The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 544 - Every Wait Cut Short, Every Possible Outcome Made Manifest

The plains rolled past the window of the private train car as Qatrand gil Yecine sat with one leg crossed over the other. Some of the settlement reports she’d yet to review as she had promised remained untouched for the last forty minutes. Hoolov had been thorough enough in the summary, she felt, that she didn’t need to constantly recheck his numbers like Leysah was sure to have done. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Instead, her sword sat across her lap with one hand gripping the hilt on a very familiar ride. This section of the continent was one she had seen over and over again as she traveled to the Goltbred estate. Especially near the start, at the train station of her settlement, there were fences, fields, and roads to see that she’d approved across the years.

Projects that she had sunk in the first pole, pulled along the first plow, or placed down the first cobblestone for. With wood milled and worked, weeds and rocks cleared, and ground broken to replace with proper drainage and grading by mortals and cultivators she knew the names of - because they knew hers. And because her wife had taught her enough tricks to internalize details in her spirit to pass as much more of a socialite than she truly was.

All that really mattered to her was being around one person again... and that she might be arriving a bit to early for it.

’Three days is not unreasonable. Four would have been unreasonable. Three is merely... why am I arguing with myself? She will either tease me for this or she will not, and it will be the end of it.’

Such haste-to-make-wait was ultimately the least drastic option she had in mind. For a while as she watched her adjutants bicker, she thought of grabbing them both by the neck and forcing them into the quarry with her. Using the realmshard herself for once... and secluding herself with the woman she was buzzing to see. For at least two weeks to themselves before their on-hold relationship had to involve other people yet again.

It was only the threat that the continent faced, that had been growing more and more out of hand, that kept Qat from doing so. Her sense of duty towards everyone else was barely - just barely - stronger than what existed toward her wife. Not only that, she knew in her heart that cherishing the ancient cultivator meant respecting her ultimate wishes.

Darkly, she still sometimes felt that if the population of the continent dropped low enough... that scale might flip just a bit. The sort of thought she never dwelt on seriously, but was nice to daydream about once in a while. Not people dying en masse, but a nice world with only her El occupying it - for at least a small while. The kind of world that ephemerally existed when cornered for a kiss.

When tackled in a flying hug that would probably be a lot more like an untethered ballista bolt if the stories Sevra brought back from Qat’s siblings were to be believed. She would even settle just for watching her eat some-

’No...’

She had been touching over her heart while having these thoughts when the proto-child spirit fragment thumped like a metaphysical organ. She had left early to have a window to get *prepared*. To be standing there, steady and waiting, so that the first thing her mint-drop saw upon returning to the world was the person she’d left it for. To sit with her in-laws for a while and calm herself so that when she felt a feeling like this... she wouldn’t be surrounded by miles of nowhere!

But either her wife had read her mind... or El must have had a similar thought. An explosion of feeling - akin to steeping out from a dimly lit building interior into direct sunlight - but literally the feeling of having a memory of what her ’love’ nearby felt like, compared to what it actually did. Then all at once a sudden sense of ’content’ that sharpened the edges of everything all around her.

’Like realizing I’ve been unfocused on everything around me and now everything is bright and clear and real.’

The settlement reports beside her crumpled as the blonde swordswoman’s calloused fist slammed down on the seat, while shifting her leg and pushing her white-knuckled sword-hilt crushing self up to an awkward stand. Breath left her in a gaspy sound, the kind from being emotionally shaken. The fragment that was so quiet as she greeted it every day sang in her chest, a complexity of layered emotions that felt like she could almost read her far away partners mind.

An overwhelming symphony of the most important form of contact restored, for the heiress. ’Joy’ played a fifth to ’relief’ which tangled with bass of ’longing’ threaded with a staccato ’impatience’. Deep emotions that had clearly not diminished in the slightest, had not decided to cut short a single measure of the song in all the time they’d been apart.

’...And ’mischief’. There was definitely her making some sort of plan in there.’

In the next moments, she understood. Her wife was moving already. Moving towards herself! Tendrils of spirit burst from the Anchor Astralism holder, out in the direction she was most likely to travel - from where she most likely was. The husband-wife wanted to know the very instant that she was within range. Or more truthfully, she wanted to burst through the train window and run right to meet her.

