N:   Celtica stood up, and while Saxon was fixing his shirt, she smacked him upside the head. "What do you think you were doing, boy," she snapped, "how was anything you said helpful to anyone?"

"I would very much want that Eternal to be the Head of Insurgents for one damn day," Saxon scoffed, "and I want to see if he would say the same thing he just did. With Wald, I got lucky, but most insurgents are more like Chrysalis." He made his way to the table and sat down, although he didn't feel like eating, and added, "If all the blood shed by all my insurgents were on my hands, I would be swimming in it."

"Aaaand we came back to the topic of death," Johann piped up, "let's not continue in that direction." The rest of them nodded and continue to eat, some not sure how to fill in the silence.

M:   The silence went on for quite a bit, it became really uncomfortable but no one knew what to say to make things better.

Eventually, Esha finally thought of something and said to Johann, "Say, I remember before I went into stasis you challenged me to a race with Sleipnir, were you just spitting hot air, or were you actually serious?"

N:   Johann, happy that the subject changed, quickly jumped on, "As serious as I will ever be."

"Now you're going way over your head," Wolfgang spoke, "there is no way you can beat her." Johann looked at Erna and Heinrich for support, but they shook their heads, supporting the Saxon.

"Anyway," he turned back to the eternal, "it would be great nonetheless, and it would be an actual challenge."

"Yeah," Wolfe muttered, "when you're horse passes out from exhaustion."

M:  "Give him the benefit of the doubt," Esha said, "just because someone has more legs doesn't mean they are faster. Sigvens were bred for war, they have stockier bodies to trample enemies and tank injuries. They are not made for speed or agility, in fact, they have a hard time making sharp turns and can lose balance if they turn too fast."

"Interesting, now I actually feel a bit more confident that Johann might have a chance," Rowen said, playfully patting his son's shoulder, "you may actually have a chance after all."

N:   "Nein, don't give him the confidence boost," Wolfgang said to Esha, "this guy needs to lose."

"Why are you so bent on him losing," Ireland asked, and when Wales told him what happened, he laughed, "Come on, there is no need to be a sore loser about it."

"Exactly," Johann smiled, "you know what, after this why don't we go and race."

"Calm down, Johann," BE chuckled, "Esha just came out of stasis."

M:   "Are you kidding, I've been sleeping for a whole week, I got all this pent-up energy now," Esha said, bouncing in her chair to prove her point, "I'm almost done eating so we can go soon."

She proceeded to wolf down the rest of her lunch and jumped out of her chair, shifting into her dragon from her excitement, "I'll see you at the race track, slowpokes."

When she ran out of the door and her tail disappeared Mandoria chuckled, "Does stasis actually make someone that hyper, Scotland, what did you do to her food?"

N:   "I think we should be checking what was in the water, not the food," Scotland chuckled, and he looked back to the door, "are we sure Òrail is actually millions of years old, because just now she acted like a twelve-year-old."

"We all have our moments," Celtica chuckled, and she watched as Johann also devoured his lunch and ran after Esha, "some more than others."

M:   The others chuckled at the two troublemakers, they ate a bit more slowly but still hurried so they wouldn't miss the race.

By the time they were done and headed to the race track, Johann and Esha were saddling up their steeds, the Eternal was actually decorating Sleipnir's face with war paint.

"Hey, you guys came," she remarked, I was hoping we'd have an audience to watch the Short-Life lose."

N:   "Come on," Johann smirked, "let's not jump to conclusions, shall we?"

"And what are you exactly suggesting," Wolfgang asked, "that you will win. Absolutely not." He turned to Erna and said, "My bet's on the Esha."

"Suit yourself," the woman shrugged, "I just want to see a race, and there is no doubt this is going to be good."

"Sadly," BE spoke, "I would have to head back to work. Tell me who wins at the end." He waved goodbye and headed back inside while the two races rode up to the starting line.

