Chapter Text
Pike stepped out of the tree and onto a road, patches of it still frozen by the fading winter. However, there was life poking through the ice: flowers grew through the snow, little mushrooms stubbornly clinging onto gnarled and ancient tree roots, patches of grass still visible even through the melting snow. And just further beyond, a colorful coat fluttered in the wind, held up by a stick. Below the coat was a garden of snapdragons, lilies, roses, lilacs and rosemary—flowers that should’ve been out of season, or indeed flowers that weren’t from this region, now grew over a patch of earth.
She looked up at the coat. It wasn’t hard to guess what it was.
“Is this your friend?” she asked Yasha.
"Yes, that's him," Yasha said quietly. She made her way to the—to the garden in a daze, her boots crunching on the wet snow. The coat, still resplendent in its colours, even with weather fading, waved in the faint breeze. She brushed the small pile of snow off of it and untangled the vines that had overgrown it and gave it a good shake. He'd be needing this back when they were done.
Keyleth looked around as the tree closed behind them, grateful that Yasha had provided enough information for her to scry an appropriate tree nearby. She shivered a little at the late winter breeze before gasping at the sight of flowers fighting through the snow, seeming to not just survive but thrive in spite of the odds.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
Vex nodded quietly, putting a hand on Percy's shoulders as she surveyed the area. It certainly was beautiful, a beautiful place to rest. But she saw the coat, faded slightly from the elements, but still beautiful and striking, looked over and saw Yasha's face, and knew that no matter how lovely this place was, the person buried here was worth far more.
"Do we, um—do we need to dig him up or..." Yasha turned to Pike hesitantly. "The ground might be a bit hard this time of year."
“I need to touch him,” said Pike, plucking a snapdragon from the garden. It was beautiful, certainly, but the person resting under the earth was worth far more than flowers. “But it’s alright, Keyleth’s pretty good at what she does.”
With a certain sense of drive, Percy nodded his head once. "Right. Well. Let's get to it then. Keyleth? Will you?"
Keyleth nodded. "I can cast Move Earth, and I'll be gentle, promise." She closed her eyes and concentrated on the spell, starting to slowly move dirt and soil away from the marker.
Vex watched Yasha's face the entire time, taking Percy's hand and squeezing it. They hadn't told her yet about how they believed she was their lost daughter. It seemed inappropriate to dump that on her while her friend was still gone, but they would have to tell her, and soon.
Yasha stood back as the druid moved the pile of earth from the base of the stick, stems and roots of the flowers growing there dangling in the cold air. Even through the haze of her grief, she still had enough energy to be impressed by the magic.
"Ha!" Keyleth let out a small exclamation of triumph as she saw a glimmer of something emerge from underneath the dirt.
As the mud slowly cleared, Yasha could see the faint shimmer of gold in the ground, then the curved ridge of horns, and finally the empty sockets of her best friend's skull. She closed her eyes against the harsh image, picturing instead what she knew he'd look like, red eyes vibrant and full of mirth.
"How long will this take?" she asked, still not opening her eyes.
Pike knew the body wouldn’t be in the best of conditions, given the garden, so she gently drew up the corners of the torn shroud and kept it covered as she tugged it the rest of the way out of the soil. The least she could do was spare Yasha the sight.
Vex tried not to wince at the sight of the skull, tried not to see herself mirrored in Yasha's grief, and was grateful that Pike pulled the tattered shroud over him again.
“It takes an hour. The way this works,” Pike said to Yasha, “is that there needs to be three people making an offering of some kind, to coax your friend back. Do you have anything that he might’ve loved in life? Can you say something to pull him back?”
"Of course I do," Yasha replied, trying not to snap at this kind woman. "He was—he is my best friend."
"If you say something, he will hear you. I can speak to that personally." Percy advised her gently. "Your words will matter. Say whatever comes from the heart."
"Yes, darling.” Vex assured her. “Whatever you feel, say it. He'll hear you."
“For what it’s worth,” said Pike, “they’re right. He’ll hear you. And he’ll listen.” And she tugged a diamond out of her pouch and knelt by the body. She sprinkled holy water over the tattered and faded shroud, then reached inside and took a rotting hand in hers, unafraid and undeterred by the decay. Then she started to pray.
The diamond glowed.
Yasha pulled out the book of flowers, not opened since he had given her the silk flower back in Hupperdook. She pulled it from the page, and flipped to the front of the book, where the four leaf clover sat.
