The air itself was strung with uncertainty, confusion, and enough tension that many could scarcely move for a brief period. Nobody was certain of what they should do next, or could do next for those not noble, but after about ten or fifteen seconds at most there was movement. The first to break this was neither Karin nor Jean, the movement was from Louise of all people, rising up she turned to the crowd gave a small curtsy and ran towards the forest with a look of indignation, embarrassment, and anger upon her face, growing redder by the moment as she watched Malygos' form fly away, despite her calling to him.

Back with the crowd, everyone else began moving, among the nobility Colbert had kept them from panicking too much, though there were still many a servant running for drinks of water or wine.

Karin, former royal knight as she was, had reinforced discipline among the guards. They no longer held themselves as loosely as they had previously, now standing as straight and taut as the bows some carried.

This process had taken quite some time before the exhibition could continue as originally planned, perhaps 20-30 minutes though only one person found that important enough to make note of that.

For Karin de la Valliere, that was another half-hour of headstart her daughter, "My headstrong, foolish, impatient, and dear daughter," as she thought, had of a headstart against her griffon.

Flying into the line of the forest, the wingbeats of Malygos grew only stronger and stronger with each passing moment, only with more purpose as the throbbing headache of the constant call kept digging into his skull. His flight grew higher and higher. As he surveyed from that dizzying altitude he spotted the river that mocked him and taunted him with memories of his old home. He dived towards the ground, towards that same damnable river. Upon landing his breath was heavy and he could feel the air flooding him, natural, abundant, cleansing. A moment of clarity managed to make its way to him, and upon feeling it, recognizing it, he grasped it, halting himself with effort and breathing out more slowly.

With his now slowing but still fogged mind, aggravation no longer racing, he looked on his own reflection once more.

"I have been perhaps too brash, in hindsight." He shook his head at himself, "I should have been able to see that that sort of... arrogance, no, pride, no… combination of both, I suppose, was inevitable. A mixture of youth and success almost guarantees pride, as does any tremendous amount of power in any form. I ought know this," He sighed at his reflection, the tiniest amount of something leaked into the beginning of his breath, akin to a cold day's breath almost, if one ignored that it was currently the spring-summer season and that it had a distinctly blue-violet coloration. "Normally I would even enjoy a touch of showmanship, perhaps I should-" A sharp spike in the feeling in his mind cut off that line of thought, forcing him to keep his effort to remain calm, in place and not go back to his irritation. He was proud and refused to let himself fall to that base inclination again. Reflecting, Malygos thought out loud, "That was, abnormal to say little. I have always been proud by nature and moreso by achievement, but not to such a degree with such swiftness for such a minor action,". He felt the sharpness again and turned in the direction that feeling, seemed to come from. He looked at the surroundings of that direction and then began casting some altered druidic magics.

Oh, yes, I imagine some of you believed he was limited simply by what a Mage could manage? One must remember, Malygos is decidedly not an 'Archmage' or any similar title. He is far greater as one can simply think, for a little longer than speaking, on what it truly means to be known as Spellweaver. It is more than to merely cast spells, but to bring entirely new spells into existence with the ease of an experienced worker always at their loom.

With this ease, Malygos began his work in earnest around where he now lay on the ground, each mental tug only pulling him to go slightly further.

"Familiar!" Louise shouted as she ran, "Familiar! Get back here!" She covered ground surprisingly quickly given the length of her stride, though that wasn't helping her face get any less red, "You aren't going to get away with humiliating me like in that in front of everyone! In front of the school! In front of my-" She was cut off as Karin's Griffon landed in front of her, Karin herself riding still in her formal wear, "-Mother!"

"Louise-" Karin's mother began saying as Louise stiffened up, "Francoise-" "Oh," Le Blanc-" "Oh no." "De La Valliere!" Karin ended on a shout.

Louise was filled with dread as her mother approached, thinking "Rule of steel, Rule of steel," to herself.

Karin said, no longer loud but still sterner than the steel itself that she modeled herself after, "Do you have any idea-"

"How angry I am? How much shame you brought to our family? How-" Louise kept finishing it in her mind again as her mother was steps away.

"How worried I was over you!" Her mother said, grabbing her into a hug.

Louise was stuck in the hug, both from Karin's sheer strength (a decade of Airborne combat training and experience will do that to you) but also from going slack with surprise.

Karin looked at her daughter and said, in a voice that betrayed a hint of something regretful, "Are you really that surprised, Louise?"

Louise looked away and back at her mother a number of times, uncertain of what she should say. She thought of saying a blunt yes like she would to Kirche, or maybe Tabitha now, but she felt it would be too rude.

After Louise looked around like this for a few seconds Karin let go of the hug and said, firmness returning, "Louise, speak honestly and nothing else, Did I really not seem to care about you?"

