Aiden closed his eyes, and within his mind he could see the high alabaster walls of Argulin Proper as clearly as if he were starring right at them. He could see the the mountains that surrounded his homeland; the plains that stretched out before the base of the highlands, the cathedrals and bastions that dotted the landscape to protect the various towns and villages and offer places of prayer to the Dawn Mother. So sad he was when he opened his eyes, that instead of the glory of it's former days, this new "Argulin" was naught but tents and hastily built structures made to cover building supplies while construction of a rudimentary town began that they had all called New Vigil.
He had taken Rin and brought her with him, having heard of her ordeal when he had last went out on a mission to gather information, returning to learn she had been felled in battle again, and that her soul's light had faded to a dangerously dim aura. That was a few months back, and they had been here helping for a good while, trying to enjoy their marriage and help his surviving countrymen make something for themselves in the Exiled Lands. He had sent Wolfram with some of the construction teams to gather up the resources needed for homes and fortifications, and he was still waiting to hear of where Zujoji and the others had vanished off to (though to be fair, he had become well used to White Wolf members disappearing to and fro as they please.)
The surviving knights from the various orders now looked disheveled and tired. Aiden had thought it rough for he and the others back in New Haven, but they too had dealt with great hardship and struggle since coming in off the sea, especially since they had but the princess-turned-queen to lead now with a few surviving members of the clergy. While she was knowledgeable for one so young, they all had much that must be taught to Alescia that she would need to know, and given the circumstances they would need to teach fast and she would need to be a quick study.
Besides helping the new queen and rebuilding, Aiden also intended to have Rin taught how to better defend herself, in fact he wanted her trained in the ways of the Knights of the Jade Rose, though she did not seem enthused with the strict training regimen that it entailed. Still, he was insistent that the least she could do was take their training to heart so that she would be better equipped for the hardships they would surely endure when they returned to New Haven. He had pained himself over leaving, having left much undone, but he could not afford to lose any of friends from home. He could not afford to lose the love of his life, whom he had only but recently wed.
It would be a few months before he and her would return to New Haven, and to him this was as close to vacation as he could imagine, even if the work here was hard and he longed to see his other friends back in town. In the least, he figured, this would let him and RIn have some time to themselves though, a luxury hard to come by in New Haven. But no matter how much he was torn between staying here and returning, Alescia and Barrus had both essentially told him he was needed there more than here, though for now they were glad to have him and Rin here to help out. He would take this time to sharpen his devotion, his emotions, and make himself stronger. For Argulin. For Dawn Mother I'nil. For Archangel Almeria. For the Knights of the Black Rose. For White Wolf Company.
For Rin...