starlit heroics chapter 5

~*~*~* Chapter Five: Bring Me To Life *~*~*~


The Information Team regrouped in a quaint little deli within walking distance of Lumentia Castle, a pile of bagels on a platter in front of them and another princess accompanying them.

“You weren’t kidding, Spirit. Good shit.” Dan affirmed, before taking a bite out of the one he held.

“I told you. Best deli in Lumentia, hands down. I also ordered us some sandwiches so don’t get filled up yet. They still have to make them.”

“Suddenly I understand why Danielle comes here so often.”

“You know, besides the library.” Letro laughed. “Face it Dan she’s kind of a nerd.”

“I never denied it.”

“I bet she’d marry that library before she ever found a good woman to rail.”

“Wh… woman?”

“What? Your gaydar broken? She’s the biggest lesbian I’ve ever met.”

“Letro. Letro stop talking about her that way.”

“She’s not even in the closet buddy I don’t know how you’ve been missing this.”

“You know, much as I hate to agree with him, he’s right.” Starr shrugged.

“No way. Noooo.”

“Have you ever like, asked her?” Angel frowned a bit. “Seems a bit concerning that her twin brother doesn’t know this.”

“She never told any of us… She kind of got really quiet about it after the tabloids started accusing us of incest. Which has never happened, let me clarify!”

“Oooh… I remember her being really upset about that.”

“I told her not to listen to the tabloids, but… her image is important to her. It’s why you never see her out of her classy suits.”

“Have you ever tried to pursue anything against them?”

“I wanted to, but we just never did. Oh well, I guess.” he sighed a little, “Not like it matters now, I guess. That was a while ago.”

“I think you should, at least if they try again.”

“Maybe. Er, anyway… what’s our next order of business.”

“You’re gonna get your ass in that tomb, you’re gonna bring back your sister, and then we’re going to Magmarne.”

“Why Magmarne? What if I wanted to go to Shadowrian.”

“Just trust me, Danno. Magmarne is where it’s at.”

“I… guess if you say so?”

“It’ll be better than being in Lumentia for this long...” Kaj grumbled. “Why does everyone keep calling me a fop?”

“It’s the shades.” Angel stated matter-of-factly.

“They’re Luna’s.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re wearing women’s sunglasses.”

Before Kaj could once again reply, plates were slid onto the table in the booth the heroes sat in. The server looked like a grand, mighty lion standing upright, with the head of a hawk and hands more like talons than actual hands. She smiled as best one can smile with a beak, wished them well, and shuffled on back into the back room.

“...So anyway, about that food.”

“It’s incredible, forget all my complaints about Lumentia.”

“Until five minutes from now.”

“Yeah well our pizza is still better.”

“You did not just bring pizza into this. I will have you know, sir, that Lumentian pizza is sent from the gods themselves.”

“It’s floppy. You shouldn’t have to fold pizza.”

“You shouldn’t have to eat it with a fork either.”

“If you do it right, you’re not eating the pizza with a fork. That’s just a cardinal sin. You know, like folding your floppy limp dick pizza.”

“Excuse you, but let me explain you a thing. Your pizza is nothing but a marinara swimming pool for rats.”

“Yeah, and the pizza rat video came from Ville de Briller, didn’t it.”

“That isn’t even the point. It’s cake. Pizza shouldn’t be cake.”

“Pizza shouldn’t be paper, either.”

“Excuse the fresh fuck outta you.”

The rest of the group exchanged glances at each other as the two continued to argue over pizza.

“Sooo...” Dan coughed. “This is a thing that’s happening.”

“I… guess it is. Welp.” Spirit continued to watch them with her third eye. “I guess we really should have known this would happen.”

“Don’t… don’t tell him this, but… I’m inclined to agree with Angel.” Luna shrugged.

“I don’t think either of them can hear us right now, honestly. They’re way too far gone.”

“...So Magmarne next, right?” Letro just turned away from the argument. “Got some ducks over there that I want to get lined up in a nice little row. Speaking of, Danno. Gonna have to talk to you before we head out.”

“Er, okay. We can do that. Magmarne it is, I guess. Bring your lighter clothing. It’s gonna be hotter than Hell out, this time of year.”

