Chapter Text
Two years after the Lantern King’s defeat
The skies above Numeria
Reg ongar and I had a lot of questions about the… thing that was attacking us, but we decided to leave them until after we killed it. It was a strange flying metal box, the size of a house with in interior that made me think a little of a ship. Strange weapons bristled on every side of it, firing projectiles we could only identify as something deadly. Through one of the thing’s windows, I saw what seemed to be a band of intensely focusing Technic League agents, all working some strange mechanisms.
It, Regongar, and I engaged in a violent dance across the Numerian sky. Regongar had called upon his full power, turning into a blue dragon, firing blasts of electricity that seemed to be causing damage to whatever it was we were fighting. I was flying through the sky with a more conventional fly spell , flinging every mundane and magical attack I had in whatever gaps I could find in the machine’s armour. It was returning fire with its weapons, and more than a few projectiles landed on me. Even through my magical protections, they seriously hurt.
The fight could have gone either way. The Technic League had clearly thrown everything they had into stopping us, and a few fights earlier meant our magic reserves weren’t at full capacity. Whatever it was the League was operating was also a lot faster than us. Luckily, it wasn’t nearly as manoeuvrable, and the both of us had experience in fighting strange war machines like this. And for all its strange technologies, we had no small amount of arcane power.
The fight looked like it might turn in our favour when the machine’s window cracked, and after a few more hits, shattered entirely. Regongar dove towards it, turning back into his humanoid form as he did so. I dove in after him, and the pair of us were quickly engaged in an elaborate melee with the League’s agents. We had a lot of practise, but these were the best the League had to offer. One dug a dagger into my back; not deep, but still excruciating. I’d suffered far worse at the League’s hands.
Regongar howled in rage, and sent a bolt of lightning at the nearest agent. The agent barely dodged, and the lightning flowed through the machine’s mechanisms. It bucked, sending everyone aboard flying. As I gripped a handle bolted into the machine’s interior, I heard some strange artificial screaming from the machine. I’d been with the League long enough to know that that meant something was going horribly wrong with the device; wrong enough to warrant getting out quickly. Regongar seemed to agree, grabbing me and leaping out of the window.
He spun in the air, making sure he was in-between me and the machine. Before I could ask why, it erupted in a titanic explosion. Even with Regongar shielding me, the blast winded and burned me. I dreaded to think what it must of done to Regongar. It sent us spiralling towards the ground.
I realised the blast had knocked Reg unconscious, or- no. We weren’t dying, not today, not yet. I quickly called on my own flight magic, but it was only meant for me and my equipment; with the two of us already falling fast, I only had time to slow us down to a less painful landing. Looking down, I saw the city of Starfall. I guided us towards it; we knew a cleric in the city that could give us the healing we desperately needed.
As we landed with a thud on a dirt track, I felt strangely nauseous and dizzy. I remembered something else I’d learned under the League’s lash: many old Numerian contraptions used a substance called Abysium, a material with a poisonous aura. If that stuff was in the middle of an explosion, right next to me and Regongar… we would need better clerics than we knew in the city.
I hurriedly looked around, trying not to think about how Reg was bleeding out on top of me. Calistria must have been watching over us; we landed just across the street from a teleportation circle. Regongar was heavy, but I had a scroll of reduce person I never used. Now was as good a time as any. After reducing him to a more manageable size, I picked him up and hurried into the circle. A band of mages moved to stop us, but I dropped a fistful of platinum in their hands. “Mornslight! Now!” The mages looked at eachother, and shrugged. With their help, I hurriedly opened a portal back to the capital of Dawnsbreak, the nation I helped create.
As soon as I was through, I sprinted out of the other side, barging past baffled mages and guards. I turned towards the castle, and flew with all the magic I had left. I felt the abysium poison sapping my strength, felt myself getting dizzier and weaker. I powered on, pushing all the magic I had towards the one goal.