Sir Beckerel came to commence the race, and at the line, he held a cloth, "the moment this cloth reaches the ground, you start. You start before and you're disqualified." He asked for silence, and when everyone was quiet, he held the cloth up high and let go. The fabric dropped tantalizingly slow, and both riders watched it float down, all the way down until the corner finally touched the grass.

M:   No more than a microsecond and Esha and Sleipnir bolted down the track, Johann and Comet not far behind. Sleipnir may not have been built for speed but he was still fast in his own right, he was also bigger than Xanthos so had much larger strides, soon leaving their rivals in the dust.

By the time they crossed the first lap, Johann and Comet were still jumping the hurdles at the halfway mark.

N:   Johann bit his tongue when he registered that Esha was approaching him from behind, so he leaned forward to Comet's ear. "Let's try to beat our past record, buddy," he whispered, "that would be a win for us." Comet nickered in approval and raced forward, and eventually, the pair crossed the first lap.

Heinrich and Erna cheered him on while Wolfgang smirked at his friend's loss, and he elbowed Erna, "So, where is my money?"

"He could still have a chance," Heinrich said, although he sounded uncertain himself, "let's just hope."

M:   Esha was ecstatic that she was winning, she had Sleipnir slow down just a smidge to make it a little fairer but not much. For the next lap it was the same, they crossed the line when Comet was still jumping hurdles, but this time Sleipnir jumped too soon on one and tripped over it, throwing Esha off, neither was hurt but it gave Johann enough time to catch up.

N:   Johann tried to stay as calm as possible when he saw that he was catching up to Esha, but he knew he couldn't afford any mistakes now. Now Johann had a slight advantage, Comet literally one hurdle ahead. As they rode, the Mandorian stroked the stallion's mane, telling him to stay focused as he quickly looked behind to check on his opponent. "Let's try to keep this advantage," the man said, and when the two steeds turned to the final leg of the race, it was now down to whoever was the fastest.

M:   The racers were neck and neck now, Sleipnir was a little sore from the trip so had a hard time going any faster, Esha realized this and didn't try to push him, if they won they won at that point.

The finish line came and went so fast that the eternal couldn't figure out who won, from where she was at it looked like a tie but she couldn't tell, it didn't help that when Sleipnir skidded to a stop he slipped and fell down again, trapping Esha underneath his back.

N:   Celtica and Scotland rushed over to help unbury Esha while Wolfgang ran straight over to Beckerel and asked for the results. "Who won," the Saxon asked, to which Erna shook her head when she walked over to them.

"It was definitely close," the man replied, "a tense race no doubt, but I will have to say that it was the Lady Esha who had crossed the line first, then it was the lad Johann."

Before Wolfgang can even celebrate, Johann walked over, having dismounted and letting Comet rest, and asked, "And did I beat my previous time?"

"Yes, you did, and by a large margin I might add."

"See, Wolfe," Johann smirked, "I am still the winner, and besides, between us, I'm the only one who can say that they have raced against an eight-legged horse. A one-up from your loss against me."

M:   "I'm willing to concede a tie," Esha called over to them, getting unsquished from the ground, "you only caught up because we tripped over that hurdle."

When Sleipnir was hoisted up and the two scots helped her up, Esha brushed off the dirt on her clothes and shook out her wings. "Woo that was fun," she exclaimed, "we got to have a rematch someday.

She felt her knee start getting wet and looked down to see a huge hole in her pants and her knee bleeding from a nasty road rash.

"Well then, guess I get a souvenir from this too," she smiled, "I wonder if I have any more?"

N:   "Let's head back inside to see if you do," Celtica advised, and she patted Sleipnir, "and I hope that you're also fine, big guy."

"We defo need a rematch," Johann smiled, "then I will beat you."

"Mandoria, Rowen, I think you need to take your son," Heinrich laughed, "he's getting way too competitive."

M:   Mandoria and Rowen laughed and came down to grab their child, "alright you, let's go put Comet away and calm you down," Rowen said, "I think an hour in the library should do it."

"You guys have a library," Odrus perked up, "Are there any brail books, it's been a while since I read something."

