Ches 27 1365 DR, Year of the Sword
I Arriving in Suzail I
It was a quiet morning during Malcolm's watch at the city gates. He stared up at the clear blue sky, thanking the Morninglord for such a beautiful day.
Malcolm Dempsray, a young handsome purple dragon knight who stood at five and a half feet, guarded the northern city gate during the day. He secured his scale mail armor over his slim body, then ran a hand through his long brown hair. "How the sun shines brightly over Suzail," he whispered under his breath as he looked down the road that led to the Starwater River.
He was just about to run and grab Irvine and Minerva, when in the distance he spotted two figures on the road walking towards the gate. "I wonder what they want?" Malcolm asked, placing a hand on his short sword.
Malcolm's comrades, Irvine and Minerva emerged from inside the city and walked to the young knight.
Donned in grey scale armor with the holy symbol of Helm etched in the middle, the seven foot tall slim black haired guard named Irvine saw Malcolm looking down the road. "Is everything all right?"
"There's someone coming down the road," answered Malcolm.
Minerva shook her head. She had sandy-blond hair with thick eyelashes and a small-bridged nose. Like Irvine, she too was dressed in grey scale armor that bore Helm's symbol on the front. She wasn't quite as tall as Irvine, but she did stand a couple of inches above Malcolm's height. "It's probably nothing. Just a couple of merchants from Arabel."
Malcolm continued to stare down the road, ignoring Minerva's comment. He watched as the two strangers drew closer to the city gate. One of them appeared to be a halfling. A stout little fellow with curly hair. The other appeared to be a young man dressed in leathers with red hair.
Irvine also noticed the two strangers coming closer. "You two stay here, I'm going to speak with them." Malcolm and Minerva stood quietly while Irvine went walking down the road.
"A hoy there," shouted the seven-foot tall guard," What business do you have here in Suzail?"
Malcolm noticed the halfling turn to the young man, then look in Irvine's direction. "My companion and I came from Shadowdale and have traveled almost three weeks through your beautiful kingdom to come to Suzail. We came here to your beautiful to look for someone." Malcolm noted the halfling's loud voice that sounded something like a street evangelist.
"Who are you exactly looking for?" Irvine shouted back to the halfling.
"That really is none of your concern now is it?" the halfling answered in a calm tone.
"It is, if you have any intentions of harming Suzail or it's citizens" Irvine responded coldly. "If you do not tell me, who you are looking for, or what your business with this person is, then I can not let you pass these gates."
The halfling was about to say something, but the man standing next to him held his hand. "Forgive us, but we were ordered by Storm Silverhand of Shadowdale to come to Suzail and find this person. If it matters, my mother is Jessica Jandar the royal gamekeeper. I'm sure she could would like to see her baby boy, who she has not seen in ages."
Minerva sensed something familiar about the young man's voice. She walked a little ways down the road, and got a better look at the young man, recognizing him instantly. "Sawyer, is that you?"
The young man with dark red hair squinted in Minerva's direction. "Minerva Egslet, it has been a long time."
"You know him?" Malcolm asked as he caught up with her.
Minerva smiled. "I was a squire to Sawyer's father, Lander the Benefactor. He convinced me that I should follow my own path instead of what my mother and father wanted me to do. I used to watch Sawyer spar with some of the priests of Helm."
"Lander the Benefactor," Malcolm muttered," You mean Lander the Backstabber." Minerva scowled at the young knight, while Irvine turned back and smiled. The tall guard didn't know much about Lander, but he had heard stories of the young man named Sawyer who left for Suzail to jouney Fauern to become a druid.
"This is my friend Bowie Butterball," Sawyer said politely as he and Bowie quickly made their way up to the three guards.
"You've developed into quite a handsome young man Sawyer," Minerva remarked with a smile. "It's good to see you and since it is you, I guess I could escort you and your friend to the palace to see Jessica."
"Do you think it's wise to just take them to the palace?" Malcolm asked with concern," I mean what would the king and queen say? They probably would have us arrested."
"If what I heard is true Malcolm," Irvine remarked with a slight grin," the king and queen would probably arrest us if we didn't take them to the palace."
Jessica Jandar was tending to her private garden that was behind her small cottage, which sat in the back of the royal garden. Wearing leather breeches and a light blue cotton shirt, Jessica was in her early forties, but she appeared to be in her early thirties. She had long dark red hair with blue eyes, a slender figure, and full pouting lips.
After tending to her garden, Jessica walked around the royal garden, watching the wonders of nature. Today just happened to be her day off, and she thanked the gods that she didn't have to walk the king's pet pegasus. Besides it being her day off, this day was rather sacred to Jessica. She was happy, yet there was a void in her heart, which could only be filled by the presence of her son.
"It's a nice day isn't it," a voice that was all too familiar to Jessica said quietly. A voice she had not heard in so long.
