Gray sidhe (Afina, 87 days left)

[Ebiris]

She's reminded of that time Tepen told her how pixies remind humans of children. But if anyone has the right to consider them so it's Titania/Morwel. With a brief exertion of her wings she lifts herself up to land just past her Queen's left knee, her legs dangling over the side as she looks upwards.

[Anastasia]

Ilsenine takes the other knee, simply sitting there and resting her head. Queen Morwel gently pats your head and then Ilsenine's a sense of peace soothing you.

"Afina, I am proud of you. You have not forgotten your roots nor have you succumbed. You have made great sacrifices to reach this far, to protect your world and uphold the fey values in your soul. You will go forth and save Lifasa from the darkness, ending evil's reign on your world and ushering in a new era of legends and dreams."

There is a moment's pause before the Queen continues, where all the world is the gaze she gives you, meeting your eyes.

"When the End Days come, I will heal all the mortal worlds of the taint of evil and then bring peace to the Inner Planes, combining them all into one. The elementals will be freed of their endless war and all mortal life will become a grand adventure, untarnished by evil's grasp."

Queen Morwel's smile makes your heart seize in your chest, all your reality her and her alone.

"You have fulfilled my plan within yourself. You have all of the elements and have brought harmony to them, and you will be one of the warriors that brings peace from Lifasa as Hell is overthrown there. You may have lost your fey heritage, but you have lived up to the greatest heritage of all. You have lived up to the promise in every fey and eladrin, that one day all suffering and evil will be laid low forever."

"Know that I am proud of you, and I will forever be proud of you. You are always a fey in heart and you need not fear what you have lost, for you will be repaid seven times over for your sacrifice. Know that your Crusade will have our support, my child."

[Ebiris]

Afina cries glittering tears the shine with rainbow colours as she's told in the most heartfelt way that everything's going to be okay. "I will," she say softly, promising to live up to all that faith and promise.

[Anastasia]

Your hair is gently stroked several times, your tears brushed away as they fall.

"Ilsenine," Morwel turns her gaze from you to her - an unavoidable little sigh coming from you at that. "You have suffered greatly from Hell. Your body has been profaned and your soul tormented, all through no fault of your own. Yet you have held the faith and sought to heal, sough a court of life and to repair your world. You have struggled to understand a better nature and a better way, when so many would succumb to what Hell did to them. Know that in every falter and every misstep you take that I am with you, for I am proud of you."

Ilsenine continues to cry silently, her tears brushed away as well.

"The final battles against evil will not be easy. The End Days will see a great crusade to end the wicked, but it will not be without sacrifices and bloodshed. Not without missteps and mistakes. Know that you have captured the heart of that struggle and the courage to continue ever onward, to become something better than you were. You have pleased me, Ilsenine."

[Ebiris]

Afina doesn't say anything as Ilsenine has her moment with Titania/Morwel, though she feels a little guilty for letting that helpless sigh slip out. There wasn't any stopping it, though! Still, for all that she got to have her say on the issue recently, she can recognise how Ilsenine's been trying so hard to change, to be a kinder and gentler woman than the one who forged Afina into a weapon.

A weapon that's been exceedingly useful when it comes to fighting Hell, so... who can say if she was even wrong for all of that? Hence Afina's consistently conflicted feelings on her monarch.

[Anastasia]

"I'm sorry," Ilsenine whispers, "I did so much that could have been done better, spared so many more and..."

"Shh." The Queen's voice soothes that in a mere instant, silence coming as Ilsenine's tears are dried.

"Afina, open a portal before Aurora. There is a third whom must be here." The Queen commands.

[Ebiris]

Nodding wordlessly, Afina turns her head to where she had knelt earlier and with a few words of magic forms a Gate to Elysium right in front of Aurora.

Hopefully this won't draw the same response Renbuu's intrusion earlier did. Well, Lathander suggested he was friends with Titania the first time she met him...

[Anastasia]

The gate opens and Crystal flies through. She kneels before the Queen, "As you have called, I answer," she responds, head bowed.

"Rest a moment," Titania commands, as the portal maintains itself, even without your power. "Afina, Ilsenine. You have questions. Ask them. We have a little time yet before we must awaken."

[Ebiris]

"Why was the Gray on Lifasa?" Afina asks the one question that brought her here.

[Anastasia]

"To watch," Her Majesty says, "There is no compact between Hell and the Unseelie in this matter. The Gray is used as an observer, not as a force to accomplish her will or support others."

[Ebiris]

It was as she expected then, just touring where Bel made his appearance, but they had to be sure. The risks of a second front opening like that were too great. She doesn't actually have any other meaningful questions. Titania/Morwel already answered the big ones for her when she told of her plan for Creation, Afina's time in Yggdrasil answered the mysteries of existence to her satisfaction. Anything else would just be seeking unneeded reassurance. But Ilsenine certainly has questions of her own.

[Anastasia]

In Afina's mind she hears Morwel's voice. 'Fear not. I am always but a prayer away. Do not be afraid to when you need reassurance, my child. You will see many more ordeals in your life.'

Ilsenine is quiet, dreadfully quiet for a time. She finally speaks up, "...Was it worth it? What I did to so many of my subjects? What I did to Afina? She's one of them."

Another gentle pat by the Queen, "What's done is done. Both of your feelings are conflicted, but in the end, you have each other. Be strong in that rather than in regrets of the past, Ilsenine."

[Ebiris]

"We don't know the path not taken," Afina volunteers, nodding at Titania/Morwel's offer of further reassurance. But she feels like she only has to remember this moment and her earlier words in times of trouble and she'll be fine. "I am strong because of it, that is truth."

[Anastasia]

"Thank you," Ilsenine whispers, "I am done, Your Majesty."

"Afina, Ilsenine. Return to Aurora and see to those there that will aid you. Crystal will return soon. Woe that I must do this early, but there is no choice. Come, Crystal." The Queen says.

[Ebiris]

Fluttering off Titania/Morwel's knee, Afina nods to Crystal as she has an idea of what's in store for the knight. But she has her own task now, and so with Ilsenine she flies through the still open gate back to Aurora.