Approaching the capital of Merit's Oasis… I walked slowly through the hardened mud.

I had not needed a ferry this time.

Passing another ship, I stared at the way it was laying on its side. It looked… almost too clean. Undamaged. Which wasn't too surprising, since not only had this lake likely dried up very slowly… but the mud had likely taken weeks if not months to truly dry. Lake-beds rarely hardened overnight, no matter the conditions.

I sighed, at not just the situation… but the fact it had taken me this long to arrive.

Damn those fools. Making me spend months away, just because they were so damned petty. Why had the rest voted to allow me to escort them to the other side of the ocean? What was the point in helping people that had abandoned us?

No matter. That was over and done with. And I had agreed to it. So…

Gulping, I felt as if I should have a dry mouth. The world around me seemed desolate. As if it hadn't rained in decades. But I could tell from the mud beneath me, even if hardened, that the truth was it had likely rained not too long ago. Maybe a month or two ago at latest.

Shaking my head at the capital city before me, at least what was left of it, I wondered how many I'd even find left here.

It looked completely empty. The boats that remained were all on the lake-bed, resting on their sides or even upside down. The houses looked empty, I saw no smokestacks, and all of the greenery was gone. It was now just a bunch of stone buildings amidst a mud pit. Or well, a dried mud pit.

There didn't seem to be any birds. No fish. No life at all. Not even a tumbleweed was in sight to roll by and make me feel the irony.

"Poor Merit," I mumbled.

For her kingdom to fall over no real fault of her own… Just simple time and bad luck. Bad weather.

But what was one to do…? It was a miracle this oasis lasted as long as it had. I doubted even I would have been able to have stopped this.

Approaching the island the city sat upon, I found it a little funny that I could see a path. Footprints were in the hardened mud, though they looked old. I followed them up the path of least resistance and onto the docks of the city. Once on the docks, I took a moment to look around and felt… odd. The city itself actually didn't look too bad. Not like it had been ransacked, or just survived a pillaging. In fact there were even still boxes and crates upon the dock, which looked as if they were still full. I didn't check them though as I headed for a stairwell, one that would lead me up the island city and to the castle up top.

A castle that looked… strange and tiny. Thanks to the fact it no longer had vines or trees all over it. What little bit of them I could see was just their husks. Broken and dried limbs and trunks, hanging over the edge of the roofs. Died and dried.

As I walked through the now abandoned capital, I listened for anyone… and well, anything.

I heard nothing. Nothing more than the hot desert air as it whistled through the alleys and buildings, as if making music and living the life now that there were no people here to disturb it.

While walking… I remembered the lively city. Roads that were cramped, but full. Clean. Market stalls had been scattered between houses and community buildings, as if without plan, but it had strange comforting sense of reason behind its development. Even things that seemed out of place had been put there on purpose.

Walking past fountains, that were now dry as a bone, I wondered if I'd even find anyone here. It looked, and smelled, as if this place hadn't gotten water in years. We, rather I, had built a reservoir underneath the castle… pulling from a deep spring, but something told me that it was run dry. And not just because the rest of the area was dry. That thing had been tapped hundreds of years ago. Who knows if it had even lasted this long. It may have dried up before the lake did.

It didn't take long to reach the castle, thanks to the empty roads, and I found the door was open. The front gate was a solid stone one. One that had been made with defense in mind. It was fully opened and…

Stepping into the castle courtyard, I sighed at the sound of silence.

Was no one here? Really? If so where'd they go?

I'll feel absolutely horrible if I never find out what happened to them. What was I going to say to Lilly if I lost her fishbraind friend?

Entering the castle proper, I wandered the halls for a moment until I heard a relieving sound.

Voices. And not just one or two.

Heading for them, I slowed as I approached a hallway that was noisy. As I got closer, my heart became heavy as I failed to recognize any of the voices.

Squatters? Surely not, right?

I calmed a fast beating heart as I rounded a corner, and found a few familiar faces.

Glad that no one noticed me for a few moments, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief as I watched Nasba hand another duck a basket. There were a few kids around, some with duck tails and some without, and a few other older members.

"Oh!" Nasba finally noticed me, and thankfully it was after I collected myself as I nodded at her. She rushed towards me, and I almost expected her to wrap me in a hug, but instead she just skidded to a stop right before me. "Finally! I'm going to go pack, right now!" she shouted, and then ran off.

A little stunned, I laughed as a bunch of the kids hurried off too, though not all of them ran after Nasba.

"Welcome back Vim. Been a while," Hafni said in greeting. She looked twice as old as I remembered her.

"Hafni. It has," I admitted. At least a decade.

She gave me a sad smile and pointed to the hallway I had just come from. "Down the hall to the right. You'll find her."