The sound of his voice caused Jessica's heart to skip a beat. She turned around, seeing Sawyer standing there smiling. At first, she thought it was an illusion. A trick that was orchestrated by Vangerdahast, or one of his War Wizards.
"It's great to see you mother," Sawyer said softly, walking up to his mother, then embracing her.
"My son, I have missed you so much," Jessica whispered as she held her son closely. A tear streamed down her face, and she pulled away. "How have you been?"
Sawyer smiled back at his mother. "I have been quite well mother. I finished college in Silverymoon, then I traveled to Shadowdale, where I met some rather interesting people. I studied under a druid named Merith for a short time. He was one of the Knights of Myth Drannor."
"That sounds lovely." Jessica commented, then her eyes saw something small moving around her son. She looked behind him, seeing a small black-brown furred rodent moving around. "Is that a wolverine?"
"Yes, her name is Erilett," Sawyer answered," I met her in Silverymoon." He quieted his voice to a whisper," Don't tell, but I had to sneak her past the guards by putting her in my backpack for a little bit."
Jessica looked down at Erilett. The wolverine wagged her tail, looking up at Jessica with big innocent eyes. She then darted off in the opposite direction. "She'll be fine," Sawyer remarked, watching Erilett as she lay down next to his mother's cottage.
Jessica studied the wolverine for a moment, then noticed her son looking off in the distance. "What's wrong dear?"
"It's nothing mother," Sawyer quickly answered. Looking away from her, he spotted two finely dressed women whispering to one another. The druid had a feeling they were talking about him returning home. The noble women had always been gossiping about Sawyer and his mother for as long as the druid could remember.
"Looks like some things never change," he muttered coldly.
Jessica wondered what her son was talking about, but then her keen sense of hearing picked up bits and pieces of the conversation the two noble women were having.
"Mother, why don't you leave this place?" Sawyer asked her. "You could live in Arabel, or Shadowdale. You shouldn't have to endure the whispers and taunting."
Jessica shook her head. "Sawyer we've been through this before. I've lived in Suzail most of my life. This is the place where I married your father and raised you. Everything I need, I have right here. So what if the lady nobles are gossiping about me, or you. They gossip about everyone so that they don't have to think about how their husbands are sleeping with other women."
"And if Jessica did leave, who would take care of the horses when they get sick?" a deep and powerful voice remarked a little ways away from Sawyer.
"Good morning your majesty Azoun," Sawyer said as he turned to greet the King Azoun Obarskyr with a bow. Azoun Obarskyr IV was a stocky man, standing just less than six foot. He had thick brown hair and a brown beard that both had streaks of grey going through it. His blue eyes showed that of a man with honor, love, and a sense of what is right.
Azoun was dressed in a long silk red robe with gems stiched down the middle. Upon his head sat a golden crown with jewels that were lines around the bottom. Standing next to the king was his Queen Filfaeril. Filfaeril smiled at Sawyer, her long blond hair shimmering in the sunlight.
Wearing a long silk blue dress, the queen walked up to Sawyer, getting a better look at him. "What a fine young man you have grown up to be Sawyer. Your father would be proud."
Queen Filfaeril's words made Sawyer blush. He glanced over his mother, who was biting her lip. King Azoun was wearing a proud smile on his face.
The druid looked back over at Filfaeril and smiled at her warmly. If someone ever asked Sawyer who made the biggest impact on his life, he would immediately answer "Queen Filfaeril of Cormyr." Sawyer did love his mother, but when the druid was younger, Jessica would always be away on business in some exotic land, leaving him in the care of Filfaeril, and when Azoun would be away on "business" the queen would seek out Sawyer, inviting him to stay the night at the palace.
The queen would keep Sawyer up, sharing stories and tales about the ancient lands. She would teach him about dancing, the art, and how to be a gentleman. True Filfaeril had two daughters, but they seemed all too grown up to spend time with their mother. When Sawyer grew older, many thought that he was bedding the queen, which of course wasn't true.
Still, one of the reasons Sawyer had left Cormyr, was to get away from the intrigue.
"So how old are you now Sawyer?" Azoun asked with a smirk, as if he just remembered something
"I'm only twenty-two milord," Sawyer answered with a bow, then he remembered something," Speaking of which, Happy Birthday."
King Azoun chuckled. "I was just about to say the very same thing to you."
The druid shook his head. "It's not my birthday today. My birthday isn't until the twenty-seventh, and today is...today is my birthday. I apologize. Being on the road for a long time has made me somewhat forgetful I guess."
"You not need to apologize for anything Sawyer," Filfaeril said softly, pinching the druid's cheek. "In fact, tonight Azoun is holding a formal ball in honor of his birthday. You are more than welcome to come if you want."
"The ball...I'd love to, but I will have to ask my friend first," Sawyer responded," He's a halfling with brown hair."
Jessica shook her head, saying that she hadn't seen any halflings running around the royal garden. "I think I saw him wandering the palace," Azoun answered, stroking his beard," He said that he needed to speak with one of our librarians. Something about recruitment of some kind."
