A woman in a pink dress and nine fox tails rested on a grassy hill and had a writing pad in her hands. She wrote on the pad with a quill, then looked up as if she were searching for the words. “Where to…ah yes!” she said. She then wrote again and read her writing aloud. “‘Concerning…Citizens. Despite…what politicians…may say…the citizens…of our great…Realms…are…the backbone. Without…their…hard work…there…would…be…no…kingdom…anywhere…in either…the…original…Three…or…the-’” Her writing was interrupted as she heard a man and woman singing together. She peered down the hill and saw a carriage being pulled by a horse with a ten-armed woman with dog-features and wearing a wedding dress. At the woman’s side was a man with a red eye on his tunic. The fox-tailed woman headed down the hill and raised her hand to stop the carriage. “You’re late,” she remarked. The man stared the woman down.
“An Emboramii is never late, Arsha Royana,” he said with a slight rebuking tone. “Nor are they early. They arrive precisely when they mean to.” The dog-woman also stared the fox-woman down. They all stared at one another. …None of them could keep a straight face as a warm smile sprang onto their faces.
“It’s great to see you again, Orbak and Elmpam!” cheered the fox-woman, Queen Arsha Royana, as she leapt into her in-laws’ arms. Once the embrace broke, the dog-woman, Elmpam, chimed in.
“You didn’t think we’d miss Yufantel’s Tour’s End Ceremony, did you?” she asked with a smile. “I promised all my grandkids I’d see them come home and I’m not about to break that promise with my youngest grandkid!”
“How’s the family these days?” asked Orbak as the carriage got moving again. “I hear they’re all pitching in.”
“Your daughter’s idea,” replied Arsha. “Malnar insisted we all get involved with our kids’ respective returns home.”
“That explains the big order I got a week ago,” chuckled Orbak.
“Welmaf and Eemaf also got pretty big orders too,” said Arsha. “They got here two days ago.”
“Ah, good, some help!” replied Elmpam.
“Half the Realms are invited to tune in,” continued Arsha. “The rest will probably tune in anyways. Other than that, life here in Largandra goes on, pretty much the same way it’s been since this Age of Unity started. People and goods come and go, with change coming a bit slower than I would personally like.”
“That tends to happen when peace replaces war,” remarked Elmpam. “There’s no real urgency for survival anymore. Now we focus on thriving.”
“In all honesty, though you may not like the pace of change at the moment,” mused Orbak, “I’m enjoying it. These days, we’re making things made to endure the ravages of time, passing down from one generation to the next.”
“I guess I’m still a little antsy,” muttered Arsha. Her in-laws each arched an eyebrow. Arsha then realized she revealed something she didn’t mean to and decided to explain. “To be honest, I’m getting a bit odd lately. I mean, more than I would consider usual for me. Lately…lately I’ve been feeling Dr. Borg’s metal hand on my shoulder.”
“Didn’t you decapitate her?” asked Orbak.
“Orbak!” admonished Elmpam.
“It’s all right, Elmpam,” assured Arsha. “And I did, but it feels like her ghost is watching me, always right behind me. …I don’t know, maybe I should see if Thengo’s in town.”
“Just like her,” mused Orbak.
“…Her?” asked Arsha. Her in-laws then looked elsewhere as if it were nothing important. Arsha grinned. “All right, keep your secret!” she teased.
“Secret?” asked Orbak.
“I know you’re talking about a member of my old crew.”
“Goodness me!”
“You know, before last year, people held us veterans in high esteem.”
“Indeed?”
“Never had any accidents or did anything too crazy.”
“If you’re referring,” remarked Elmpam, “to that incident during the Summer Solstice, Orbak and I were barely involved. All we did was give Dr. Borontho a little nudge out of the door.”
“Whatever you call it, the Morgonthor trench has labeled you both Disturbers of the Peace.”
“…Did they now?” muttered Orbak. He pouted comedically. Arsha and Elmpam laughed, then Orbak joined in. Arsha then saw a carriage stop.
“Orbak, Elmpam, I’m glad you could make it,” she said as she hopped off.
“So are we, Arsha!” replied Elmpam as their carriage went on.