I was so single-minded that I ended up crashing into the front gates. I dismissed the spell on Regongar, carrying him normally. The guards either side of the castle looked at me with wide eyes. I snapped at them “I need to see the queen! Now!” Teliana’s reputation as a healer was well-established, so my request hopefully made sense to them. The guards paused, unsure what to do, but one finally opened the gate.
I rushed in to the great hall. My vision had turned blurry, but I saw a divine aura around what could only be Sarenrae’s champion, Queen Teliana The Just. She was in a meeting with someone or other, but a second after she saw me, she leapt off her throne and rushed over to me. Just before I could lose consciousness, Teliana placed her hands on Regongar and I. They glowed with holy light, and I felt my strength return, our wounds fading.
Regongar stirred beside me. “Wha- huh? Teli?”
My vision cleared, to see a look of relief on Teliana’s face. I remembered, several years ago, a young half-elf with raven black hair and beauty spot to the side of her eye rescuing me from the Technic League. She’d changed a lot since that day, all those years ago; she now bore an impressive scar running down the left side of her face, and her body was peppered with burns. Her figure was also just a touch fuller than before; a sign of her advancing maturity. Teliana smiled at me. “Dawnflower be praised. How are you feeling?”
My head throbbed. “Uh… better, but I think- ngh! I think we have abysium poisoning.”
Teliana winced. “Jhod was in the castle shrine last I checked, his magic should help. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” she gestured to the patiently waiting official she was talking to earlier.
Reg and I didn’t want to dawdle; it would be an awfully embarrassing death to succumb to the poisoning on the way to the healer! The shrine was situated on a balcony overlooking Dawnsbreak, open to the air to let plenty of sunlight in for the half of the shrine dedicated to Sarenrae. Jhod was in the other half, the half dedicated to Erastil. He was deep in discussion with another priest and a druid. I called “I hate to interrupt, but Reg and I have some pretty bad abysium poisoning, and we need a healer right now!”
Jhod’s eyes widened. “Octavia! Regongar! I- well, alright.” He walked up to us and cast a few spells. The dizziness and pain faded. He examined us closely. “Hm… alright, that should do it, but I want the both of you to stay away from intense activity for the next two days, and get some rest.”
He turned back to the people he was talking to. “Now where were we? Right, the ley lines!” He looked back at me. “Actually, Octavia, while you’re here, we could use your expertise in arcana quickly. While you were serving as Teliana’s magister, did you notice any change in the flow of magics in the north Narlmarches before and after the Lantern King’s invasion?”
I don’t think anyone like recalling that particular period of time, but considering Jhod just saved my life, a little help was the least I can do. “Hm… I remember Nyrissa’s attacks already threw those badly out of alignment… after the invasion… they started returning to normal, but it wasn’t instant.”
The druid nodded. “As I said. Not divine work.”
I put a few things together in her head. “If this is about what Sarenrae did to repair the damage after the invasion, I was there. She did what she did so easily because she stole the Lantern King’s power with her curse; the damage she repaired was the damage that the Lantern King did.”
Jhod stroked his chin. “Yes, that makes sense. Thank you, Octavia. As I was saying…” The clerics and druid’s conversation quickly returned to elaborate theological topics that I had no hope of following.”
As they did so, Reg asked me “So, uh, Octavia. Why are we in Mornslight?”
I explained “I realised that whatever it was that the Technic League threw at us, it must have had abysium on it, and that meant we needed the best healers. Luckily, we crash-landed outside of Starfall’s teleportation circle.”
Regongar said “Ah, so you teleported us here so Teli could save us. Quick thinking!” He stretched. “Well, I’m glad for an excuse to have a break. Healer’s orders!”
I smiled, and took him by the arm. “Want to see if Elina’s changed any?”
Before Reg could respond, Teli approached with a smile. “Octavia! Reg! How are you feeling?”
I shook out my hair. “A lot better, thanks to Jhod. Sorry to spring that on you two, but…”
Teliana dismissed the matter with a wave. “Not a problem. I told you I’d always be glad to help, and I meant it. Besides, the ambassador could hardly complain about me spending a minute to save a pair of lives. I take it the Technic League hasn’t taken kindly to your efforts?”
