"I thought I'd find you here."
Sarai shoots an arrow and curses when it misses its mark. She's been antsy this morning and needed an outlet for her pent up emotions. Craving the silence of solitude, she headed to the archery range at the crack of dawn, knowing it was going to be empty until the soldiers completed their morning conditioning. She just wasn't expecting anyone to be looking for her this early.
"No, you didn't." She nocks another arrow and draws back the bowstring. "You would've checked the room first, then the courtyard." With an exhale, she releases only to hit the outer ring of the target. Another curse. "No one expects to find me here." She reaches into the quiver, still facing away from the intruder. "Which is kind of the point, actually."
Viren doesn't respond to her jab, instead offering her a weak smile that she doesn't see. "Losing your touch?"
Though she is slightly annoyed at his presence, she chooses to humor him. "Never had it," she counters, preparing for another shot. Archery had never been one of her strengths. "There's too much uncertainty. The wind, the weight, the apparatus, the user-you can aim, but one small variation is enough to throw everything off. Requires a special kind of intuition that I just don't seem to have. I'd much rather be throwing a spear." There's a sudden rush of wind as she releases and the arrow flies past the target, slightly to the right. "Dammit mother—"
"Sarai, we need to talk."
"Oh?" Sarai whips around, ready to give him a piece of her mind but a quick glance at his state stops her.
He's standing not too far from where she is with his spell book in one hand, the staff in the other, and a satchel hanging from his shoulder. His posture is proper, as expected of a member of the royal court, but his eyes were downcast. Something about him just looks so defeated and Sarai isn't going to ignore that just because they aren't on the best terms.
She unstrings the bow and fetches the arrows while Viren watches blankly. "Come on, let's go for a walk." They stroll away from the archery range and Viren stays quiet, but it isn't the kind of quiet Sarai is used to.
They've known each other for a little over a decade now-he and his wife were her first friends when she became a crown guard-and if there's anything she'd learned in that time it's that the mage has an incredibly busy mind. There's always something brewing in there and he could easily spend hours just mulling over his ideas in silence. This silence, however, was nothing like that.
It almost reminds her of Adriel's contemplative stillness but… sad. Sarai knows that Viren isn't usually the type to let his imagination run ahead of reality, but Viren isn't his usual self today. Even though he's not the most expressive person, she knows she needs to find a way to pull him out of his thoughts.
"Where are you headed?" she asks casually, pointedly eying his satchel.
"I uh… I need to find something to fix my eyes so I'll be leaving town for a few days."
She bites down the urge to point out that he didn't answer the question. "I see. I'll walk you to the stables then."
"Soren saw me last night," he abruptly blurts out.
Sarai looks up at him, surprised by the apparent crack in his stoic facade. "Is he alright?"
"He was petrified," he frowns. "I messed up. And it had never been clearer than in that moment when he looked at me with nothing but fear in his eyes. I was playing with fire and my family got burned. What use is the good that I do when I hurt the people closest to me?" He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. "I'm going to make things right, Sarai."
"How do you plan on doing that?"
He considers his words carefully before he speaks. "There are ingredients I need to find for myself and for the Prince. I'll use the staff to cure us and once it has served its purpose, I will be returning it to Xadia."
Sarai clenches her jaw, feeling anger slowly seep into her veins. "Ah, so will the return of the staff be happening before or after they send their troops here to kill us?"
They were well aware that retaliation is inevitable. The castle was fortified for the eventual intrusion of the elves, but no one had ever dared acknowledge it out loud. Everyone in the know simply danced around the truth, and the unavoidable fact that their lives were on the line remained hidden in the shadows of insinuation… Until now, at least.
"I don't know," Viren finally admits. "But that's why I'm here." He stops and rifles through the pockets of his bag, pulling out a vial on a chain. "This vial holds enchanted water from the Sea of Castout. It can temporarily counter any Sunfire elf's ability to... burn up, for lack of a better word. All you have to do is find a way to introduce it into their bloodstream, even just a drop will suffice."
"Where did you get this?" she asks, unable to stop the fascination from leaking into her voice.
