21.4 People Need Friends

General Summary

Day 313

Mystery and I wake in the morning in the same bed, having gotten slightly tipsy and fallen asleep together. Again, I am reminded of my Academy days.   Downstairs I find that Void has gone to help the defenders on the walls while Caravel is working on drills with Nina. Seeing them is so sweet - reminds me of home and Doraal.   I set off to visit Torrick, accompanied by Nina and Kadia. Wherever we walk there is an aura of awe and respect not around me but around Nina. She bears it well but I can't imagine it's comfortable.   When we reach the Keep we are ushered in and Nina leads us to the Great Hall, now converted into a sick bay. It's a familiar sight, unfortunately. She's greeted by the mystic on duty, who hands her a list of those who are most in need of healing. She stands amongst them, grounds herself firmly, and lets the healing magic pour out of her, patching up those who are most gravely wounded. She brings 30 of them from their grievous state back to the simple exhaustion we are all feeling. I catch her when she stumbles coming out of the magic and then take over, letting the energy from my own blood wash over all the others in the hall. I hear whispers alluding to me being yet another Saint but I shake them off as Torrick arrives and enfolds me in a big hug.   Both Nina and Torrick make an effort to stand tall and walk with purpose but as soon as we retire to his private sitting room, they deflate a little. Nina sits quietly with a mug in her hands as I chat with Torrick about Drognar's needs and whether we can provide any aid.   But the real new information here, apparently, is that Nina and Torrick have taken a shine to one another. There is much teasing and laughter over the idea of having to introduce Torrick to her small-town father, especially given Torrick's age.   Nina herself is feeling the additional burden of a potential queenship in her future and she asks my advice on the matter. It's funny thinking of it that way - me as a young farmer's daughter who got swept up by the woman who would one day be a Hand. From my perspective it was completely natural, as easy as breathing. I joined her family and was doing the job long before it was formalized. I suspect the same is true for Nina and Torrick, given how clearly they are supporting one another and looking after the Armed Nation.   None of this will stop me and Kadia from teasing Nina with the idea of being a princess and having fairytales written about how she swept the refined 300-year-old king off his feet. I warn her that I can easily have Bran make her a helmet with a crown encircling it to befit her status. The stress melts a little as we laugh. "People need heroes," is something Torrick said early in the conversation but it is very apparent that those heroes still need to be treated like people too.   We'll probably spend the rest of the day walking around the city and discussing magical engineering to help with the food and herb supply but for now it is nice to simply play music and tell stories of Dreamfall and all the ancient cities that once stood here and may one day stand again.