#macragge

Warhammer planets as the ww1 country personification art

Closeups:

I left what age they were reverted to up to interpretation. Dorn came off as very autistic coded in the natural flow of writing, so I leaned into it. I also pulled some habits that one of my own siblings had. For example, if you gave them a cookie or cracker and it broke, they'd cry and claim they couldn't eat it. Tarasha is best mom.

"That's boring."

Guilliman frowned at his brother, "No, it's not. It's more fun than-than-than... stacking blocks together and trying not to knock it over!"

Rogal folded his arms, "I like that game. I don't want to swim again. The water is too hot."

"But it's a bath house," Roboute explained. "It's supposed to be hot!"

"I'm not going," Rogal stated before planting himself on the ground.

He tried keeping his regular stonefaced expression, but his eyebrows betrayed him.

Roboute slumped, wishing his brother would open his eyes to see his sad, sad face.

"Why not go by yourself?" Offered Tarasha.

The child picked at his tunic and looked down, "But I wanted him to come with me..."

Dorn puffed his cheeks, "Hot water is meant for cold weather to keep you warm."

"But we can still go play!" Roboute insisted. "You're being so mean!"

Rogal whipped his head to his brother, stuck out his tongue, and blew a raspberry. Roboute's jaw dropped in shock. His bottom lip began to quiver, and his face turned red. Rogal glared back as he stood and marched away.

The thirteenth Primarch's mother stepped in, "Alright, that's enough. I think you two need to take a break and have some alone time."

Roboute looked up at her with tearfilled eyes, "But why?"

She smoothed back his hair, "You're both overwhelmed. How about we head to the far side of the gardens for lunch? There's a pond there. You both can swim and it won't be too hot."

Roboute looked hopefully at his brother, holding clenched fists to his chest in anticipation.

Rogal glanced to the side and pondered it for a moment, still unsure.

Tarasha added, "That part of the wall was built before most of the palace. It was also done with a different method and materials."

"Okay," Rogal nodded.

"Head to your room, Roboute," Tarasha told her son. "I'll get your brother settled and be back. Would you like to see the library, Rogal?"

He nodded and let her lead him out.

Roboute stood there, debating if he really should pout. Even if no one was there. Was he in trouble?

He let out a loud sigh and trudged back to his room. It felt bigger than ever. He had never realized how great it was to have someone your age and just like you. He now felt incredibly lonely.

***

Lady Euten ensured Rogal nestled in the chair he chose. She had the librarian bringing him various texts on inventions of the infrastructure of Macragge. She also ensured they had some pictures in there.

"Is there anything you need?" She asked.

He shook his head. He didn't like making eye contact with her.

"When will Father and Uncle be back?" He asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But as soon as I hear, I'll let you know. If you need me or anything else, just ask the librarian."

The boy nodded and picked up a picture book.

She smiled as she scurried out.

Roboute was lying face down on his bed. She leaned against the door and folded her arms.

"Roboute, are you pouting?" She asked knowingly.

He didn't answer for a second, "...no."

She came in and sat next to her son, stroking his head.

"Why is he being mean?" Roboute questioned.

"He's not," she assured. "He's just upset."

Her son rolled over to face her, "But why? I got turned into a kid, too."

She cupped his cheeks, "Well, where are we?"

"Macragge?"

She nodded, "And who's home is that?"

"Mine."

"And who is here with you?"

He glanced to the side and answered, "You are."

"I think Rogal misses his home and his family," She elaborated.

"Oh..." He whispered, now feeling guilty.

"We just need to remember to be patient and kind," she told him as she kissed his head. "Do you want to help me pack for our picnic?"

"Yes, please."

***

Rogal was in the middle of a riveting tale about tar being used to seal aqueducts and how to produce it when Lady Euten came in with Roboute.

"You can bring the book with you," she said.

Rogal nodded and climbed off the chair. He bowed to the librarian who bid them goodbye.

As they entered the garden, Roboute ran over to Rogal's side and offered his hand. When he took it, his brother practically skipped the rest of the way.

He pointed out patches of flowers bushes he'd helped plant.

As they approached their destination, Roboute muttered, "Sorry for saying you're mean when I was being mean."

"It's okay," Dorn said, staring at the ground.

He looked up to see the wall of the guard, and his eyes grew wider.

"That's really old," he stated.

He pulled away and ran forward to look at it. Tarasha laid out the blanket and began pulling out food from the basket.

"Is this wall climable?" Rogal asked her, whilst pointing.

"I don't think so," she hummed. "It's sturdy and stable enough to be patrolled upon, but I don't want you to accidentally grab somewhere with loose brick."

Rogal nodded and looked back at said wall, "They're rocks instead of traditional brick. Sometimes, that's used when a proper brick baking oven isn't available. Sometimes, it's stronger than regular brick walls."

He started telling about the process of making bricks and their variations. Roboute listened closely.

"Come eat!" Tarasha called.

The two came running back. She handed Roboute his own pita and an unmade one to Rogal.

"I figured you'd want to put yours together," she deduced.

The white-haired boy nodded, "Thank you."

He began meticulously constructing it just how he wanted it. The bread ripped when he tried picking it up, though. He pushed the plate away and pulled his knees to his chest.

"What's wrong?" His brother asked, sauce smeared across his lips.

"It broke," Rogal said quietly. "I can't eat it now."

Roboute wrinkled his nose and cocked his head, "Yes, you can?"

His brother shook his head.

"I brought extras," Tarasha told him. "Do you want two to double up?"

Dorn nodded and tried to hide tears that welled in his eyes. He reconstructed it, albeit slightly different, and ate it with no issues.

The blond decided to go look at the pond.

"Rogal look!" He called. "There's a fish!"

He pointed at it so his brother could see it.

"We call that Blue Skylar."

Rogal nodded, "It's part of the Siluriformes family of fish. A genome type from Terra."

"Ohh," his brother nodded. "Can we swim now?"

To his delight, Rogal nodded.

"Take off your outer clothes and leave them over here," Tarasha told them.

"Yes, mother," he replied, pulling Rogal over.

Roboute had his off in an instant.

In repeated routine, Rogal carefully removed his outerwear, folded it gently, and stacked it in a specific order before laying them upon the blanket.

They held hands as Roboute brought him to he waters edge. They gently tested it by dipping a toe in.

Roboute spoke, "Oh, it's kinda cold."

Rogal suddenly jumped in, forming a cannonball. Not wanting to be left out, Roboute did the same. Rogal surfaced, now holding the fish.

"I caught it."

The fish looked utterly surprised at being held, leg alone caught.

Guilliman laughed, "Look at its face!"

A smile crossed Dorn's lips.

Are there any sources on the exact distance between the two?

I keep thinking it to be around 5 light years but I could be wrong. (I take the distance between our sun and the nearest star,the Alpha Centauri for reference.)

I rely on this for most of my travel times to be honest and I don't know if this has been retconned yet.

So, at 5 light years, it should be a day's worth of travel at best. Adding to it the time it takes to reach the Mandeville's Point from where the actual warp jump is done. Am I even close to the actual number, I wonder!