"Maybe later, Bek." Aghet told the stumbling old man offering her whatever drink was in his hand. Always one to test his limit when it came to the Sevik. She didn't really mind, though. Sevik took years to ferment, and was only broken out during the leader bond ceremonies. This only happened when the old rulers decided to retire, so the last time anyone had seen a drop was fifty years back. Aghet didn't feel like taking a sip at all, her stomach was still churning, and the mark on her navel burned slightly on top of that.

Their bond mark was strange. Large, not quite as put together as most marks tended to be. That and the burning assured Aghet that the universe was calling bullshit to her pretense that she liked Qrev.

Bek, his short little stub of hair hanging on for dear life to the top of his head, teetered away from the mountain of plush cushions Aghet, Qrev, and their witnesses sat upon. The witness's job was to pour drinks and control the crowd. Beriv, Qrev's witness, was mostly dealing with the well wishers coming up to them. He was a jumpy, anxious man, and Aghet didn't know why Qrev had decided to pick him for his witness. He looked terrified standing even a foot near the man.

"Here, it tastes better when half of it's not backwash." Rin told her, coming up with some Sevik in it's traditional decanter. The phoenix, used only with the finest Sevik, and poured only for leaders. Aghet had always admired it sitting atop her mother's bedside table. Had nearly knocked it over a few times, so much so that her mother had it placed in a sturdy case after a while.

"I still think I see a scratch."

As if jumping from her thoughts, Aghet's mother sauntered up to them, already a bit tipsy herself. Her hair was beginning to turn white, but she still looked amazing for her age. She hadn't been the most attractive queen, as many had bothered to tell her back when she was first starting out, but she had quickly taken out any opposition against her. Usually by force, as she always aimed to impress through her physical prowess. Probably to make up for the fact that she was half the size of anyone in the village.

She hadn't been in line for the throne, having come from another tribe in the east, but with the village under the thumb of a neglectful ruler, she quickly gained enough support to overthrow the woman before her. Immediately after, Aghet's mother had received the death mark, which no one has done in thousands of years. Including Qrev. She had it placed right above her left eye, which had skin warped around it so much so that it was permanently squinting. It had been her only mark.

Aghet looked nothing like her mother, as the villagers were still not comfortable with mixing blood outside the tribe. Aghet's blood mother had been Frit, and that was all she knew. The woman had vanished soon after Aghet was born.

Gerik would always be the real one, to her. And no one could ever tell her differently.

"Just slap some paint on it, no one will notice." Aghet replied to her as she patted the cushion next to her. Her mother sat down with a large thump, making Qrev turn his head as he spoke to Veret, a general who had served with him in many times. He didn't pay attention for too long, so Aghet didn't bother to ask what was wrong. He got up a moment after, pointing things out to Veret and commenting on the defense of the village.

"I see you marked yourself with guidance. Sick of exploring the woods?"

Aghet sighed, covering her face with one hand. She had received many a comment about her hidden mark. She had to admit, though, her tribe was very creative when it came to the jibes. It helped tone down the teasing when she had her giant mace placed near her hip, but just a bit.

As she was about to reply, her thigh grew very, very cold, and she gasped involuntarily, jumping a bit on the cushions and making Qrev snap his head around, as if expecting an attack.

"It was just a pinch, darling. My goodness." Her mother commented, patting her knee and giving a loud guffaw, which made most of the lookers lose interest, and Aghet breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Gerik took her hand, scooting a bit closer and murmuring.

"Is everything alright? Does your mark hurt?"

"Just nerves." Aghet told her quietly. The freezing cold emanating from her pouch was excruciatingly painful now, and Aghet could see a faint blue glow escaping through the pouch at her hip as she peeked beneath her skirt. In order to get it off her skin, Aghet quickly rose to her feet, feeling herself shudder violently. Spikes of ice were racing up her arms and her spine, and she needed to move.

"Rin, let's go."

"Huh?" Her friend asked, shaken from her conversation with Helgit, who was in the middle of telling a joke. Helgit pouted as Aghet took Rin's hand, pulling her to her feet.

"Are you sure?" She asked, even though Aghet was pulling her through the crowd like a disciplined child. The villagers parted quickly as she passed, muttering to each other as they did so, and Rin seemed to notice more than Aghet.

"Aghet, it's too early." She hissed at her, and as they neared the leader's hut, Aghet caught sight of Qrev approaching from the side. Turning quickly to him as he came up to her, she grabbed the belt at his waist and wrenched him closer to her, grabbing his head and planting her lips on his a second after.

At least fifty whistles were heard throughout the onlookers, and Aghet released Qrev from her hold, who was as tense as a drawn bowstring.

"Rin." Aghet said again, and Rin hurried forward, escorting her into the hut and quickly shutting the curtains to the crazed cheering that had erupted outside. The crowd had completely engulfed Qrev at that point. He would be distracted for a while.

"What the hell was that?"

"Hey, can you leave through the back? I need some time alone." Aghet said quickly, her head pounding from the sharp cold hitting her in waves. She quickly went to the windows and shut all the curtains, feeling deathly sick from the burning on her stomach and the freezing item on her thigh.

"I need to help you get read-"

"Rin." Aghet interrupted, shooting a glare upward as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Rin paused, narrowing her eyes and glaring right back for the couple seconds of silence after.

"I'll go, but I'd better be informed on what happened when I see you next."

She hissed out, turning on her heel and vanishing into the hallway leading outside through the back. Aghet heard a harsh, muttered 'Gods!' before her footsteps faded away.

Immediately, Aghet tore the pouch from her hip, feeling a warm rush follow immediately after and breathing a sigh. Thinking it was better to open it out of sight, she retreated to the closet and shut the curtains tightly, dumping the vase thing out onto the floor.

"What the hell...?"

Aghet breathed. The vessel had opened. The stopper that Aghet had tried to loosen before was lifted from within, revealing it to be some sort of beacon, with a pulsing spot of light near the top. Lines of electric blue ran down the middle, and the two pincer shapes at the top had folded themselves around it.

The floor beneath it was beginning to ice over, and Aghet reached down with her hand covered in the pouch she had carried it in, hurriedly picking it up and depositing it in a tightly woven basket in the corner. Her mother still hadn't cleaned up her clothing she had deposited in there, and the cloth inside began to freeze around the vase. Aghet quickly sealed the basket after covering it up with her top, which was thick enough to hide the glow, but only just.

Swiftly getting to her feet and straightening the undershirt she had worn beneath, Aghet began to walk out of the closet, but froze as there was a tremendous squeaking noise.

Turning around, she saw that the basket had begun to expand, and she quickly backed away as something burst from within, landing on the wooden floor with both hands that spread ice wherever they touched.

Lines of blue raced up it's arms as Aghet watched, and she watched as the newcomer curled it's knees underneath it, slowly rising to a kneeling position as it looked at it's surroundings. With a swift movement, it raised it's head, eyes as wide and curious as Aghet had ever seen a Turbak's get. It stared straight at her, arms crossed over a chest that didn't betray it as a female, but it didn't look male either. It drew Aghet's cloth top over it's shoulders.

It waited, not saying a single word.