The Ceremony was held in the park Arsha had hers. The aisle was lined with the ship’s new crew and Arsha, her spouses, and all 17 of their kids that had already completed their tours were at the head of the aisle. Walking down it was a young woman in a cloud dress and wearing a pink bodice. She stopped in front of the Royanas and knelt. “Yufantel Royana,” said Arsha, “you have been away from home for five years now. You have served Realmfleet and expanded your knowledge. What have you learned?”
“I’ve learned that the people are the real movers and shakers of the Realms,” replied Yufantel, the youngest of the Royana children. “Without their help, I would be nothing. I vow to do everything in my power to make sure they are happy.”
“Your tour has been instrumental in your growth,” declared Arsha. “We have no doubts that you will lead us well when you ascend to the throne. Rise, Yufantel Royana, Crown Princess of the entire Under-realm!” The crowd clapped as Yufantel turned.
“Everyone, it’s been a long time since I first set foot on the Grelnak as a kid,” she said. “I never thought I would be able to command effectively, but I was happily proven wrong. Now, I wish my successor luck! May he command better than me!” She turned to an Orc/Centaur Blender man.
“I’m surprised you want me to be better than you,” chuckled the new Captain.
“Look, let’s be honest,” replied Yufantel, “I didn’t exactly come onto the Grelnak with a humble attitude. You, on the other hand, have that in spades. Good Luck, Captain Nartugh!”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” The new Captain then trotted off with his new crew in tow.
Once the ceremony ended, the Royanas had a party celebrating the fact that all 18 of their kids had finished their tours and learned something to help them be better leaders. The partiers were the Royanas, the kids, the grandparents, and family friends. A Genie woman popped up in front of Arsha. “Your guests have arrived,” she announced.
“All right!” cheered Arsha. “Domesta, I wish for you to bring me to the door!” Domesta snapped her fingers and Arsha teleported to the castle door. She opened it to reveal a Goblin woman, a Homunculus man, their daughter and son, a woman in a gray dress with pale-gray skin, and a man in purple clothes and dark-gray skin. “Welcome, welcome!” greeted Arsha.
“Great to be here, Captain!” chuckled the Goblin woman, Bashoon Barmek. Her husband, Delselii, then shook Arsha’s hand.
“Great to see you too, Your Majesty!” he said.
“Oh, come on! We’re all friends here!” Arsha chided slightly. “No need for titles!”
“Hard habit to break,” chuckled the gray woman, Endea, the living extension of the Endeavor.
“Endea, great to see you again!” cheered Arsha as she hugged Endea. She then got a look at the man with her. “Is that little Glanthel?”
“Not so little anymore, is he?” said Endea.
“Good evening, Your Majesty,” greeted Glanthel, the living extension of the Glanthelantir.
“Like I said to Delselii, no need for titles!” Arsha looked Glanthel up and down. “My word, you’ve gotten so big! The last time I saw you, you were barely up to my knees!” Glanthel gave a small smile. Arsha then looked Bashoon and Delselii’s kids. “And we can’t forget the younger Barmeks! Hejema, how’s the Homunculus Pet business?”
“Doing great!” replied Bashoon’s daughter, Hejema. “Homunculus pets are selling like hotcakes, especially in the Under-realm!”
“And Torya, how’s the life of a College Wizard?”
“It’s a little hectic,” replied Bashoon’s son, Torya, “but I can manage. I’m a Vorsholstein AND a Barmek.”
“Good to hear! Now, come in! Come in!” Arsha and her guests went inside and the party began. As the music for the dance played, Arsha looked at her parents, Elgrad and Hanako. She then did a double take. For a moment, Elgrad was white, beardless, and had a full head of pumpkin-orange hair. Hanako also shrunk, lost her kitsune features, and wore blue. Arsha rubbed her eyes and her parents were back to normal. Her son, Farmee, then came up to her.
“Standing alone, Mama?” he chuckled. “That ain’t like you!” Arsha was snapped out of her thoughts.
“Er, Farmee, sweetie, this is gonna seem weird,” she said, “but did you notice anyone going missing?” Farmee arched an eyebrow.
“N-no, can’t say that with any honesty.”
“…All right.” Arsha rejoined the party, leaving her son confused. Hejema then tapped him on the shoulder and pointed her thumb towards the fireworks. Farmee nodded and grinned with Hejema. Time for some mischief!