Reg barked out a laugh. “Ha! You should see the other guys! But you can’t, ‘cause there’s nothing left!”
I was a little more worried. “They weren’t messing around; they were hitting us with everything they had.” Some good news occurred to me. “Hopefully, that means they were too busy to stop your newest settlers from reaching here!”
Teliana smiled. “Good! Could you talk to Valerie about getting them settled? And if you’re worried, perhaps Kassil could deploy some guards? Oh, but before I forget! There’s someone I’m eager for you to meet!” She suddenly turned, and started leading us through the castle.
As we walked, I said “By the way, Janush is dead.”
Teliana glanced at us. “By your hand, I presume?”
Reg grumbled “No, actually. Wanted to rip that bastard’s throat out myself.”
I giggled. “But it’s funny. We checked some of his plans, and he had this plan where he’d use a bunch of slaves to lure us to a lair, then fill the whole thing with poison gas. But he slipped while working on the mechanism, accidentally triggering it! It killed him!”
Teliana nodded grimly. “It’s unbecoming of a paladin of Sarenrae to relish any man’s death.” Then, she shrugged. “But then, there is enough misery in the world without me mourning a man like that. Let’s look to the future.”
She resumed walking, and led us to a particular chamber. She slowly and quietly opened the door. “May I introduce you to her royal highness, crown princess Teliana II.” Inside was a crib, in which slept a baby with a glowing halo.
My face lit up in delight. “Awwww!”
Reg and I crept up to it, careful not to wake the baby. Reg make an exaggerated show of kneeling. “Your royal highness! Your future subjects bow before you!”
I peered into the crib. Teliana II had her mother’s pale skin, but her tuft of hair was a red-copper colour. “Can I hold her?”
Teliana said “Be careful, don’t forget to support the head.”
With the utmost care, I lifted the little princess out of her crib. She wasn’t quite as heavy as I expected. As I cradled the child in my arms, Regongar remarked “Hm. I was expecting blonde.”
Teliana gave him a flat look. “For the last time, Tristian isn’t the father.”
Regongar snorted. “Yes he is. Has to be. Come on, I saw how you two got along!”
Teliana groaned. “As I have told you, our relationship was strictly platonic. We did nothing more intimate than hugging.”
Regongar scoffed. “As I’ve told you, I don’t believe you.”
???
???
The lash came down again, sending pain jolting through my body. Janush sneered “Wrong! Again!”
I gave him my best doe-eyed look. “But I did everything-”
Another lash. “No you didn’t, and you know it! You should be grateful, whelp, to receive my tuition! You and I are standing here until you get it right!”
Truth be told, I did understand how to cast the spell. But the target Janush was having me test it on was another slave. Tied up against a pole, looking at me with fear in her eyes… killing her would cause me more pain than Janush could ever manage. I wished I could just grow wings and fly away, take this poor soul to the freedom I saw in my dreams
Another failed spell, another lash. More yelling. More pain. Janush sneered. “No, no! This is how you cast it!” He cast the spell, and-
Sunlight tickled my face. I blinked. No cold caves, no slaves, no lashes. Just the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in, and the soft bustle of Dawnsbreak Castle waking up for the day. I looked out of the window, where the sun was rising in the sky, bringing the dawn. I couldn’t help but whisper “Thanks, Sarenrae.”
I heard Reg chuckle. “Glad to be awake, huh?” My lover was sitting on his side of the bed. He clearly hadn’t had the most comfortable night either.
I gazed up at the roof. “… A Desnan priestess once told me this story, about one of theirs that had a dream about being a butterfly. It was so realistic, they say, that the priest was never again sure if they were a person dreaming of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being a person.” I slowly sat up. “That’s how I feel about my nightmares, sometimes. I can’t help but wonder… is all of this truly real? Or do I just desperately wish it to be real, still stuck in that cage?”
