Nara put her head in her hands as another stack of envelopes fell onto her desk. She groaned loudly at Gimma.
“What?” The old woman laughed, “They’re donations!”
“Mira needs to stop giving us donations!” She threw her hands up, “I could’ve built twelve new temples from all the buried treasure those bandits brought us!”
“She said she would take care of us.”
“I am a holy woman. I cannot accept stolen—” She shut her mouth and clasped her hands, “I cannot accept dubiously donated gifts.”
“She at least sent a written letter this time,” Gimma handed the envelope to her, “In fact, she sent quite a few.”
The bronze elf blinked and swiped it from her hands. She used her nails to open it. The short letter was and left much of the page blank. Her script was neat and small but readable. The words were strangely official for the content.
High Priestess Nara Voltain de Vimgraunt,
A new friend told me that I should write to those that may be concerned about me and those I care about – even if I didn’t have anything to report. I did not think about this, so I apologize for not writing often. I do miss the temple and you as well.
Things are very odd in my life. I do not know what will be read from my letters, so I cannot explain everything in detail. I reconnected with Jonen. I cannot speak to him as much as I would like, but he is well. The biggest thing to report is my new friend. His name is Bo. I actually met him when I lived in Agrowl. It feels strange to be connected to yet another. There are rumors about us, but I cannot comment on them. I am sure Sunodagh, or the other orcs can explain if necessary.
Thank you for all that you have done for me. The items that I’ve sent to you should help provide for Tella and any others you take in. I will continue to provide you with anything you need. Just tell any of her guards what I can do.
Forever grateful, Mira.
“Can you grab Sunodagh?” Nara looked up from the paper, “I have a question for him.”
She stared at the paper until they came back in. The sunny yellow orc grunted at the frazzled elf.
“Mira wrote a letter?” He asked.
“Who is Bo?”
“Bo?” He blinked, “I do not know a Bo.”
“Mira said you might know him,” Nara sighed, “She didn’t give any more information except that she met him when she lived in Agrowl.”
“Wait – is Bo an orc?” He scratched his chin, “I mean, the only orc I know it could be is the late queen’s son, Bobabano.”
The elf pursed her lips, “I feel like there’s a reason I should be concerned. Why?”
Sunodagh sat down and ran his hand down his face.
“Captain Bobabano is quite famous for a few things,” He grunted, “Mostly for looking for the assassin that killed the late queen and his father.”
Nara groaned and gripped her hair in her hands. She knew there were no such things as coincidences when it came to Mira. She tried not to worry about the young woman.
“Anything else in particular?” Gimma asked.
“I haven’t been in Agrowl since he was a little one,” He shrugged, “I can ask the younger orcs, if you’re worried.”
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“If you can grab them, it would ease my mind,” She sighed, “Quince is Tella’s guard, right? I can check on her at the same time.”
Sunodagh left the room. Gimma stared at the letter to read it over.
“Oh, dear,” The older woman sighed, “Our little goddess got herself into a mess, didn’t she?”
“I don’t want to worry about her, but I also don’t want her to be influenced in a bad way.”
Two younger orcs followed their elder into the High Priestess’s office. A young Tella hid behind her guard with a curious expression. Quince gently placed a hand on her shoulder and looked between the women.
Poppy grinned happily, “Good morning missuses!”
“That’s not the right way to greet them,” Sunodagh wacked the back of his head, “Be respectful.”
“Oh, sorry,” He frowned and spoke softly, “Hello.”
“Poppy, you’re supposed to greet them by title,” Tella said, “Good morning, Healer Gimma and High Priestess.”
“Hi Tella,” Nara smiled, “I have some questions for your friends. Can Suno take you for a few minutes?”
The little girl nodded and grabbed the orc’s hand, “Can we get sweets?”
“Of course!” He beamed, “I just finished making some brownies.”
After the door closed behind him, Nara leaned back in her chair. She looked over her nose at the bandits that worked for Mira. Poppy spent most of his time entertaining Tella with Quince. He took a pseudo-guard position to be with his cousin. Both were large, dark blue orcs.
“What can you tell me about Bobabano?”
“Captain Bo!” Poppy clapped, “He’s so fun!”
“You’ve met him?” Nara raised an eyebrow.
“Yes! I got drinks with him before we met up with Leader.”
“Tell us about him, Pop,” Quince patted his shoulder, “I’ll say what I know after.”
“He’s the coolest!” He whimsically smiled, “He can drink twelve beers in a row before he has to pee and can eat twenty chicken wings and—”
The other orc groaned and swatted his cousin’s chest.
“Captain Bobabano Cauldronbone is the leader of Agrowl’s navy,” He corrected, “He is basically a military pirate known for taking down harsher pirates. Other than that, he’s a womanizer, a drunk, and generally a degenerate.”
The elf groaned loudly and looked at the snickering healer. Gimma put her hands over her mouth. Nara simply lit the letter on fire while looking at them.
“Quince, have you met him?”
“No,” He shook his head, “Most of the young men that want to go back to Agrowl listen to tales about him with pride.”
Poppy crossed his arms, “He’s great. You just haven’t met him.”
“It seems your Leader is with him now.”
Quince’s face fell, “And they aren’t at each other’s throats?”
“The letter says they’re friends,” The elf stood, “That’s all I have for right now.”
“So, it seems Bobabano found his queen, then,” He laughed.
“What?” She blinked.
“Bobabano wants to overthrow the queen of Agrowl,” Quince shrugged, “He’s been trying to find a woman to get behind and bring to his mother’s supporters.”
“And he found Mira,” Gimma laughed, “Good for him.”
Nara grabbed a piece of paper and quickly penned a note as she heard them talk about the character in question. She knew Mira had enough on her plate and did not need to join some playboy on an adventure. She hardly wanted her to find Jonen again. She wanted to give the woman some motherly advice because she knew Mira would take it to heart.
Dearest Mira,
I have heard some interesting stories about your new friend. I admit I am worried, but I trust you to take care of yourself. Just remember that not everyone is as kind as they seem.
Do not worry about us at all. We are doing well. Tella spends many days playing in the garden with Irae and Poppy. She is still quiet but she is growing back into her old self. It will just take time. I know it will for you too.
Tell me how you are in your next letter. Are you reaching out for another reason? I know you have problems talking about things. I hope your new friend at least helps with that. You need people to rely on no matter where you are. I believe in you. You can do it if you put your mind to it. I will always open my arms and accept you when you come home.
May you find Her guidance, Nara Voltain de Vimgraunt.
She set the letter aside to dry as the stories continued. She flipped through the envelopes on her desk and saw more letters for different members of the temple. Irae, Sunodagh, and Tella had one for them.
Nara found Tella and Sunodagh in the kitchen. The girl giggled as he tossed balls of dough in the air. The elf held the envelopes in her hands as she approached them.
“Hello, you two,” She smiled, “I have some letters. Do you want to read them?”
Tella wiped the flour on her shirt, “Who’s it from?”
Nara smiled sadly, “It’s from Mira.”
The young girl’s face contorted in anger, “No! I never want to hear from her again!”
“Okay,” She sighed, “Sunodagh?”
“I’ll read it in a bit. Why don’t you keep both of them in your office for now?” He subtly hinted.
“I planned to do so.”
The bronze elf made her way back to her office. She looked at the letter addressed to Tella. The envelope was thicker than any others. She knew she could read it but didn’t want to.
“I’ll hold onto this until she’s ready,” Nara said to herself, “No matter how long it takes.”