The last few weeks had been surprisingly quiet, and Ynnarah was rather grateful for that.  It was a long trip from Adeluna to Sularia, but the guide informed the caravan they were only an hour from Sularia's gates.  The young lycan felt just a bit nervous, unsure of who she would find within the city.  She knew her sister was alive, Aunt Angela had confirmed that much.  And she could only assume her parents were as well… so that only left her brother Jayden as an unknown.  "This is where my mother's family is from, Valkoinen.  Some struck out on their own, and traveled to other worlds.  Like Daeluin.  I don't know how many made it back from there though," she said, sounding sad for just a moment. 

But the sadness did not last long, once they crossed a ridge, and the jewel of the desert could be seen in the distance.  Her green eyes brightened, and she continued their conversation from nights' past.  "We spent quite a bit of time in the Eastern Forest, though I really enjoyed the library in Vespora," she added.  They had talked about the differences between the two lands, and where they had both been.  But now, Ynnarah was glad to see the homeland her mother and aunts had always spoken of, and she knew that her friend would be welcome there too. 

Returning her eyes to the starmaps she had gotten in Adeluna, she scribbled a few more notes.  There had been more stories around the campfire last night, and Ynnarah recorded as many of the folktales as she could recall.  "I think Daeluin had a similar story to that one… the thing about the dragon that ate the Tree?  That is so strange, how some things are the same, and others are not," she said as she wrote.  It was something had talked about quite a bit, though Ynnarah didn't dwell on it too much.  It was mostly a point of curiosity for her at this point.

Valkoinen was quiet at first as he took in their surroundings.  He had never seen Sularia, or any of Arri… or even heard of it, for that matter, until Ynnarah had told him about it.  He listened intently to his companion as she spoke, nodding in ackownledgment… and he could sense the sadness in her voice.  He knew what she felt, though perhaps to a different extent.  “I don’t think anyone I know… or knew… made it here,” he said softly, his eyes somewhat distant.  He shook off the feelings after a moment, and continued along with Ynnarah.

He couldn’t help but smile when Ynnarah mentioned her enjoyment of the library in Vespora.  He had been there once, but he didn’t remember it all to well - he more smiled at how adorable he found Ynnarah’s interest in books and anything related to them.  “I spent a lot of time in Mooncrest, I think,” he said.  “To be honest, some of it is still a bit fuzzy, but that’s the only place that has a real, clear picture in my mind,” he added, furrowing his brow in contemplation for a moment.

“I think it’s like that with every religion or historic lore,” he said, with a bit of a sigh.  “Though some things will be different, a lot of them are all the same.  But the Tree… I think that’s just the same because it’s infallible - everyone follows it, everyone believes it… therefore it must be,” he said, his divine teachings coming to mind.  He had been raised in the way of a holy knight - a paladin, and those memories would not fade.

After a moment of silence, he turned to Ynnarah as the two ventured towards their destination.  “So we’re looking for your family?” he asked, though the question was more of a rhetorical one.  “What are they like?  Are they all bookish, like you?” he asked, jokingly, nudging her shoulder a bit as they walked.  The smile on his face was one of amusement as he poked fun at her, but in a way far from mean.

She squeezed his hand gently when Valkoinen wasn't sure if anyone he knew had made it here.  "You've got me at least.  We can travel together for as long as you want," Ynnarah said, favoring him with a bright smile.  She had all kinds of plans and ideas, places in this world that she wanted to see, and having a friend at her side would be so much better.  They kept talking as they walked through the gates, and Ynnarah was glad to have her theory confirmed.  There were so many stories in her mind from Daeluin, and she had written most of them down.  She was not starting to gather stories from here, and she was glad there were so many interesting tales. 

