A Mission

Kestriel Oakshield smiled as she pulled her medium length blonde hair back from her face. She enjoyed the luxuries she had grown accustomed to while living in the King’s quarters. Well not exactly his quarters, but at his court was more accurate to say. Being born a Faeril commoner and then finding herself working for the King himself was a great feat. King Meldoren Sunshaper was a great Faeril elf; he was honorable and fair. Kestriel knew she would spend her whole life protecting him from harm. She knew that he had taken her life and turned it around, and gave it meaning. She would never let him doubt her for taking care of her when she most needed it.

When she was younger, Meldoren had noticed something special in Kestriel; something no one else saw. He took her under his wing, and ever since then the two had grown close. She came to view him as a brother, and loved him dearly. It was never a romantic love, it was a very devoted sibling love on both parts. They grew to be the closest of friends that could trust each other. Meldoren had groomed Kestriel to work for him. She did not really have one job, she had many jobs that she would perform. She would be a trusted King’s Guard at times, and others she would work as an ambassador, while at others she would even work as a spy for him. She was a jack of all trades and she loved every minute of it. Her parents had abandoned her when she was very young. She still was not sure exactly had happened to them. She had a brother, but they had taken him with them. She always believed that they left to become Sura, but she did not know for sure. All she knew was they had left her alone and never contacted her again. She was very lucky that Meldoren had found her when he did, or else she did not know what she would have done.

As she was admiring her reflection in the mirror and sorting through her thoughts she heard someone clear their throat. “Sorry if I am interrupting Kest, but I wanted to have a little chat.”

She jumped at the sound and turned around, only to find her dear friend, and King, Meldoren standing in her doorway. She laughed and then went over to him and playfully hit him in the arm. “Of course you can come in my King. I always have time for you!” She laughed again as he sighed at her.

His dark black hair was tied back and out of his face much like Kestriel had just done with hers, and his blue eyes sparkled with laughter as well as he hugged his dear friend. “You know you do not need to call me King when we are alone. That is just for show for all the nobles!” he started. “But I do admit, I love to hear it even after all this time. I have always envisioned being a great leader and I hope I can live up to that dream.”

Kestriel nodded and smiled. “Of course you do. You live up to that dream every single day. You are a great leader and everyone loves you. Do not pretend you do not hear the whispers of all the women at court. Everyone just adores you!” she pushed him playfully again noticing a slight blush to his cheeks. “Oh stop it! You are not blushing right now, are you?”

“I am not, it must be your eyes, you should really see one of our healers to have them checked!” he laughed and shoved her back slightly. “But in all seriousness I did want to speak with you.”

“That is good timing because I was just going to come and find you! I wanted to speak to you about Lady Biara Dayfire of House Sunfire. She made quite an impression on me at Court. I was surprised at her boldness but I think it is well needed Mel,” Kestriel started.

Meldoren smiled, “You really are my true friend, because I was about to say the exact same thing to you! She impressed me as well with her opinions and especially that she was not afraid of what I might say. She spoke her mind and she had very good ideas. I think that we should lend her some aid and you should be the one to go to her House to speak to her. I trust you deeply my friend and I think you are up to the task.”

Kestriel nodded. “Yes Mel, I do think you are right. I will seek out House Sunfire at once. I think I will speak with their Master at Arms first and see what he has to say and then see if Lady Biara is at home as well. I would like to speak to her one on one, she seems like a very interesting elf and I would like to know some more about her and her ideas.”

“Then get to it! What is taking so long!” Meldoren laughed.

“Oh you are so very funny! Just let me finish getting ready, I was in the middle of making sure I looked presentable when you barged on into my room unannounced!” Kestriel joked.

“I did not barge in, I cleared my throat announcing myself! But yes I do agree that you might need to do some more work, clearly you need to brush your hair some more, I think I see some out of place!” Meldoren ducked as Kestriel swatted at him.

