Arathea looked over at the rest of the group to offer her goodbyes, bowing her head down to her companions. "I suppose this is farewell fornow, I shall return once my name with my family is over. Take good care here, I'm sure the officers here will make sure you are all treated well." It was strange, walking away from this motley crew she had been around for so long recently. They weren't like any other companions she had in the past, these weren't soldiers, they were people of all sorts of types. They often lacked professionalism, but to Arathea that had been almost endearing. Now she would be apart from them for some time, saying goodbye to some who she counted as friends. It made her think, for all her flattery and a whole outgoing personality, she didn't have many friends. Most she had were at home, under any other circumstance this would be lucky for her... yet now it was dreadful.

She walked towards the beast she had sit out to ride, as she did she was readying herself. She thought back to her master, Tura Caranion Rolomin, and to something he had told her when she was an istima. The two had an arato with them on a mission facing against a mage, a powerful one at that. Arathea and the arato had grown closer, she admired the man and he seemed to care for her deeply. She began to view him as a close friend, only for him to be stripped from her life in battle. Afterwards, as mage layed dead alongside her companion, in the coming days on the walk home she struggled greatly. One night at camp Tura Rolomin offered his words, words that would touch Arathea for the rest of her life. "There will be people who touch you in your life my child, people who will be close to you in a way nobody else ever will. They come and they go, sometimes you will never see them again. There are those within our order who distance themselves from all attachments because of this, believing it will mke them wiser. But to love someone is to live, and part of loving someone is losing them one day when the time comes. Loss will not be easy, it may remain and that is okay. Let yourself hurt, but remember that those who love you will want you to go on." 

Arathea pulled back from her memories and into the present now, taking another breath as she looked onto the great beast she had to mount, being told she had to go first. The seemed great for her, and with grace and ease she mounted onto Tanna, finding the name to be quite fitting for an honorable animal like this. This was actually exciting, a trip into the sky, she hoped the thrill of it would help take her mind away from things. "Come Seleniniel, we have travels to attend!" Arathea exclaimed, looking down as the mage struggled and flailed about attempting to mount the beast. She decided it would be unfair to let her companion attempt and fail for the next short period of time at this, and so without asking and without any fanfair she gripped onto Seleniniel's robe and pulled her up onto the back of the animal with relative ease. "Much easier isn't it?" Arathea asked as the mage settled in.

Arathea peered down at the exposed thigh for just a moment, unladlylike? Absolutely, but it was nothing she hadn't seen before, and after dealing with the... unique style of cloth favored by the fae, this was nothing. The rider asked if they were ready, Arathea believed she was as ready as she could ever be, then the beast leaped. It was incredible, Arathea let out an excited holler then turned back to check on Seleniniel. She saw the fear and her eyes, and then as the beast began to go airborne she felt the mage grip onto her for dear life. It was certainly awkward, her eyes shut, her face covered in what looked like fear, it reminded Arathea of... an unpleasant memory. She shrugged it off and tried her best to offer kind words, mustering up as nice of a tone as she could when she had to shout to be heard through the wind. "Just hold on tight! You can trust me, I won't let you fall, okay? You're safe, I promise."

The griffon was truly magnificent to Ruadhrí, as he had never seen such an animal before, let alone one that people could ride like flying chargers. Once it was time though, Ruadhrí put up no fight and stood aside when Arethea came to ride the great beast,a hint of envy in his seasoned eyes. Ruadhrí was, however, suprised when Seleniniel descided to ride along with her, as he would've no doubt expected her to have some reason to destain the griffon riders.

Although he would miss her more joyful expressions and hopeful demeanor, Ruadhrí knew the pain of losing one's tread-or in her case, family. Ruadhrí knew that she needed to grieve in her own way, back home, as he never had the luxury and very much regrets it, depite the fact he had no control.

As for the keep itself, Ruadhrí had no love for the large stone building, even less so than he did for lord Isil'nari's manner house and that is quite a feat. Ruadhrí would spend his time out in the, now empty, stables or the outskirts, but mostly his room until they were ready to move out again.