Somehow, she had forgotten some of the tales of Sularia.  Like that males were very rare… and already there were many eyes on Valkoinen.  There was a low growl in her throat, a sign of her lupine nature.  Drawing close to her friend, Ynnarah pulled his arm around her shoulders.  Not only did she feel safer, but she also knew that the females should leave him alone.  She couldn't help but glare for a moment when he seemed to make a bit of fun of her, but the smile was soon mirrored on her own face.  "It depends on what part of the family.  Some of us are scholars, but others are warriors.  There are also alchemists, and healers.  Everyone can find something important to do, we all have some kind of talent," Ynnarah explained. 

The smell of rosebushes was intoxicating, and she found herself feeling more at home than she had before.  Ynnarah had heard tales of how beautiful the city was, but they were nothing compared to actually seeing it.  "My mother said this place is beautiful, with streets of precious metals… but it looks so different actually seeing it.  I think that castle is where the Empress is," she said, pointing at the grand white castle in the middle of the city.  The stained glass was visible even from here, and Ynnarah couldn't wait to get closer to it.  There was so much to see here, and yet she just wanted to find family.  Aunt Angela had told her they were here, it was just a matter of finding them.

A smile gently creased the corners of Valkoinen’s mouth when Ynnarah squeezed his hand - an action which was completely involuntary.  The idea of travelling with her for an extended period of time was quite appealing to him, and he nodded enthusiastically.  “I would like that,” he said in response.  At the current moment, travelling with Ynnarah wherever she wanted to go sounded as though it was the absolute best way he would be able to spend his time.  “I’m guessing we could find ourselves some interesting adventures,” he joked, in reference to the way that they had met.

Valkoinen inevitably felt a bit uncomfortable with the amount of eyes that affixed to him as the two entered the town.  He was surprised at the low, throaty growl that Ynnarah admitted, especially when she grabbed his arm to sling it around her shoulders.  He assumed it was Ynnarah’s way of showing the other women that he had not been brought there for their amusement.  He took slight advantage of the opportunity and pulled her towards him slightly, securing his arm around her shoulders.   “So you’re a good mixture of all those things, aren’t you?” he asked, in an awkward attempt to compliment her.

He listened closely to Ynnarah as she spoke of her mother, and of the beauty of the city.  His gaze followed the direction she pointed in, and he took in the sight of the city off in the distance.  “It’s certainly a different place,” he said, his voice quiet.  His arm still slung around Ynnarah’s shoulder, he jostled her slightly, in a playful manner.  “What are we waiting for?” he asked, his voice sounding a bit more childish than it had in the time she had known him.  “We’ve had a fairly uneventful journey, let’s go find your family,” he added.  “You’ve come this far - you deserve to see them,” he added, softly.  He found himself gazing down at her in a protective way.  He had made her a promise to get her to her family, and he fully intended to make sure he fulfilled that promise.

Sularia was their city. It as gorgeous and was the standing stone of the desert itself. The magic that flowed there was pure. The women were beautiful but also dangerous. No more dangerous than Toya though. She was the Queen of the White Court and that came with some territory. She had the strength that many of her sisters did not, aside from the hag Angela. She would never be on the level of power that woman had.

A crowd had gathered. There was betting going on, though they would have been stupid to have bet against the damn queen. Her long brown curls caressed the skin of her back. There was a wild look in those green eyes as she stared towards the petite woman who had challenge her. There would be no weapons, no magic, just pure strength.

The fight began and Toya was fast as she dodged the barrage of punches the small woman had. She was nimble and flexible even after the six children she had birthed into the world. Valkoinen and Ynnarah made their way to the front of the circle to see what was going on. Meanwhile, the queen launched a punch of her own. It connected but not nearly as strong it could have been. It was on the level of a human punch, which was the idea of the challenge.

However, her green eyes connected with that of her child. “Ynnarah?” The girl distracted her long enough for the petite woman to connect a punch to the queen’s face. Unfortunately she had broken the rules of the competition as the queen launched into the building near by. A growl left her lips as she soon launched herself and tackled the bitch into the ground. Ontop of her Toya now began to bash the woman’s face in before getting pulled off. 