Bowie Butterball stood quietly in the Royal Library, flanked on both sides by wooden shelves that were full of books. Normally, the halfling would be sitting at a table with a large pile of open books, indulging on the information that was inside the tomes. However, on this occasion, he found himself staring at one of the librarians. She was beautiful, appearing in her early twenties, and stood about five and a half feet tall. She wore a white cotton dress over her voluptuous and curvy body, had long strawberry blond hair, and blue eyes. At the moment, the woman was sitting at the reference desk, appearing to be bored.
The halfling bard reached under his white silk shirt and pulled out a small bronze amulet that hung around his neck. The amulet itself had a small black rock embedded in the middle of it. "Are you sure she is one of the recruits we're looking for?" Bowie whispered.
"Don't let her first impression fool you Bowie," Sylune Silverhand's ghostly voice said from within the amulet. "You are a bard, but you are also one of best swordsmen I've seen. Sawyer is a druid, but he's trained by some of the best swordsmen in Cormyr. Virgo, though she appears to be a simple librarian, has had extensive training from some of the Purple Dragon Knights. Despite you all being of different professions, you three would be quite a trio of swordsmen. Except for Virgo who is actually a woman."
Bowie stared down at the amulet where the spirit of Sylune Silverhand, once the Witch of Shadowdale who had died saving her beloved town now resided. Sylune had a habit of saying phrases that didn't make a lot of sense to him, but nevertheless he was glad she was there to help him.
"That's what godmothers are for Bowie," Sylune's voice whispered to him as if she had read his mind. He felt a strong warmness grip his hand gently, then the warmness disappeared.
The halfling took a deep breath, then walked over to where the librarian was standing. "Excuse me, your name wouldn't happen to be Virgo would it?"
The woman stared at the halfling for a moment. Reaching into her dress, she pulled out a pair of golden-rimmed bifocals and placed them over her eyes. "Sorry, I thought there were two of you for a moment," she responded in a quiet clear voice. "Yes I am Virgo. What can I help you with?"
Bowie smiled and looked around the library. Seeing that nobody was around, he reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a small silver pin that was shaped like a harp. "My name is Bowie Butterball and I represent the Harpers Organization. An organization that goes around the realms-"
"I know who the Harpers are," interrupted Virgo with a smirk. "What exactly are you doing here? Are you trying to recruit me or something?"
Bowie laughed softly. "Well that just saved me about ten minutes of speech, but yes the Harpers are interested in recruiting you as an agent."
Virgo raised an eyebrow. She pondered what an organization like the Harpers would be interested in her for. "Why do the Harpers want me?" Virgo asked. "I'm not that much of fighter. We have many other capable warriors who would be more than willing to be Harpers."
Bowie nodded. "True, but I was told to recruit you and two others from around Cormyr, and from what I hear just now, you're actually a pretty good swordswoman."
Virgo chuckled. "I guess you must have heard the story about how I broke Tanalasta's nose."
"Well I didn't hear about that," Bowie commented, shrugging his shoulders. "All I heard was that you are a good fighter. But being a Harper is more than just fighting villains, singing songs, and getting our noses into other people's business. It's about adventure, and finding yourself. From watching you sitting at the desk, you looked like you wanted to be doing something else."
Virgo sighed. "My mother Molliandra Rowanmantle, is friends with King Azoun. I live here in the palace, surrounded by scandals and conspiracies. I just want to leave. Do you know what I mean?"
Bowie smiled. "Not really, but I know someone who would understand what you are saying. So are you in or out? I'll tell you now, after we leave Suzail, we'll be probably be going to Eveningstar to find the other two recruits, if my "contact" is right."
"Contact?" Virgo asked, gently taking the pin from Bowie. She then grabbed his hand with hers and shook his hand with a firm grip.
"There you are," declared Sawyer as he stepped in the library, looking at Bowie. He then looked over at the woman Bowie appeared to be talking to. The druid's heart began to race as he stared at Virgo.
The halfling grinned. It wasn't just Sawyer's expression when he first saw Virgo that amused Bowie, but also Virgo's reaction when she saw Sawyer enter the library.
"This is Virgo," Bowie said calmly," I just asked her about being being one of our newest Harper Agents. From what I hear, she is a good fighter."
It took a few moment for Bowie's words to sink into Sawyer' head. "Oh...will you be joining us," the druid said after taking a short breath.
"Well…sure...wait, you're a Harper too?" Virgo answered as her face turned. Sawyer nodded his head, staring at the small ring with Obarskyr crest on it, then turned to Bowie.
"King Azoun has just invited us to a ball he is holding for his birthday. I didn't know how long it would take you to find our agent so I told him that I would ask you first."
Bowie looked at Sawyer and Virgo. "Normally I would say that we need to get moving, but I think going to the ball is a good way to welcome Virgo into the Harpers."