“You are very lucky you are the King and I cannot really hurt you! I will seek out House Sunfire in a few minutes Mel, and I will be sure to report back to you when I return.”

With that Meldoren nodded and left Kestriel alone to finish up. She decided to let her hair fall down to her shoulders instead of holding it back in a ponytail and brushed it a few more times to make sure she looked presentable. She also added some makeup to brighten up her face, but not too much. She never wore much anyway. She was always more of a tomboy growing up, and became more feminine as she lived at Court with Meldoren. Even so she wore tight leather pants and a leather top that was form fitting, but not too revealing for her trip today. She knew that Sunfire Estate was outside of the Capital of Faetheril. She would take her horse to go on her journey.

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*Sunfire Estate, Midday*

Braeth’el looked up from the paperwork on his desk as a guard entered his office and cleared his throat. He nodded at the Faeril, wondering what new issue would take up his time. Ever since Kyliska’s sudden departure several days prior he’d been buried in tasks that she normally would have looked after, and he was likely about to have another one added to his list.

“Sir, we have a guest from the Court at the gates asking to see you,” the guard said. “Looks like it is the King’s Speaker.”

Braeth’el blinked once, somewhat surprised by the news. He rose from the desk, running his hands through his hair to neaten it up as much as possible as he proceeded towards the guard and the door beyond, “Is it now? Well, please escort our guest into the sitting room on the ground floor. I’m just going to make sure I look presentable and I’ll meet with them in a moment. Don’t want to give House Sunfire a reputation for rudeness, especially with Kyliska not here.”

“As you wish sir, I’ll bring our guest there promptly,” the guard replied before saluting and heading down the hallway to attend to his duties.”

Braeth’el sighed, rushing towards his quarters to snatch up a nicer looking shirt and to ensure he at least was presentable. It looked like it was going to be a long day.

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    Kestriel sat in one of the more comfortable chairs in the sitting room of House Sunfire. She looked around and admired what a nice room it was. There was a table that was meant to have discussions at she was sure  as well as some other more comfortable chairs much like the one she was sitting in that were on the other side of the room. There was a large painting on the wall of two Faeril elves, one with long flowing blonde hair and one with fiery red hair. She recognized the elf with the red hair as Lady Biara Dayfire, but she did not know who the other Faeril was.

    She tried to sit comfortably but she wanted to seem professional as well so she sat up straight, awaiting the Master at Arms as the guard told her he would be there momentarily.

    In that moment, the door opened quietly and Braeth’el entered the room, his blonde hair having been tamed a bit and his clothing suitable for meeting a noble or one of similar rank. He slipped into the room, closing the door behind him before turning to greet his guest. As he did so, he paused, his eyes widening and a smile breaking across his face.

    “Kestriel Oakshield, is that you? Why I haven’t seen you in years!” Braeth’el said, humor in his tone.

    Kestriel took a moment to really look at the other elf and then recognizing him she also broke out in a smile. “Why Braeth’el Fireleaf, it has been a very long time indeed! I had no idea you were working here!”

    Braeth’el laughed, coming further into the room and taking a chair beside his visitor, “Look at you, the King’s Speaker! I would have never imagined that you’d have come this far. It’s so great to see you and know that you’re doing well.”

    “You as well my friend! It would seem we have both done well for ourselves!” she paused slightly. “I never thought I would see you again, this is a very pleasant surprise.”

    Braeth’el nodded, “Yes I’ve been working for House Sunfire for some time now. Originally I was employed by House Dayfire. Tel’athar Dayfire took my sister and me in when we were young, and trained us to work for him. I’ve been seeing to his legacy ever since.”

    Kestriel laughed. “Funny how our lives seem to mirror one another. I was taken in by King Meldoren early on and I have been working for him ever since. I owe him everything. Ever since my parents abandoned me, they took my brother as well.”

