His Wonder was alive. And it was because of him, because he had chosen to turn his back on the Negaverse and pursue a new future for himself. Because he took the time to come here, and make it better. There was something...especiually rewarding about knowing that his own heart, and how own efforts, were the only thing that could fix this place.
But when he arrived, things felt wrong.
There was no birdsong. No chatter of chipmunks. The island was silent, in the way of a forest when a predator lurked, and it put Lyonesse on edge immediately. He ran his thumb over Aulana's feather bottle, and after a moment he felt the warm weight of her on his shoulder, and that helped, but it didn't completely steady his nerves, not even when she started preening her beak through his hair.
He'd known, of course, that things would be out of balance. but it still felt eerie, coming to a place that he'd gotten used to seeing full of life and instead finding...silence.
He approached the Sun Tree trepidatiously--while he stood by his assessment and was fairly certain that this was where he would find his Code piece, he wasn't exactly eager to see what damage might have been done to it. It was still standing, at least, though the soil around it was disturbed and more of its roots were exposed than usual, and the cobblestones of the plaza around it showed signs of damage. A trail of golden sparkles, the magical aid the Code had promised, led him around, to a parting in the roots that revealed a staircase.
That, Lyonesse was fairly certain, had not been visible before--perhaps because he hadn't looked, perhaps because he wasn't ready. But he was now, and he took the short staircase down, descending into a cave-room of sorts. Here, there was even more evidence of damage--cracks in the brickwork floor and wooden walls, objects knocked off the shelves that lined the room, and at the far end was a root structure that seemed to curl around the glowing orb that was the Code piece--but cracks ran through the roots, and they looked withered and damaged.
The Code itself seemed...diminished. Dimmed. Exhausted, almost.
Lyonesse hated this. Hated seeing his Wonder damaged like this. Ever since they'd excised the Blight, he'd been proud of how it had healed and grown. This was a step entirely in the wrong direction.
He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, and reached out--letting himself connect with the magic of the Code that flowed through his Wonder and through him.
There was a hand on his shoulder, and Leolin stared in awe up at the tree in front of him. It was in full bloom, golden blossoms glowing even in the middle of the day, and there were so many people--chattering, sitting under it to eat, enjoying a beautiful day.
"Ilar!" Someone called, and Leolin looked up at the figure beside him--old, to the small child's mind, but to the present Lyonesse's, a young man of maybe twenty or twenty-five, red-haired and green-eyed and similar enough in facial structure to Lyonesse and to Leolin for him to be sure that this was a relative. Older brother, Leolin's memories said, and Knight of Lyonesse. "So, this is that little brother of yours, hmm?"
The speaker was a man about Ilar's age, dark-skinned and dark-haired, with violet eyes that glimmered with cheerful amusement.
"It is," Ilar said, patting Leolin's shoulder. "He wants to go to the Knight Academy himself, one day--so I thought I'd show him our Sun Tree, give him an idea of what a Knight does."
"Good luck with that," the other man said. "When you're free, I'd like to talk to you--nothing too important, though." He ruffled Leolin's hair, and Leolin pouted--already so serious, so young. "You listen to your brother. He's a fine Knight and a great example."
"Hush, Gwyn," Ilar said, but there was a flush on his cheeks as he waved the other man away. Gwyn waved, cheerfully, and walked off, and Ilar knelt down next to Leolin, gesturing at the tree before them.
"The Sun Tree," Ilar said. "Ancient and powerful. No one really knows where it came form, but it's the reason our little island is a Wonder. It has all sorts of magic, but most importantly, it fuels the enchantments that keep the walls stable. Without it, this place would have long since been reclaimed by the sea. It is sacred, and beautiful, and it is Knight Lyonesse's job to care for it. Maybe your Wonder won't have something exactly like it--but just like I have to prune the Sun Tree and watch for any disease or damage to it, there will probably be something on your Wonder that has mundane--even boring--duties attached to it that are just as important as the big things. But I suppose I don't have to tell you not to forget the little things, hmm, Leo?"
Leolin nodded seriously, eyes drawn to the golden lines that wove throguh the Sun Tree's bark, and the memory faded away.
Lyonesse opened his eyes, and found himself in the same room--but it was reassembled, now, and the roots that curled around the Code were healthy and thick again.
He had done it. His Wonder was, for the moment, safe again.
[wc: 1048 words]
