#it will feature a flaming llama-man and empires folk being exasperated

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I Will Look For You as the Sun Rises Higher

Thus Always to Tyrants - Dear Wormwood - The Oh Hellos

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Chapter 5 of Cracking like a dry branch in a westward wind, in which Pearl, Gem, and Scar get mail. Two people are very happy about this.

Available on AO3 here.

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Pearl could’ve believe her luck.

Twelve long years since making that pilgrimage to the Sunset Lands, a blushing llama girl in her veil and scarf, carrying her tiny scythe and Great Blackwood’s blessed bough.

Twelve long years since she had stepped on that strange outrigger, double-hulled and painted with fanciful Labyrinth scrollwork.

Twelve long years since that parrot had stood over her, saber glinting in the sun as she conceded their honor duel, stained with sweat and mud and blood.

And now Grian Sunset was here, raising towers from the sea and buying Great Blueskin’s grain.

“He couldn’t know who I am,” she muttered to herself, “I never told him my name. I didn’t! I couldn’t’ve!”

“Pardon, mother?”

Pearl flipped her head around in surprise, meeting the equally surprised eyes of a young acolyte. “Yes, Daughter Marianne?”

The girl flushed. “I apologize, but I overheard your words. Who couldn’t know who you are, mother?”

The High Priestess blinked, momentarily puzzled before she realized that she’d spoken aloud. Pearl waved a hand. “Oh, nothing, daughter. I was reminiscing about my past. You need not trouble yourself about me.”

Marianne bowed her head and dropped into a shallow curtsy. “Of course, mother.”

Pearl sighed after the acolyte had trotted off, hooves still echoing in the halls of Great Blackwood’s temple complex. That parrot was making her agitated. Her own hooves clacked as she made her way to the north courtyard, where a messenger from Impulse waited. The ocelot had arrived in the dead of night, astride a horse that had been ridden since sunset the previous day. The cat had fallen asleep in the arms of the night guard, and had only recently woken up, babbling that he needed to tell the High Priestess the news as soon as possible.

A sister greeted her at the courtyard’s entrance, eyes veiled and ears twitching with nervousness. Pearl nodded to her. “Sister Jeanne. May Great Blackwood shade you.”

The nun curtsied back. “May Great Blackwood shade you, elder sister. The ocelot rider is within, and another messenger has just arrived, from Sovereign Voidstars. They await you.”

Pearl nodded again, using the movement to mask her surprise. Cub rarely sent messengers; in fact, the rider bearing news of Grian’s arrival was the first in months. She strode into the sunny courtyard, letting her hooves clack loudly on the pavers alongside the tap of her scythe’s handle.

Two figures rushed up to meet her, dropping into one-kneed bows with raised heads. One is the ocelot, with baggy eyes and ragged fur, despite obvious attempts to brush it. The other, Pearl notes in surprise, is a camel hoof-folk, with the telltale hunchback and long eyelashes, dressed in dusty riding clothes.

“Rise, couriers,” Pearl told them, ”I know you have traveled far. Please, take a seat.”

-

Oseye worked to steady her leg and stop her hoof from clattering against the stone pavers. The High Priestess of Great Blackwood cut an intimidating figure: tall, long-haired, cool blue eyes, serene of face, and with a massive wheat-scythe that brushed the acacia branches above her head.

“Xiagong, I would like to hear your message first. I apologize, daughter, but Gong has traveled long and hard on behalf of my ally.”

Xia nodded, unfurling a scroll from within his coat and getting to his feet. “Of course, mother. My emperor has sent me to tell you that Sitter Grian has requested a meeting between himself and Emperor Impulse on Eversun Day. As per the terms of the alliance, Emperor Impulse formally invites you to join this meeting. My emperor also suspects that Sitter Grian intends to invite as many rulers as possible to this meeting, and to be prepared for such a scenario if you accept his invitation. That is all, mother.”

Xia sat down with a small huff of exhaustion, blushing as Pearl looked at him. “A-Apologies, mother. I am still very tired.”

The priestess smiled, a calm and guarded, yet warm, expression. “Do not worry, Xiagong. Please, retire to your room. Impulse won’t be happy if I send him an exhausted rider home.”

Xia, despite his exhaustion, immediately hopped to his feet with a “Thank you, mother!”, scurrying off with a click of boot heels and a swish of his tail. Pearl looked after him for a moment, shaking her head before turning to Oseye.