She wasn’t done. “There is no cheating in this competition!” With all of her might Toya took the girl’s leg and flung her outside of the ring. “Come back when you fight fair.” Spitting the blood out of her mouth her eyes stared towards the man around her daughter. Toya shook her head. “This.” She pointed her finger and waved it between the two. “Your father might kill him.”

The circle dispersed now as the fight was over. The White Queen wiped her lip of the faint trace of blood. With a hand on her hip she gave Ynnarah a smile. “Welcome home, your sister will be glad to see you. By sister, I mean your twin. Aurora is taking in the city and letting being a princess get to her head.” Toya was small compared to the big man in front of her. “My name is Toya, Queen of the White Court… and that’s my daughter you are man handling. Just don’t let Blaine see.”

"She's what?"

Blaine looked on, first in disbelief but then in anger at the pair of guards that had caught wind of what was about to go down. "Well, she was challenged. So she had to…", one of them started only to fall silent when his eyes darted at him. It wasn't wise to piss off a wolf, and they knew it well to be true in his case. Rubbing at his temples, the blonde got up from his seat and fetched his sword. "Where are they at?", he asked as he went to the table to down some of the rum still left in his glass.

"At the outer district…but sir…you can't…"

Another look was shot out, only this time he made his anger apparent to the men. "I will do what I need to in order to drag her back here. Queen or not." He swore that sometimes he wanted to kill her for being a pain like she was now. Sighing, he walked past the two and headed off. Why Angela was letting her sister roam freely about in the city was beyond him. It was hard enough to keep an eye on "little Toya"; it was a bigger pain to make sure his wife didn't do something stupid out due to her temper. Of course in all fairness, she practically did the same for him whenever he would rage. How their relationship survived this long was beyond him. Blaine soon could see a mod of people cheering and overseeing something and it wasn't long before he could hear the voice of his lovely Toya screeching at her opponent before he saw a body flying into the air and landing with a heavy thud nearby. "Terrific." Rubbing his temples again, he went over and started to watch the crowd disassemble. Just as he was about to head over and chide her over this, he halted when he noticed a familiar scent. No later than that, he saw one of his other beloved daughters with her and nearly dropped in shock. Ynnarah had been missing for some time, like Keira and he about drove himself mad with trying to find them. His happiness died down suddenly as he noticed some boy's arm around her and his temper came back, twice as worse. His sword hand tightened around the hilt as he sneaked up behind them and tilted his head. His fingers loosened enough to now be drumming on the hilt and looked towards his wife, who probably noticed his presence by now. "Some birdies told me you were up to no good out here. Before you deny it, I saw the woman that took to the skies", he spoke sternly before looked at the couple. "Another one, Ynnarah? I just got through burying the last boy that tried to swoon you. We are going to run out of space in our yard at this rate." Of course she would know that he was lying, but his point was to see what this young man would say or do. "It was a hassle that time since I had to break his arm first."

The two had made their way to the front of a circle of people watching a brawl between two women.  The women were both small, but Valkoinen found himself impressed - and mildly terrified - with the amount of strength they both seemed to possess.  He was a bit taken aback as one of the women seemed to notice Ynnarah, getting distracted long enough for her opponent to land a blow.  He winced, but realized the woman could handle it as she finished the fight.

The woman turned towards them, spitting blood from her mouth and pointing between the two whilst shaking her head.  “Wait… what?” he said, his voice bewildered as he had no real clue what was happening.  He looked at Ynnarah for a moment, hoping that she would offer an explanation as to who the woman was.  That, however, was out of the question.  The woman, who he still did not know who she was, continued to speak.  “Father?” he said, looking down at Ynnarah.  “I’m confused, I don’t know what you think…” he began, though he trailed off as the woman continued to speak.

