Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 18)

Tomhas was sitting at his window, staring out at the vast expanse of snow. He was thinking of nothing and everything, leg bouncing gently. He was having trouble processing anything at all, really--had been for a couple weeks now. So many mistakes to comb through. So few forgivable. he should probably get some sleep now, but he'd been having trouble sleeping, too.
The ground trembled slightly, and Tomhas stirred from his cycle of misery. Then there was a sound--a massive boom as if something had exploded. He shot to his feet, alarmed.

(This shouldn't wake Ky up; it's far away so only someone who's awake would be able to hear)

(Okay cool!)

It took a while for her to get herself under control enough to be able to speak. Petrir hugged her close the whole time, patient and willing to go at her pace.

“I’m- I’m so sorry, Papa.” She pulled away from him slightly, looking up into his face. Cementing the image in her mind’s eye forever.

“Whatever for?” He furrowed his brow slightly, looking at her kindly.

“I… I let another man adopt me.” She blushed profusely, dropping her gaze.

“Oh.” He was quiet for a moment. “Someone in town?”

She shook her head. “No… a Northerner, actually. I live up there now.”

“Oh… I see… and does he treat you well.”

“Yes.” Ky nodded. “He and his wife treat me very well. And they’ve got kids, too, who all treat me well. They’re very, very kind to me.”

“Then I’m delighted.”

She furrowed her brow. “What?”

“I’m delighted you found a Papa to pick up where I left off, baby. You deserve a Papa to hug you every single day and tell you how proud he is of you. I can only be in your memory, now. I’m so, so glad you’ve found someone to love you.”

She started sobbing again, falling against him. He hugged her tightly.

Gaius, too, had heard the blast and hurried to his window. He couldn't see anything in the darkness. Sara was still asleep in bed. He glanced at her, then hurried downstairs to the library.

"What was that?" he demanded of one of the librarians who was awake. She stuttered out something unintelligible, and he strode into the stacks. This had to be a sign of the gods waking. Maybe they were already up and about?

He flipped open one of the many books he'd laid out, looking for anything that might help. There was nothing so far that detailed anything like it--this wasn't an earthquake, he was sure. It had sounded as if a whole mountain had split...

He looked up, then rose and limped into the geography section, scanning the rows until he found a book on the mountain range in the north.

Ky soaked in as much of her Papa as she could. They didn’t need to talk anymore; just existing in the same space was enough.

He held her close until her breathing calmed and her body stilled.

“I have to go now,” Papa murmured after a long while. “I feel the other realm calling me back.”

She hugged him tighter. “Don’t go.”

“I have to…” he planted a kiss on the top of her head. “It will be harder for you if you don’t let go… feeling me vanish…”

He was right. It’d be traumatizing to lose him so suddenly while he was still in her arms. And it sounded like he was going to leave whether she let go or not.

Ky sighed and reluctantly let go, looking up at his face again. “I love you.”

“I love you. Forever and always.”

“Forever and always.”

He vanished.

And suddenly she was in her room again. Well, her washroom, laying on her nest of blankets and furs, sobbing. She gathered herself up and wrapped herself in blankets, leaning back against the wall and trying to process what in the world had just happened. It felt so real So raw. She was simultaneously filled with a sense of contentment and warmth and yet bitter loss all at once.

Gaius flipped through. There was something he remembered...he wasn't sure if it was true or if it was about another mountain range, but....yes. He let out a soft gasp. Gods, that was it." He looked toward the window, wishing suddenly that he could see the mountains from here, or that it was day. He knew there was a plume of smoke rising to the north, now. That the mountain had blown open.

(Oh shit)

Ky took a while to get herself put together and calmed down. She took her sweet time getting ready for the day and putting her bed back together, thoroughly marinating in the events from her dream.

It was real.

She was sure of it.

It wasn’t like a normal dream. He’d been too solid. To lifelike. Her dreams were always hazier than that. They never captured the kindness in his eyes or the gentleness in his voice as thoroughly as that.

Which meant Haelar was real, too. And had come to her. And… called her… friend? That almost felt like the most bizarre part of the dream. That he wanted to address her casually. To be addressed casually by her. Wild.

Even more wild that he seemed… decent, really. Her gut wasn’t screaming at her beyond normal anxiety when they’d been talking before she knew who he was. And he’d specifically said he chose her to be merciful. That seemed… good. He seemed good. Reasonable. Fair.

He could have said no to seeing Papa. Could have set terms for it. ‘You can only see him if you promise to be a good herald’ or asked for a sacrifice or something. But he hadn’t. He’d met her request with no strings attached. That was kind. Merciful. That showed he cared about her happiness, not just obedience. That was good.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be so terrible to serve. Especially now that he’d guaranteed he would keep her safe. He hadn’t actually answered her about her living family and if they were safe or not — that wasn’t lost on her. But she had to believe it was because she split the question at the end to include Petrir, and then chased that rabbit trail. It didn’t actually mean anything.

She decided she needed some air to clear her mind and went for a walk. It was still very early but she figured people would be waking before too much longer now that she’d sat there so long thinking through all this. She felt like she needed to talk to both Gaius and Tomhas. But separately.

Gaius wouldn’t give a fuck about her seeing her Papa, she was certain. It wasn’t useful to him. He only cared about information he found interesting — why would he be interested in this?

Tomhas would, though. She was pretty sure, anyway. She’d need to come up with an excuse for why Papa visited her now, of any time. But this was good news. The best news. The fact that he had Papa’s blessing to be her new Papa. That neither of them had to worry about overstepping now. Papa wanted them to be father and daughter. They weren’t betraying him.

Gaius headed out of the library, heart pounding. Something big must have happened. Perhaps one of the gods was awake now. He'd have to ask Myna tomorrow, or perhaps Ky or Jerica. Maybe they'd heard something.

Ky headed down the stairs, not sure where she was going. She was doubting herself about what time it might or might not be. Perhaps she shouldn’t bother anyone yet.

Gaius was going to his office to write a letter. He wanted news as soon as possible.

Tomhas was pacing in his room, glancing out the window repeatedly. What if there was another earthquake?