With
the dawning of spring rapidly approaching the Isles of Myst, the elven palace
was alive with the fervid activity of mystics and royal staff bustling about.
The festival of Ehtele was
only weeks away, and a great deal of work had yet to be done. Despite the
frantic commotion throughout the palace, the great hallway of Llyote remained
dead silent throughout the morning as the royal mystics worked their secretive
magic upon gardens.
Yet as
morning broke into early afternoon, the hallway suddenly came to life as the
voices of the Adaron and the newly appointed Captain of the Royal Guard drifted
in through the adjacent walkway. Donning the golden robes that symbolized the
highest rank in elven society, Lauciian Oaktree slipped languidly down the
extended hallway, inspecting the work that was going on in the royal gardens. At
his side, Mirelis Lightbow walked at a steady pace, examining the progress of
the mystics somewhat, but most of his centered upon the
Adaron.
�What news have you heard of my brother, Mirelis?� The soft-spoken question drifted from the graceful
lips of Lauciian, and for a moment, it almost sounded as if he missed the
presence of his brother. �He has not sent word from Mysthaven since
he and Arien fled after our father�s murder.� Yet the illusion would not last long as Lauciian
promptly continued, �I grow tired of hearing my mother whine about
how she misses him. If I must be the one to make amends then so be it, at least
it will shut her up.�
The scathing tone of the Adaron did not catch
Mirelis by surprise in the slightest. Since he had been promoted to captain of
the guard, Mirelis had often heard such diatribe spew from the mouth of his
lord. �I have been able to gather little information about the on goings of
your brother, Adaron.� The captain returned truthfully while keeping his
chestnut eyes firmly upon Lauciian. �Save for the
rumors that make their way here from Kishant, I have heard little else.�
Brushing
aside a long, golden lock of hair with a hint of irritation, Lauciian slanted a
quick glance over towards Mirelis as the two made their way down the empty
hallway. �Knowing Kirsah, these �rumors� are most likely true,� Lauciian
smirked as he turned his attention back out through the windows to watch the
laboring mystics perform their magic upon the thawing ground. �Tell me, what
do they say about him? I�m interested in hearing about what sort of trouble my
brother has gotten himself into this time.�
Whether Mirelis believed the reports that had come
from Kishant, one couldn�t say, but there was no denying that he held a great
deal of respect for Kirsah as did most elves who had served under the General�s
command during the war. Even so, he was not about to anger the Adaron by
bringing up his own sentiment on the issue. �It has been said that your
brother has fallen into the spider�s web, Adaron.� The captain murmured in
response by taking part of a quote from the front page of one of the local
papers found in Kishant.
�It has been reported that he and the smuggler, Direlette Ip
Lacan who has been dubbed the black widow, are having a lucid and torrent
affair.� Although Mirelis might not have believed most of the rumors in
which Kirsah�s name popped up, it sounded as though he felt that this one was
the truth. He had been at the Dragonmyst Inn the night that Kirsah had met
Direlette, and it was easy to see how the two might be
involved.
�Ahh yes� I believe that you told me about that
one sometime before. The dark- haired tart that was draped all over him at the
bar�� Musing silently over his thoughts,
Lauciian paused in the hallway just in front of a large window, and turned to
face the gardens. �Or was it the other way around? With Kirsah, you
can never be certain. He has never set any standard as to who or what he takes
to bed.� A smile
never once cracked Lauciian�s stoic features, but there seemed to be a hint of
amusement, if not pleasure, in his voice as he uttered those words.
Kirsah had been the
favored of the twins, perhaps now his image amongst the elven populace would
begin to crumble and they would come to accept their Adaron in a similar light.
