The only time that Noble had been happier to breathe the frigid air of Ravenheart was when she had come back from her most recent nightmare.
"I'm home!" She exclaimed, startling the member of the Song Clan who was monitoring the gateway.
"Welcome?" The woman dipped her head.
Noble waved and headed out of the palace without delay. If someone had told her five years ago that someday she would have been overjoyed to return to the Dream Realm, she would have thought that they were crazy. It was true; home was where the heart was.
And her heart was here in the newly formed civilization.
Noble felt for Fort's emotions. Her soul was inextricably linked to his. Being in the waking world for so long had made her feel like part of her was missing, and she was anxious to feel whole once more.
'Where are you?'
It was the end of the workday, and the boys and Fort should all be home or heading there shortly.
Noble locked onto her husband immediately. She frowned. He was worried, unusually so.
'Is he concerned about me?'
Noble had sent Teddy a message on her communicator the day before so she could relay the message to Fort for her, but perhaps he hadn't gotten it, or he didn't find it satisfactory.
Well, if that were the case, she would remedy the situation shortly.
Aiming toward home, Noble took off across the frozen bridge at a brisk pace. Evenings made for crowded streets, but the floating Saint navigated with ease.
'There are a lot of extra people here.' Noble frowned. Many of the faces were unfamiliar, and Noble was certain that she hadn't come into contact with their emotional signatures either.
Some were poorly dressed for the frigid bridge, telling Noble they had not been there before.
But one emotional signature she did recognize. Noble turned to catch a glimpse of the man she hadn't seen since before the solstice. Before she could locate him, Noble felt a tug in her soul.
Her search for Fort must have alerted him to her presence in the Dream Realm, and he was reaching out to her with an urgent longing.
'I'll have to investigate this later,' Noble decided, abandoning her search.
The mundane part of Ravenheart was also more full than usual, but nothing like the bridge. The market closest to the chasm was still in full swing, with deals for various items reaching new heights.
'Seems like the price hikes are here,' Noble lamented as she heard a piece of stone worm hide going for almost twice its usual value.
'Everything is going to be harder to come by in the coming days. I am glad we got what we could while we could.'
Noble had stocked up on clothing for the boys as well as foodstuffs that would not go bad. She had even imported a new sofa with the help of Sarai's Ability. The piece of furniture could double as a bed. If Ravenheart received refugees from other areas, Noble wanted to have a place or two to offer them to lay their heads.
'Hopefully they won't be needed.'
With a sigh, Noble hurried through the market and turned down the street. She frowned. Fort was no longer located in the direction of home. He had moved beyond it, heading toward the city gate.
'Hm…' Noble felt for her children. Unlike Fort, they were in the direction she had expected. They were also much closer to her than he was.
Reluctantly, Noble made the decision to stop by her house before chasing after her husband. She needed to check on her children.
"Mom! You're finally back!"
Both boys rushed to see their mother as she entered the house. Her absence had been keenly felt.
"Dad didn't know how to use the laundry bucket properly. His shirt is stuck in the ringer." Brock immediately informed her.
"He also said we weren't supposed to tell you about that." Blaze gave his brother a significant look. "We are glad you are back. How is the new job?"
"Busy," Noble considered telling them about the protest-turned-riot, but she decided that she only wanted to tell that story once.
"We have been busy too! Look at this." Brock hurried to his bag and fished out a page for his mother to see. "I passed the test all on my own. No cheating or anything!"
"W-was cheating an option?" Noble furrowed her brow, then shook her head. "I'm very proud of you, Brock. This is exceptional progress."
"My teacher said I should be able to graduate if I keep giving it my best effort. I had no idea that getting a good grade could feel so…good!"
Brock was astonished by his own discovery.
Years of coasting had brought with them indifference, and now he rediscovered the joy of learning something beyond combat. He still loved combat and always would, but it turned out he had room in his heart for other knowledge as well.
"I always knew you could do it. Congratulations, sweetheart." Noble was more than a little proud.
"Thanks!" Brock beamed as his brother patted him on the shoulder.
"I am very excited to hear all about the week, but I really need to speak to your father. It seemed like he was here when I arrived in Ravenheart." Noble watched the twins exchange glances.
"I'm sure Dad is fine." Blaze took his mother's hand. "Mom, it's my turn to cook dinner, but since you are finally back, I would love to make something you like." He pulled Noble toward the kitchen.
"What a great idea! I will help you." Brock offered a little too eagerly. He pressed against her back to help escort her farther into the house. "While you wait, Mom, I'll tell you about what has been going on at the Academy here. You'll never believe it…"
"Boys…" Noble pulled out of her boys' grasps. "I can see something is wrong. What happened to your father?"
"Dad is fine, really!" Blaze nodded. "He got a letter and needed to step out for a bit. He said he would be back shortly. Somehow, he seemed to know you were coming when he left."
"Dad said to stall you if you came by. He said you have enough on your plate already…" Brock finished.
"Do either of you know what the note said?" Noble couldn't fault the boys for obeying their father, but she didn't like the idea of being kept in the dark just because she might be stressed.
"No, but we can get it for you."
Blaze went over to the trash bin and fished out a scrap of paper. It was wadded so tightly that it took a moment for Noble to untangle the edges.
When she finally smoothed the paper enough to read, she suddenly wished she hadn't.
There has been a development with Rani. I thought you would like to know. Please come to the office, and I will explain. -Virt
'Oh no!' Noble's hand crumpled the paper as she turned around and headed for the door. Now she knew why her husband had left in such a hurry. 'Rain!'