Excitedly watching the new members walk through the door… I flinched at the sight of someone I recognized. And it wasn’t Vim.

The young girl with white hair was dressed in black. The kind that made her hair stand out and she was looking around with a look that made me almost wish none of them had shown up… even though we so desperately needed them.

“Brandy,” Vim stepped up the last steps and walked across the balcony, greeting me as he stepped up next to me and leaned against the railing. As to look down at all our members. The new ones and old.

They were all greeting each other. Some were meeting for the first time, others hugging those they’d not seen in centuries. I tried to dedicate to memory the relationships that were visible, both the old friends and the first time meetings, so I could know who to allow to work together and who to keep separate.

“How was the journey, Vim?” I asked.

“Slow. How’s the company been?”

I nodded. “Well… We’ve not expanded for a while, but we’re still making more than ever before. We already have enough to send you with a cart full to Telmik,” I said. It was already packed and ready, since I knew he’d likely want to leave right away. It was likely why he had come straight to me, so he could hear if he was needed for anything or not.

“Nothing wrong with making lots of money, I guess,” Vim said lightly.

“Hm…”

Staring down at the many heads, I noticed again the one covered in black and white.

She was standing alone. Off in the corner. Near a large suitcase. Hers maybe.

“So um… Vim…” I whispered, since I knew Merit’s hearing was second to none. Or well, maybe second to Vim’s.

“Hm?”

“How is she?” I asked softly.

“Which one?” he asked as he glanced around.

Gosh! “The queen,” I whispered.

He paused a moment, and I noticed the way his eyes immediately found the one in question. “She’s not a queen anymore, Brandy.”

“Well…” I wanted to argue that. In my experience a monarch was a monarch even without their crown and kingdom. One didn’t just… remove that lifestyle from someone. It was ingrained. Usually.

“She’s fine. Or will be. She’s always been prickly, you know that. Just give her space and all will be fine,” he said.

“Mhm…” I wanted to groan, but knew better than to do so.

After all, I had no right to deny her entry. None of us did. Merit not only has helped many people in the Society throughout the years, but there were many in this new group who were only here because of her. If I kicked her out, the dozen others who had followed her here would follow.

Still…

She looked pissed off. She was glaring at someone, was that Tosh…? I’ve not seen him in years…!

“What’s wrong with Tosh?” I asked. Why was he standing so oddly? Was he drunk or half asleep?

“Ah… yeah that’s a problem. He’s um… having trouble. They can explain it. He’s not dangerous. Just… broken,” Vim said softly.

Glancing at the protector, I flinched and looked away when I saw the pain on his face. He looked like he was about to cry.

Our protector should not show his emotions so blatantly like that!

Quickly switching topics, I pointed lightly at the group below. They were getting noisy as they kept introducing themselves to each other. “Everyone knows we have humans? We’re outnumbered three to one, including the new members,” I said.

“Most of them are from her kingdom, Brandy. They worked and lived with humans too. Shoot, some of them brought their human family members. Wives, husbands, children and whatnot,” he said with a wave.

Oh…? I glanced around, looking for humans. Oddly I couldn’t make them out.

Vim sighed a little. “Anything you need from me Brandy…? I don’t want to seem callous, but I’m needed. Everywhere. All the time,” he said.

“No… Other than the money needing to go to Telmik. If you’re in a hurry though we can deal with it, I’ll send it via ship,” I said.

“No. I’ll take them. Will only add a day to my travel time, at my pace, so it’s not that big a deal,” he said.

A day. Sure. He’d carry thousands of pounds of gold almost a thousand miles and it’d only take him an extra day.

Such a jerk. That means he could have helped me with those bones back then. Easily. I should have just asked him. Damn it.

“What?” Vim asked, noticing my feelings.

“I’m just upset with you. Go on then, have Sofia and Herra help you with the gold,” I said.

He huffed at me. “You’re an odd one Brandy.”

“No more than most, I’m sure.”

We both turned, and I watched as the former queen stepped up to our level. She looked as tiny as I remembered her as she glance at Vim, scoffing at him, and then stepping over to me. She held her hand out. “My name is Merit.

I took it, and smiled gently at her. “We’ve met before, Merit. A few times, in fact.”

She blinked and frowned at me, studying me as if seeing me for the first time. “We have…?”

“Indeed. I’ll be leaving then. Goodbye Merit, I’ll see you when I inevitably have to come back in a few months,” Vim said as he stepped away.

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“Stay gone…” she mumbled at him as he left, stepping down the stairs as to find Sofia and Herra, likely.

Smiling at the little queen, our hands separated and I gestured lightly at her. “You look good, Merit.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, rather angrily.

Oh. Right. Prickly.

“Just stating you look good. A lot of our people lately… well…” I hurriedly glanced for someone to use an example, and decided on the one standing at an odd angle. “Well… like him,” I said softly.

Merit glanced to the rail banister, but not over it. She looked between the railing’s supports, and her eyes narrowed a little. “Tosh is broken. Yes. I suppose I get what you mean.”

“Hm… what happened?”

“I don’t know. It happened years ago though, by the sounds of it. We picked him up in the desert… literally. He was lying on the road, half naked.”

I groaned at that. “One of those, huh…?” I asked. So when they said broken they meant it.

“As you said. Common lately,” Merit mumbled.

Nodding gently, I sent a small prayer to my gods. For not just him… but her too. I didn’t like the way her eyes looked so cold.