“Ugh, worst...” Starr groaned. “I’d rather spend my time in Glacientyr. At least in Glacientyr you can have snowball fights. You can’t do anything like that in Magmarne. All you can do is lay in the sand and die. It’s land-locked. There’s not even beaches so you can like, make sand castles.”

“Speaking of beaches...” Spirit chimed in, “Can we go to Terrantia next, after Magmarne? It won’t be hard to get their crystal, I don’t think. Just go up, have a chat with Ila, get the crystal and spend the rest of the day on the beach. That sounds nice.”

“I mean that does sound pretty good. One thing though.”

“Name it.”

“Let’s all agree to do Ventureni last.”

Dan glanced down at the table. He knew why they suggested it. The King of Ventureni was not a kind man. Very harsh; harsh and stubborn. There was a rumor around the royalty that he didn’t treat the Queen or his son and daughter very kindly. It might be difficult to get that crystal if he decided to get involved.

“...Alright. We’ll go there last. The rest should be easier.”

“Great. Then I guess that plots our course.”

“Guess so… but first, let’s let those two burn out and finish our lunch. Then we can head back to Librata Castle, rest a little bit, and then revive Danielle tonight.”

“Works for me.”

The rest of the group continued to pointedly ignore Angel and Kaj’s bickering, until the shop door jingled, offering a little more of a potent distraction. Through the door walked a young man with white bangs and a metal arm, who the group briefly remembered seeing in the castle earlier.

Next to him, however, was a very strange creature indeed. Its dark purple body was almost birdlike, and it stood on two legs that looked more reptilian than anything. It had wings, certainly, though they were more like a bat’s than anything, with clawed hands on the tip tops of either arm, which extended backward into a wing membrane. The head upon its long neck was very smooth and round, and it had blank yellow eyes. They were expressive, based on the way it squinted at the menu, but it did not appear to actually see out of them, as it seemed to acknowledge the attendant that came to greet them.

“As many as we want?” It asked its companion.

“I have this note and everything!”

“Xephixir really is great! Man, forget what the boss said. Tonight, we feast!”

“Boss, what boss. I don’t have a boss.”

“Tell me about it. One gross of bagels, miss!”

“A… a whole gross?” The griffin-like waitress looked absolutely stunned, both at the ridiculous order being placed and at the strange creature ordering it. “Sir, do you… know how many that is?”

“Uh… a lot?” Jack shrugged.

“That’s twelve dozen.”

“People usually order a dozen of these, right? So twelve. Twelve dozen.”

“Sir that’s a hundred and forty four bagels!”

“A hundred and… Denzia how many is that?”

“A lot more than ten, Jack. Alright, we’ll just take ten.”

“Ten bagels it is...” The waitress shuffled back into the back, where you could hear some talk about how an Animus just nearly ordered a whole gross of bagels. The pair then sat down at a booth across the restaurant, oblivious to the stairs they were receiving from the Information Team.

“Do… you see this?” Spirit squinted a little, with all three eyes. “That… that sure is an Animus. Just. In a restaurant. Like it’s nothing.”

“Didn’t we see that guy in the castle?”

“We did.”

“I heard something about a boss. Couldn’t be that he’s...” Dan watched them cautiously. “...that he’s one of them, could it?”

“If he was, it looks like he flaked something major. I have never seen anybody happier about bagels in my life.”

Starr frowned. “Something as simple as food… what is it like on Cerphixen if he’s overjoyed about a deli? Not that this place isn’t worth getting pumped over. It definitely is. But it’s such a small thing. Are they living in some kind of dystopia up there? The kind of thing you read about in the shitty young adult novels and the books written by guys who really don’t like the establishment and decide to write political commentary that everyone thinks is literary classics seventy years later but really it’s the mediocre ramblings of a man who doesn’t understand how the system works.”

“...You really hated Nineteen Eighty Six, didn’t you.”

“I hated it so much. Big Brother is not watching, the kingdoms are not planning on uniting under the eye of one absolute overlord, and there is no Room One Hundred and Two. That’s what the Big Fuckboy up there wants, probably.”

“Starr. Starr? Orville died years ago. Find your chill.”

“Sorry, I just… I hate that kind of blatant propaganda a lot. Like wow guy it’s almost as if this system has been in place for centuries and everyone is doing fine.”

“Starr.”

“...sorry. Again.”

“...Anyway.” Dan cleared his throat again. “Innocent until proven guilty, I guess. And probably still innocent, even then. Look at that guy. I don’t think he could hurt a fly on purpose.”