    “I am sorry to hear that things became more difficult for you,” Braeth’el said before smiling, “But at least your life turned around nicely. Working for the King himself; you can’t get a better position than that really! I’m curious as to what sent you out to our neck of the woods. We’ve had fewer noble visitors with House Sunfire in the forests of Faetheril.”

    “Yes I try not to think of my parents. They did not even bother to contact me in the many years since they have been gone. I do not want to waste my time on them,” she turned away slightly and then turned back to face Braeth’el. “Well I do not know if you were aware that Lady Biara was at Court the other day and she made quite the impression on the King as well as me. She spoke her mind when others would not and she has many ideas on how to keep the realm safe. The King would like to lend her some aid in achieving her goals.”

    Braeth’el looked surprised at this, “I know the Lady Dayfire had gone to the city in order to meet with the Magistrate, and that she’s seemed preoccupied lately, but I had no idea that she was presenting before the King! I’ve been so wrapped up in paperwork that honestly the last few days have been a blur. I’m sure you have been stuck in similar situations, given your important role.”

    Kestriel smiled, “Yes the King has me doing many different tasks at Court. Truth be told, old friend, the King and I have become quite close over the years. And before you start to make fun of me, no not in a romantic way. He is like a brother to me and I am very loyal to him. He is a good elf Brae. He will do right by all of Faetheril, I know it.” Kestriel took one of Braeth’el’s hands in hers and squeezed it, “I am still amazed that you are here in front of me. For some reason I thought I would never see you again. We had some fun times back in the day, didn’t we?”

    Braeth’el laughed and nodded, “We sure did! I remember almost being caught more than once taking a piece of fruit from a vendor or hiding in the library from a heavy downpour. And those streets were like our homes. It makes me wonder what has become of all the others over the years. Hopefully good ends as you and I’ve had.”

    Kestriel smiled sadly, “Or worse, they could have defected and gone with the Sura. I know a lot of elves like us did. I am glad that we found a way to improve our lives without having to subject ourselves to that fate. In a way I supposed we were both saved, eh?”

    “That we were, although for what remains to be seen,” Braeth’el grinned. “Probably this job will age me before my time. I’d already considered retiring from the tasks I’ve been performing, but it looks like that may not be an option for a bit yet. There’s still too much to do.”

    Kestriel laughed even harder now, “Retiring? Brae you are not that old! There is only one reason you could even think about retiring right now…..you found someone? You finally found someone! I never thought I’d see the day! Do you still speak to Ketheron, does he know? He would be just as surprised as me!”

    Braeth’el laughed, “Ah you still remember me well, my old friend. Yes, I am involved with someone rather important to this House. And yes, I met up with Ketheron a few weeks ago and he was quite pleased as well. His life has been a bit harder after his own wife passed during the undead attacks. He’s been working as a trainer for various military companies and merc groups but I’m trying to convince him to stay in Faetheril for a time as I think it would do him some good.”

    Kestriel’s laughter stopped and she spoke softly, saddened by the news of their friend, “Poor Keth, I am so sorry to hear of his wife. I miss that elf, he was always a lot of fun, much like you were. We could always use a trainer at Court, I should contact him and see if he would be interested in that,” she paused and began to smile, “You are involved with someone important to this House eh? And who would that be? Could it be Lady Biara Dayfire!!!!!”

    Braeth’el made a face, shaking his head quickly, “Oh definitely not Biara Dayfire, I can assure you of that. She’s pretty enough, but she and I have not always seen eye to eye. No, it is her sister, truth be told. She has everything that I’ve been searching for in a companion. She’s been gone for a few days now otherwise I would introduce you to her.”

    “Oh well I am sorry I missed her then! To capture your heart she must be something else. You never settled down, unless you have changed since I have seen you. It has been quite a while! But I am happy for you, you deserve happiness. And to be in a relationship with the Lady of the House is a good thing as well!” she smiled and giggled, “Truth be told Brae, I had a little crush on you back when we were younger! But don’t worry you did not age that well so it is most definitely gone now!”