Perhaps even his mother would come to see that Kirsah wasn�t the perfect son
that she had always thought he was. Yet even as pleasing as the idea of
shredding apart that belief, Lauciian decided against it. Tilting his head
slowly, Lauciian looked fully upon Mirelis once again as he spoke,
�Just make certain that such news does not
reach my mother. She would be most distressed to find out that her beloved
Kirsah has an acquired taste for human filth, and I will be the one to suffer
her incessant whining.�
Nodding slowly as he took a mental
note of the command, Mirelis offered a false smile to appease his lord,
�Of course, Adaron. I will see to it that this news never reaches
your mother�s ears. I would not want you to undergo any unnecessary stress.�
Despite Lauciian�s embittered feelings
about the close relationship between his mother and brother, Mirelis harbored no
resentment against the woman and would rather spare her any pain, if any, that
would come from hearing such news.
�Now that I think about it, I wonder how the Lord Marshall is
dealing with this news.� A devilish smile
captured Lauciian�s mouth at this thought, though the pleasure over her
misfortune would not last long. He and Arien had never been close, and it
brought him no greater joy than to see her attempts to woo his brother crumble.
�Then again, she has always turned a blind eye to Kirsah�s conquests
in the past. It wouldn�t surprise me if she did so again. I would almost pity
the woman if I didn�t detest the very thought of
her...�
Yet no
response would come forth from Mirelis as the faint sound of footsteps echoed
down the oaken hallway, causing both men to turn in surprise and drop their
conversation. Following shortly after the first sounds that echoed into the
hallway, a young Kil`reas, assigned to the border patrol along the southern edge
of the forest rounded the corner leading into the hallway and promptly made his
way towards both men at a hurried pace.
�Adaron�
Captain, forgive me for interrupting your conversation,� The
words spilled forth as the guard kneeled before Lauciian and lowered his gaze as
the formal protocol demanded. Feeling both sets of eyes upon him, the guard
quickly added, �But I bring to you urgent news from the southern border just
above Larmian.�
�Rise
and state your purpose,� Lauciian
commanded with a hint of irritation staining his musical voice. Clearly annoyed
that his conversation had been interrupted, mainly because he had given strict
orders that he was not to be disturbed, Lauciian crossed his arms slowly while
the guard slowly rose to his feet.
�Within
the past hour, my patrol came upon a man bearing the colors and insignia of the
Molentia Crown within the forest�s border.� The
guard started to explain the strange situation that had occurred upon their
routine sweep of the area. While there had been a number of merchants
that tried to enter the forest daily, this was the first emissary from the
Molentia Crown that sought entrance into the forest since Airethond�s death.
�He gave up his weapons willingly, and insists that he has been to speak with
you on behalf of the King and Queen. My patrol leader sent me back to ask if we
should send him back south or bring him to the
palace.�
Without waiting for the Adaron�s response, Mirelis quickly interjected as
a wave of anger rushed over him, �I gave the orders myself that no one was to
be admitted into the order. Escort the man back out of the forest. If he
returns, use whatever force is necessary to make sure that he doesn�t try to
enter a third time.� Upset that his orders had been questioned, Mirelis
never noticed that Lauciian remained strangely silent after hearing the
news.
�No.�
Lauciian
finally broke his silence, causing Mirelis to look back at him in shock. The
report completely caught Lauciian off guard, mainly because neither side had
spoken since his father had passed away. Perhaps it was his own curiosity or the
political intuition that it would be wise to greet this man, Lauciian had
decided against sending. �The messenger is to be escorted to the palace, and
treated in a manner suited to any foreign dignitary visiting our lands. That is
my order, now see that it is done.�
Even before the guard had a chance to start off and relay the
message to his commander, Lauciian had turned his ocean blue gaze back to
Mirelis and completely ignored the questioning look he was receiving.
�Captain, once the messenger has arrived. See to it that he is escorted to
one of the guest rooms. He may wash up if he so chooses, but once he is
finished� you are to bring him to my study
immediately.�
Not
waiting for any response from the captain, Lauciian turned sharply on his heels
and started down the hallway, heading in the opposite direction of the border
guard. Something was amiss� the Adaron could feel that in his very being, but
what games were Janessa and Corvarath trying to play? Only time would
tell�
Mystonian
Elven Terminology:
Adaron - Lord of the Trees
Kil`reas - Elven Border Patrol
Ehtele - Festival celebrating the arrival of
Spring