Had they always looked like that…? I remembered her, but not well enough. We had only met at a distance, and I’d never spent much time with her. Not the way I should have.

I would have liked to have known her in her prime. I had heard she had been a feisty queen. One that had scared even the hardest of warriors.

Right now she looked like a young girl who had either just had her heart broken, or had lost her parents. Maybe both.

She looked like how I had likely felt and did back when I had been pulled from that river so long ago.

I blinked a few times, a little surprised to have thought of something such as that moment. That had been hundreds of years ago. Not just a distant past, but nearly a different life.

Merit sighed. “They’ll all want to spend the night together. Can I know where I can sleep?” Merit then asked.

Oh. Right. “Sure… we do indeed have a feast planned… you sure?” I asked.

“If I wanted to suffer like that I would not have asked,” she said simply.

Right.

Glancing around, I found Sofia and Herra… but both were already busy. They were leading Vim down the eastern hallway, heading for the bank.

Great… that meant I’d have to pull the others away to handle this. And that would be rude. First meetings were important.

And who knows how rude Merit would be to the others if I left it to them…

Might as well just do it myself.

“I’ll take you. Is that your bag?” I asked with a point to the suitcase she had been standing next to earlier.

“Yes. I’ll get it.”

Merit left without a word. I waited for her up here on the second floor’s balcony, and once she returned I nodded.

That suitcase was as big as she was. She had to carry it not with the handle, but by holding it on both sides. It made her look cute, but I didn’t dare say such a thing aloud.

Even back when Merit had not been… like this, her temper concerning jokes about her height or appearance were well known, after all.

“This way,” I said with a gesture to the nearby hallway. The one that led to Gerald’s office.

Merit nodded and followed, and I went to telling her about the location. How the central location, where we were heading, was where we all lived. How there were metal doors that needed to be kept sealed, and how you could access them only from the second floor.

Merit said nothing as I led her to an upper floor. To one of the many empty rooms, that we had made sure had been cleaned and re-furnished for our new members. Our new family.

Though… considering she was a queen, or at least a former one, it was likely not like anything she once had.

It was a larger room, with a large window and second floor… but it was still simple. With simple furniture and no real decorations. Not yet, anyway.

“It’s… simple. But it’s home,” I said as she stared at the room beyond the open door.

“Locks?” she asked as she glanced at the door.

“On each door, yes.”

“Good.”

She then stepped in, dropped her luggage without a care in the middle of the floor… and promptly turned around and shut the door.

The sound of it locking filled the hallway, and I flinched a little because of it.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. Alright. I can deal with this. She’s not the first member I’ve known, or lived with, that was like this… those like her were sadly becoming very common lately. Thanks to the chaos.

Stepping away from the door, I reached up to scratch the back of my neck.

To think she was older than me to boot!

Oh well.

Heading back to the entrance, as to properly meet and greet all our new members… I hoped this ended up being the right decision.

We desperately needed more people, since we’d lost so many over these last few years… but did we really need those who caused problems?

A former queen who hated everyone and everything.

A man broken, unable to even stand up straight.

And the worst part is they were only joining us… because we were one of the few places left that was safe enough to do so. Not because they believed in our mission.

Not that there was anything wrong with that. It was our duty to help and the entire reason the Society existed… but…

Lately it’s becoming rather obvious that something was wrong. I’d not received an updated census in years, and something told me it was on purpose.

They didn’t want us to know the real numbers. The real losses. Because if we did we’d all panic and scatter.

Maybe those who left had been right along…? But…

“I really wish she’d just show up already…” I whispered as I left the housing area.

Where was she? They had claimed she’d be here by now. To fix everything. To fix him. To lead us to the next chapter in this world’s history.

Yet instead of some savior showing up, it seemed all that’s been happening lately is the opposite. People weren’t finding solutions, they were simply suffering from their failures.

Like Merit.

Leaving the hallway, I stepped out onto the balcony… and was glad to see and hear happiness. Everyone was still talking to each other, though now small little groups had been formed. I scanned the group from above, and was glad to see no one was being left out. Even Tosh, the broken man, was in a small group. Though he had been given a chair and was now sitting upon it. He looked asleep, what with the way he was leaned over and resting against his knees.

Clearing my throat, I took a breath and got everyone’s attention.

Greeting them all, new and old alike, I went ahead and gave my little planned speech. To welcome them, and tell them how happy we were they were. How we were excited to have new family, and how wonderful it was.

I told them of what we did. Why we did. And the feast we were already in the middle of preparing. Gerald walked up, to speak a bit too. He introduced himself, and made the crowd laugh with one of his witty jokes.

Staring down at all the faces… I was a little worried to see that most, even the ones with smiles and who had laughed at Gerald’s joke, looked haunted. Troubled.

Tired.

Lost.

“For the Society…!” I said, alongside Gerald, as we both ended our little speech.

The whole crowd raised their fists. “For the Society!” they agreed.

Smiling as they all returned to talking, and people started to separate as to take their bags and luggage to their new homes… I did my best to not accept the truth.

The cold hard truth, which had been very audible in their declaration. Very visible on their faces.

The Society was on its knees.

And I wasn’t sure how it had happened… nor if we’d ever get up off them.

Even if the protector’s wife did show up… it was likely too late.

And that terrified me, and made me question far more than just my faith.

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