She hadn't been ready before.

This time would be different.

Yes, she'd told herself that before as well, but this time, she could feel it. Even as she felt the telltale tremors of anxiousness running down her limbs, she pressed on, returning to the lands of Amaryllis with her head held high.

No more wandering, no more cowering.

Isla had told her she would always have family here, that Grosstante would be thrilled she was back, that no matter what happened before then, she would be a Greyflood. She’s said she'd been ready then, but the weight of all that had transpired in her absence had been too much. She returned to wandering shortly after, as if it would help her forget.

It never truly did.

Now, she would not forget. Now, she would face everything she had been too fearful of before. It didn't even occur to her that the Summit may not be held by family anymore as she crossed back into familiar territory, forgoing the border. Grosstante was a warrior, as was Isla — everything she aspired to be.

Everything she was determined to be, fear be damned.

She was still terrified, even as she let out a roar to announce her presence, but she resolved that she would simply have to do this scared.

Grosstante? Isla? Ich bin heir!

@Morrigan

Someone calls- in particular the name Isla. Family? But one who has not been around lately if they are here looking for Isla and not down in the Lagoon. He rises and quickly comes to attend.

"Hi." Comes the soft and gentle voice of the approaching figure. Of the many powerful woman created by the love of Talisa and Morrigan comes their young son Fearne. Youthful and with a smile woven over his brown features Fearne looks at the stranger on their borders, the stranger calling for family, for Isla. "I'm Fearne, it's nice to meet you." He's not Morrigan, he's not Isla, but hopefully the newly proclaimed heir could help out here. "Isla doesn't live here anymore, she's Queen in the Lagoon. But the rest of us are still here."

@Avavira

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

The heir that approached was not one she knew, though that did not cause her resolve to falter. There would be no more fleeing, no more wandering. She'd returned with a purpose and she would see it through.

Bowing her head in greeting to the other, a brief look of disappointment crossed her face as Fearne informed her that Isla no longer lived in the Summit. For a moment, she wondered if her cousin too felt the call the wander. But Fearne was quick to brush those thoughts away with even greater news.

Her cousin, a queen.

She smiled then, before she remembered she hadn't gotten her name. Aravira Greyflood, she said. Morrigan is my Grosstante.

But then, the reason she was here.

I am ready to come home.

@Fearne

"You're family!" He declared with immediate excitement. Young Fearne would only be far too happy to welcome Aravira back to Illyria. "Morrigan is my Mummy, Isla is my older sister." So that would make the two of them cousins to some degree. The specifics of it did not matter to Fearne and the excited young lion didn't spend a second more thinking about it.

He steps to the side with a little turn so that he could be standing beside her looking into Illyria. "Let me be the first to welcome you home then." Surely it wouldn't all be the same as when she left but hopefully there was plenty familiar for her. And maybe plenty new things to indulge in.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

As unbelievably late as she was, Talisa held onto the idea that she would likely be excused by all parties given the fact that she was playing Illyria Summit's most terrifying prison warden. Where the only job she had was to keep Morrigan well within the confines of the border and preferably near to the den. Though as she began her approach and noticed @Aravira, she was more than excited to see @Fearne having already came to address their visitor. One that she was only slightly and vaguely familiar with but the name seemed to wade in and out of her memory bank. And I, the second. She says with a grin, stopping several feet away in a show of allowing her newly appointed heir and most precious son to carry this job since he was doing a fantastic job already. Talisa knew they had made the right call. I don't suppose you remember me but I'm Talisa. Morrigan's wife, Fearne's mama and your Aunt. Right? Right.

^{ART BY CUSH, CODE BY CALA}