Begins immediately post-Lady Knight.
Letters from the Front
Dearest Papa,
I hope this finds you all in good health. It has been a long while since I last visited home, and I'm afraid to inform you that I shan't be seeing you for quite some time still.
I suppose I'd best be straight with you now. I'm sure you are wondering why I am writing to you at this particular moment.
As you may have heard, shortly after receiving my knighthood, I was posted on the northern front, as commander of a refugee camp along the Scanran border. What you may not have heard, however, is that I did something truly reckless. Papa, I wanted you to hear it from me directly; you and Mama always did insist on being honest with one another.
I committed treason. I was pardoned, but it happened. And while you may be angry, Papa, I'm not sorry I did it. Why? You see, I had a perfectly good reason for behaving in such a manner. Allow me to explain. When called away from the post to meet with my superiors, the refugee camp was attacked by Scanrans. This was not a raid, as often seen in the past. The soldiers I'd left behind were more than enough for defending against a raid. No. This was a planned manoeuvre. A source from within the camp had passed on information to the enemy; how else would they have known exactly when the settlement would be most vulnerable? With the knight commander and chief healer both gone, in a Scanran's eyes, Haven and its residents were easy pickings. These were my people who I had sworn to protect and I had let them down. I wasn't there when they needed me, and so they suffered. Their capture had been ordered by Maggur Rathausak's pet mage.
Papa, you have to understand; duty bound, I saw no choice but to go on a retrieval mission. Yes, I had been told rather firmly by Lord Wyldon that I was to do no such thing, but to my ears the words sounded preposterous. Following those orders sounded far more doom laden than the alternative. Papa, this is rather terrible but I have to tell you. Have you heard about the giant metal killing machines? They were a Scanran weapon, if I may put it that way. Blayce the Gallan, the aforementioned Scanran king's pet mage, created them. They were true monstrosities, brought about by evil and fueled by the souls of dead children. I couldn't let that happen anymore, Papa, I couldn't!
I hope you are now able to understand my actions. Rash though they may seem, I did right by my people and served my country. I have always striven to conduct myself with honour. My only regret is that I could have jeopardised all my chances which you and Mama worked so hard to give me. Forgive me if I have displeased you, Papa, as it was not my intention.
Give my love to Mama and the others. I shall be thinking of you all everyday. May the gods bless you all.
Your ever loving daughter,
Keladry
Comments and criticism all welcomed. It's been a while since I've had any inspiration, and my writing's suffered as such.
- Khadeejah: 31/10/2010