Regognar sadly laughed. “I’d tell you I was real, but then, that’s what a dream would say, wouldn’t it?” He crawled back on to the bed. “Well, what if I gave you something a little more… vivid to convince you, my Octavia?”
Chains, lashes, Janush’s laughter. I shook off the memory. “Reg! I-” I got out of bed, and headed to the bedchamber door. “Breakfast. That will help.”
Regongar followed me. “What? Are you making a big fuss over that word again?”
“Yes!” I snapped, before slamming the door behind me
The following night
Mornslight castle
Regongar and I were late in returning to the castle, spending most of the night catching up with friends in the city. We had just entered the main hall when we heard Teliana screaming. “No! Don’t! OCTAVIA!!!”
I sprinted towards her bedchambers, a hand on my weapon, Reg following close behind with lightning trailing in his wake. We reached the door to find a guard peering in with a frown. I came up behind him and yanked the door fully open, scanning the room for threats. There were none. Teliana was lying on the bed, thrashing and wailing in the throes of a nightmare. “Don’t! Please! No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
The guard sighed. “She gets these every other night. Erastil protect us the night it’s actually an assassin.”
I slowly walked up to Teliana’s bedside. I didn’t know what to do, but I ached to do something. Taking a guess, I leaned in and whispered “Shhh… shhh… I’m here, it’s okay…”
Teliana muttered “Don’t leave me… don’t… I need you…”
I whispered “I’m not leaving you. You’re safe.”
Regongar shook his head. “In case you’re wondering what I have to deal with every other night… some scars aren’t on the body.”
Teliana was breathing heavily. “I… I need to stop her… need to stop her…” I tried to gently lay a hand on her cheek, but the moment I brushed it, Teliana’s eyes snapped wide open, and she grabbed my arm in an iron grip. She stared at me for a short, terrifying moment, before reality slowly came back to her. She slowly released me, panting for breath.
As shocking as it was to be suddenly grappled, I managed to arrange my face into a calm expression. “Easy, easy, it was just a nightmare.”
Teliana looked up at the ceiling. “… Every night, I see Nyrissa. Every night, she- she kills you, all of you, one by one. Every night, I try to stop her. Every night, I fail.”
I sat down on the bed. “My nights are like that. Some nights I still find myself back in a cage, back to being whipped by the Technic League. Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m a free woman dreaming of slavery, or a slave dreaming of freedom.”
Teliana took my hand, gently this time. “Desnans preach that the night is a time of wonders, that dreams are gifts.”
Regongar leaned on the wall. “Yeah, well, Desnans ain’t been through what you two have.”
I sighed. “The things people do to eachother.”
We remained like that for a moment, before Teliana II could be heard crying. The queen slowly sat up. “Ugh… well, I’m not getting much sleep anyway. At least soiling herself is the greatest thing my child fears.”
A couple of weeks later
Same place
It wasn’t an easy decision, but Reg and I eventually agreed we had to stay in Dawnsbreak, at least for the foreseeable future. The League were throwing more and more resources towards stopping us, and last time was a closer call than either of us liked. But I was able to talk with Ekun about getting some consolation: he sent some agents to spread misinformation to convince the Technic League we were about to return. Reg and I spent the night laughing about how the handful of League agents left would be too busy running from phantoms to do anything nefarious.
Teliana had replaced me as court magister during our absence with an old friend from her days as a squire; Arra, a gnome woman with a taste for elaborate clothes or hairstyles. It was fair enough; I understood the choice I was making when I left for Numeria, and Arra was good at her job. She was even kind enough to give me a job as one of her advisers. It wasn’t as high ranking, or high paying, but I didn’t care terribly. I worked mainly to help Teli; not only had she risked life and limb for our freedom, but she was a close friend of mine, and I liked looking around at Dawnsbreak and saying I helped build it all.
Then, we heard some exciting news: Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin was going to visit Dawnsbreak! Ostensibly, the visit was to ask advice from the veteran paladin on the subject of battling the demon lord Treerazer, but my keen ears had heard that it was really about some business with Razmiran. There had been a cold war between the elves and the false god for a long time, and Dawnsbreak was Kyonin’s strongest ally in the region. It was a major event; Kyonin was very isolationist, so its queen visiting another nation’s court was not a small step!