He withdrew his arm from Ynnarah’s shoulder, still a bit confused.  Twin sister?  She had not mentioned that to him.  Twin sister that was a princess?  That would mean that Ynnarah was also… he continued trying to figure things out, but his mind stopped abruptly as the woman introduced herself as the Queen.  Valkoinen, ever being proper, immediately dropped to one knee and bowed his head in respsect.  “M’lady… Your Grace, forgive me,” he said, his words sputtering.  “Ynnarah did not tell me… wait.. Manhandling?  No, no, I was not man-” 

Valkoinen’s words were cut short by a man’s voice behind them, and the sound of fingers tapping against the hilt of a sword.  Whent the voice’s owner came into view, Valkoinen stood from his kneeling position and looked even more bewlidered, if at all possible.  “Swoon?” he said, quietly, confusion dripping from his words.  “I was just helping her get to her fam- wait, space in your yard?”  He took a few steps away, distancing himself from Ynnarah.  “Perhaps it is best I take my leave, now that I’ve seen you safely to your family…. M’lady,” he said, the last word coming uttered with a fluctuating tone, his overall demeanor giving off the utmost confusion.  

He turned to both Toya and Blaine and bowed his head.  “Forgive me, for I mean no disrespect or ill manner towards your daughter.  I will go,” he said, and turned to head back in the direction that the two had originally come in, intent on getting away from all of the confusion that was taking place.

Somehow, Ynnarah wasn't terribly surprised to find her mother engaged in a fight on the streets.  She watched in silent amusement for a few moments before her mother noticed her.  And it was then that things started to go wrong.  She took a breath, ready to explain to her mother why she had pulled Valkoinen's arm around her shoulders, but it was too late.  She heard her father's voice, and her brows furrowed together.  Just what on earth was he talking about?..  "No!  No arm breaking.  What on earth are you talking about, Dad?!" she asked, sounding just as confused as Valkoinen looked.

There was a flush on her cheeks as she could tell that her friend was getting all the wrong ideas about she and her family, perhaps she should have mentioned Keira sooner, but that wasn't something she could fix now.  But there was a brewing temper in her eyes, and Ynnarah wasn't just going to let her friend walk off without knowing just what was going on.  Grabbing her friend's arm, she said softly "Please wait, I'll tell you more after we're done here," with her eyes growing angry.  How dare her parents assume what he had done?

"How dare you threaten Valkoinen! He hasn't done anything wrong, and you thought he did, just because he's a male, right?  Well, you should be thanking him instead of threatening to bury him in the yard.  You'd be burying me instead if it wasn't for him.  You didn't even give him a chance to explain what happened before making all kinds of assumptions," she said quickly, though her voice was quickly rising to a yell.  Ynnarah didn't really care that there was still a crowd around them, given that her mother had just been fighting in those streets.  "Well, I'm not staying around if you're going to act like this.  Mom, Dad, it was nice seeing you.  I'm glad you're both alive.  Come find me when you act reasonable," she said before seizing Valkoinen's arm and pulling him back through the crowd.  She was already figuring out where she wanted to go, it was just a matter of figuring out how she would get there.

Toya began to whistle a bit at her husband. “She deserved it?” She shrugged a bit as she felt like the scolded child. “Really Love she punched me hard when I seen our Ynnarah. So I taught her a good lesson!” 

Though when he began to dig into the boy Toya let out a sigh and gave Ynnarah a sorry look. She had been her age and had been pregnant two years before Ynnarah and Keira’s age. Placing her hands on her hip she watched the boy for a moment. “First off… You may call me Toya. The your grace bullshit really gets on my nerves. It’s not a job I wanted but a job I took so people stay in line… even if I cannot.” She corrected him pleasantly.

Again Toya whistled and this time she walked up to her husband and grabbed him by his ear as Ynnarah’s anger came out. A smirk came to her face. “That’s another daughter with my anger streak.” She let her smile came back as she dragged him a bit. “You can stay besides if you leave how will you see Keira? She is on the drafting board in the library back at the manor. I’m sure Aurora misses you as well.” 

Pulling her husband down to her height she gave his blue eyes a good stare. “Be a good boy? I’ll give you a belly rub.” She teased and looked towards the boy with her daughter. “We don’t mean you any harm. We just have a tendency to pick on our children. We get bored in our old age, a lot.” She took her husband’s cheek and pinched it giggling. “You are so cute when you joke.” She was sure she didn’t amuse him what so ever as she lightly kissed his lips.