“Agreed. Really does sound like he flaked as soon as he was cornered, doesn’t it. Think we should talk to him?”

“Maybe if we spot him again. I think we should just let him be happy about his bagels.”

“...That’s probably the better idea. Let’s just. Finish lunch and get back to Librata Castle. I think that’s a good plan.

~*~*~

The trip home was fairly uneventful for the group, consisting mostly of Spirit telling some strange medical stories from her time as a member of the Healer Division.

“...And so, long story short, I had to extract a can of compressed air from the man’s anus. The only reason he gave us was that the can was giving him bedroom eyes and to his credit, he wasn’t exactly wrong. That can had bedroom eyes. Why would you sell that?”

“...This story was an adventure from start to finish.” Dan mumbled, incredulous, as the team entered Librata Castle.

“Well I mean, I could go even deeper into the rabbit hole of medical mystery if you want. There was the one time with the young man and the lava lamp.”

“I am, to put it frankly, terrified. If it involves young men and strangely shaped objects then nine times out of ten, that object is going into the butt. I don’t need this.”

“Then perhaps I should spare you the detail of how it broke in there-”

“NOPE.”

“You know, that must take some really intense training to be able to fit a whole lava lamp into your butt.” Letro stretched out a little, “I mean, provided it was a full sized one. If it’s a little baby lamp then he’s a pussy. Real men put fully-sized lamps up there.”

“It was a full-sized lamp. He sold me some story about how he thought he was reaching for his diddler. The rest of the team and I knew better because when we got there he was trying to pull it out by the cord. He can’t not have noticed the cord before he put it in.”

“I have mentally checked so far out of this conversation that I am on the moon. Serengarel is looking at me funny from her moon palace. I have grown a berserker and psychic powers. This is your fault.” Starr facepalmed.

“I… I’m uncomfortable.” Luna mumbled, pressing herself into Kaj, who tried his best not to go red despite the topic of conversation.

“MOVING RIGHT ALONG.” Dan announced suddenly. “We’re here, you’re free to the facilities, please don’t tell any more stories about things in people’s butts. Especially not if they are living beings or are breakable.”

“But those are the best stories.” Angel, who had followed along with them, laughed. “I mean come on, what’s a good medical mystery without things going up people’s butts.”

“One that actually has intrigue and doesn’t involve lava lamps or air canisters? Or hamsters? I really didn’t need that knowledge in my life.”

“Alright, alright.” Spirit seemed not to mind. “If that’s the case, Starr, Angel and I are going to scope out your kitchen.”

“Yeah, go right ahead. I’m gonna go prepare a fresh suit for Danielle and then get ready to head to the graveyard.”

“Right, get on that. She’s waiting, y’know.”

“Yeah yeah, I know.”

The Lumentian twins and their cousin split off, and Dan wandered deeper into the castle. He should at least do his family a solid and tell them he had received the reviver stone, he figured. From there, he could head out to the cemetery, anybody who wanted to go with could go with, they could bring back Danielle and rest until tomorrow. What could go wrong? Nothing. Nothing could go wrong. Right?

As his inner monologue continued, he walked face first into a mass of black coat.

“Oof-”

“Who-?!” The mass suddenly turned around, revealing itself as Rainer. “Oh, it’s just Dan… Did you get the stone?”

“Right here.” He pulled the stone from his pocket, which made Rainer smile a bit.

“Good.”

“I’ll be bringing her back tonight, I think...”

“...Tonight?” The smile was gone as soon as it was there. “Dan… Dan that’s a bad idea. Tonight, of all nights...”

“Er… what is tonight?” Dan frowned in reply.

“Do you honestly not know the story of the Berserker Queen?”

“You mean Lutrine? Because she’s kinda-”

“No, not that one. Alright, it’s story time, I guess. About a hundred years ago, the ruler of Librata was a woman by the name of Menodora. They say she was a terrifying sight to behold in battle as well as one of the last diplomats to interact with the governments of Cerphixen.”

“No kidding, huh...”

“The story goes that the Cataclysm erupted as she was on a diplomatic trip, and that she was one of the first casualties, by way of public execution. She was captured in battle, and was not even allowed to let her berserker burn out before being slain. She swore that somehow, some way, she would see Xerizero’s empire crumble, and in exchange, he cursed her to spill the blood of her own countrymen on the anniversary of her death, every year.”