"You gave these to me, the first day we met and the last day we saw each other," she began. "I remember. You...you were the first friend I had had in a long time, Molly. You looked at me and saw only another person to love. You were so good at that." She wiped absently at a tear that clung to her lashes. "You always had so much love to give, to me, to our circus family, to the Mighty Nein, to every person you met. I don't know how you do it, but I know—I know we need that. You died trying to come and get me, and our new friends. Caleb told me. Part of me wishes you hadn't, that you had waited just a bit longer. But who knows. I certainly don't. I just—" She knelt and placed the two flowers over his heart. She had started breathing shakily, the tears flowing freely. "I need you back, Molly. You're the only family I have left."
There was a cawing noise in the trees near the road, and an unusually large raven swooped down, landing near the grave. The bird looked at the group gathered there, eyes oddly human. It cooed softly at Keyleth, who smiled softly and blinked back tears at the sight of the bird. "Hi, boo."
The raven cooed again, turning to Vex and Percy, inclining its head at them. Vex smiled and nodded back, happy as always to see her brother, though she was confused as to why Vax was there. Before she could say anything, Vax hopped onto the grave, onto what had been Molly's chest, before cawing loudly, moving to groom and remove a pitch black feather, leaving it on his chest, over the wound that had killed him.
("I'm not technically allowed to help with these things, kiddo, but I'll do what I can. Consider that my contribution to the ritual...just tell Stubby I said hello when you go back, okay? And...when you meet Elaina, tell her...just tell her hi. If you remember.")
("I’ll make sure to remember that, you can rest assured.” )
The bird looked at Yasha, nodding at her before flying off and landing on Keyleth's shoulder.
It was a touching scene. Percy felt his daughter's emotional upheaval in his core and his heart ached at her words, yearning to refute them, to hold her hand and wipe her tears away and tell her yes, you have more family than you know , but he couldn't. He said nothing, simply watching as she poured forth her heart and soul before the grave. When Vax—for it was most certainly Vax—swooped down, his brow creased in confusion. He left behind one shining feather—a gift to his niece? Silently, Percy thanked his brother-in-law. If this person meant so much to Yasha, then he would mean so much to all of them.
Vex blinked back tears as her daughter poured her heart out over the grave of her best friend, wanting so badly to rush forward and hug her and tell her everything right then and there. From the look on Percy's face, they both wanted that.
But this was not the right time. Not yet.
Vax's arrival had been unexpected, but not unwelcome, though she was left confused as to why he seemed to be offering to the ritual. Was he even allowed to do that? Regardless, if it helped, she would be grateful.
The diamond glowed, brighter and brighter. Pike felt the hand knitting back together, sinews weaving back into place over bones, the decomposition process speeding up in the other direction. Heart, lungs, guts, eyes, those regrew in the span of minutes.
Then, it shattered.
There was the sound of someone sucking in a sudden breath. A purple hand clawed at the shroud, and Pike quickly tore it away to see a tiefling lunging forward, red eyes, confused and surprised, lavender skin with tattoos curling up the side of the face, and a nose she recognized.
“What—What the hell ,” said Mollymauk Tealeaf.
Vex gasped, eyes widening, her grip on Percy's hand tightening.
She knew that face .
It had been years, but she could never, ever forget those eyes.
She still remembered the first time she saw those eyes, staring at her from the small, wrinkly face of her newborn son. She remembered the last time she saw them, blinking sleepily at her as he held onto his twin sister's hand, watching her and Percy go off with Tary into Deastock. Those were the eyes of her Luci...her son.
"Molly! " Yasha sobbed, leaning in and cradling him to her chest. Her face was buried in his hair, that familiar scent of lavender oils and incense that followed him like a cloud washing over her and soothing in an instant. "Molly, Molly, Molly, Molly..." she chanted softly. "Thank you," she said to Pike with a hiccup, meeting her gaze. "Thank you so much. I’ll never forget this."
“Yasha ,” said Molly, voice hoarse as he grabbed at her shirt and hauled her in for a hug. “Oh, gods, you’re okay, you’re safe—”
"Yes, I'm okay, we're all okay, they got us out, but Molly —" Yasha pulled back just enough to kiss his forehead. "It's okay, you're back now. Everything's going to be fine."
Pike didn’t answer, staring at Molly like she’d seen a ghost. It couldn’t be. Holy fuck. It was.
Keyleth had gasped quietly at the sight of her nephew rising out of the dirt, glancing at Vax, still perched on her shoulder. "Did you know?" she whispered to him. The raven nodded silently. Well. That explained his contribution to the ritual, at least.
