The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 36

Part 7

"I am not the leader of the world, and you don't have to be either." Mark patiently insisted. "We'll be just as proud of you if you decide to just live here like we do now for as long as you want. But knowing you two, I imagine you'll want to do more than that."

"Of course we will." Helemia giggled. "Karzog says that it's his honorable duty to follow the example of greatness that his parents have set, and I guess we've kinda picked that up from him."

"I still find it hard to believe in the outside world." Reggie revealed with a smile and a shake of his head. "I mean, I know intellectually that it all has to be true; it's impossible that everyone in the settlement could all have the same false memories, and the knowledge we got from the Sylvan is consistent with what we've learned here. I know that you're the ruler of Serminak, and that Povon and Kragorram actually run that continent for you from day to day, and that as Key To The Just Alliance, you're the senior advisor to every government in the world. That you and Mother co-rule these islands and Hilia and a bunch of other little properties, and that the two of you are considered key to the coming nexus of the world, and crucial to the future of everyone. That Alilia here rules the forest elves as Princess of The People of Life, and Grandfather Yazadril is Prince of The High People and First Commander of all the world's armies, and Reen is really a Prince of Sming, and second in line to be Emperor there.

"But I tell you, even knowing all that, I still don't really believe it, emotionally. I don't even really believe in the time-bubble. I guess I probably won't until we leave here and I see it all for myself. It all just seems too incredible. To me, you're just our parents, and we're just settlers on an island in the middle of nowhere."

"Ha, I believe it, and I can't wait to get out of here and see it all!" Helemia laughed. "And you are so the leader of the world, Father, everyone here agrees with it. And they're all sure that everyone else out in the world does too, even if you're not choosing to exercise any authority right now. You're not the ruler of the world, but you are the leader, at least until everyone thinks there's someone better to listen to."

"And if you check our memories for the occasion when he became leader of the world," Talia directed, "You'll find that he achieved it with two speeches that he gave at the founding meeting of The Assembly of The Just Alliance. It was his speaking ability that was crucial that day, along with brilliant and original thinking. Not his power, not his psionics, not his might, but his speaking, and the sound of it was just as important as the words he said; the artistry of his tone and rhythm and cadence and delivery added greatly to the persuasiveness of what he was saying. That should tell you that if you choose to not learn to speak physically, you'll be giving up a valuable and perhaps crucial ability."

"Wow. That's a very good point. I never thought of that." Reggie admitted.

"Yah, me too." Helemia nodded. "All right, we'll start working on it, but not here, or anywhere where anyone could hear us, even accidentally. We'll do it out by the goat shed." "Yah, I sound like an idiot when I try to talk, and I hate that." Reggie agreed.

"I'm sure you sound like adorable little babies, which is what you are!" Talia smiled as she reached over and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Not in any of the ways that really matter, we're not." Helemia insisted.

"Maybe not." Mark smiled as he finished his breakfast. "We'll go work on your speaking as soon as you're finished eating. If you try hard, we'll work on magic after that."

PART 8

The community grew quickly. A month later Equemev announced that she and Silaran would be having a colt in about a year's time, a week after that two of their unicorn friends announced the same, and a week after that Mandri and Dren's son Sollen was born. The human families had produced another eight children by then, and even one of the elven couples announced that they would have a child.

In the twentieth month since the settlement's founding, Nek Sibook and Prince Reen of Sming were married in a lovely ceremony in the gathering hall, with the entire community in attendance, and the next day she announced that she was with child.

Reggie and Helemia worked on speaking and magic with the same dedication they showed in every other subject. Valentia was difficult and moody for the first three weeks after she was born, until she finally seemed to accept the schedule her parents set for her. She gradually resumed normal physical activity, and her vitality and muscle control increased quickly. After that her physical skills seemed to improve as quickly as the twins' had. She walked at six weeks and ran at eight, and started talking shortly after that. The twins always had time for their baby sister whenever she wanted their attention. They spent a lot of time playing with her or in psionic contact with her, or both, as did Alilia, Mark, and Talia.

Four months after they started learning to talk, the twins were fluent enough that no further lessons were needed. At that point they began a conscious campaign to earn the affection of the community.

First they visited their great-grandmother Sana at her restaurant early in the morning, and asked her to teach them how to bake cookies. She was delighted to show them, and they spent most of the day in the restaurant's kitchen with her, baking cookies and getting to know most of their female relatives on their father's side and a few of the males, all of whom worked in the restaurant for a few hours each day. They insisted on paying for all the cookies, over eighteen hundred of them, with a gold chip they'd earned from their parents for looking after their animals. Then they promptly gave cookies to everyone in the restaurant, staff and customers both.

They had time before supper to stroll around the settlement giving cookies and apologies to everyone that Helemia had intentionally frightened months before, and they made sure to use no magic or psionics as they did so.

The next day they visited every household in the settlement, giving away cookies and inviting everyone to their first birthday party in the gathering hall the following week. They asked that no-one give them birthday presents, since otherwise it would seem self-serving to arrange their own birthday party and invite the entire community to it.

By that time their magic lessons had progressed to the point where Mark and Talia felt safe in letting them have a trickle of power to use on their own; enough to lift about forty-five kilograms each by Movement with either wizard's or warlock's power. This allowed the two of them working together to Move almost a hundred and eighty kilos with both sources of power, and that was more than enough to be useful. They spend most of their days that week making themselves helpful to whoever could use some help with whatever they were doing. This included such tasks as weeding gardens, harvesting vegetables, maintaining boats and fishing gear, household chores, and assisting in the construction of hidden shelters and fortifications.

They raised their standing in the community quite considerably that week, among the adults and teens at least. They still didn't spend any time with the other children, who they considered to be frivolous and boring, and who didn't really like them much anyway.

They awoke early on the morning of their first birthday almost giddy with excitement, and hurried through their breakfast.

Helemia was just a bit smaller than average for a one-year-old elven baby, while Reggie was already the size of an average two-year-old-human. Their hair was already twenty-three to twenty-six centimeters long, and she wore her black locks loose and flowing, while he tied his blond mane back with a leather thong at the base of his skull. They looked adorably cute in matching deer hide pants, boots, and short tunics, accented with a few small areas of swirling abstract beadwork. They'd spent their last five evenings planning their birthday party and preparing for it with the adults who were helping them with it, and as soon as they finished breakfast they put their plan into action.☐☐☐☐☐☐

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