"Have I disturbed you?" asked Mera, entering the room with a tray with two glasses on it.
"If I had been able to fall asleep in the last hour or so, you would have, but luckily, I could not fall asleep," replied Blanc, now sitting straight on his bed.
Mera looked worried, hearing her son's issue, "Why? Has something happened?"
"Well, besides the death of the High Monarch, and about four million soldiers armed to the teeth that are currently on a nice stroll straight to our doorstep, which could mean the death of us all, no, not really."
Mera, hearing this, started laughing hard, the cups shaking on the tray to the point that tea spilled out of them, "And I thought you were worried about getting married."
"Ah!" Blanc suddenly realized what she meant, "No, I am not worried about that nearly as much as the rest of the issues."
"Aren't you just the sweetest," she started, "come, let's go on the balcony and enjoy this tea, this ought to put you to sleep right after."
"At this hour?" Blanc asked, confused.
"Are you just rejecting your mother?" she replied with a question of her own, shocked.
"Baseless accusations, Mom, I was just asking a question," he replied, getting up in a hurry from the bed, "let's enjoy the tea then."
"I knew I didn't raise you wrong," she giggled, "lead the way and open the door for me, would you?"
"As the Matriarch commands," he replied, opening the door and sliding graciously into a bow.
Not before a kick graced his leg with enough strength to shatter bones, "Brat."
"By the Vita, you are strong," said Blanc, entering the balcony as well, with a slight limp in his step.
The rain that threatened Kael and Blanc's outing earlier in the day was already gone, leaving the midnight sky beautifully clear.
The wind carrying the scent of blooming flowers made this chill spring night even more beautiful.
Mera sat the tray down, and took a seat, for a moment losing herself in the stars above, who shone like gems in the sun.
Blanc took a seat next to her, watching the same view, as he sniffed the air, the Mark of the stags catching onto the plant that the beautiful smell came from, "Lilac," he said, recognizing the flower.
"What?" asked Mera, confused.
"The smell in the air it is Lilac."
"Huh?" she replied, sniffing the air, "How do you have such a strong sense of smell all of a sudden?"
"Well, you know… I killed a lot of stags."
"Impressive," she praised, "what color is the Mark?"
"Black…"
"Oh…" she paused, glancing at him, a concerned look on her face, "be careful to not harvest their Raw Vita anymore."
"Yes, I know. I'll make sure to be careful. Otherwise, Kael fears that hooves will sprout out of my legs," replied Blanc.
"Bahaha," she started laughing and kept on laughing for a good two minutes before it stopped.
Her laughter spread to Blanc as well, as he joined her in their tearful laugh, and by the end of it, they were not sure if they should hold their stomachs or wipe the tears away.
If one were to lay eyes upon this scene, one could, without previous knowledge, deduce that he was her son, as their laughter was down to the same movement, identical.
The only difference was their voice. Both raised their head to the sky, and both sometimes flailed either their arms or their legs as they stood down.
Elion, Blanc's father, was many times confused about how to react or to make her or them stop once they started.
But it ended. As all things do. And joy begets silence after.
So, silence followed for a few minutes. As they were either calming down or thinking about what to say next.
But, she decided to break the silence,"You were courageous today, with standing up for Lune," said Mera, sipping from her tea cup.
Blanc sighed hearing the praise he received, "That was not my intention. She is still a child for Vita's sake. She cannot live between strangers, especially when she is eight! She needs to grow close to her family. And no amount of punches from father could change my mind."
"Do you know how old I am?" she asked after hearing him.
"Around a hundred or so…" Blanc replied, thoughtful.
"Do you want another punch? This time from me?" asked Mera.
Blanc raised his hands in the air, realizing the danger he was in, "I was joking! You, mother, are a beautiful young lady, only forty-one years of age, still in the prime of your youth. Oh… by the Vita, father is a lucky man."
"That's right!" she nodded, satisfied, before grabbing the teacup once more, "I've been married to your father, both me and Auren, for twenty-five years. I've been married to him since I was sixteen, and gave birth to Sera five years later."
"Quite the young start, well… compared to Sera, at least,"
"Stop being mean, she is already in too big of a hurry to get married. If a bear proposed to her, I fear she might agree to it."
"Well, let's hope she gets as good a man as father was to you and not a bear for a husband," Blanc giggled.
"I agree," she nodded, "let's hope so."
"Yet, you were all in a rush to throw Lune away," Blanc muttered, his words slipping from his tongue without even realizing it.
"I agree with you, truly, and I'm not the only one. Both Auren and I are. It would have been wrong, not only for the Blood but mostly for Lune. I can't even imagine how she would have lived without Kael or you there."
"Then why?" Blanc asked.
"Because it kept her safe. It kept us safe. It gave us a strong ally that would ensure a higher chance of surviving whatever happens next, and it took her away at the same time," she replied, the joking gone from her voice.
Blanc didn't reply, he just watched the tea as he swirled it in his cup.
"Do not misunderstand, if we could, we would keep her here, that is why we decided to see earlier if your words were true, because it might just be the better answer."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Mera took a sip before replying to his question, "Blood Maroux may be open to the idea of you marrying into their family. They held a lot of influence in the Empire. Even more than we do. So, this alliance would be more beneficial to us than Lune's."
"Now it does make sense as to why I had to swear on my words," replied Blanc, "But Blood Maroux… isn't that house one of the Crownbounds?"
"They are, yes. One of the three Sworn Noble Bloods under the Sedes Sanguinis. Besides the High Monarch, they hold the most control as well as the biggest armies under the Empire."
"I can see now why you thought this stressed me when you came," said Blanc.
Mera giggled, "Yeah, well, I also heard the lady who would supposedly be your fiancée soon is quite the charming one."
"Nothing less for the son of Mera," exclaimed Blanc with his wounded hand on his chest.
"That's my boy," said Mera, with a serious look on her face before breaking down into a smile, "Now then, I better get going."
"Already?" asked Blanc.
"The tea is making its effects, and it should do to you too. So, up you go and go to sleep." she waved with her hands, as he got up.
Blanc sighed but followed nonetheless.
As he lay in his bed, he spoke, "Thank you, Mom, perhaps I needed this more than I thought I did."
"I know," she smiled, "let's hope we might get to do this once before, uh, before…"
"Mom?" Blanc asked worriedly. He knew her worries, he had them as well. For their future was not safe, either the immediate one or the distant one.
For all he knew, they could be dead within a week. But he chose not to dig deeper if she was not up to that conversation.
"Do not mind me, good night, little one. I love you."
"I love you, too, Mom."
And with a gentle look on her face, she closed the door, breathing darkness into the room, darkness which took Blanc to sleep a few moments later.