Welcome to Gaia! ::

Andarien had to untie his chest and recall his Pokemon before they could go inside, but as soon as he did he followed the others in.

The cabin wasn't exactly spacious, but it was comfortable. The group stepped into a cozy sitting room, with a couch and two chairs surrounding a long, low table and a fireplace on one wall. There were two doorways out of the room, aside from the door outside: one seemed to lead to a dining room or kitchen of some sort, and the group could see a table with four chairs around it; and the other doorway led to a narrow hallway.

There were two men in the sitting room when they entered, both of them dark elven, and while both were tall, one was both taller and more muscular than the other and had a sterner disposition. Both were dressed in forest garb, though the leaner man's clothes were looser on him.

"You're sure it's safe for them to be here?" the bigger man asked Kyrie, not bothering to hide his suspicion from his expression.

"This is the only place they're safe at the moment," Kyrie told him flatly. "Is Mari in?"

The man's expression darkened, and before he could say anything, the leaner man stepped forward and put one hand on his shoulder to cut him off.

"She's working," he said calmly, smiling faintly. "There's been a lot of activity in the area lately so she hasn't been out much."

"Who is Mari?" Andarien asked curiously. He was exhausted, but it didn't occur to him to ask about sleep first. Besides, the bigger man's reaction intrigued him. It seemed as though he didn't want Kyrie to talk about this person.

The bigger man glared at Andarien, but the leaner man just laughed and slapped him on the back. "Stop being so paranoid," he grinned. "I'll go get her, she can introduce herself. Besides, she'll be happy to see you again, Kyrie."

He smiled at the others and headed down the hallway, disappearing when he turned the corner at the end.

"Mathias," Kyrie said with a tired smile, "would it kill you to offer a bit of hospitality? We've been traveling for over two weeks with barely any rest."

The man sighed and nodded towards the sitting room. "Sit."

Kyrie smiled at the others. "Go ahead, everyone, make yourselves comfortable. He's a bear, but he's got no bite."

Andarien looked at Lin. "What does that mean?" he asked in an undertone.

Lancaeriel took one of the chairs, and Wren took the other, allowing Lin to sit with her children.

Andarien set his chest on the floor and sat down next to Lin, and as tall as he was, he snuggled in next to her. After two days without his father, he wasn't feeling any better about Earendil's absence - in fact, he was feeling worse.

Suddenly the lean man reappeared, and behind him was a woman. She was not very tall, about Kyrie's height, though she was evidently Dark Elven as well. Her black hair was pulled back in a long braid. Like the men, she wore forest garb, but unlike the men, there was embroidery along the sleeves and neckline. A scar peeked out the top of her tunic, but aside from that her skin was unblemished. She moved with poise and grace, but when she saw Kyrie, her face lit up in a bright smile.

"Kyrie, my friend," she said warmly. "Chesnet never told me you were here!" She ran across the room and threw her arms around Kyrie, laughing. "And it hasn't even been all that long!"

Kyrie chuckled softly. "No, it hasn't," she agreed. "But I'm afraid that I'm in need of your help."

The woman blinked. "Oh?" She turned to look at the rest of the group. "Refugees?"

The woman's brow furrowed anxiously. "Oh, dear ... Kyrie, you have to tell me everything."

She looked at Kyrie expectantly, but Kyrie just shook her head. "Later. It's a very long story. But first, introductions."

She introduced the group of travelers, adding their titles to their names, and then she introduced the people who lived there. "Everyone, this is Princess Mari Ruavia, the last surviving member of the Ruavia royal household, and the rightful ruler of this country."

She motioned to the two men. "Mathias and Chesnet, her friends and bodyguards."

"We were best friends with Mari's older brothers before they were murdered," Chesnet said grimly. "Mari would have been killed, too, if Kyrie hadn't come along."

"I suppose," Kyrie shrugged. "I happened to be here just after the coup took place and was able to take Mari to Ahkshi for healing. I came for a few years after that, but that was when Ahkshi asked me to stop traveling. Unfortunately I've only been here once since then."

"Though that does beg the question," Mari frowned at Kyrie. "Why did you come back here now? And why did you bring so many? And children?"

Kyrie sighed. "It's been a difficult trip, Mari. We need rest more than anything else. I will explain everything once we've all had a decent night's sleep."

Mari nodded. "Of course." She looked at the others. "I hope it's all right if you sleep underground," she said apologetically. "The General's men have been snooping around lately, and if they see you - or me - it could mean our lives. There's no telling when they might show up, they've come in the middle of the night before."

Mari's face fell. "I was, not so long ago," she murmured. "But for nearly a year now, this has been going on. Even in the winter. My informants have told me that things in the city aren't any better - curfews getting earlier and earlier, people being incarcerated instead of escorted home if they're out ..."

"That's what brought us here," Kyrie nodded. "Someone made it out of the country and died on my doorstep. We came to help end this."

Mari closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "Then tomorrow we will talk about it," she said softly. "I will take you all down to where you can rest. Do you need anything? We have a few extra blankets ..."

"We have all the bedding we need," Kyrie added with a faint smile. "The only thing we'll need is food."

Mari turned to the men.

"I'll bring down something light," Chesnet smiled. "Best not to sleep on a full stomach."

Mari smiled her thanks and turned back to the others. "This way, then."

She knelt and turned back the corner of the rug on the floor and pulled up a section of the floor, revealing a dark hole with a ladder disappearing into the darkness.