Marika slowly crossed her arms as she made it back to the grace to find her knight on the ground. She looked dazed, her pride visibly bruised. "It's dead." She said, which quickly rattled her knight up. She looked at her queen with a slightly silly, slightly sheepish smile. "So what have we learned?"
"Don't rush in?" Her head perked up, and for a second, Marika swore she saw the shadow of something moving in her head. She looked so proud of herself. The gilded queen was not sure how this same woman could be the one who so definitely conquered so many foes, but one's personality did not always equate to competence.
"No." She said sternly, a soft giggle nearby from what she guessed was a peeking down Malli. She sighed. "Next time, don't just rush down into some random mine for treasure." She kept her tone level.
"... So, was there any?"
"..." She slowly grinned widely. "Maybe."
"Ohhhh! Let me see!" She stood up fully with a bounce. Marika sighed, but she was no less swayed by her lover's enthusiasm. She would he lying if she said that the sheer excitement over little treasures made her smile even if she had to try and get her point across.
"No, you can wait to see it until you have learned your lesson about this." She wagged her finger at her knight and turned to march out to their camp. Her knight whined behind her most of the way, but she complied all the same. Marika allowed herself a little smile at that.
...
"Seems we have their trail." The horned girl said as she stood up from the broken remnants of a battlefield. They stood in the ruins of Stormveil where Godrick had fallen. The brunette sighed behind her, puffing again on her tobacco as her armless sleeve flapped idly in the wind.
"She is so messy." She murmured, looking over the dried blood splattered and burned ground all over.
"Yes, but she's good. You know that well, Cinder."
"Kimisa, of course I do. She is my sister, in a way."
Kimi sighed. She was thinking of her wife right now. She wished she was back cuddling her and listening to a rant about the latest shotgun that had come out, or the newest spear she had been gifted on one of her trips to the viking world, as she loved her excited face.
Cinder, for her part, was missing her own love. Layeh would be preparing her peppermint brownies this time of year. She always made the cutest face when she was chipmunking brownies.
"Halt!" A voice shouted behind them both. It was a man's voice, a wizened man adorn in a mixture of scholars' clothes and gold armor with a helmet spiked along the top, and that completely hid his face. "Who are you, strange travelers from the stars beyond?"
Cinder turned first as Kimi just ignored him, uninterested in the medieval shenanigans of this place. Cinder was more inclined to play along, for now. "Hark. We are Cinder of Eternum and Kimisa of Lilium. We seek our companion and lover."
"And who might this companion be?"
"They go by the name of Luna. A knight who often wields scythes."
The old man slowly stroked his chin beneath the helm, his off hand holding a staff that's head was a hand gripping a strange jewel like a claw. "Hmmmm, I do believe they were headed last towards the realm of the giants. Beyond Leyndell, sealed away by an ancient path. I am afraid -"
"Thanks, old timer." Kimi stretched, groaning at the pop in her chest.
Cinder chuckled. "Whatever barrier may lay in our way, we will conquer it easily."
"Cocky. You are very proud and certainly in your ability, but these are secrets guarded by the will of the gods themselves." His voice was cautious, yet Cinder caught the all too familiar tone of manipulation.
"Who are you, old sire?"
"I am Gideon, the All-knowing."
At that, Kimi let out a heavy laugh. Cinder stifled a chuckle of her own as both conjured thoughts of their dear Momosa hearing him say that. It would have likely ended in a lecture or a murder.
"Well, all-knowing, we are not so afraid of these gods as you." Cinder softly puffed out smoke as she assessed the man.
"None can overcome their divine will. Even the tarnished, returned to grace, can bend their will. It is impossible." He sounded so self-assured.
Cinder simply walked over to the man. She slowly put out her tobacco against her own neck, which did not even leave a burn, flicking it aside and staring the man in the eyes through his mask. "I have slain gods for lesser insults to my capabilities. I have endured places your feeble mortal mind could never begin to comprehend and come out alive. Writhing, crying, in agony. But. Alive. So when we say we can get through. Know this, all-knowing. We can." She turned, walking back to meet up with Kimisa as they began to press ahead, armed with a destination.
Gideon watched, knowing that these two were ones to keep a close eye on. They were surprises. He detested unwelcome surprises.
...
"Look." Luna said as they walked along the road. The winds had finally started to calm down, and they were taking things slow today. "I may have made an... irrational decision."
Marika sighed as they walked, hand in hand even as she played up her attitude. It wasn't that she was still angry, but Luna's whining was far too precious to let go to waste. "Mhm. I would say you did."
"I will think it through next time." She gave a pleading smile.
"Oh, I am certain you will." She responded with a glimmer of sass.
Luna whined slightly, shuffling through the snow a little as she painted little patterns on Marika's hand. The gold goddess smiled gently at that, knowing that much of this was an act that her lover enjoyed giving.
"Will you forgive me?" She whined in a shy, timid voice that was far too sweet.
She tapped her chin for a few moments, enjoying the little whine she got as she smirked slightly. "Oh, fine. You are forgiven."
Luna cheered instantly, making her queen laugh. "Hehe, success." She gave a small fist pump.
Ranni snickered behind them atop Torrent. "Are you two quite finished? I can only handle so much of this before my appetite for sugar grows numb."
Melina swatted her arm with a little scolding look, though there was no fire in it. "Sh. You mustn't be so cold."
Ranni smirked, slowly stroking Melina's chin as her little candle blushed. Marika saw a lot of herself in Ranni at that moment. She savored control. Just like her mother. "And here I thought you enjoyed me, Cold."
Melina's face turned nearly the same color as her hair, covering her face cutely and muttering about unfairness. Ranni giggled, kissing her forehead as they rode along.
Fia smiled behind them. "You two are far too cute."
Ranni smirked. "Says the girl who's plucked my dearest's heart right from between my own fingers." Fia was blushing now, her eyes darting to Ranni's with a glimmer of panic. "Shh, I merely tease. Calm your heart, dear Fia. I have found quite an affectionate hobby out of seeing you just as flustered. Just like my little lamplight." She winked at Fia, who proceeded to hide her face in Melina's cloak, who herself as hiding in her hood. Ranni's grin only grew as the trotting of hooves on snow cut through the otherwise quiet trip. Malli had taken a nap, tucked beneath Blaidd's cloak while the wolfman himself snoozed on a makeshift sled behind Torrent.
It was all so peaceful.