    Braeth’el grinned, putting his hands behind his head and unintentionally (intentionally?) flexing his muscles a few times, “Oh I know, but that is what the rough life gets you. We can’t all live in the palace you know.”

    He laughed a bit at this, his face becoming more serious after a moment, “I do hope that Biara doesn’t run into trouble with the King. She’s had rough patches in her life in the past but I think, in this case at least, her heart is in the right place and she wishes to aid the kingdom.”

    Kestriel tried not to stare at his muscles and spoke honestly, “Brae do not worry. She is in no trouble with the King. If she was do you really think I would be here being this friendly right now? I would have demanded to speak to her right away and not you. I know she wishes to aid the King as well as the whole realm. The King and I both had seen this the other day at Court,” Kestriel took a breath and sat back before continuing, “She has something special about her that caught both of our eye. The other nobles are always so stuffy and just want to impress the King. Whereas Lady Biara was respectful yes, but she had this fire in her, that she really wanted to say her idea aloud even though no one else seemed interested in hearing what she had to say. She very well might save us from any evil that might try to attack us again.”

    Braeth’el barked out a laugh, “She wanted to present her idea even though no one else seemed interested eh? That sounds exactly like the Lady Dayfire. She’s got some spirit in her, it’s true. Honestly, she does take after her father as much as her mother has also influenced her, and it’s good to see Tel’athar peeking out from behind her eyes every now and then. I’m sure she will be delighted to speak with you and further aid Faetheril.”

    Kestriel nodded. “Yes I am looking forward to speaking to her as well. She seemed like a very interesting elf. You are lucky to work for her, as well as her sister, even though I do not know anything about her sister. Other than she has stolen your heart that is! But in all seriousness Brae, I am happy for you. I do hope that we can talk again and not lose touch again, mmm? Would I be able to speak with Lady Biara now or is she busy?”

    Braeth’el rose from his chair, nodding at Kestriel, “I will summon her for you at once. And yes, let’s stay in touch. You know where to find me now, and you know you can always reach out to me if you need aid. If you’d like to speak to Ketheron at any point as well just let me know and I’ll send him your way. It’s really been a pleasure seeing you again.”

    Kestriel stood as well and hugged Braeth’el, “Yes please, you know where to find me as well, and the offer is the same to you! And I would love to speak with Ketheron so please let him know I am looking for him!”

    “You’ve got it!” Braeth’el said with a smile. “Just wait here and I’ll send the Lady Dayfire in as soon as I can locate her.”

    With that, Braeth’el departed, closing the doors behind him and leaving Kestriel alone in the room for a time. After a few moments had passed there was a flurry of movement in the corridor beyond the closed door, and the barrier opened to allow a flushed and flustered looking Biara Dayfire into the room.

    The Magi paused, waiting for one of her guards to close the door behind her before bowing deeply before the waiting elf, “It is my pleasure to serve the King and his agents.”

    Kestriel smiled, “Hello my name is Kestriel Oakshield, as I’m sure your Master at Arms has told you and I am the King’s Speaker. I have come here on official business of the King and I do hope I am not interrupting anything of too much importance.”

    Biara blinked and shook her head, “Oh no no! Not at all Lady Oakshield! Please, have you had any refreshments or anything to eat? I’d feel terrible if you were not made comfortable while you visited Sunfire Estate!”

    Biara began to quickly move about the room, ensuring that there was a bottle of wine and glasses available within a small cabinet set off to the side. She appeared nervous, her hands shaking as she set the glasses down, “Please tell me, how may I serve my Liege today?”

    Kestriel made her way to Biara and placed a hand on her arm, “Please Lady Biara do not be nervous. I am here with good news I assure you. And there is no need for formalities, you can just call me Kestriel. Truth be told I’m not even a Lady! I just work very closely with the King. It was quite a surprise to see who your Master at Arms was, I used to know Braeth’el when we were younger!”