Louise sputtered, "Yes- Wait, no but- Not like- I mean-"

Karin said, no louder than Louise but cutting through as she put her hand on Louise's shoulder, "Stop. Breathe in, think with steel, breathe out, then tell me"

Louise stopped sputtering and did that, then said, "Of course you care about me, it just, didn't always come across like that. I understood later everything you meant to do, and that you do it because you care, but in those moments it didn't quite feel like that. Well, it sort of did but not directly,"

Karin stopped and looked up, and after a pause said, far more to herself than Louise, "Three for three,". She looked back at Louise and quietly said, her eyes suggesting dampness that she wouldn't let leak, "Why couldn't any of you have taken after your father?"

At this Louise stood, dumbfounded, and her mother's Griffon trotted over and pushed into Karin's face and put a wing over her.

After another pause, Karin said, "This is the third time I'll have had this talk, and the third time it's happened after one of you-" Her sisters, Louise realized, "has done something reckless and headfirst just the way I would at those ages. Louise, would you like to know why I have the rule of steel?"

Louise paused, "I thought this was just, how it was. I never thought there was any particular reason, just that, it's how it is. There's one sun, two moons, so many stars, and the rule of steel." Yes, to Louise, the rule of steel just, was, and after a moment, she nodded slowly and said, "Yes, please."

Karin smiled softly and said, "It's because I care about you, and your sisters, and I didn't want to let you make the same mistakes I did. When I was young, I was rude, insulting, mocking, I fit in with the boys playing general more than anyone else, and I had a strong mean streak."

As Karin paused Louise thought, and she couldn't imagine a world where her mother was ever anything like what she said. Maybe she came off as abrasive, or cold, but never truly rude, or anything of the sort.

Karin continued, "Being that way got me into a lot of fights, too. If that was it, then I wouldn't have had the rule," She paused as her voice went softer and she lost her smile, "But it almost got me killed a few times or nearly ruined everything for me a few more times,"

Now Louise stood in open shock. Sure, she might be able to comprehend the idea that her mother was insulting and mean spirited once, even if she couldn't truly imagine it. But the idea that her mother; The Heavy Wind, the second in command of the Airborne Knights, that Mom, had ever nearly died? It couldn't possibly be right, not now or ever.

Karin continued, "Then by some miracle of Brimir I got enlisted, had some discipline drilled into me, earned my way up, met your father, and had you three. And do you know what happened, every time one of you was born?"

Louise shook herself from her stupor and looked at her mother, whose hold on her shoulder went firm, though not harmful, and she shook her head.

Karin said, "You were all too young to remember, but your father and sisters didn't get to hold any of you until late those nights, because I wouldn't stop holding you even if I fell asleep. I always made sure you were safe, during the few times we both had to leave the estate we would only ever leave you girls in the care of a triangle class water mage, no less. When I was holding each of you those nights, I always promised, 'I'm not letting her make my mistakes', every time. That's why we have the Rule of Steel. That's why, I admit, I was stricter to you than your sisters, since I believed you wouldn't have what they had."

Louise said, sadly, "Magic."

Karin said, "Yes, magic. I'm so, so happy I was wrong, that's why I made sure I could see your familiar myself, especially after what Cattleya told your father and I."

Louise started smiling, feeling a hint of pride.

Karin said, "Still, despite all my previous experience, even when I thought I'd learned, I still messed up all three times with you reckless, beautiful, children."

Louise, now tearing up, leaned in and said, "Thank you, mom."

Karin got up and said, "It's what any decent mother would try to do."

It was a nice moment.

THEN- "That doesn't excuse your ignorance and recklessness in itself, however, Louise."

Louise blinked more than a few times, and gulped without realizing it.

"You should have known to go and learn about your familiar, so you should have known that the more capable a familiar is in any field, particularly intelligence, the more headstrong it is as well," Karin said, steel back in full force.

Karin said, "Now, you need to go and find them, if you've been mentally calling them as often as I imagine you've been, unless you want to make things worse based on what they said at the exhibition."

Louise looked bashful and said, pointing, "Oh, yes. It went, that, way,".

Karin gestured the direction Louise pointed, after hopping onto the back of the Griffon, and making absolutely no effort to gesture Louise up.
Louise was confused and said, "Sorry, I thought, we would, y'know…"

Karin said, "Fly there? Fly back? This is still your familiar, and your responsibility, Louise. I will be nearby in case you seem to be in danger, but that's all. The rest is your duty, You've made your sword," Karin stopped short at the end and looked Louise dead in the eye.

Louise said, "Now I have to swing it," gaining a nod from her mother.

Louise walked off in the direction of Malygos, now having calmed down, realizing that she just placed herself between her mother and a probably very irritated dragon.

She couldn't quite figure out where her odds were 'better', even with that talk earlier.

Heya. It's, uh, been a little bit. Hasn't it. Well. Reviews are always welcome. This took me a while, not only because of the previously mentioned reasons, but I'm also doing a second fic. I think it's about as long as this one already, actually, and it's three chapters long. It's called "A Wizard's Soul". Admittedly kinda similar "Shtick" to this, "Chuck a powerful magic person somewhere that isn't ready for those ramifications". Different fandoms entirely though.

Well that's enough self-promoting for me for a while. See y'all around, you shocking number of people following this.