The significance of the event wasn’t lost on her majesty. She spent every waking hour making sure the visit would go smoothly, and it wasn’t like Teliana II let her mother get much sleep! After the queen made a remark about how much she relied on the castle’s nanny, she made a promise to subsidise childcare once the visit was dealt with. Ekun even asked me for a favour or two, where I used my magic to help spy on the occasional suspicious character.
On the day the queen of Kyonin was due to arrive, Teliana gathered all of her court into the main hall. “… this is more than Dawnsbreak’s interests at stake here; the isolationist factions of Kyonin will be observing this meeting carefully, and they’ll take any excuse to argue that this was a bad idea. So I want all of you on your best behaviour.” Despite the emphasis on ‘all of you’, she was looking, and pointing, squarely at Regognar.
Regongar feigned innocence. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Valerie said “You know exactly why.”
Reg laughed. “Yeah, I do. Don’t worry, I won’t zap anyone that doesn’t deserve it.”
Teliana looked Regongar square in the eyes. “You’ll wait until my order if there’s any fighting at all, and there shouldn’t be . And no flirting with Queen Edasseril! That goes for you too, Octavia!”
I did my best to feign mild indignation. “I would never!”
Teliana gave me a flat look. “You say that like you expect me to believe you.”
I rifled through my mind for a reason why she should, and came up with nothing. Instead, I said “Hey, you know Calistria’s a popular elven goddess!”
Teliana sighed. “If Queen Edasseril brings any Calistrian priests with her, you can flirt with them . But you will also keep in mind the internal security of our nation. You’ll be going to their bed, not the other way around, is that clear? I’m not trusting the priests of the goddess of trickery!”
Teliana spent at least another half an hour lecturing everyone, as if we hadn’t been preparing for this visit for well over a week. Finally, last minute preparations were made, and just before noon, Queen Telandia Edasseril and her party were welcomed with plenty of pomp and circumstance. Many of Dawnsbreak’s citizens were gathered to catch a glimpse of the famous and mysterious elven queen.
I was glad that my position earned me a closer look at her majesty. While I’d heard all sorts of stories about the fabled queen, meeting her in person was still an amazing experience. Mostly because she was every bit as beautiful as those stories said; elegant, slender, blonde hair of a lovely colour. It was only enhanced by her poise, regal with an ever-so-subtle predatory gaze behind her eyes, mirrored in the noble hawk perched on her shoulder. She had the kind of stance that made it look like she had walked out of a storybook. But, being in a storybook myself, I knew that beneath the all the nobility and courage were all the worries, doubts, and struggles of any ordinary person.
Valerie greeted the elven queen as she reached the castle gates. “It’s an honour to meet you, your majesty. I am Valerie, regent of Dawnsbreak. Queen Teliana will be out momentarily; she is currently attending to her child.”
Queen Edasseril gave a subtle smile. “Ah, children. They need so much care, and they have no understanding of lofty matters like politics. I envy them, sometimes.”
The foreign party were lead into the castle’s main hall. A moment later, Teliana came striding in, still cradling her child. She greeted the other queen in elven. “Ah, Lady Edasseril! Forgive me, the little princess is quite demanding.”
The clattering of a book to the floor drew everyone’s attention to one of Kyonin’s party. It had been dropped by a half-elf man, middle-aged and clean-shaven, and clearly one of the party’s lower ranking advisers. The poor fellow looked like he had just seen a ghost as he scurried to pick up the book. Realising he’d abruptly become the centre of attention, he stammered “Sorry, sorry.”
Another of Queen Edasseril’s advisers looked at him. “Are you alright, Eledran?”
Eledran hurriedly said “Nothing, nothing, sorry, sorry. It’s… not important, later maybe.”