“And you’re saying that’s today.”

“Yes. She was buried with all the honors a hero deserves, but the curse remained in place. For a hundred years, on this day, she’s risen from the dead to slay all those that would find themselves near the Royal Tomb. Even if one managed to take her down, she just rises again the next year.”

“So what you’re saying is there’s a crazed undead wandering around the Royal Tomb looking for murder. The same Royal Tomb where Danielle is.”

“Yeah. That one.”

“I’m going anyway.”

“What?!”

“I’m not going to let some old curse stop me from reviving Danielle, okay? If I didn’t know any better I’d swear that’s exactly what they want.”

“Might be, but you’re crazy if you think you’re going there. You’ll get-”

“I don’t care, Rainer. I’m going.”

“Ugh… fine, then I’m going with you. You might as well have some backup.”

“Fine, the backup is appreciated.”

“Fine!”

“Fine!!”

“We’re still going to get our asses kicked, but fine!”

“Good! I’m going to get ready!”

“Great!”

“Awesome!”

It took until the pair were rooms apart again for either of them to remember that the hell they had been arguing about. Both came to the conclusion that it may have actually been completely and utterly stupid and not at all worth getting into it about.

“Damn it. I can’t let him be right.” Dan muttered to himself. “Berserker queen or no berserker queen, I’m reviving Danielle and that’s all there is to it. Right? Right. Of course. Dani wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s sitting there tapping her foot wondering why she isn’t back already.”

“You bet she is, Danno.”

Dan jumped and swiveled around to see Letro leaning in the doorway. “Damn it- how do you keep doing that!”

“Ancient Valentine family secret. Passed down through many generations. Not for nosy princes.”

“Letro, that’s a crock of bullshit and you know it damn well.”

“Yeah, but bullshit is fun.”

“Not when it involves sneaking up on me it isn’t!”

“Sure it is! In fact that’s what makes it extra fun. You’re so easy, Danno. You jump like a foot in the air every time. Would it kill you to not be so high strung?”

“For all I know, yes. I’ve already got, you know, the world and the gods relying on me. I don’t need people creeping up on me.”

“Yeah, and if you keep stressing out about it you’re gonna give yourself a coronary. Healers have trouble fixing coronaries y’know.”

“I know, I know. It’s a lot of pressure, Letro. Next thing I know, it’s gonna be on us to actually try and assassinate this guy. The guy is a god, Letro. That’s not going to end in any way but messy. I don’t need that shit.”

“Listen. It’s all gonna be alright, okay? Just go revive your sister and don’t even worry about some stupid shitty ancient curse. It’s not even ancient. It’s just kinda there from a hundred years ago. Point is you’re gonna get there, and if you even get attacked you’re gonna turn that old dead queen to dust again, you’ll get your sister back, and then everything is cherries and we can head off to Magmarne tomorrow.”

“You are seriously fixated on Magmarne, aren’t you.”

“I like it there. It’s nice, it’s warm, the Brucitola are always looking for a fight...”

“...And once again, everything comes back down to fighting with you.”

“Have you ever tried to wrestle one of those guys? I almost lost once! It was so close! I want to do it again.”

“Of course you do. Are you sure this isn’t a sex thing? Because it sounds like a sex thing to me.”

“Once again. That’s for me to know, and you to only know after you’ve bought me dinner.”

“I’m not buying you dinner, Letro.”

“Aw come on. I thought we had something special.” He cackled as Dan turn on his heel, “Baby come back! You can blame it all on me~”

“I don’t need to put up with this, Letro.”

“No, really, get back here. There’s something important I need to talk to you about.”

“What is it.” Dan turned back around again, and re-entered the room.

“Why don’t we close the door? Confidential stuff, very private.”

“Alright alright. As long as you don’t try to hit on me again. I know you’re trying to make me uncomfortable, knock it off.”

“No no, I’m being dead serious right now. This is fate of the world stuff, I’m talking here. Just hear me out. Trust me, Danno.”

~*~*~

Sometime later that night, Dan and Rainer began down the winding road toward Time’s End Cemetery. The path was lit solely by the full moon in the sky, watching down over them as if to protect them from the dangers ahead. It was their only solace as they approached the cemetery, which tonight even the guardsmen had abandoned.