"Not so fast, you and I are going to unstrap Sleipnir," Neflen said, "that way Esha can go get patched up."

"Thanks guys," Esha smiled, then patted Sleipnir's muzzle, "you be good for them buddy, I'll be back."

N:   "I can take Comet back to the stables," Erna volunteered, walking over to the steed and stroking his muzzle, "Kress can go with his dads."

"Wait what," Johann said in surprise as he was taken away, "Heinz, Erna, why did you do this to me?"

"Auf Wiedersehen, Jo," the Saxon smiled as he waved goodbye, and he and the rest of the group followed Esha and Celtica to the infirmary.

———

Back inside the castle, Prometheus was walking with a bowl of soup to the guest wing, and when he found the room he wanted, he knocked on the door and entered. Inside laid Uskaine with a couple of servants to make sure he is comfortable, so the tailor said, "I just brought over some food, just in case you were hungry," and he placed it on a nearby table.

M:   Uskaine opened his eyes and looked up at Prometheus, but groaned and closed them again.

"I'm afraid Mr. Uskaine is not fit to accept food at the moment," one of the servants said, "he has grown ill from infection and is unable to keep anything down."

"Mr. Askad went to the infirmary to grab more medicine but we're not sure if it will be much help." The other servant remarked."

Well isn't that convenient," Askad grunted from behind the tailor. He smiled half-heartedly at Prometheus for trying to help, then handed the medicine to a servant and sat with his mate, gently rubbing his back in a futile attempt to comfort him.

N:   Prometheus looked worryingly at the centaur and asked, "What is causing the infection?"

"His legs," the same servant answered, pointing at how his legs are shaped weirdly, "are broken. We tried our best but right now we are focusing on the infection."

"I see," the tailor said as he crouched down and observed the injury, and he looked up at Askad, "there is a way I could help him, but only if you allow me."

"You're not a doctor, Prometheus," the servant pointed out, but the tailor ignored him and waited for Askad's answer.

M:   Askad met his gaze, conflicting emotions scrambled around his brain as he didn't know what to do.

He knew what Prometheus was talking about, he watched how he regenerated Edel's tail and he was certain that he healed Esha too, yet he was hesitant about him healing Uskaine for a reason he didn't know.

Uskaine groaned in pain and that was enough to make up his mind, he leaned down and hugged his mate tightly, he wasn't going to lose another family member, not this time.

 "Please," he simply said, "I failed everyone else, don't let me fail Uskaine too, please."

N:   Prometheus nodded, taking the statement as a sign of permission, and stood up. He leaned over and tapped Uskaine's forehead, and the same circle pattern appeared like the one that was on Esha, and he hushed the centaur when he registered his touch.

"You won't feel a thing," the tailor reassured him, his hand turning blue again, and he returned his attention to the centaur's legs. Hovering his hand over one leg, it snapped into place right below where the tailor's hand was until he reached the hoove. He did the same for each leg, the cuts and scars disappearing and the leg straightening out until they were back to normal.

Prometheus wasn't done, as he placed two fingers on Uskaine's forehead and muttered some words, and when he was done Uskaine deeply exhaled and what seemed like a cloud of dust left his mouth and hovered right above the tailor's hand. "You pesky bacteria," he frowned, and he snapped his fingers, causing the cloud to go up in flames until it disappeared.

When Prometheus removed the symbol on the forehead did the centaur seem to relax, his breathing normal as he slept. The servants looked with shock at what happened, and one of them was about to leave when the tailor stood up and spoke. "All of you," he glanced at the servants, "are not to remember what you have witnessed today, and you would continue to help Uskaine while he rests." The servants just blinked as they stood as statues before the tailor smiled and turned to one, "I think Mr. Uskaine can eat his meal when he wakes up. He seems healthy enough, and maybe a cup of water too."

"I'll get that ready," the servant replied, oblivious to what happened before and left, and the others continued with their lives, having forgotten what happened.

