The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 122 - Are We The Bound Kin Or The Unsheathed Generation?

Chapter 122: Chapter 122 - Are We The Bound Kin Or The Unsheathed Generation?

The raven haired swordswoman shifted unconsciously as she thought about all the factors that led to meeting and somehow... impressing her first and only love? Qatrand had never really questioned everything about it, because it had never felt necessary. A hand moved to steady her sword hilt as the other set of fingers pressed and traced along the length of the scabbard.

The replica of one of their heirlooms - rather, the sword made just for *her* inside the comforting shell of such a thing... had not endured the fate the brunette girl feared. Yet, it was also true that the ’reason’ for that not only lay in the honor of her family but in the secrets of it she kept.

Explaining it only as a similar looking weapon she had commissioned ended all inquiries. If she ever admitted that it had all of the customized sigils that the illusory training tool detailed for her, she had little doubt that they would still *not* resort to stealing it from her - or even demand that she hand it over.

But... the scrutinization would start over, in more earnest.

’I suspect there will always come a day when they have questions about me. About her. But I will stand between my wife and that day as long as possible.’

The little heiress had always stood proudly to brag to everyone she was sociable with about Qat. She knew it was the case, because it would sometimes happen in front of her at the Youth Guild. Unfortunately, the tall teenager had never been comfortable talking to someone for no reason... even if it was about her passion for the cute girl.

With such in mind, and a ’viable’ target in place, her mouth opened again.

"I’m not sure if it was luck or something else. Meeting Elua... changed so much for me. My limited perspective grew. My goals have started to become my own. How I view our family changed... not because she tried to convince me, but because of how her support and love allowed me a sort of safety to reassess it all."

Navuill nodded. A strained but thoughtful look edged into his features as he recalled the past.

"I’ve noticed. She’s... formidable. Her cultivation and her use of words in your defense. After our first encounter, I couldn’t help but reassess some things myself."

"Your *first* encounter?"

Qatrand’s voice held a hint of tension that she hadn’t meant it to. Part jealousy, part overprotectiveness... due to knowing that Navuill winced.

"Ah, yes. We didn’t really talk at the wedding so I guess I shouldn’t count that? There was that meeting of the elders we were both called to. You should already know that she confronted me once, when she couldn’t find you. It was... intense."

He shivered while remembering his Astralism, then his Element being rebuffed and snuffed out. He hadn’t tested it back then, but after both her Yecine bridal ritual and the Challenge phase of the wedding ceremony...

’I’m not sure I would have any confidence left in myself if I made her keep the promise of her words and drag me back to the estate with a broken sword.’

Well - he was more or less thankful that losing at two out of three was his stopping point that day.

"But even though I regret acting the way I did, it made me realize the depth of her feelings for you - and how that kind of bond could change a person or even be a strength. I can’t entirely be sorry for what happened now, in hindsight."

The ’fortress’ lowered her tense shoulders as she looked away from him and smiled.

"El can be quite protective, like her mother. Maybe even more. I’m glad that she influenced you, Navuill."

The swordswoman stood up with a calm motion and extended her hand down to him. The soft glow of campfires illuminated the tents through the gnarled trees behind her. The occasional sound of utensils, tools, or muffled bits of loud conversation reminded the pair of the purpose of their visit and stay.

"I had hoped that everyone in our family would not see her as a problem, but knowing how she yelled at you... it makes me really relieved to hear your words."

Listening to the low voice, he raised his hand and they gripped on each other’s wrists as she pulled him to his feet almost effortlessly. He could feel with his empathic sense that she was telling the truth - something about her just felt lighter and less weighed down. So much so that she simply continued speaking.

"My wife also opened my eyes to so many possibilities I never considered before. It’s very heartening to know that the younger of us aren’t lost to changes."

"Changes like what?"