“No one’s here...”

“I told you this was a bad night, Dan. Told you. They’ve all abandoned their posts because it’s bloody damn well the most dangerous night of the year out here. She’s hunting for blood and we’re as good as delivery boys!”

“We have to do this, though. For Dani. Listen… Letro says we’re gonna do just fine, alright?”

“That’s because Letro is fucking crazy! We are talking about a man who wrestles with Brucitola just because he can. We are talking about a man who rode a sea serpent because someone said it would be fun. We are talking about a man who engaged in fisticuffs with at least five of the Royal Dragons and counting.”

“Yeah, well maybe that’s the kind of confidence we need right now. I for one am going to believe in the Letro who believes in me. That’s what the folks do out in the colonies. Did you know they’ve got a rumor out in Montis Ventum that he cured a blind man?”

“What?”

“Or that he was tempted by the Archdemons out in the deserts of Andhera Caldo.”

“That’s really stupid.”

“I know, right? I don’t know where they get it from. If they ever actually met Letro they’d know he’s just kind of a dick.”

“But a fucking crazy, Brucitola wrestling dick.”

“Yeah. That. But that’s not the point. The point is, we need that confidence, alright? No one does confidence better than him.”

“Yeah yeah, I know… look, let’s just get this over with and hope no one has to bring these goddamn things for our poor messed up souls.”

The rows of headstones cast an ominous shadow along the ground as the two of them marched toward the marble tomb ahead of them. There was a chill hanging in the night air, an unnatural cold, especially for this time of year, the very beginning of summer. It was enough to raise the hairs on the back of the necks of the two young men.

“I hate it. So much.”

“This isn’t that bad. We’ve got this… we’ve got this...” Dan pushed open the door to the crypt before Rainer could object any more than he already had.

A rush of stale air poured out at them, reeking of must and carrying with it the scent of the long-dead. It almost seemed to groan in agony as he opened it. Within, was nothing more than darkness and silence as far as they could see, but also the disturbing, creeping sense of being watched.

Perhaps they were being watched by the spirits of their ancestors, Dan thought to himself. In his heart he knew that wasn’t true, but he wanted to believe it just so Rainer wouldn’t be right.

Down into the depths the pair climbed. The dusty air that filled their lungs was almost choking and dizzying, as if very recently stirred. The very tomb itself rumbled and groaned as the two touched down into the crypt proper. Coffins set into the walls each had plaques underneath them emblazoned with text and an elemental symbol, naming and honoring the deceased where they rested. Laying on a stone slab at the very end of the long hall was Danielle’s body, shimmering with a protective layer of magic.

But the two of them couldn’t help but notice the single casket laying wide open, its stone lid slid down onto the floor.

The very moment they did, a terrifying cry rattled the room, sending pebbles of loose stone from the ceiling to the floor. Rainer jumped out of the way of, and Dan was just narrowly able to dodge a mighty blow from a frankly gigantic hammer, and summoned his blade to him as soon as it was able to occur to him that the story had been true all along.

Upon the next swing, he found himself weapon-locked with a white-haired woman, whose blank eyes blazed with fury. Her skin was pale and torn, and along her neck was a jagged and puffy-looking wound that went the whole way through. She scowled and snarled at the boys like an enraged dog, and as Rainer rushed at her with his newly repaired scythe, knocked him over with a sweeping kick. He retaliated by bringing his scythe down as he fell, tearing a wound into her back and causing her to reel, freeing Dan from the weapon lock.

He came back at her with a broad swipe, ripping open her stomach and causing a rattling hiss.

“Leave… LEAVE!” Though her posture, her eyes and her actions dictated aggression, her tone of voice suggested desperation and distress. She swung her hammer again, knocking Dan aside. As he fell, the reviver stone flew from his pocket and made contact with the undead queen.

The world was still in that moment. Dan could feel his heart stop as the glowing, thrumming white stone made contact with waxy, pale skin.

On contact, it sparked and began to shine brightly, and the wind picked up within the tomb, blowing dust very which way and choking the air even further. Withered pallor restored itself to healthy color, and wounds knitted shut. Her neck and her head pulled back to each other as if the two were long-lost lovers reunited, never to be separated again. White hair faded back to greyish-silver, and blank eyes became hazel.

