Day 217 (195th):
We awoke just as the sun was rising. I felt a lot more people around the palace than normal. Looking outside revealed a crowd gathered outside the front doors. A servant brought in some breakfast while two behind her were burdened with armfuls of stuff. While the food was laid upon the table the other two laid the stuff on an empty bed. They all left. We investigated the items as we ate. Most were small trinkets, notes, and other inexpensive items. We were pondering these things when three more entered, equally burdened with more stuff. The bed was half covered when they left. This was unbelievable. We wondered what to do with them when three more entered and buried the bed even more. Now we knew we could not carry all of these things. Kendar, Mattis, Mara, and Gavin entered followed by three more servants with enough to finish covering the rest of the bed. They looked at the hidden bed and everything hiding it.
"I hate to tell you," Kendar began, "but that is barely a quarter of what if piling up downstairs."
We were all shocked.
"What are they for and how are we suppose to take all of this with us?" Alice asked, genuinely worried.
"They are gifts of gratitude from the people of Selvis Prime to send you out into the world," Mara informed us.
"As for carrying them," Gavin piped in, "the horses can only carry so much."
"Horses? What horses?" Anna asked.
"That is part of our gift to you," Mara replied smiling, "Plus saddles, tack, and bags with supplies included."
We started to protest, but they insisted that it was a small token of the deep appreciation they had for all we had done. We accepted with trepidation. They left. We told the servants to stop bringing up the stuff.
After we were alone, I thought of a way to deal with these gifts.
"Gretta and Callie, please find all the items we can use to fund our journey."
They understood and began sorting.
"Sarah and Lisa, please collect the notes. We can bless the writers before we leave."
They nodded and took up their tasks.
"Anna and Alice, please see if there are any useful things for our travels."
They began looking as well. I picked out the items I could see were tainted to outright cursed. These Set got to burn. Once everyone was done, we encircled the remaining items.
"Aloriana, Queen of the Faeries, please take these gifts to the Faerie Realm to be of any use you can conceive," we intoned together.
The items began to glow, then vanished. However, a few rough stones remained. We confusedly examined them. I could see nothing special about them. None of my sisters could either. A note materialized on the bed.
"These are 'stone seeds'. Your stone friends will be glad to see these. Have someone take them to that race. They will rejoice."
Dawn cheeped and hopped upon the bed.
"She volunteers," Alice informed us.
We found a pouch and placed the seeds in it and secured it to her leg. She inspected it, peeped, then took off out the window.
We left the bed and formed a circle around the notes Sara and Lisa held.
"Fortune, Fate, and all benevolent powers, bless the writers of these notes or those for whom they were written with the best that life may provide," we spoke as one.
The papers glowed for a moment then dissolved into ash. This ash was caught of by a breeze and carried away. We divided up the valuable and useful things equally so no one was over-burdened.
Four servants burst into the room, shouting.
"My ladies! The pile of gifts downstairs! All but a few things are gone! Many watched them glow, then vanish. They glowed a second time and all the papers turned to ash. We were told to gather what was left and bring it up here to keep the rest from begin stolen," Mina told us.
They dumped apron-fulls of coins, trinkets, and a few useful items, exactly what we had sorted out on the bed. No stone seeds were among them. We were both amazed and glad not to have to go through all of that again. We assured them nothing was stolen. Once we explained what really happened, they relaxed and left to relay the information to the others. We left soon after.
Downstairs, as soon as we were seen, a cheer erupted. It startled us, even Bo jerked. They continued to cheer as we exited the front and the noise increased. Outside, both royal families, Kendar, Mattis, plus other friends stood near the horses. The noise died down when we got to them. Gavin stepped towards us.
"Sisters of the Swords, we cannot thank you for all you have done to rebirth the Kingdom of Selvis. The items you have been given are but a token of our gratitude. While we wish you would stay here, we know you have obligations elsewhere. All of you will be always welcome in Selvis Prime and Selvis Kingdom."
Another loud cheer roared. We were aided into the saddle. Mine had a special addition for Set to ride in as well. People lined the streets and formed a living corridor from the palace to the city gates. More items were handed to us as we rode between the mass of people. Our sorting magic was still in effect as non-valuable items with little use vanished after they were handed to us. It warmed our hearts to see centaur beside elf beside human beside dwarf beside gnome without discomfort, fear, or hatred.