It was as if the ground had fallen out beneath him. Yasha had not said and they'd not asked. What did it matter the colour of her tiefling friend's skin, or eyes? Yasha was using her birth name, even if she didn't know it, so an unfamiliar name for her friend hadn't led to any indication whatsoever that… that... it could possibly be that... "Lucien?" The name escaped his lips unintentionally, like a prayer. "My gods, Lucien?"
Oh, there were other people. Molly hadn’t noticed, because he’d been wrapped up with Yasha, but the name cut through the post-resurrection haze and right down into a feral bit of his soul that said time to panic!
Lucien . Yasha felt thunder roil in her bones, felt her wings snap out from her shoulders. She pulled Molly up and behind her, hand already halfway to her sword.
"How do you know that name?" she growled at Percy. "Who the fuck are you people?!"
There was a stunned, horrified silence, as Molly scrabbled onto Yasha’s back. “I think you’ve got me mistaken for someone,” he said, breaking it. “I’ve got a very common face.”
Keyleth gestured for Pike to give them some space, sensing that whatever was going to happen next would not be something you'd want to get caught in the middle of. Pike blinked awake, and stepped back, shooting a worried look over to Percy and Vex.
Too stunned, for once in his life to speak—too little, too late—Percy simply stood in shock of his own at the state of Yasha's wings.
Vex’s heart stuttered in her chest at the sight of—oh god, Yasha's wings, what had happened to her wings? What had happened to her children? She let go of Percy's hand, taking a deep breath that sounded like a sob. That was her son. That was her boy , and he seemed terrified of his own name.
Yasha backed up another step away from the semicircle of strangers looking at her and Molly. Her greatsword was now in her grasp, pointed menacingly at Percy. "What do you want ? Why are you looking at us like that?"
She felt Molly prodding her shoulder. “Who even are these people?” he asked, worriedly. “Where’s everyone else?”
"I brought them here to bring you back, I'm so sorry about this," she hissed under her breath. "I have no idea who they are. Everyone's… elsewhere."
Molly poked Yasha’s shoulder again, the way he did when he wanted to get and keep her attention. “Do we even know where they are?” he asked. “And I— ow , fuck, your wing, Yash.”
Percy raised his hands, palms facing out in a placating gesture. "Yasha, if we had known about...about your friend we would have said...something—gods! Let's take a step back and let you can ask whatever questions you desire and we will answer them, but you must hear us out."
"And why should I? All I know is that you've just called my best friend by the wrong name," she spat, honing her gaze on the man.
"I can see that, and I apologize for it profusely." Percy could already tell that, for all his skill with words, they would not be enough.
"Why should we stay and talk with you when we could just leave right now?"
Vex was shaking her head, tears streaming down her face freely now. Her children were alive. They were alive, and they were here , and she wanted to rush forward and hug them and tell them how sorry she was, how much she missed them…
"You're alive," she whispered through the tears. "I can't believe you're both alive...!"
Molly frowned. “Uh, yes, we both are.”
Yasha turned to look at her quizzically. "Yes, we're both alive, thanks to your gnome friend, and I'm very grateful, but we really need to be going now, so..." She backed up another few steps, keeping her wings spread threateningly.
Percy's mind was racing a hundred miles a second as he contemplated every possibility. His children knew their names, but seemingly not who they were. His children were afraid of Lucien, or the name. His daughter's wings were little more than bone. In the swirling pit of acid in his gut, Percy knew that whatever had befallen them it was worse than death. Worse than anything he ever had imagined over the years. "You loved your friend enough to travel across oceans to find someone who could bring him back. I tell you now, that if you leave, you will never know why your very person felt rent in two at his loss. You have a choice before you. An opportunity. Take it."
Yasha paused at Percy’s words, mind wheeling. This was never her strong suit, making choices like this. Her instinct was telling her to take Molly and run from these strangers back to the coast to their friends, back to Jester’s mother, but…
"Molly, what do you want to do?" she asked under her breath so only he could hear. "Do you want to stay, or… Everyone else is a long ways away right now."
“Wait, no, you can’t, he just—” Pike started forward.
Vex laughed. They were both alive, and here, and they'd managed to piss off both of their children in one go. "Please… please don't leave yet..." Gods, she sounded pathetic, and she hated it. But her heart couldn't take losing them both again, not when she just got them back.
Molly dropped from Yasha’s back, and then collapsed into her side with a quiet pained hiss. “ Ow ,” he huffed, feeling as though he got run over by a very heavy cart. “Yasha? I’m not sure I can get all that far.”