When the light faded, it was quiet. The reviver stone fell to the floor, and cracked through the center, though it retained its bright glow. The dust began to settle again, leaving the combatants confused, but none more so confused than the queen who had been crying out for their blood moments before. She lived, she breathed. Nothing felt more surreal after one hundred years than the sensation of needing air.

She and Dan both reached for the stone at the same time, intercepting each other as they reached it and staring each other in the eyes.

“You’re here for the young one...” She seemed surprised at the sound of her own voice.

“You… Menodora, the Berserker Queen, who died during the Cataclysm.” Rainer seemed to be in a bit of disbelief. “Standing before us, living and breathing.”

“It… would seem I have orchestrated my own return, whether I knew it or not. The curse… is lifted. I am alive, and so I shall be until my time truly comes. Such is the fate of the world and the will of He who walks the bounds of Death.”

“He who walks the bounds of death… do you mean-”

“I know of the young reaper god, and of the War of the Undead through which she came to be. The necromancer who caused such troubles sought to control my curse for his own, only to bring ruin upon his troops. It is as that vile man said, after all. I was fated to spill the blood of my ‘allies’. But she is a young one, and someone must have had dominion over Death before she. Do they no longer teach the tales of He Who Walks? The Crow King?”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

“Then… perhaps I owe my descendants story time. In due time, in due time. I believe the two of you were here for a reason.” She picked up the stone, and placed it gently in Dan’s hand. “She was slain before her time. Please, give her another chance, as you have with me.”

Dan nodded slowly, and turned to face the body of his sister. Acknowledging what had happened was something akin to placing one’s bare hand on a burning stove in that as soon as he tried to think about it, his mind reeled back and pulled away. But here was his chance to set right what had gone so terribly wrong.

He placed the stone over a bite wound on her chest, and when it took a moment, felt his heart almost sink. Then, however, it sparked to life again, and the wind began anew. The claw marks, bite wounds and terrible bruises and obviously broken bones were soon gone, leaving her lying in pristine condition.

When the stone crumbled into plain white dust, Danielle’s chest began to rise and fall, and with it, Dan felt like he could finally exhale again. Soon, her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked around the room, confused.

“Wh… Dan, who is this? And… where am I… I’m not in the royal crypt, am I?”

“If it makes you feel any better it wasn’t our decision?” Dan and Rainer exchanged glances. “I was… out of it, I guess.”

“Mmmh… whatever you say. How long has it been?”

“About a day and a half.”

“So, then… you came to revive me on the anniversary of the execution of the Berserker Queen?!” Now she sounded distressed. “Dan, you bonehead! You idiot! You could have gotten… yourself… killed…” She looked the strange woman up and down, and placed a hand to her chin. “...But instead, you revived her. You broke the curse. Didn’t you?”

“Mostly by accident I’m gonna admit.” Dan glanced to his side, where Menodora stood, watching them both in reverent silence.

“Even still. You’re lucky. What have I missed?”

“We found out what was wrong with Monroe and Lutrine, they vanished after Kerenza chased them off, we saved all the attendants in the castle, and we found out some theories about the Kingdom Crystals through the Lumentians so long story short we’re collecting them now.”

“I… see. I’ll get the long of it later, I suppose.” Danielle shook out her head and stood up from the stone slab. “It’s been one hell of a day and a half for you, seems like. Mine has been… peaceful. I met a young woman in the beyond, quite the talker. She talked about her twin sister a lot.”

“Huh.”

“Didn’t really get it out of her whether her twin was still alive, but it seemed like she appreciated talking to someone who understood.”

“Well that’s certainly interesting.” Dan paused. “Dani, I’m sorry, I should have-”

“No, don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have been standing there like a sitting duck. I should have expected they’d find us and prepared for it. Don’t you start feeling sorry.”

“...too late, Dani. Too late.”

“What am I going to do with you.”

“Come home with me and forget this death thing ever happened, hopefully?”

“I mean, that would be the ideal plan, yes. And what do we do with-”

“If I may… it’s been so long since I’ve been allowed to see my dear Librata Castle. I may not be the queen anymore, but, I would like to go home. I believe it has been more than a long time coming.”

“I… don’t see why not.” Dan shrugged, looking between Rainer and Danielle.

“Sure.”

“I for one think it’ll be simply fascinating to have you. A queen from a hundred years ago… you must have so many stories to tell. I would be honored if I could perhaps document them.”