"What is on your mind?"
It didn't take a seer with a special emotional ability to see that Fort was upset, and Noble tried to be as non-combative as she could.
Unfortunately, the man was too far gone to notice. "What was Rock thinking pairing Rain up with a full-sized male? No, not full-sized...that man was the size of a house!"
Noble swallowed. "I can understand your frustration. But she volunteered. And up until you called her na, she was doing just fine. I–"
"So it's my fault our daughter is hurt?" Fort's eyes bugged out of his head a little.
'A little,' the professor knew better than to say those words aloud. "What happened was an accident..."
"Why was she fighting at all?" The Ambassador didn't seem to be listening.
"What do you think happens at a training school for potential Drears?" Noble was halfway between annoyed and amused.
"It was just supposed to be an introduction." Fort defended himself. "I didn't think there would be any real fighting on the first day."
"You told you wanted to prepare Rain to conquer the world. How am I supposed to do that while coddling her from even the slightest bruise?" The professor tried to touch Fort's arm but he shrugged away.
"A SLIGHT BRUISE?! Did you see the sa injury that I did? She was bleeding!" The man began to pace.
"It could have been much worse," Noble pointed out.
"You've already said that. It's like you aren't taking this seriously at all!" Fort threw his hands in the air. "It's like you don't care about her anymore. Do you care about any of us?" His voice was filled with desperation.
The floating Master opened her mouth to raise her voice at his accusation. But then the words died on her lips.
"You know I care." She answered softly.
Her palm lifted to his cheek and cupped it gently. She stared into his eyes, studying them before continuing.
"You aren't just angry and hurt...You are scared. Tell : What's really wrong?"
Fort frowned. "I told you what is wrong. Rain shouldn't be getting beat up by a man twice as big as her! You should never have let it happen. Even then, if Rock had used more common sense..."
"This isn't about . Or Rock."
Noble knew her husband well.
She could read him better than he could read himself sotis.
Fort's stern scowl cracked. He leaned on the corner tent post as his face dropped into his hands.
"I…can't."
"Can't what? Tell ?" Noble furrowed her brow. "You can tell anything."
"I can't watch our daughter do this." Fort's voice broke. "I thought I could support her, push through…but…"
"Weren't you just telling not that long ago that you'd let go into another Nightmare?" Noble wasn't sure if the man was aware of his own failure in logic or if sothing else was in play.
"I know it doesn't make sense, but it's different with you. You've already been through two nightmares. As much as I would be worried, at least you would have a team and so experience. You've always co back."
Fort slipped to the ground and Noble knelt down to float beside him. Droplets were hiding in the corners of his eyes.
"When I saw Rain fall, she looked so helpless. She looked like she was asleep. And…and she wouldn't wake up. I…I—"
Tears stread down the man's face.
He choked as he rembered the mont that he pulled Rain's unconscious body into his arms. Her face hadn't been the one he had seen.
It was Seb's.
"I can't lose another child to the Spell."
Noble pulled her husband into a sitting hug. The words hit Noble like a punch in the gut.
The professor struggled against losing people to the Spell each and every year at the Solstice. She stayed up late watching the sleeping pods and hoping they would make it to safety.
But even with all of that experience, Noble still dreaded what might happen to her daughter if Rain willingly chose to take on a Trial.
Awakened always said the Spell was fair, but did she really believe that was true?
No.
Faced with the possibility of surrendering her daughter to its grasp, Noble did not think it was fair at all. What if because Noble was an Ascended, the Spell decided to give Rain a trial to humble the daughter of an esteed Master?
What if it tried to crush her?
These thoughts and more filled her mind as her husband continued to hold his head in his hands.
On the far mountains, the clouds grew grey. If the wind blew favorably, another layer of snow would be coming later today.
Flakes would fall on all of them, hitting people indiscriminately as they went about the city.
That's how the Spell used to be.
Choice had been the answer, but now that Rain was selecting it, it seed like a different kind of curse.
Legacy clans handled sending off their children, even going so far as intentionally infecting them. But mundane humans had never considered doing anything like that, until now.
Fort was understandably struggling.
Noble couldn't bla him. It didn't help that any promises she could make were empty ones. So she simply held him and said nothing.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, a voice interrupted their solemn mont.
"You won't lose ."
The parents looked up to see the tent flap open. A pale girl stepped out with a single tear running down her face.
"You won't lose because I won't go."
Noble hadn't felt Rain coming. She was supposed to still be in the back of the tent being examined.
The blasted enchantnt had kept Noble from feeling her presence!
How much had she heard?
From the look on the girl's face, too much.
"Rain…" Noble began.
"The doctor says I have a concussion. He recomnds I go and rest." Rain closed her eyes, blinking away more incoming tears.
Fort and Noble stood and hugged their daughter.
"I love you," Fort said into his daughter's hair.
"I know," the teen buried her head in the man's shoulder.
"If you need so rest, I'll walk you ho," Noble desperately wanted to talk to her daughter, but the girl's health ca first.
"We will walk you ho," Fort asserted, wiping his cheeks.
"No, I would like to go by myself. You have a Saint to tend to and you have a school to run. I will see you this evening." Rain pulled away from the embrace of her parents.
"You are more important than any of that." Fort took a step forward to comfort his daughter. "Your health is the most important thing."
"I know," Rain repeated, her lower lip struggling not to tremble. "That's what makes this so hard. Just give so ti."
"We will see you later," Noble spoke before her husband could object again. "Take care of yourself, Sweet Girl."
"I will," Rain promised.
With a small wave, the girl wandered away from the tent.
Watching her go, Fort stiffened. "She will be all alone at ho. What if her concussion gets worse? How could you let her leave like that?"
Noble smiled softly. "Easy. She isn't heading ho. Where she is going, they will take very good care of her. I'm sure of it."
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