Right. That was either a go do your damned job already, or a gentle kindness to her queen.

Probably mix of both.

"Pierre, how you been?" I asked the young lad before turning away. He was sitting at a table nearby, and had a strange look on his face.

He sniffed, and I realized that strange look was him crying. Or at least, about to. "Fine… are we leaving now?" he asked.

"Yes. Once he goes and sees the queen already," Hafni said with a huff, glaring at me.

Right. Right.

I nodded and left the room. Following her instructions, I found myself at a corner of the castle. It was a little quieter than the section I had just left, but I could tell people frequented it. The hallways were a little clean. The rooms I passed still looked lived in, and most importantly there were a few plants here and there still alive. Though they were few and far between, nothing like the wall-covering amount that used to exist here.

Eventually I found the little fish. Sitting at a small table, she wasn't alone.

Sharp noticed me, and her eyes lit up a little as she stood up straighter.

"Sharp," I greeted the urchin as I entered the room.

Merit startled at my voice, spinning around to look at me. She had been sitting with her back to the entrance of the room, and upon seeing me… she broke.

She nearly face-planted her face into the table, and went to covering it up as she began to shiver and sob… making me feel like a complete ass. When was the last time someone had broken down and cried so heartily just by looking at me?

"Feh. She was doing so good too. Why didn't anyone warn us you were here?" Sharp said with a sigh.

Merit didn't say anything as I strode up to the table. Sharp crossed her arms, glaring at me as I frowned at her.

What?

"If she shocks me I'm going to hold onto you until you're nothing but red meat," Sharp warned.

"Rude," I said.

Sharp huffed at me as I glanced down at the crying Merit. She still hid her face and head in her arms and the mess of her hair. "Now, Merit. Where's your fancy dress?" I asked. She was just wearing a plain and simple outfit. Nothing like what she used to wear.

Her crying just got worse.

"Gods you're as abrasive as I am," Sharp said with a disappointed tongue.

"I'm going to ruffle your hair if you don't play nice," I warned her.

She stood up straighter. "If you do before taking care of her I'll genuinely hate you."

I sighed at her and nodded. Right. Stupid friendship thing.

Reaching out, I patted Merit on the back. Her tiny, scrawny body, felt a little weird. Was she malnourished? It was hard to tell since she's always been skin and bones even on a good day.

"It's okay Merit," I said gently.

"Are you literally incapable of being nice for once?" Sharp asked.

Jeez! What did she want me to do!?

I shook my head at the crying Merit, and ignored Sharp. "If you keep this up people are going to think weird things, Merit. Do you really want the world to know my mere presence can make you weep like this? That's not very meritable," I said.

Her tiny cry turned into the faintest laugh as she scoffed. "That was worse than the first attempt!" she said.

Ah. But it made you laugh.

I smiled as I watched Merit slowly raise her head upward, sniffing as she looked up at me.

"I'm here to pick you all up, Merit. Stop wallowing in the mud, even if you had been born in the stuff. I thought we broke you of that already," I said.

"That's a little better. It's cute, goes back to your origins with her. Maybe there's hope for you yet!" Sharp said happily, as if we were some show to admire and critique.

"She's become fascinated with romance novels," Merit warned me.

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"That somehow makes a lot of sense," I admitted.

"What…? What's that supposed to even mean?" Sharp mumbled as I studied little Merit.

She looked exhausted. She had bags under her eyes, and it almost looked like her full, thick hair, was… thin. Even though it wasn't.

And yes. She did indeed look skinny. Too skinny even for her. She had shallow cheeks.

Hopefully that was just stress. Surely they weren't that desperate for food and water… right? Why not just leave then? It's not like they had actually needed me to escort them elsewhere. Merit and Sharp alone would have been enough to protect them. The two were some of the strongest left anymore.

For a moment we stared at each other, and I decided to sigh and shake my head at her.

"What…?" Merit asked angrily as she wiped her nose.

"Lilly said you'd be a mess. I hadn't believed her."

"That birdbrain…!" Merit was immediately offended, but had a smirk as she slowly got up and out of her chair. As she did, I noted what she had been working on.

Were those letters…?

Letters to the Society.

I tried not to linger on them, as Merit sighed and gestured at me. "Have you said hello to everyone else yet?" she asked.

"I saw Nasba and a few others earlier, yes."

"That's not saying hello," Sharp noted.

"Well…" She wasn't wrong.

"Sharp would you please go get everyone…? It'd be best to get it over with so we can leave," Merit then said.

"Mhm… okay. You can handle her then, Vim. You're doing a poor job of it, but at least you're doing it," Sharp said with a grin as she walked past me and out of the room.

