Citadel had sat nicely while his parents stood in front of the crowd and proclaimed their love for each other (yuck). Now, he was bursting with energy. They were told they were allowed to mingle, and he was suddenly presented with a world of faces and food and things that he had never seen before. The weather down here was different. The Col was getting warmer, but the Castle was getting cooler. Leaves were starting to fall. He had jumped in them on the way back to the castle where the reception was being held.

Now there was food, and people, and he… didn’t know where to start. Perhaps he could wave down one of those sword-wielding wolves that seemed pretty common in the Hallows. Maybe they’d let him touch their sword!


"Citadel"

Ember was doing her best to try and make a good impression for her family at the first major event at the Hallows since she'd been born. The wedding rivaled the attendance of the Yearlings' ball from last year given that two whole packs were basically occupying the castle! With so much distant family she'd never met before, Em was fully immersed in her diplomatic demeanor, struggling through small talk with wolves whose names she either never knew or could scarcely remember while her parents played host to the Fatalis branch of her family tree. It was a little overwhelming at times, but the adolescent girl kept it together well enough to pass with a pleasant smile as she maneuvered through the crowd from pocket to pocket of conversation.

Eventually, Ember managed to squeeze her way out of a discussion she was only half involved in and over to the banquet tables where a veritable feast of foods and wines was laid out. She breathed a sigh of relief as she scooped up the nearest goblet of sweet red wine, taking a long, grateful sip as she took a breather from socializing with the crowd. How her father and mother managed to make this all look so easy was beyond her! Meandering her way around the tables to snatch up a teacake, Em saw one of the young pups from the Armada hovering nearby, looking as equally lost in the crowd as she felt. She didn't know him, but the dark blue coat and crest of spikes atop his head suggested he was one of the Warlord's kids.

"You look how I feel right now," remarked the princess as she neared the lad, who was already quite sizable for his young age. Em shot him a lopsided grin as she swirled the wine in her goblet idly. "That's fine, we can hang off to the side for a bit. You're one of Basilisk and Ignita's kids, right? You must be pretty happy for your parents." Yeeeeah, small talk really wasn't Ember's strong suit.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Citadel found himself addressed by a regal, dark coated wolf. When he looked over at her, he noted the goblet of something bright and odd smelling in her possession. He sniffed the air curiously and nodded to her question. “I'm Citadel Fatalis. Sometimes Cit, but never City.” He introduced himself to her. Filling the air with needless information and a welcoming smile.


He shrugged at the other part. Was he happy for them? He had no idea! “It did give us a neat adventure. We travelled so far that the…” he paused, trying to find the right word. “Season-” he'd only experienced one (or was it now two?) So the word was unfamiliar to him “-changed when we got here!” He said, clear excitement leaking into the young pup's voice. “Who are you?”

The pup nodded his head, confirming he was one of the children of the wedded couple and introducing himself as Citadel Fatalis, emphasizing he would never be called City. Ember raised a brow and snickered at the boy's moxie. He had a spunk that reminded her of herself—well, at least the way her parents had described her as a pup. He didn't directly answer her question about whether he was happy for his parents but instead focused on how it had let them journey down to the Hallows, which was an interesting response on its own. Did that mean he wasn't happy with the whole to-do? Well, that wasn't her place to pry, but it was curious... Cit's excitement was infectious though, and soon Em was smiling along with the blissfully happy-go-lucky pup.

"It is quite a ways from the Armada to the Hallows," she agreed, taking a sip of her wine between her sentences. "Boreas and Auster have their own seasons, usually the opposite of each other. When it's spring back in your home, it's the fall for us down here. The world's kinda weird that way. So welcome to Auster's autumn!" Em chuckled again, amused at the Fatalis lad's innocence and wonder. He asked who she was then. "I'm Ember, Ember Carpathius. It's nice to meet you, Citadel." Em took a moment to ponder their connection. "Artorias and Briar are my parents, which means weeeeee're... cousins once removed, I think?" Sussing out family ties was a tricky thing to do sometimes. "You having fun in the Hallows, Citadel?"

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Citadels eyes roamed back to the glass as she drank from it. The smell really was peculiar, and he was pretty sure it was out of bounds. Making it even more interesting to the pup. The dark coated wolf gave an explanation of the seasons, describing them as opposites. “How many are there?” He wanted to know “Have you seen lots of them?” what must it be like for the world to constantly change around them? He supposed he would find out for himself eventually.

So far, he was learning that he had a lot of cousins, and Ember was one of them. “Your dad must be important, he married my parents.” She said, as if she hadn’t been there and seen it not that long ago. “I like the Hallows, so many wolves have these big swords… you don’t have one, do you?”