“Ynnarah I’m sure your father is just terrified of you girls growing up. We lost you both to the winds and are only getting you back, it terrifies us.” Letting her husband go she came to her daughter and gave her a hug. “You’ve grown a little, I think. Your hair has gotten longer. Gods have you become beautiful since the last time I seen you, which feels like forever.” She rubbed her daughters face softly.

“Thank you for bringing her home Valkoinen. You’ve done us a great service by protecting our pup. I would rather not bury another child. I lost her brother when I was very young, my heart could not bear it even now.” She reminded both Ynnarah and Blaine. “Your sisters are back at the manor. Valkoinen you are welcome to stay with us for both a feast and celebration of the twins reunion. I’m sure Keira will thank you as well.” Suddenly there seemed to be a royal flair to her as she gained a serious tone. It was often missing when she spoke but it occasionally showed up.

“Oh and if you’ve seen that damn aunt of your’s… I’m going to kill her.” Not likely, the bitch was immortal.

Blaine moaned at his lovely wife. He swore, he loved the woman to death itself, but there were times where he wished that he could lock her up in a tower. “You got yourself in this in the first place, Toya. Going around and street fighting isn’t good.” Fortunately for her, their daughter caught his attention otherwise he would have dragged her back home. He looked to the lad and raised his brow when the boy was stumbling with his words before awkwarding excusing himself from them. It seemed as though he rushed into making assumptions, something that he had a bad habit of doing as of late. Before he could say anything further, Ynnarah spoke up and what she said made him look at her like a buffoon.

For the longest time he couldn’t decide on how he felt; a part of him was anger at her. Right or wrong, he was still her father and yet she dared to talk to him in this manner? Sure he was upset, but he also had a dry sense of humor which didn’t help matters when combined with his already foul mood thanks to her mother. He just wasn’t expecting for her to waltz into the city after he damn near pulled his hair out in locating her and her siblings. Another part of him couldn’t help but to feel a sense of pride for normally it was Keira was the louder of the two and that she seemed to have the old Winterbane temper. While all this was going on, he hadn’t noticed until a little bit that Toya had him by the ear and he gave her a dirty look. “Afraid that this time, you are wrong, I think it’s more of me coming out with this one.” Rolling his eyes, Blaine was still trying to make heads and tails of this while his wife attempted to play peacemaker. If only she was good at that and not throwing fists first and asking questions later. “Reasonable? SInce when in the hell were one of us were ever reasonable?” Her mother’s moods shifted like the coming of the day and night and he was a hothead. There was no denying either of those facts. “Yeah, a joke”, he sighed, wanting for her to let him go. Once she had, Blaine rubbed at his tender ear, “Yank it off, why don’t ya?” Once that was taken care of, he looked to his daughter and sighed. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to upset you or scare your friend here.” His eyes then looked to the young man and offered his hand towards him. As much as his pride hated to be put on the line, he wasn’t above admitting his faults. Toya was right, he wasn’t prepared for a day like this. To him, all his daughters were still his little princesses and he was a fool to believe that they would go without princes. “Thank you for keeping my least troublesome daughter safe and sound, mister.”

A poor choice of words he had used since “buried” was thrown around a lot between him, Ynnarah and soon after Toya and he felt guilty over his little ruse earlier. Even now, the death of Costel hurted her greatly and if it wasn’t for Valkoinen, they probably could of had another child to bury. “Yeah, just call me Blaine. I’m not one for titles either, not in this lifetime anyway.” So with her, that was all the girls found; now all he needed to find was that pain in the rear son of his. His mother was probably worried sick over him the most due to the Rosenite ways. “Hopefully there will be a feast later, provided someone doesn’t get into another fight and have to go see your aunt.” His frustrations were renewed and focused on his original target. “If she knocks you on your ass again, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”