"Nasba did mention she's already gone to pack. Is it that dire?" I asked Merit.

"Verily."

Glancing back at Merit, I frowned at the sullen girl. She looked nothing like a queen no more. Not even a defeated one.

"I'm sorry for taking so long, Merit," I said gently.

"It's fine. I heard what they did. What's not fine is everyone else ignoring my request for help," Merit said as she glanced at the table.

"Who was ignoring you, Merit…?" I asked carefully.

"Everyone…? Or at least, anyone I know how to contact. Telmik, particularly. But… well… maybe it's not their fault. The world has become chaotic. And the Society is all weird now. Maybe they just haven't responded to me yet," she said.

No. They had.

It was why I was here after all.

I had been told by the Chronicler to come help. That they needed me.

And not because of a prophecy either.

I shifted, and wondered what to say or think. Was Merit right? Was the negligence just because of the chaos? Because the Society had split…? Or was it more? Something crueler?

I didn't want to think about it as I gestured to the table. "What kind of requests were you sending?"

"We need new homes. I was asking where I could send people."

Ah…

How pitiable.

"How… how many are here?" I asked softly, almost afraid to find out.

"Forty-nine. No. We didn't lose everyone. Not because of the fall of my kingdom. A lot of them left to go back to places they came from over the years. I'd say we only lost… well…" Merit shifted, and then sniffed as she shook her head at me. "How long have you been gone Vim?" she asked softly.

"At least a decade."

"Hm… then we've lost fifty-two. But many of those were from age. Maybe a dozen to a rebellion. Then another dozen just… disappeared one night. They all left. They might still be alive, I think." Merit spoke gently, but I could hear the hollow heartbreak in them. Hell, I could see it. Clearly.

"Forty-nine. Including you?" I asked, hoping to get her off mind and away from the people who had abandoned her, or were lost and not worth thinking about anymore.

"No. So fifty…? But a few are humans."

"Still, a mighty number. To still have that many after all this, after it got to this point… well done, Merit," I said, praising her genuinely. A lot of the other places had fared far worse.

She shrugged. "Whatever, Vim."

Hm. That had been a rather serious dismissal.

For a few moments we stood there, and I tried not to worry over the number she had just told me.

Fifty people.

Where was I going to take them all…?

There weren't many places left anymore. And most of those here, like Merit and Sharp, were unique. Nasba could probably just be taken to her family, the Weaver, but the rest…?

Talk about a headache. What was I going to do about this…? Maybe I should just help them make another home somewhere. Not another kingdom, of course, that was not something I wanted anyone to do again… for a long time. But at least a little home, maybe in a forest somewhere. Somewhere cooler, and not as hot…

"Where will I go, Vim…? What will I do now?" Merit then asked.

Hm. "Nothing lasts forever, Merit. Your kingdom had stood for centuries. A mighty feat, that even generational rulers haven't been able to claim. But… like all things, good and bad, it's time to move on," I said as I glanced around. Where was her crown…?

"I didn't ask that, Vim. I asked where I should go."

Pausing a moment, I noted the dry voice. That hadn't been her just being snarky, or upset with me… that had been…

Glancing at her, I held back the flinch that almost followed.

She was staring at me. With empty eyes.

Dead ones.

Fitting for a fish, though terrible to see all the same.

Great.

Honestly I wasn't surprised she was so disheartened. Her whole home had just dried up and collapsed. Her family, her Oasis, was getting ready to split and fracture. She knew, as well as I did, that the Society wasn't in a position to accept them all at the same place. She knew they'd be split up. And would likely never see those who didn't go where she would end up again. In today's world traveling was not easy, nor safe.

But even more-so... I knew Merit. I knew how she self-loathed herself during her failures. And right now...?

She felt like a failure. A fool.

And I knew there was little, if anything, I or anyone else could say or do to change that feeling. Justified or no.

Still…

I had to try.

Stepping over to her, I kneeled down. She flinched at me, giving me an odd look as I got eye level with her. I knew she hated this, since it made her feel like I was treating her like a child… but that had been the point.

I'd rather her to be angry at me, to hate me, than to be so desolate and empty.

Yet she didn't grow upset. Her hands didn't even clinch up, nor did she produce any static. She simply… frowned and stared at me, as if she was indeed but a child. And I her parent, about to tell her something sad.

"I don't want your stupid pity stories," she warned me.

"I know."

She sniffed at me. "I deserve one."

Oh…?

Feeling a little hopeful for a moment, I watched as her eyes watered up. She suddenly looked a little more angry. Maybe there was hope after all…!

"I'll give you plenty as we head north," I said.

"Nasba and the others are going to Nann."

"Aye. They do have family there. We can stop there and rest a bit," I said.