"Citadel"

Ember had to stifle a little giggle when Citadel asked her more questions about the seasons. Were all pups this naively adorable? She supposed everyone had to learn everything at some point or another, but being on the opposite side of childhood now and on the verge of adulthood herself, Ember was seeing the innocence of a child through a whole new perspective. "There's four of them. Spring, summer, fall, and winter. They each last about three moons, and together the four seasons make up a year," she explained to the boy. To his next question... "Nah, I haven't seen that many. Just two years. There are wolves who have seen, like, a dozen years and seasons." Wolves like her grandpa Seer and granny Tam. She wondered if she’d live as long as they had.

Citadel made a comment about her father being important and Ember grew a proud smile. "He’s the Lord of Cinder, the alpha of the Hallows, like your dad is the alpha of the Armada. He’s basically a king, but he’ll never call himself that." Ember gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, feigning humility. In actuality, she loved being a princess and being a part of her huge royal family, even if her father refused to call them as such. Ember had clearly inherited her mother’s demeanor when it came to station and status. Citadel said he liked the Hallows, mentioning the swords the knights carried, which made Em’s chest swell with pride. Her family’s world renowned weapons and craft were a point of pride for her. "I do have one actually, but my dad would lose his mind if I came to the wedding armed," replied Em with a cheeky grin and a giggle. That had been Artorias’ one command for their family—absolutely no weapons.

Stealing a glance over to the doorway at the far side of the hall that led to the forge, Em got a devilish idea. So Citadel really liked the swords, did he? Looking back at the boy with a roguish grin, she tipped her head in the direction of the forbidden forge. "You wanna go see where the swords are kept?"

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Citadel nodded his head, grinning at her friendly description. She laid it all out nicely for him, without any judgement. She gave her age in the process, and she was old she was… he tried to work it out, four seasons, two years, he wasn’t a season… that made her like 8 times his age!

She spoke of her father as the leader of the Hallows, and he made the connection immediately. “So you're a princess!” like he was a prince. Royalty in the Armada. He did wonder why her father wouldn’t call himself King. But before that question could develop from anything more than a passing fancy he said something far more interesting. She had a sword - and she was offering to take him to where they were made. “Hell yes!!” He said, and then raised a paw to his mouth. Oops, his mother wouldn’t like him using that word.


"Citadel"

Ember giggled when Citadel all but shouted out in excitement at the prospect of getting to see the forge and armory, quickly finishing her drink in one long swallow. He appeared sheepish at his expletive outburst, but Em found it endearing. She was a rogue at heart, so hearing the pup swear out of excitement just made her like her young cousin all the more. "C'mon, follow me and act casual," she instructed Cit as she set the empty goblet on the nearby table before beginning to leisurely maneuver around the edge of the room.

Em played it cool, giving passing greetings to any wolves they passed while she led Citadel around the hall until they'd made it to the opposite side of the room by the hall that led to the forge. After making sure no one was paying attention to them, Ember ducked down the hall and led Citadel away from the commotion of the reception to the closed door at the end of the hall. Ember lifted the latch and pushed the door open to allow them to slip inside the quiet forge. The only light came from the dim glow of the forge, its embers still smoldering, waiting to be brought back to life. Weapons of all sorts hung from the walls, from swords of all shapes and sizes to daggers and axes. Unfinished blades and billets of fresh Carpathian steel sat on the workbenches waiting to be used.

"Ta-da! Welcome to the Hearthstone forge, home of Carpathian steel!" Ember declared, waving her paws around the spacious forge. She knew all the dangerous stuff would be hanging out of reach from the pup or locked up in the armory, so she wasn't worried about letting him wander around and check things out to his heart's content.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Act casual? How exactly did one act casual? Over thinking it as he walked he ended up all but prancing next to the Princess as she led him to the edge of the room. Causal. He could do that. Caaaaasual. He took a couple of exaggeratedly slow steps. Yup. nailed it.

Ember was still playing the perfect host and gave a few warm greetings as they snuck subtly out of the room. Citadel's entire attention however was on appearing ‘casual’. They made it out of the room and snuck down the hall. The sound notably dimmed as they made their way out of the gathering and down to a closed door. He eyed the unassuming wood for a moment. Here was where the Hallows greatest items were kept?

When Ember opened the door, Citadel gasped at what was beyond. There was a subtle warmth from the forge, and brilliant shiny blades were everywhere. He glanced first over at Ember to ensure she really was letting him, before he walked inside. He made a loop around the wall first, stopping to admire this, that, and the other as each weapon caught his eye.


"Citadel"