As Teliana brought the conversation back to a more formal manner by introducing the members of her court, I noticed a funny expression on the face of her steward, Mister Antal. Antal was a halfling with short brown hair and a face that normally reminded me a little of a fox; but with his eyes as wide as they were now, it was more like an owl. I leaned in and whispered “Something wrong?”
Antal hurried shook his head. “It’s fine, I- later. Tell you later.”
I brought my focus back to the queens. “And this is my minister of domestic business, Ekundayo.”
The ranger bowed respectfully to the elven queen. “A pleasure.”
Edasseril politely greeted him. “Well met. And who is this majestic beast?”
Okbo carefully sniffed the elven queen, before sneezing a few times. Ekun said “Okbo. Loyal companion. Better company than most people.”
Edasseril stroked the feathers of her hawk. “A sentiment I’m familiar with.”
Teliana reached Reg and I. “And this is Octavia Della Fiorni, who works in my nation’s magistry. She and Regongar here recently returned from a lengthy campaign freeing many slaves from the Technic League, in Numeria. Regongar, I keep on the payroll because he can turn into a dragon.”
Edasseril nodded. “Reason aplenty.”
Soon, introductions were finished, Teliana II was handed off to her nanny, and those gathered got onto the business of politics. Since Reg and I weren’t terribly high ranking, we didn’t get to see many of the closed-door meetings that happened, instead being relegated to guard duty. Still, having sat in on a number of political meetings during my time as magister, I decided guard duty was probably the less boring of the two events anyway.
As the day drew to a close, Teliana hosted a feast in the castle for her guests. Reg and I were sat on the lower end of the table a bit of a ways away from where the two queens were sharing stories. It wasn’t too bad, I found myself seated next to a particularly handsome elven man. He had long, black hair in a style that was simple, but elegant, and he had a refined way of speaking that wasn’t really my usual style, but on him it was perfect. His tunic was also sleeveless, giving me a wonderful view of his arms. And I felt like giving Regongar another test.
Playing with my hair, I asked “So how do you do that style? Is it popular in Kyonin?”
The elf looked flattered. “Hm? Oh, it’s fairly straightforward. Some in my family prefer more elaborate styles, but… honestly, too much and it can look a little silly.”
I gave him my best seductive smile (one very much practised). “Oh, I think you’ve got your style just right! And the tunic is lovely!” I moved my hand close to his arm. “Do you train?”
A minute more of flirting, and I heard an annoyed harumph from Regongar. Exactly what I was waiting for. I straight away turned to him. “What’s the matter, Reg? Getting jealous?”
He grumbled “I wouldn’t be if I knew were actually interested in that guy.”
I snapped “Oh, and you know exactly what I do and don’t want, do you?”
He snarled “I don’t, and that’s the damn problem!”
I saw Teliana giving me a furious glare from the other side other side of the room, but I was busy. “It’s a problem you don’t know what I’m going to do, is it?”
Ekundayo, meanwhile, spoke with uncharacteristic volume. “Eledran. Are you alright? You’ve been acting strange this entire time.”
While Eledran assured those around him that he was quite alright, and Ekundayo pointed out his behaviour could be construed as suspicious, Regognar slammed his fist on the table in frustration. “You’re always like this! It’s like you don’t believe I love you!”
As I was working on yelling at him about that, Eledran was explaining himself. “… I have good reason to believe Queen Teliana is my daughter.”
The only sound that could be heard in the dining hall was that of Teliana spitting out her wine. I stopped my quarrel with Regongar; I had to hear this.
Mister Antal said “It’s true, I recognise him from my time on the Korelli estate.”
Queen Edasseril raised an eyebrow at her adviser. “You didn’t mention this.”
Eledran blushed. “Forgive me, your majesty; when I heard her name, I thought it coincidence, but when I saw her in person… she’s the spitting image of her mother.”
The handsome elf I’d just been flirting with asked “Is Teliana a common name outside Kyonin?”
Eledran shook his head. “No, but- but I couldn’t imagine how a child raised as a Chelish noble could become a famous paladin of Sarenrae. I know her mother… was not fond of the goddess.”