    Biara relaxed ever so slightly, nodding once at the other elf, “I-I see! Well, I am glad that you and he were able to reconnect. Please know that you, and any of His Majesty’s agents, are always welcome guests at Sunfire Estate. While my sister is not here, I know I speak for both of us on this matter.”

    “Yes it is a shame I will not be able to meet your sister but it was you that I wanted to speak to today. Seeing Braeth’el was just an added surprise,” Kestriel motioned to the seats and spoke again, “Please Lady Biara let us sit and be comfortable while we talk, I won’t bite I promise!”

    Biara nodded and made her way to one of the seats, pressing herself down into it and smoothing her skirts out nervously, “As you wish, La- Kestriel. Please, how can I be of assistance?”

    “Well the King as well as I were very impressed with you at Court the other day,” she started, “I believe in you and your ideals and I would like to extend to you any aid that you would require of the King to attain these goals to keep our realm safe from harm.”

    Biara’s mouth opened in surprise and she blushed a deep pink color, her face breaking into a huge, beaming smile, “R-really? I was worried that the King thought I might have stepped out of place but liked my idea and so didn’t want to say so publicly. I’m so pleased! All I really wanted to do was to offer my aid, but the Magistrate is so full of politics now it is virtually impossible to push any policies through them.”

    Kestriel smiled, “Yes he cannot really show his true feelings at Court sometimes. He doesn’t want to show favoritism, but in all honestly the Magistrate was not able to keep this city safe, and they have no ideas to keep us from coming under attack again. So when you spoke your mind and made sense, we took notice. King Meldoren sees a lot more than sometimes people give him credit for.”

    “Oh I believe that, Kestriel,” Biara replied eagerly. “I understand how much scheming and politics can come from the Council of Nobles and the Magistrate. I’ve had to navigate such things ever since my parents passed away and left me to steer the course of House Dayfire, and later when we became House Sunfire. I am glad that the King has others to share his burdens with; without my staff, Braeth’el, and my sister’s help I would have also had a difficult time surviving it all.”

    Biara paused for a moment, frowning, “I apologize that my sister is not here to meet with you directly. As the Lady Sunfire, it would have been proper for her to be here to meet with you directly but she’s been...absent the past few days.”

    Kestriel looked worried, “I do hope that your sister is alright. Is she missing? As I stated before it was you who I really wanted to speak to so just meeting your sister would have been a formality.”

    “Oh no, I’m sure she is fine,” Biara replied. “She said she had urgent business at the garrisons in Althera, and she travelled there with some haste. I will be happy to assist you with anything that you need in relation to our House. It really and truly is an honor to me to have the King’s Speaker visiting me personally. I want this project to succeed!”

    Kestriel smiled warmly, “I am sure you can help me with whatever I need then Lady Biara. I think it is about time I head back to Court. Please if you need anything, let us know. I wanted you to be aware that you have the King’s backing and all you need to do is ask for any help that you might require.”

    Biara rose from her seat, bowing deeply once again, “Thank you so much! You’ve really given me a lot of incentive to get this project to where it needs to be. Please, tell my Liege that he has nothing to worry about; I will do my very best to get the other Magi working on this task and if we require more resources I will reach out to you. This...this has honestly made me quite thrilled.”

    Kestriel rose as well and placed a friendly hand on Biara’s shoulder. “I think this is a good arrangement we have here. I do not think you will let the King down. I have faith in you Lady Biara. I just have this feeling that you will be the one to keep us all safe from harm. You have our trust and our aid whenever you need it.”

    Biara could not have had a larger smile on her face as she personally escorted Kestriel to the grand double doors that lead into the estate. Once the King’s Speaker had departed and the doors closed behind her, Biara leaned against them, sighing and hugging herself happily. She had finally made an impact for the better for Faetheril! All of her hard work was finally being noticed, and would be put to use defending her people!