"Crafted by the mage before me," he explains. "It was meant to be taken to the Breach but turns out it wasn't needed. A certain overachieving General somehow managed to scare them off." With a gentle smile, he takes Sarai's hand and drops the vial onto her palm. "I know you probably don't need it but please accept it as a token of my apology. I failed to protect your family once, and I know this probably doesn't even begin to-"
"Thank you." She places a hand on his shoulder and gives it a squeeze, knowing that Viren isn't the most comfortable with hugs. "There's still a lot on my mind in regards to the mission. I'm not quite ready to forgive you for... that just yet."
"I understand," Viren replies solemnly.
"But you're a good man, Viren." She starts walking again and he follows after her. "You know, I don't think I ever thanked you for healing Adriel."
He chuckles. "No, I don't believe you did."
"Thank you for that too, then," she smiles.
They spend the rest of their walk in silence but Sarai is flooded with a sense of optimism. Even though her conversation with Viren was far from all-encompassing, she feels that it was a good boost for her mental and emotional recovery. Things are only going to get better from here.
Lissa's sitting by the door when Claudia and Mathias enter, dressed in her almost-all-black uniform: plain pants, boots, and gloves, a collared tunic accented with lines of gold, and a burgundy belt tied around her waist. Her hair was pulled into a low braided bun, and a leather band rests atop of her head with the healer's golden insignia proudly displayed in the center. It was a simple outfit compared to that of other positions in the royal court.
Her eyes land on the leather-bound book in Claudia's arms but when she speaks, it's to her apprentice. "You're late."
Mathias notices the tiredness in her voice. Though Claudia's secret adventure this morning had given him a hint that something was amiss, he couldn't quite piece together what it was. But Lissa's familiar puffy eyes and her grumpy disposition gave a pretty clear indication of what had transpired the night before. Her fights with Viren didn't happen too frequently, but it happened often enough for Mathias to know the signs.
"I apologize, Lady Lissa, it will not happen again." He bows his head.
She gives no indication that she heard him. "What do you have there, Claudia?"
"A book," she says innocently.
"Your father already has that book," Lissa points out, her voice clipped. "You should return it to the library. Someone might need to use it."
"But I'm using it," she frowns, clutching it closer to her chest as her mother raises a brow. "I'll read it."
Mathias clears his throat. "I was actually hoping that she'd be able to read it with you." Because leaving a child alone with a book on dark magic probably isn't a good idea, he finishes in his thoughts, hoping that she would pick up on his unsaid concerns. Claudia enthusiastically nods at his statement.
Lissa stands with a weary sigh. "Alright, my darling. We'll take a look at it later." She absently pats Claudia on the head and Mathias can't help but notice the slight sagging of the child's shoulders in response.
He's sure Lissa notices this as well but she chooses not to comment. "I'm going to work, okay? Soren's still asleep but please wake him before Isolde arrives so he can get ready." She ignores Claudia's petulant whines at the mention of the governess's name, ushering her apprentice out the door. "Take care of each other. I love you," she calls with a slight crack in her voice. "I love you both very much."
"We love you too, mommy." With that, she shuts the door and makes her way to the infirmary with Mathias in tow.
Claudia waits until their footfalls are no longer audible before she runs into the room to wake her brother. "SOREN WAKE UP WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!"
"Ngh, wha…?"
She throws the blanket off him and tugs at his arms until he's sliding off the bed. "Come on Soren we. Have to. Go," she huffs with each pull.
"But why," Soren moans, reaching for the covers but Claudia smacks his hand. "Hey! No hitting!"
"Because I want to get breakfast."
Her brother sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Isolde brings us breakfast."
Claudia crawls onto the bed and pushes Soren from behind with her shoulder. "No, she brings us oats and sadness. I want breakfast." She winks exaggeratedly.
Soren's face lights up. "Pancakes?" His sister nods enthusiastically. He brings a hand to his chin in thought. A good brother wouldn't let his sister miss lessons, he considers.
Arms folded, Claudia sulks. "If you don't go with me, I'll have to eat the pancakes all by myself."
Soren's eyes widen. A good brother also wouldn't let his sister walk to the kitchen alone—what if she gets attacked?! Convinced, he hops off the bed and picks up an empty bottle nearby. Claudia's head tilts in confusion. "For protection," he says seriously, taking her hand in his to lead her to the kitchen.