“Poor thing. Impulse would never let them ride that hard if he knew. Now then, daughter, Sister Jeanne has advised me that you bring a message from Sovereign Voidstars.”

Oseye stood up as quickly as she could, fumbling an envelope out of a pocket. “Yes, mother. Ahem, Sovereign Cub Fan Voidstars wishes to invite you to meet Sitter Grian Sunset on Eversun. The Sitter wishes to meet as many rulers as possible this Eversun Day, and wishes to host them in his recently completed Flare Tower. The Sitter extends this invitation through the Sovereign as his own messengers are unfamiliar with the terrain of Mainland, and hopes that you do not see this as an offence.”

The camel shakily handed the open envelope to Pearl, before adding, “I-If I may add, mother, I do personally suspect that the Emperor’s invitation would be to the same meeting that the Sitter’s message invites you to. B-But this is just my personal opinion, mother.”

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Pearl hummed as she read Cub’s letter, nodding to the camel’s suspicions. “Yes, daughter, I do suspect that Impulse’s message and Cub’s refer to the same meeting. I doubt Sitter Grian would tell Impulse outright, seeing how close he and Cub have grown. The Sovereign’s a notorious gossip, after all. I’d even dare to say that he can be a bad influence. And it’s no insult that a parrot did not deliver this.”

She folded the letter and tucked it into a pocket somewhere within the folds of her dress. “Now then, daughter, would you like to rest a day before returning to Climbing Spires? We always have space under Great Blackwood’s shade.”

The courier jumped to her feet just as quickly as Xiagong did, bowing and stuttering her thanks. Pearl watched her leave, too. After her hoofbeats had faded, the priestess left the courtyard no more settled than she had been upon entering it. Pearl stayed the first brother she encountered.

“Brother Harold, may Great Blackwood shade you.”

“And may Great Blueskin feed you, mother.”

“Would you please direct Brothers Micheal and Reginald, and Sister Harmony, to the map hall? I will be traveling soon, and need their assistance.”

The brother dipped in a shallow bow. “Of course, mother.”

Pearl bowed back, and continued on to the map hall. Somehow, the echos of her hooves and scythe through the halls sounded more determined.

-

At the same time, a different pair of hooves were trotting down a different hallway, much more happily and muffled by a not inconsiderate number of petticoats. Queen Gemini was also humming a jaunty tune to herself and the letter she was carrying. It was thanks to the letter’s contents that she was in such a good mood.

“Dearest Queen Gemini,” she half-sang to herself from memory, “I do hope this letter finds you well.”

The fox-folk maids whispered behind their lady’s back, as they always did, but more excitedly than normal. Gem shot them a smile, warmer than usual. Which was saying something.

“This writer is Sitter Grian Sunset, and I am extending an invitation to you to visit the Sunset Coast on this year’s Eversun.”

Suddenly, the queen giggled and began running down the hall, her hooves beating a rhythm as fast as her heart rate. Gem nearly barreled over a maid with an armful of fresh flowers, and only barely cleared the toes of two footmen cleaning a large vase, laughing all the while. The servants just shook their head at their queen’s free spirit.

Gem burst into the Navigator’s Hall, causing the guards to jump to attention, and a couple cartographers to fumble their quills. The supervising map-lord immediately ran to his queen.

“Your Highness! I apologize, we were not expecting you!”

“Oh, don’t be so uptight, Pan! There’s no way you’d be expecting me, unless you were doing espionage, since I only got this message earlier in the day. Could you tell me the fastest route to Sunset Coast, by any and all means?”

The map-lord quickly bowed. “Yes, your Highness, of course.”

Pan effortlessly flicked his telescoping cane into a long pointer, and used it to gesture at the giant mosaic map inlaid on the floor. “As you can see, Evergreen is nearly exactly north of the Coast— oh, I do apologize that we haven’t updated the map yet, your Highness — and it is trivial to get there via water. However, it is currently whirlpool season, and thus sea travel is more dangerous than overland. I would recommend taking the rivers as far south as Livingstone, and then plying the ships close to shore.”

Gem nodded. “Alrighty then! Rivers-to-Livingstone then stick-to-the-coast! Would you like to come with me, Pan? You see, Sitter Sunset has invited me to his country for Eversun Day, and I have been dying to meet this bird! I’m sure having a map-lord would make the journey much easier than if we just had a navigator, and, judging from the rumors from Duchess Cleo, the Sitter could do with some good maps.”