M:   Askad watched in fascination, he had never seen a healing charm like that before, and he wondered where he learned that. He gently rubbed Uskain's back again and this time he hummed in contentment rather than groan in pain, making the naga smile in relief.

"Thank you," he said to Prometheus, "and I apologize for my behavior before, I clearly misjudged you, now you have my respect, and my gratitude."

N:   "Don't mention it," Prometheus replied, walking to the window and leaning on the window sill, "the Eternals are a dying species, compared to countryhumans and humans, so I will help you as much as I can." Looking up to the sky, he added, "It will take some time before Uskaine wakes up, but he will be fine I promise, and maybe he will be able to run outside before the rain comes in three days' time."

Silence ensued and the tailor quietly stood by the window, trying to find the right words. "Speaking of help," he muttered, "lately, you seemed ... distressed. Do you want to talk about it? Or show me?"

M:   Askad's smile faded and his demeanor deflated, he reached into the satchel he always carried and took out the hippogriff plush, staring at it, at the ripped fabric and missing button eye.

"There's nothing to talk about really, or at least that I feel comfortable sharing just yet," he sighed, "though if you could, maybe you could fix this, Sofia would have liked that."

N:   Prometheus carefully took the plush into his hands and gave it a once over. "I'll work on it right away," he nodded, turning it over in his hands, "this carries way too many memories to be left like this."

Wanting to let Uskaine rest, the tailor bid the naga farewell and left, holding the plush, when he ran across Celtica and Esha. "Just came out of stasis and already injured," he lightly chuckled, as he walked past, "I am not surprised."

M:   "What can I say," Esha shrugged with a smile, "if you wanna have fun you gotta get dirty."

She followed the others to the infirmary and chuckled, "Might as well call this a second home. Am I going to be sleeping here again?"

N:   "Depends on the injury," Celtica replied, and when they arrived she sat her down on the nearest bed, "but it's most likely that you won't." Doctors came over once Celtica let go to check on the Eternal, and she turned around to see a familiar hybrid.

"Well, it's nice to see the gang," Royal smiled as she sat in her bed, a cup of water in her hand, "and you had fun without me? Not fair."

Scotland quickly recounted what happened, and the hybrid just sat there taking it in, and when he was done, she muttered, "You guys were in your own universe, AND I MISSED IT?"

"No need to get worked up about it," Ireland shook his head, "besides, you have to deal with our family's drama anyway," to which she shrugged, "True."

M:   "I'm kind of glad you missed it," Esha chuckled holding out her arm while a nurse disinfectant a cut, "I feel like you would be the one to laugh at Sleipnir falling on top of me."

They weren't there for very long, Esha's knee was the worst of her scrapes and bruises and she was released within minutes.

"Alright, now what should we do, I still got energy in the tank," she said, slightly jogging in place to prove her point.

N:   "If so," Celtica smiled as she pointed at Scotland, "why don't you duel with my son?"

The Scotsman's jaw dropped at the suggestion, "Ma, do you want me to get killed? There is no way I'm doing that. She just got patched up, and besides I got work to do," and he tried to walk away but the Celt held the scruff of his shirt.

"Aww," she smirked, "is the little Scotty scared?" causing the man to roll his eyes while his sons chuckled, "You haven't done much exercise while you were broken, so it's a nice change of scenery."

"There is no point saying no to Grandma, Dad," Ireland chuckled, "Wales and I will come to support you."

"See, even wee Ire agrees," the mother said, getting a grumble from the Irishman, "I'll do whatever your "work" is while you're with Esha." She let go and waved goodbye to the group while the Scot looked worryingly at the Eternal.

 "If you're worried about Esha," Saxon finally spoke up, "I could help you out."

"After last time," Heinrich pointed out, "that is probably not a good idea."

M:   "I'll be fine, Royal can tell you that I am a decent fighter," Esha said, "archery is my strong suit but I can fight with just about anything, even my bare hands if I need to."

She walked a circle around Scotland to check him out, "So what about you, you were tiny when I last saw you, what weapons are you good at?"