"Wait!" They stop. "I know a shortcut," Claudia whispers. She doesn't wait for a response before dragging Soren out of the room and to the opposite direction of the kitchen. Her brother wonders what kind of shortcut leads them away from where they want to go, but doesn't question it out loud. He knows his sister is clever, so it wouldn't surprise him if she figured out this magical shortcut.
Though, Soren can't help but question why Claudia opted for a shortcut. The less time they spend on travel, the faster they'll end up back with Isolde and that was not something either of them would've wanted. Isolde is not a nice lady.
She's strict, boring, and the way her eyes narrowed as if she was perpetually judgemental only added to their dislike. Her lips always seemed to be twisted in a frown and her brown hair was kept short, falling to her shoulders in soft, delicate waves contrary to her jagged persona. The fact that she has a job taking care of children confused Soren, she didn't seem to like them very much.
Maybe it's to avoid her? If Isolde is coming from the kitchen we would definitely run into her on the way there, Soren reasons. Yea, that's probably it.
His stomach grumbles and he's not sure if it's the hunger or his rapidly growing nervousness. The distance between them and the kitchen continues to grow and he would've expected a secret door to lead them back by now.
Soren's eyes narrow as they pass by the last turn of the corridor. It's almost starting to look like they were going to—
"I just need to stop somewhere," Claudia abruptly explains, sensing his hesitation.
"We're going to dad's office, aren't we?" Soren slumps, allowing his feet to drag as his sister pulls him along. She doesn't verbally answer him either, only quickening her pace in response.
Sure enough, Soren finds himself standing in Viren's study just a few minutes later while Claudia wanders around the room calling for their dad… who very obviously isn't there.
"I don't like this," he mutters nervously. "Kids aren't allowed in dad's office, what if he finds us here and gets upset?"
"He won't," his sister grunts as she pulls at various books on his shelves, hoping to find a secret passage.
With a frown, her older brother moves to the desk. If someone does end up catching them, he'll be able to pull Claudia and himself under it so they could hide and they won't get in trouble. That's when he spots a bright red dragon toy, sitting on the table next to a wooden sword with his name engraved on it.
He puts down his bottle and picks up the sword. "Claudia, come look at this."
She complies, seeming mildly annoyed that he's interrupting her mission. But her expression morphs into one of awe when she sees the plushie. "What is that?"
"It's a dragon!" Soren pokes at it with his weapon. "Dad says that they're everywhere in Xadia—and they're waaaaay bigger than this!"
"How big?" Claudia asks, her voice barely above a whisper but her eyes shining with curiosity.
"As… as big as the castle!" he yells, throwing his arms out as far as they could go.
"That's awesome," she gasps, reaching out to touch the dragon.
Soren carelessly swings the sword around. "I'm gonna catch one of those one day," he boasts. "That way we'll have a pet dragon and we can ride it to Del Bar and see our cousins again!"
Just then, the sudden creak of an opening door cuts into their celebration and Soren's blood runs cold.
Dropping the sword, he hurriedly shoves Claudia under the desk but Isolde's already walking into the office before they can both hide. Knowing that there was no way they could conceal themselves from her now, the duo straighten up and stand before the governess with their heads bowed, arms pressed to their sides.
"What are the two of you doing here?" she demands. "Wandering around the castle in sleepwear is hardly fitting for the children of such high ranking court officials. Your parents will be very disappointed."
Soren sees Claudia's fists clench from the corner of his eye, and he feels himself flinch at the hardened tone of her voice. The governess asked a question, but both knew better than to answer.
"Come, let us return to your parents' chambers." She gestures to the door. Claudia's eyes meet his with apparent confusion. This was… milder treatment than what they were used to. Not wanting to push their luck, the children shuffle over, Soren casting a glance back at the sword on the ground as he leaves.
Isolde clicks her tongue impatiently. "Pick up your toys. Don't leave your mess here for your father to clean up."
Soren gasps excitedly despite himself, running back to do as she instructed. With a satisfied nod, Isolde leads them out of the room, barely missing his relieved sigh as he clutches the sword tightly in his grasp.
Hey y'alls, sorry for the slightly late update... and for the slightly longer wait this time: 09/15/2020