"No property damage today. It’s a happy day. I’ve waited years for it, another ten minutes won’t-"

The sentence broke off as the feelings she was receiving *shifted*. Qatrand could feel it - like a bucket of ice water had been dumped all over her spouse. Not enough to dim the blazing presence of the Breacher in the slightest, but enough that a sort of awareness curved away from the woman who blinked her pigeon blue eyes and loosened her hold on her sword until it clattered beside her.

Not toward her anymore.

Her El had been on the way and made a decision to go elsewhere first. That was the impression she read, through the emotions of rhapsody turned marching beat. The tall, muscular figure stood very still in the swaying car for a whole minute before putting her blade back in its scabbard. Eyes that were wide with shock were now narrowed.

"Is that how it is, then."

With an edge of something ’fierce’ and ’purposeful’ bleeding through the thumps of feeling, the former Yecine had come to an idea of what was happening. Neither she nor the brunette on the other end, too far away for her spouse’s side to actually broadcast to her, felt any ’rage’. Nothing so uncontrolled had reason yet to come from the ancient cultivator.

Nor her precious gem, who had just been temporarily snubbed for another important matter that could have been dealt with at a better time. But not a more shocking one. She didn’t actually need the fragment to tell her the gist of what the little menace was doing. Qat had a good enough imagination when it came to El, that had long ago worked up likely scenarios.

"If you don’t join your mother’s Guild, then I don’t know what you’ll do, my love. Because you belong with healers, with builders, and most importantly on the stage. If not for teaching others with me, then just to enjoy acting out the kind of theater you relish in."

The hand firm on her chest accompanied a low and stern tone of voice.

"She is... someone you’ll love very much someday, kid."

One that heralded blonde hair turning jet black in three heartbeats. If Elua’s particular flavor of *determination* was so easy to read for the one used to it, then Qat’s was still easy to see for... anyone that started to get in her way. Which, considering she was a famous Hero and Warden Patrician of the territory everyone on the train had departed from less than an hour ago?

No one at all was silly enough to get in her way.

⟠ ⟠ ⟠

"Halt!"

The doorman trying to be silly enough to get in her way recognized the eyes before anything else about the woman. Mint - shining bright, but a little different from the usual reddish-blonde who sought to cause lasting property damage to the expensive, sigil reinforced gate leading into the Yecine estate. The Dame Goltbred was on his mental list of people to hold outside while a runner went to fetch someone stronger and more in charge.

Her daughter was not on that particular list, though her visits had been even rarer. In some ways, that made her approach considerably more unsettling. Because the rumor among the compound’s guards was that this young woman had been murdered by the firstborn offspring of Anper er Yecine. That ’woman’ who emancipated herself forcefully, all while repeatedly claiming to those who asked over the years that the Goltbred heiress was still alive.

’And would return. Has she returned?’

All the good will from years before, when then named Qatrand er Yecine nodded politely at them, meant little in this long run. Status held outside of the estate meant nothing. Not to people who couldn’t leave it without a written order. People would rather believe the worst towards those they were jealous of - those who *got out* of the oppressive family structure.

...Though it was true that even some of Qatrand’s own people held, buried in their city expanding little hearts, the idea that the Warden Patrician was merely so ’good’ because she was atoning for such a vile thing as uxoricide!

"Er, my lady, you must-"

Shorter than his shoulder, brown hair just past the collar of her... very Silver dress. The woman walked past him without a rush. If she could call it anything, it was actually pretty similar to some of her ancient peers ignoring a mortal with exaggerated poise.

Not that she expected mortals or cultivators from this era to understand the finer points of being truly insufferable. Yet, Elua er Goltbred was certain he was not so ignorant that he could not understand his words had been treated as part of the ambient noise. Which is the only way she could think his attempt to begin again had any kind of logic.

"My lady. The estate is closed for a council session, you will have to wait for... for..."

The second attempt died quieter. Not because she silenced him with spiritual pressure, or because she looked at him angrily or impatient. But because she had just tapped her fingers testingly. On that exact spot which it seemed like Yatrel er Goltbred always hit like a battering ram...

"Doable. Stand back, if you would."

And spoke a phrase that had him surging toward the signal bell.