N:   The Scotsman only glanced at her and answered, "I'm a decent swordsman, although I like the broadsword the most, but I'm the best with an axe. A poleaxe, a double-sided one, whatever you name, and I have fought with it. I'm ok with spears and hand-to-hand combat, but my Ma's training was brutal, to say the least."

"Is she," Wales asked, "but she seemed calmer now."

"Because now we are not constantly being threatened by an invasion of the English and the Vikings," Scotland answered. He faced the Eternal and smirked, but at the same time covering up his nervousness, "So, what do you say, you ready or are you too afraid to hurt the same little boy?

M:   "You wish," Esha smirked, "I would be more disappointed if you were fibbing, but let's find out, shall we? You pick the weapon, whoever loses has to do whatever the winner demands, plus they have to announce to everyone that they lied about their skill, in whatever crazy, embarrassing outfit the winner chooses."

She held out her hand, "still feel brave enough to do it, Scotty?"

N:   Scotland looked at her hand, contemplating her offer until he smiled and shook on the deal, "I've done crazy before, but are you ready when you do as I say?"

"If, Dad," Ireland corrected, walking over to the Scot and patting his shoulder, "who says that you're going to beat her? Good thing I stayed so I can watch you."

"Why thank you, son, for the wonderful support," the Scot sighed as he let go, and he walked over to Wales and ruffed his hair, "well, at least my wee boy will support me?"

Wales' face scrunched up and mumbled, "Not after calling me that." The group then went out to the green, where they went to the garrison to find the weapons. Inside were weapons lined along the walls, and the Scotsman searched until he found his personal axe, to which he smirked and jogged out. There was an open space of gravel, sand, and dirt for the fight, and there was the rest of the countryhuman and humans waiting for them.

M:   Esha smiled at the audience, even the Mandorians were there even though they were taking Johann to calm down. She stood in front of the weapon stall and glanced over the weapons, so many to choose from, for Scotland that is.

"So Scotty, what will my weapon be," she said with a smirk, "I don't expect you'll give me an easy one will you."

N:   "We'll see," Scotland smiled as he skimmed over the weapons until he found one, grabbing for it and handing it over to Esha, "it's an axe similar to mine. It shouldn't be too hard but interesting to see how you work with it."

Once that was done, the both of them headed to the space, armed and ready, and he said, "One rule, don't use any magic. You could beat me in a second if you do, so don't"

"What is suggesting that she wouldn't anyway," Saxon asked, raising a brow, but the Scot just ignored him as he got into position.

"Ready?"

M:   Esha took a moment to familiarize herself with the ax, she wasn't used to axes, sure she might have used one to chop down a tree but never to fight with, and one could see the nervousness in her eyes.

"You can do it Eshie," Neflen called to her, "you kick his ass, show him why you're the best fighter of the colony."

Esha smiled at the cheering, it definitely boosted her confidence and she too got into position, flaring her wings as intimidation.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

N:   Scotland smiled and soon the area fell quiet, waiting for the pair to start when the Scot initiated the fight. Running right at her, he stepped to the side to avoid a blow and struck her axe, trying to knock her off balance. He would run, weaving in and out of reach, every step and swing seamlessly as he acted on muscle memory.

M:   Esha was sloppy at first, making large swings and losing balance, but she was a fast learner and soon got the hang of fighting with this weapon. The eternal wasn't one who passed up fighting dirty, the only rule was no magic so that meant she could do whatever she wanted and not be disqualified. She also had good sportsmanship however so didn't do anything like pull out her dagger or breath fire, she would do things like flap her wings to dodge or stir up dust.

At one point she really wanted to push Scotland's buttons and used her tail to trip him up and then pinned him down, pushing her ax against his with unnatural strength, courtesy of her dragon genes.

N:   Scotland, on the other hand, was the son of a former gladiator, so he learned to fight through any means, even dirty. While he was struggling against Esha, his mind was running through every scenario in which he can get an advantage, some less dignifying than others.