Hastily, Yasha went to support him. As she did, Vex immediately rushed to Molly (that was his name, that was what he chose and he could call himself whatever he wanted because he was alive ), trying to help steady him. "Careful… post-resurrection sickness can take a lot out of you, especially if it’s been a while..."
"Don't you fucking touch him," Yasha ordered, lowering her sword once more in Vex's direction.
Though it was Percy's instinct to move forward to to his wife, his son, it was Yasha, fiercely protective in the storm of uncertainty, who was the priority. "We mean you no harm. Whatever it is that has you so spooked about that name, we mean you no harm. And never have. Nor ever will."
"Put that sword away right now," Vex responded, not even bothering to look at Yasha as she tried to help steady her son. Her son. "We all have a lot to talk about, and your friend is in no condition to travel far, so I suggest we all find some place a little more hospitable nearby and have a chat."
Her voice left no room for argument.
Molly froze, then grabbed Yasha’s arm to try to get her to lower the sword. “Yasha,” he said, “Yasha, Yash, it’s fine. It’s fine. I don’t—I don’t think I have a choice, I feel like shit and I can’t really go anywhere.”
Pike, whose hand had gone up to the hilt of her morningstar, now dropped her hand, stepped closer and said to Yasha, as conciliatory as she could manage, “She isn’t lying, it’s going to take him a while to really be okay.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” said Molly.
“I was talking to Yasha,” said Pike.
She paused, looking between all of them. Pike and the druid—Kiki, they had called her?—were off to the side, watching silently with wide eyes. She looked back to Molly, at how hard he was trying to hide his grimace of pain. She came to a decision, folded her wings in and sheathed her sword.
"Fine. We'll stay. But only because Molly needs to rest. As soon as he's fit to travel, we leave."
"Good," Vex said with a nod, smiling warmly at Molly. "Hello, darling, welcome back." She then turned to the rest of the group, all business now. "Do any of you have any potions on you? Keyleth, could you craft some sort of makeshift shelter? Pike, do you think it’s worth going and getting Scanlan for the Mansion?" If she focused on this, the business of getting them settled in for now, she could ignore the whirlwind of questions she had, the aching in her chest.
Pike sighed, considering Vex’s words. “Well, I mean, I can try.”
Keyleth shrugged. "I can still use my spell to make… I guess a rock hut? Would that work for now?"
"And will you hear us out?" Percy focused entirely on Yasha, pushing aside everything else. It could wait, others were taking care of the rest.
Yasha pulled Molly closer to her side, still unnerved by this woman who thought she knew her Molly. If they wanted to help them, fine, but that doesn't mean she has to like it. Plus, whatever Percy was talking about sounded… odd. She couldn't put her thumb on it, but Yasha felt unsettled. "I guess, since we have nowhere else to go," she said stiffly.
Molly shook his head, “Uh, no, there’s got to be a perfectly serviceable inn nearby.”
"Are you okay to walk, Molly, or do you want me to carry you?" she asked him softly.
“I can walk,” said Molly, leaning against Yasha again, “but with some support.”
"We'll get him settled, and then we'll talk." Percy looked around. "You know this area better than we do. Is anything at all nearby?"
Molly paused. “Honestly, truth be told, I have no idea either,” he said, looking at Percy with a steely look. “I do know Shady Creek Run’s thataway, though.” And he pointed in the town’s direction, the one they were going in when he—died.
"I can just carry you and you can get some sleep," Yasha insisted. "But if you want to walk I will help you." She also wanted to keep him all to herself. She's been without him for extended periods of time, sure, but this was different. He just came back from the dead. She didn't want to let go of him for fear of waking up and having this all be a dream.
"Vex, do you still have the carpet?" Keyleth looked at her inquiringly.
Vex snorted, standing up. "Do I still have the carpet. Of course I do! Hang on, let me get it out."
In the years since their adventuring days, she'd managed to get her own Bag of Holding, which came in handy for situations like this. Vex pulled out rolled up carpet, fluffing it out with a smile, before saying, "lift."
The carpet unwravelled and floated there, and she turned to Yasha and Molly. "Will this help?” Yasha eyed the floating rug with trepidation, then turned to Molly, waiting silently for his judgement. Wherever he would go, she would follow. "It's there if you want to use it," Vex said before walking back to Percy, taking his shaking hand.
"Darling..." Percy breathed, leaning into her. "Darling, both of them… both of them..."
"I know, I know, dear," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "They're alive. They're both alive!"