The young man asked as they both turned aside and let go of each other. He was genuinely curious to what the young woman was thinking. In recent months, he had only grown in respect for Qatrand er Yecine... despite Anper’s attempts to corrupt him. Pigeon blue eyes glanced back at him and paused as she considered her next words.

"Like questioning all traditions - and rethinking those that no longer serve us."

Some of them were probably made with good reasons that fit well for the time and the political landscape. Her thoughts on this had been deep ever since she decided she would continue to work hard for her position despite Anper - and not in spite of him.

"If everything about maintaining a cultivation family was as simple as following a set of rules - like a recipe to make a dish - then things would be far easier. But I followed their advice, their demands, and their recipe for years without becoming what they really wanted."

Instead of feeling hurt by this, Qat instead started wondering why she herself was leaning into the cooking metaphor. Images of feeding the girl with mint eyes staring at her with so much love came to mind... and she resolved to speak to someone at the Goltbred estate. There had to be something she could learn to make on her own!

The Yecine cleared her throat and her mind.

"I’ve even started to think about the upcoming competition differently from the way I was told to."

The other Yecine urged the tall girl on. He honestly hadn’t expected to get her to talk at all when he first came over. Not only was she talking, he was discovering that she was unexpectedly eloquent with her low and steady tone! Far more than himself. His respect only grew~

"Oh? How so?"

"I used to see it solely as a duty. It was a way to bring fame to the family. We were expected to place high, or... like was made clear a while ago, not get in the way of the one our elders wanted to ultimately win."

A pair of eyes drifted up to the stars and another set followed during the pause. She was starting to feel more of a warmth knowing that the sight of them would remind her El, even if she would much rather be looking at them with her right now than her cousin.

"I see it now as an opportunity for my own growth. A venue for *every* participant to grow and practice. This was the intent behind the Void Defense Society - and that is one tradition that I don’t think can ever be argued needs changed. Only the contents of the trials itself might be up for question."

Qat turned to look at the slightly older swordsman beside her, with a voice full of mellow confidence.

"We don’t have to be rivals, Navuill. Before, during, or after the competition. We could support each other while both of us do our best, instead. Did you not say you would face me fairly?"

The dark haired man was quiet for a moment.

"I did. That’s... not at all what the elders will expect."

"No, it’s not. That’s exactly why we should consider it. Interacting with my wife has taught me that, sometimes, challenging the expectations of those around you by being true to your own will can lead to better outcomes for everyone."

The newly wedded couple’s intimate and playful interactions were one of those outcomes. She’d once let her slight annoyance attempt to ’punish’ the girl so long ago by holding her forehead in place. Staying true to her desire - not to actually hurt her - but to get her meaning across in the only way she could think of at the time, while knowing it was unexpected had been more rewarding than she could have hoped for.

Another had been to focus her spiritual cultivation, under the girl’s advice, when she was pressed towards physical energy by her elders and father. She would admit *that* one had a closer touch of the will of those mint eyes than her own, but it was still ultimately her own decision to give it a try. Just like Qatrand’s suggestion was up to him to agree to.

Navuill stared back at her with interest clear in his eyes.

"It’s a risky approach. You’re already in line to be an elder, as this generation’s ’heir’. Don’t you think they might use this sort of talk to deny it to you?"

The teenage Yecine chuckled at him, before conceding the point. Anything given with so many strings attached always had the opportunity to be snatched away. It was a good thing that she was learning to be very good at ’pulling’ herself.

"Perhaps they will. But isn’t our personal growth worth the risk? The stronger and more capable we get, the more people we will protect in the Descent. We could push each other to be better, not just for our own sake, but for the family’s... and so many others."

The spoken thoughts resonated quite strongly with her... as she sought to improve the family she was born into, cherish and protect her wife, and someday raise a set of children amid it all. Where before Qat was a slight bit strained at the idea of keeping up with Elua’s cultivation, she started to feel her drive growing.

’There’s no need to limit the things we care about. It gives us cause to fight harder so that nothing touches them.’