Finally sticking to a plan, he used his remaining strength to push with one hand while he quickly used his other to grab a handful of dust and threw it at the Eternal's face. While she was momentarily distracted, he knew she can quickly get on top of him, so he used one of his less honorable ideas and kicked her right between her legs before rolling off to the side.

"Sorry," he muttered before running up to her and barging her to the ground.

M:   Esha was winded for a moment, yes she was a girl but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt to get kicked down there. When she was pushed down she wheezed out a chuckle.

"Oh ho, now you've done it," she said, "no more Mis. Nice Gal."

She took a canteen off her belt and chugged the water, she waited a moment as smoke started escaping her mouth and then shot out boiling hot liquid like a high-power water pistol at the Scotsman.

N:   Scotland narrowly missed the jet, although his hairs were on end from the sheer energy of the water. His eyes widened, he was constantly on the move, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the water.

He was about to back up when he tripped, landing on his back, and when he saw Esha rearing up for another shot, he lifted up his axe just in time for the blade to deflect most of the water. However, he was knocked back and some landed on his trousers, and he felt the skin on his legs burn.

"I've had it," he grumbled, standing up as he stared at the Eternal dead in the eye, "no restraints now."  With that, the Scot charged, his intent to destroy, although deep down he didn't want to hurt her, the fact that she could take a hit and not wanting to be humiliated.

 He was able to quickly knock Esha's axe out of her hand and took it.  Although an axe was supposed to be held with two hands, he learned how to hold each in one.  Whenever he got close enough, he would strike with one and then block with the other.

M:   Esha only smiled at Scotland's anger, she loved riling up people like that, though she didn't know why, it was just entertaining to her. Even though there were now no restrictions she still held back on using magic, only summoning a Tamorado-like weapon to continue fighting.

The two continued for a long time, running each other to exhaustion but still fighting, and other than a few scalds and scratches they were relatively unscathed.

"Give it up Scotty," Esha said, panting, "you can't last much longer, I can do this all day."

N:   "You can go and fuck off," Scotland spat, his breathing heavy, "why don't you give up? You've had to stay strong your whole life, so why not try being weak this time?"

"You can do this," both his sons cheered from the sides, giving him the confidence and energy boost he needed.

He swung one axe and made a slit in her leg, then he used the butt of the other to slam into her stomach. To top it off, when she was doubled over, he used the flat of both axe and smacked them on her head, making her face sandwich between the blades.

M:   When she was hit, Esha fell down to her hands and knees, stunned, though it wasn't from the blows.

"Weak," she repeated, "you want me to be weak, you just said you want me to be WEAK!"

She looked up to Scotland, her eyes turning a shade of red they never had before. She slowly stood up and glared at the scot with pure anger.

"You have no right telling me to be weak," she growled, "you think you know why I've had to be strong my whole life, you think you know ME, well you know NOTHING. I was an outcast from the moment I was born, I fought tooth and claw every single day just for a scrap of food or a dingy roof over my head. You would never understand what I have been through to make me strong, your highness, you were born into luxury and didn't have to lift a finger for your meals. I worked my entire life to make a name for myself while you were born into it."

She suddenly transformed into a dragon and pinned Scotland down with her large foot her voice echoing with rage as she spoke, "You have no right to tell me to be weak, you are nothing compared to me! My whole life has been nothing but survival while you got to sit on your throne and look down upon people like me, thinking you were higher than them! Let me break the news to you then, you are more worthless than your crown inlaid with gold, I am strong because if I wasn't I would be dead, if I was weak like you want me to be, I would have died millennia ago, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT, FOR ME TO BE DEAD!?!"

She lifted her foot but roared as loud as she could at Scotland, then lifted her head to say, "I thought you cared about me, I thought you were my friend, but you don't even understand me, I trusted you like no one else, like a little brother, and this is what I get for it!"

With that, Esha spread her wings and flew away, she flew towards the big lake and dove to the bottom, she needed to be alone and she was certain no one would find her there.