Even if their children both hated them after this, even if they wanted to leave, it didn't change the fact that at least now Vex and Percy knew they were alive, and safe, and together. That was worth everything.
"How are we going to tell them?"
"Delicately, I think." Percy looked towards where Yasha stood with Molly . "This will take a gentle hand."
Standing just a ways away, Molly stared at the rug, jaw dropping in shock. Then he closed it, and looked over at Vex in surprise. “Is that—” he started, then trailed off, shaking his head more out of shock than anything.
He shivered a little. Fuck, he needed his coat. Yasha noticed the shiver, and held out her arm with the silk still draped over it.
"Here," she said, handing it over. "I thought you'd like it back. You can take my shawl too, if you're still cold.”
“You’re the best,” said Molly, leaning up to peck Yasha on the cheek. “Keep the shawl, I’ll be fine.” He whirled the coat back over himself, and it felt like coming home . Then, shooting Vex a slightly suspicious look, he climbed onto the floating rug and proceeded to flop over onto his back.
Yasha climbed on behind him, drawing him into her lap with his back against her. The carpet felt like she was sitting on water without sinking. Strange, to say the least. "Um…” she asked hesitantly in Vex’s direction. "How do we move?"
Pike walked over to Vex and Percy, in the meantime, and said quietly, “I think you should tell them once we get them settled. I can get a message back to Scanlan, let him know to get ready to come here if we need him to.”
Percy nodded and pulled away from her, shucking his coat as he did. Walking the short distance to where the carpet hovered, he held it out to Yasha. "Take it. He'll need the warmth. Coming back from the dead is no easy thing."
Yasha glared at his outstretched hand as if it were a venomous snake. She tightened her arms around Molly's frame, hunching her shoulders over him like a cloak. "He's fine," she said shortly.
“I got my own coat, no thanks,” Molly replied simultaneously. “Keep it, I wouldn’t want to impose.” The look on his face, though, said fuck you in the way his politely cheerful tone did not.
Pursing his lips, Percy hesitated before withdrawing his hand reluctantly. "It would have been no imposition, I assure you. Not for you."
Still in conversation with Pike, Vex nodded. "Thank you, Pike. And… thank you for bringing him back. Take your time getting a message to the others, this may take a while." She glanced over at Percy, at his attempt at an olive branch that seemed to be going over like a lead balloon. "A long while, I think."
Keyleth had walked over to the others, Vax still on her shoulder. The raven cawed before hopping off and moving to Molly's shoulder, nuzzling his face. Yasha started at the sudden bird on Molly's shoulder, the feathers brushing her bare biceps as it settled.
"Molly...?"
“It’s fine,” said Molly, surprised at the bird. He gave it a little pet on the top of his head, feeling strangely comforted at its presence. The bird cawed at Yasha and moved to her shoulder next, repeating the gesture, before flying back to Keyleth.
"That was odd. D'you think it means something?"
He shrugged. “No idea,” he said. “I just—felt like it liked me.”
Keyleth laughed and nodded as the bird puffed out his chest on her shoulder. " It definitely means he likes you."
"Oh." Yasha blinked. "Well, that's… good? I guess?” Yasha kept her eyes on the raven. “I've never seen a wild bird do that," Yasha commented to him. "Just that trained one that the juggler man had, the bright red and yellow and blue one?"
Keyleth's smile softened and turned wistful. "Vax is… Vax is special. He's no trained bird, though, I can tell you that." Vax preened a little bit and she couldn't help but stroke his feathers—gods help her, she still loved him, even like this. "He's, well. He's Vax.”
Yasha just nodded along. Kiki seemed nice enough, and wasn't trying to call Molly the wrong name. Off to a good start for her.
"He seems like a nice bird," she offered, hoping it was the right thing to say.
She just nodded, smiling, eyes still sad. Vax nuzzled her, and while the gesture was the same one he had just done with Molly and Yasha, here it seemed, more intimate. Mournful, to a degree.
“He’s a very nice bird,” said Molly, absently, not quite certain where that surety came from. “Bit of a change from Kiri and that other fucking bird , to be sure.”
Yasha smiled softly. "I hope she's okay with those gnomes."
Keyleth stroked Vax's feathers for a moment longer, before he hopped onto the carpet between the two twins. That was going to be a conversation... she sighed, before smiling and clapping her hands together. "So! To Shady Creek Run, then?"
“To Shady Creek Run,” said Molly. Then he rested his head against Yasha’s bicep, closed his eyes, and in no time was snoring softly.