Teliana’s mood darkened. “Mother’s dead. At my hand.”
Eledran couldn’t quite look at his daughter. “Oh. I see. Have… have you heard from your sister, Densi?”
Teliana couldn’t look at anyone. “I killed her, too. They engaged in slavery in my realm, and…” Teliana’s grip around her knife tightened. “… they wished to force the issue.”
Mister Antal added “Myself, and a lot of people like me, are free thanks to her.”
Eledran sighed. “There are times when I regret not getting to know you and your sister.”
Antal’s tone was grim. “With Densi, you didn’t miss much. Inherited all of her mother’s sadism, even became an inquisitor of Asmodeus. As for Teli- ahem, her majesty, well, you’re the one that decided to leave.”
I entirely forgot whatever it was I was angry about before. This was getting good. Eledran looked guilty. “I- of course. I’m sorry.”
I giggled. “Oh, ‘I’m sorry’ this and ‘forgive me’ that. Do you feel bad about everything? I guess that’s where her majesty gets it from.”
Father and daughter flushed (gods, I had nearly forgotten how adorable Teli was when she did that!) Eledran said “I… I suppose I just don’t want to cause people trouble. But what happened with House Korelli was a grave mistake.”
Another of Edasseril’s party frowned. “House Korelli? The owners of the Korelli slave trading guild?”
Teliana’s voice turned stern. “House Korelli has been dissolved, as has the guild. May the name be forgotten.”
Antal added “Queen Teliana exploited some Chelish bankruptcy laws. She drove the house into great debt buying a thousand slaves, took them all into her lands, freed them and let them settle, then dissolved her house. She won’t be doing business in the nation again, but it’s on the other side of Avistan, so no loss.”
Eledran slowly nodded. “Good riddance, then.”
Antal asked “But that raises a pair of questions I’ve been wondering for the last 25 years: why did you come to Cheliax, and why did you leave? You had two daughters there!”
Eledran shifted uncomfortably. “That… is something of a complicated story. The short version is that my family, mainly on my father’s side, had a lot to gain through some Chelish trade agreements. Marrying Elxia allowed us to circumvent some tax laws, and I had to admit, she was a… charismatic woman. As for why I left… As you might understand, I couldn’t stand the place. I found some ways in which the family might win some wealth in a divorce, then…” He shook his head. “I had the option to remain in my children’s lives, but even with my newfound wealth, my resources were a fraction of Elxia’s. I hoped that… my children would have better lives without having a broken household, living in such opulence.”
Ekundayo glared at Eledran. “Now, wife and one child are dead. Other bears guilt for family crimes.”
Eledran shrunk back from the grim ranger’s gaze. “It was a terrible mistake.” He mustered his courage, and looked Teliana in the eyes. “Teliana, I may be your father by blood, but after I left, I gave up any right to call you my family. It was a mistake. I… I can never really be what a father should be, and that’s my fault. All I ask is your forgiveness.”
Teliana softly said “You are forgiven. I can understand why you left, and that you thought that you were doing the right thing.”
The feast slowly returned to less interesting topics, before it finally drew to a close. The elven nobles left for the guest house, all gossiping about the queen’s family. As Reg and I started to walk back to our chambers, Teliana stomped up to us. “You two! Dawnflower as my witness, we are getting you two some relationship counselling if I have to tie you up in a temple of Shelyn!”
Regongar was annoyed. “What? How is that your business?”
Valerie came up beside Teliana. “It became our business when you nearly caused a scene in the middle of a major diplomatic function.”
Ekundayo was leaning on a nearby pillar. “Right. Was lucky the matter bothering Eledran was something that distracted everyone. A couple should not fight as often as you two do.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, don’t you worry about that! Okay, so we bicker once in a while-”
Teliana snapped “More than once in a while! And that’s just the fights we can overhear. For the love of each and every god, talk to someone about these issues!”
Regongar scowled “Keep it to yourself, we’re fine!” before he stormed off.