Honestly it was also a place she herself could, and likely would, stop at too. Nasba and her were close. In a way, too close. I couldn't imagine them separating.

At least not willingly.

But… many at the Weaver's Hut… were well…

Hm…

"Pierre wants to go to another lake," she then said.

"There's a few to pick from," I nodded, thinking of the five I knew off the top of my head.

"Sharp wants somewhere quiet. To read books."

"Plenty of those places now, with how few of us are left," I admitted.

Merit shifted, her tears leaking now in full force. "Hafni wants to live on the coast."

"We got four to pick from," I said.

"Lopto has a friend up north," she whispered.

"I'll take him to them," I promised.

"Everyone has their own plans…"

"And we'll help them fulfill them. Each one of them," I agreed to help.

As I always would.

Merit nodded… as she lowered her head and began to weep again.

Taking a small breath, I nodded gently at her.

I knew that pain. Knew it well.

Her kingdom had fell. She was no longer able to provide, secure, and give anyone a home. A proper one. So everyone else had to go out on their own, and find it themselves elsewhere.

Leaving her behind.

"So… Where do I go…?" she cried.

"Wherever the waters take you, Merit. Just like all the times before," I told her.

She shook her head, sniffing loudly. She didn't seem to like that idea. At all.

Funny… since before she had settled here, that had been her entire life philosophy.

"You will be sad about this. For a long time. It'll hurt. But… you'll eventually realize you did well, Merit. You ruled well. You were a good queen. You treated your people well. And the proof is right outside this room," I said gently, hoping no one could hear me. I could hear distant voices in the hallway. Sharp was already bringing people back.

She had not done so immediately, so I had thought we had more time. Now Merit was going to get caught like this, which would just make her even worse.

"Huh…?" Merit looked up at me, with a filthy face as she kept crying.

I gestured behind me. At the noise approaching. I knew she could hear it too, even in her state.

"Your oasis has dried up Merit. Your castle empty. Your capital fallen. No food. No stores. No more armies. No more docks lined with boats filled with goods. No one wants to invade you anymore, either, even. No more lavish parties or delegations…" I said gently.

Her eyes narrowed, and a tiny spark danced from her fringes.

I smiled at her. "Yet… you still have dozens of loyal friends. People who still remain, even after it got to this point," I added.

She scrunched up, and whined. "People who will now go their separate ways," she barely got out.

"For now. But they'll still be a part of the Society. They'll still remember this. You. Each other. And who knows…? Maybe you'll do this again someday," I said.

She sniffed. Loudly.

"They're your oasis, Merit. Not this place," I said.

She nodded. "You sound like Nasba and Sharp."

"Even dumb birds and fish can be smart once in a while," I said with a shrug.

She chuckled as the group got even closer. They did so noisily, talking happily. They were already looking forward to their trip north, to find greener pastures.

Before standing, I reached out and grabbed her hand. She clenched it tightly, clinging to it.

"You're not a queen no more. So it's okay to cry in front of everyone," I said.

"Already have done so. Many times," she admitted.

"Good."

"No. It's not. But okay."

Right.

"Now come on. No more crying. Otherwise you'll fill your oasis back up with your tears, and that's just gross," I said.

She laughed and squeezed my hand... and then kissed it. I shifted a little, and was glad that no one had reached the room yet.

"Thanks Vim," she whispered.

"Hm... Don't ever tell anyone that I complimented your rule. It's embarrassing," I said.

She scoffed at me. "Usually by now you'd ask where my crown is, as to put it on my head," she said.

"Yeah where is it?"

"I'm done with that. I don't need it anymore."

"Okay then," I nodded. That was that then. Too bad. She didn't know, but some of the jewels I had used to make that thing had been literally priceless.

"As we guide them to their new homes, I'll give you one last chance to earn my affection," Merit then said.

I paused, and my eye twitched as the group finally arrived.

"See! I knew she'd be a mess!" Pierre shouted, sounding worried. At least he didn't seem to tease her.

"Gosh Vim! Move!" Nasba hurried forward, pushing me aside. Although she did so, and went to wiping Merit's face with a cloth, Merit still held my hand.

"Stand tall, Merit. Okay?" I asked.

"Okay," Merit nodded.

"Idiot. You should have kissed her," Sharp chastised me as I stood, our hands separating.

I said nothing, and instead just ruffled her hair. Roughly.

She let out a groan of a yelp as I did, making the group laugh and back away… as to not get caught in our antics.

While I messed with Sharp, I glanced at Merit… who was laughing too. Even while Nasba was cleaning her face free of snot and tears.

Yes. She'd be fine.

She'd hurt. Weep. And will be sad for a long time…

But she'll be okay.

They all would.

I'll ensure it.

Somehow.

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