The map-lord’s ears flicked in surprise, smacking into his antlers with a jingle of metal. “Oh, oh! I-I’d love to come along, your Highness! Thank you so much!”

Gem beamed at him. “Oh, thank you, Pan! We leave in a day! And don’t worry about packing. The ships will be stuffed full already!”

The queen turned on her hoof and leapt out of the hall with an even greater spring in her step.

-

“HEADS!”

Scar jumped at the sudden shout, leaping away with the assistance of his newly extant wings. As the duke landed panting and translucent, he heard hiss-tinged laughter behind him. Looking back, he saw the construction crew clutching their stomachs, doubled over with chortles and chuckles. Scar’s eyes widened as he caught sight of a camera.

“I’m very sorry, heeeehhehehe, sir Duke, it’s just that heehehehe we were going to drop this chunk—“ the foreman gestured at the crane “—but you were standing right heheheeeh there, and Jessie had his camera handy heehahee anyhow…”

Scar couldn’t help but start sniggering with them. “Oh, don’t worry boys! No harm in a bit of fun. Though, ah, could I see that photo when you’ve developed it? I’m keeping a tally of sorts, and I need evidence.”

“Hahhehhhah, of course, sir Duke. You in some sort of dare?”

Scar flushed a bit, opacity returning to his skin. “Well, y’see, me and an engineer got into a bit of an argument over how well magic can be seen in photos, and I’m out to prove that it’s really easy to see, while he’s determined that photos can’t capture magic at all. And since I just used my vex magic, and you just took a photo, I can finally prove that speared magic can be caught on film!”

“You mean spirit magic, right, Duke?”

With a shout, Scar flashed his wings again and jumped straight into the air in surprise. Only while he was hovering did he see who had spooked him.

“Engineer Jumbo! You should know better than to sneak up on me like that! And yes, spirit magic!”

The mustachioed man just shook his head at the duke, the plants hanging out from under his hard hat bouncing with the movement. “I’ll do what I want, thank you very much! And you couldn’t have caught you vex magic on that photo.”

“Oh? And what makes you so sure about that?”

“That camera wasn’t primed!”

Scar just about froze in midair, his wings halted in place. He began slowly drifting downwards, and reached around two feet off the ground when a messenger shouted from somewhere down Broadway, hooves echoing on the pavers.

“Duke of Colors!? Duke of Colors!?”

With a start, said duke shot straight upwards several feet, and stayed there as the messenger rubbernecked looking for him. Eventually, he landed and waved the camel over.

“Well hello there! I’m fairly sure that I’m the Duke of Colors. So, you’ve got a message for me?”

The camel straightened and saluted smartly before speaking. “Yes, sir! I bear a message from the Sitter of the Dusk Throne, Grian Sunset. Here you are, sir.”

Scar grinned as he received the envelope, and cracked the seal with a satisfying pop! “Might as well read it aloud, eh?“

He cleared his throat. “Dearest Duke Scar Goodtimes, I do hope this letter finds you well. This writer is Sitter Grian Sunset, and I am extending an invitation to you to visit the Sunset Coast this Eversun. If you are able, do come by sea or land or sky! There is plenty of space for however big a party you may bring. Worry not about provisions when you get here! Goodness! A man after my own heart, using so many exclamation points! I can’t not accept!”

Suddenly, and surprisingly, Scar’s smile somehow got larger. “Hey, Engineer Jumbo?”

The half-faerie flinched at the sudden call-out. “Y-Yes?”

“You heard the bit about how there’s plenty of space for the people I could bring, right? I was thinking that you should come!”

Mumbo blushed, the bright color obvious on his pale skin. “M-Me? Go with you? B-B-But why? Why would I go?”

“Well, why wouldn’t you?”

“I-I suppose there’s no harm in going…”

Scar, who had begun pouting at Mumbo’s hesitancy, grinned again and gave a whoop. “Let’s go! Make sure you have a real good time at this Sunset Coast, right, Engineer? It’s not like you get out much anyway.”

The duke giggled at Mumbo’s accusatory look. “Oh, don’t be such an oil-sport!”

“Spoil-sport.” The engineer corrected him.

“Oh right, spoil-sport! That’s what you are! C’mon, it’s gonna be fun!”