It was after mid-day when we exited the gates. It was then when we decided to head back to Thantos to get Alice back to her duties as a lord's daughter. We decided to go back through Brimgrove as it was the fastest and most direct route. We ate in the saddle. Set disappeared from time to time to return with fur or feathers sticking to his lips or dripping wet.
By sunset, we were out of sight of the palace and city. It felt good to sleep under the stars again.
Day 218 (196th):
We were up with the dawn. By the time we were underway, Dawn had returned to Alice with a large and heavy pouch. Alice told us that the Stone Race was elated to receive the stone seeds, which they revealed was how their race reproduced. In return, they filled a pouch with "stones valued by surface races". Gretta said it was humming. We opened it and nearly fell out of the saddles. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires nearly fell out of the stuffed pouch. Gretta, literally, slapped her hands over her ears.
"Close the pouch, please, it is too loud!" she shouted over the noise only she could hear.
We closed it and Lisa stowed it among her things. Gretta relaxed and said it was easier to deal with under other items. She could not even speculate on their value, but Greed gave us a number that surprised all of us. Set went over and sniffed the pouch. He stated that they smelled clean. We laughed but did not ask him to clarify. He returned to our saddle.
Not in a hurry, we were able to see the difference between when we rode towards Baaloc Prime and away from Selvis Prime. Even as it was fall, the land seemed healthier, more alive. People, animals, and plants all seemed more vibrant than before. We took this as a good sign.
As Brimgrove rose in the distance, I saw an odd energy around it. Set, Vanity and I could not place it nor determine its origin. We decided a closer look would be needed and enjoyed our journey. The horses kept a steady, easy pace as we were passed by travelers and merchants, far more than we had encountered on the ride from Brimgrove.
Days 219-222 (197th-200th):
The trip went smoothly over the reborn Selvis Kingdom. The farms we had blessed were flourishing. News of Selvis Kingdom's resurrection had reached even these far places. The large family played among rows of wheat and stacks of hay. The elderly couple invited us to stay the night, which we did. They shared the bounty their fields had produced. To their credit, they realized we had aided in their good fortune and said this was all they could do to thank us. We accepted and asked for nothing more. It saddened us to find that the man we had bought the extra horses from had died not long after our meeting. However, his son appreciated us remembering his father and all we had done to ease his final days.
Each day we got closer to Brimgrove brought the energy into clearer focus. Within a few miles, we determined it was divine energy engulfing the whole forest. We speculated that Starlight may have returned to her temple now that her bowl had been returned and properly filled.
We reached the edge of the forest by sunset.
Day 223 (201st):
We awoke to find ourselves surrounded by a herd of unicorns. I recognized our escort among the dozen or more large beings around us. A particularly large male stepped towards us and bowed.
"Greeting, Seven Sisters. It is a pleasure to meet all of you in person. Our fellows have told us about their time with you."
We were all amazed. The others had not spoken, in true words, to us during our time with them so we did not know how to react. We all stood in silence. Set broke the awkward moment.
"When did you learn to talk? They never said you spoke," he asked innocently.
They laughed, "Our voices were muffled with the drop in magic from Starlight's absence. With her return, the magic has increased to allow our voices to be heard by non-unicorns. It is nice to able to converse with the other citizens of Brimgrove."
"To what do we owe the pleasure of you company?" Alice asked in mock formality.
The large male stood at attention, "The Seven Sisters are invited to Starlight's temple. She wishes to speak with you and ask your aid."
We looked at each other puzzled. What could a goddess need for us to aid her? The unicorns surrounded us as we mounted our horses. the large male led the way. We traveled until sunset.
Days 224-225 (202nd - 203rd):
The next couple of days were filled with easy conversation. The unicorns told us what had happened in Brimgrove since we left. They told about Baaloc humans and demons attempting to hunt and harvest in Brimgrove. They confirmed that they were the cause of the single wound found on many bodies found at the forest's edge.
We reached the temple before dark, but our escort told us to wait until morning to enter. As we were being invited, we agreed to spend the night outside the vine curtain door. The area was like a garden and it was easy to relax and fall asleep there.
*********************END OF FIRST "BOOK"***************************************
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