now refusing to move.

"Have you ever thought about getting this far?" Rukey spoke with voice bit above whisper.

"I didn't even hope to survive that day we met," you felt this night needed certain amount of honesty. It was too pure for lies. "I thought you were gonna end me, Jodi."

You heard a monstrous chuckle. "I'm glad I didn't, Reader."

"Well I'm glad too." Another honest thing. Though the outcome was much better than you ever could imagined. For now you had a family.

"I am glad this softie here took care of you, sis." There was no response against the choice of words.

"Yeah, that's another thing."

"Did I ever thank you, Hedwyn?" Still no response

"Hedwyn?"

"Huh?"

"Stop dreaming there. We're thanking you for taking care of our Reader... And not letting Jodi finnish her."

"What?"

"Thank you."

There was unexpected group hug in which you participated one handed. You fell asleep soon after that, with warm feeling which contrasted with coldness of the dead titans up in the sky. For you knew what they were.