"Gooooood morning, my little peacebloom!" Aranya sing-songed, waking the little elf child from her sleep. Valéria rubbed her eyes drowsily and hugged her shimmering blue dragon doll close to her chest, returning Aranya's bright smile as she was pulled from the sleepy grasp of the night that had passed with a big kiss on the cheek from the tall woman. Morning sunshine poured in through the windows, illuminating a few chairs, stacks of books that had been left on the floor with a couple of toys, and elegant trunks that had some more of Valéria's things in them. The world outside was alive with the sounds and smells of summer, the scent of phlox carrying on the air, the calls of birds chirping and warbling to each other.
"Where's Kethron?" Valéria asked.
Aranya's whiskery black eyebrows twitched and lifted on her forehead, rather surprised at the question. Normally the first thing that the little girl would ask in the mornings was about what was for breakfast, or where they might go that day. This was entirely unexpected. "At... his estate, I would assume," she answered after a minute.
"Can we go with him?" inquired Valéria, wide eyes sparkling and hopeful.
Aranya's jaw slackened a bit and she blinked. Entirely unexpected, indeed.
"Uhmm... Perhaps?" she replied, near at a loss for any other words. "If we ask nicely." But then she smiled, wrapped her arms around the child, and pulled her up for a hug. "And depending on what the intended destination is," she said with a playful twinkle in her luminescent green eyes. "I might not be willing to let you just go somewhere with someone, you know."
Valéria grinned. "You'll let me go with Kethron," she said, sounding absolutely sure in the certainty of her words.
"Oh?" Aranya quirked a brow amusedly. "And what makes you say that?"
Valéria giggled, "Because he's Kethron!" As if that explained everything so obviously.
It did give the arcanist pause, though. Knowingly or not, there was something of a point in what Valéria had just said. Lord Kethron Thorne was not someone to just say "no" to lightly, whatever the circumstance, and Aranya understood this, even if the young girl asking for his company did not - at least consciously.
"Did you have sweet dreams?" Aranya asked, changing the subject and giving the blonde child another little kiss on the cheek.
Valéria nodded.
"Good."
"Did you have sweet dreams?" Valéria asked in return, and Aranya inwardly clamped down hard on a flush before it could reach her cheeks, remembering what it was like to re-live the sensation of Rhovin's arms around her in her sleep.
Only a few nights away from him had gone by, yet she missed him so much. There were points in the hours when, "I'll be back again very soon, you'll see," didn't feel soon enough at all. But it wouldn't be much longer, she'd see to that, come hail or hellfire. Another day or so, at most.
The only reply that Aranya gave aloud was an honest mhm.
"I'm glad," said Valéria, fondly.
"Get dressed," the mage told the girl, with a quick kiss on the forehead, before she got up from where she sat at Valéria's bedside and turned to go. "And then come to breakfast."
To: Lord Kethron Thorne, of Quel'thalas
From: Arcanist Aranya Ver'Sarn
My Lord
It has been some time since we last spoke or saw each other, but I hope this letter, while unexpected, does not come as an unwelcome surprise for you.
Your graciousness has not been forgotten. Valéria often asks after you, and remembers you very fondly. She looks forward to when she might see you again, and I tell her that it
may happen, but there is nothing that I can tell her with certainty. That is for you to decide. I would make no presumptions on you.
You may have already heard from your son that I've taken it upon myself to teach her the art of enchanting. She learns quickly, as you've no doubt seen yourself while she stayed with you.
There are other things, however, that I cannot teach her myself, particularly in regards to the path she seems bent on taking with her life. Lord Sunstriker of the Blood Knights offered some time ago to be her mentor, and I can only imagine what you might think or say if I were to tell you that I accepted, but I did not.
Much to my surprise, my father offered to be Valéria's benefactor in regards to her education, giving me more time to choose someone suitable to teach her. If all goes as I hope it does, her training will start before the end of the season.
I still can't help feeling strangely terrified by this milestone, and wonder if maybe Lady Thorne ever felt the same about your sons.
With Regards
Aranya Ver'Sarn
P.S. In the box attached to this letter are some chocolate cupcakes, for you from Valéria, with her love.
[sealed with the Ver'Sarn crest]
Author's note: Originally written August 11, 2014. The entire first segment is based on what happened when I went to get my daughter to come out for breakfast one Saturday morning. She actually grilled me a little more than that, but made it clear that she was thinking of the person who brought the oh-so-fine Thorne fellows to life in her world, and wondering how he was. And she really did want to make some chocolate cupcakes for Kethron. And for Rhovin? "A big pizza!"