Jonen wore the chainmail armor gifted to him upon his arrival in Hangral. With his new rank in the Travel Knights, he had access to better equipment, better weapons, and specialized training. He arrived at the capital only a few weeks after his new commanding officer came to Vimgraunt to fetch him.
As soon as he met Commander Grimson, the icy older woman didn’t give him much time to say goodbye. He couldn’t leave a long letter to Mira or wait for her to wake from her sleep. He wanted to be there when she finally recovered, but the goddess had other plans for him.
As the half-elf walked down the long corridor of Zrud’s royal castle to the throne room, he took a deep breath. Anxiety rattled in his chest. The Grand Knight and Queen of Zrud wanted him to personally report about what happened in the mountainous area he was deployed to. As he stepped into the throne room and stood at attention in front of two thrones, he held his chin high.
Gemstones and gold littered the room’s tapestry. Dark, velvety green and gold thrones sat in from of him and the pair of dwarves that sat on them were equally decorated. The older woman wore a golden crown with rubies and emeralds entwined in the design. Her thick brown hair braided into her brown beard with white flowers accenting it. Queen Azalea was known to decorate herself with her namesake. The younger dwarf at her side, Prince Krission, wore a smaller crown of silver intertwined with emeralds and sapphires. He wore his hair short, with his beard modestly braided in a singular strand.
To their right was a grandly decorated knight, the leader of the Travel Knights in Zrud, Ronald Reiner –known as “The Defender” for heroically deterring a pirate attack on a small island community off the side of Zrud. The man was older, with broad shoulders and decorated with blue metal armor with runes etched down the center. He had the same hair style as Krission, only shorter and littered with gray.
To the left of the royal pair was a small child. One that Jonen didn’t recognize in the slightest. The girl had curly brown hair and wore a simple white dress. Her poofy bangs attempted to shield the bandages covering eyes. She smiled lightly and lowered her head as Jonen entered.
“Jonen Lafayette de Sfagroth, second rank knight,” Crimson bowed as she entered, “—has returned from his deployment into eastern Zrud. Do you need him to summarize his journey?”
“Yes,” The dwarf queen folded her hands together and placed them under her chin, “I would like to know the full story.”
His commander spent that morning all but beating courtly behavior into him, so he did not offend the queen. As Jonen knew nothing about Zrud politics or behaviors, he latched onto anything similar to his elven homelands of Vanora.
“How much detail would you like to know, your majesty?” Jonen performed his practice kneel.
“Brief would be preferable,” Queen Azalea smiled softly, “Though, I will ask questions when I have them.”
“Understood,” He stood and cleared his throat, “Approximately six months ago, I was stationed in Berkshire of eastern Zrud. The night of attack on Duke Sterling’s demise, I ran into a woman that had been attacked.”
“By the wraith, correct?” Prince Krission interrupted.
Jonen nodded, “Teams across the city were chasing the fleeing wraith. Members of my squadron ran into the woman on our pursuit. She required medical attention and my commanding officer, Smite, ordered me to stay behind with her.”
“Why you?” Queen Azalea narrowed her eyes, “Why not anyone else?”
“My dwarven was lacking,” He sighed, “I had arrived to Zrud only two months beforehand and hadn’t gotten a hold of the language. My first aid skills and language barriers made it easier for me to stay with the injured woman.”
“First aid skills?” Grand Knight Reiner lifted at eyebrow, “Explain.”
“During my knight’s training, I elected to take first aid courses,” Jonen tapped the metal stamp in his armor, “Given my background, I wanted some skills to assist in future battle.”
“Wise,” The prince scratched his beard, “Continue.”
“She was a thrall running errands for her master. She told me she was lost. I offered to escort,” Jonen recalled the blurry memory of her, “Once we met her master, he took treated her poorly and it stuck with me.”
“There are thralls here,” Prince Krission rolled his eyes, “I know in Vanora they are illegal, but Zrud has different laws.”
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“I understand this,” Jonen bowed his head, “But thralls are not to be violently reprimanded and beaten in the public.”
The queen narrowed her eyes in a squint as she examined him, “This is true. Continue.”
“The man was a blue elf and his face stuck in my mind after that,” He cleared his throat, “After speaking with a survivor at the duke’s estate, she told me she saw a blue elf there. As I know there are not many elves in this area, I wanted to ensure that the man was not connected. I went to the wanted posters in Berkshire and found Isaan Naybellos. I brought this information to Commander Smite.”
“Smite then brought it forward to me and I informed you,” Grand Knight Reiner interjected.
As the queen leaned in to whisper to Reiner, Jonen watched the small girl play with the edge of her dress. She smiled shyly and looked towards him, despite the bandages covering her eyes.
“Continue, Sir Jonen,” The queen spoke.
“I was part of the small army that trekked through the mountains and found his estate. We trained for weeks to acclimate ourselves to the environment before swarming his property. When Smite confronted Isaan to surrender, the wraith exited the house,” Jonen paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts.
“The wraith?” Prince Krission interjected, “It does exist?”
Jonen nodded.
“Is that why all the men are dead?”
He nodded again.
“How did you survive?” The girl asked.
“The woman, I mentioned earlier,” Jonen cleared his throat, “She nursed me back to health and brought me to a temple for proper healing.”
“Why would she do that?” The girl smiled.
“When I met her, I showed her kindness,” Jonen tried to fight the blush rising on his face, “According to her, it wasn’t often someone did that and she remembered my face.”
“Interesting,” The girl nodded.
“Young prophetess,” Prince Krission looked to her, “Is there a reason you ask this question?”
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” The girl shrugged, “I do not have the same powers as my predecessor. I’m still learning. Sir Jonen, please name her and continue.”
“Her name is Mira,” He nodded, “She is somewhat of a folk hero to the small villages around Vimgraunt. She brought me to the temple there and the healers fixed my injuries. I sent word of what happened when I was able.”
“When we arrived at the city, it was in shambles from a recent attack,” Commander Grimson stated, “The locals said the woman fought off her master and the wraith appeared to side with her.”
“Interesting,” The small girl smiled.
“So, the wraith and Naybellos are not on the same side?” Reiner raised an eyebrow, “Or perhaps…”
“Not to interject, but I was at the battle as well,” Jonen bit his lip, “The wraith seems to be Mira’s mother’s lover and Isaan killed her mother to enthrall her.”
“This… Mira,” The queen stood, “Do we think she is connected to Isaan’s crimes in any way?”
“This letter was written by the High Priestess of Vimgraunt’s temple,” Jonen pulled a letter from his pocket and presented it to his commanding officer, “She believes that Mira may have only been involved by orders of her master.”
“That makes her involved and just as guilty,” Grand Knight Reiner scoffed, “Enthrallment or not.”
“I personally witnessed what happened if she refused her master’s orders,” Jonen lowered her head, “A magic collar choked the life from her until she could no longer breath. I… don’t think she had a choice.”
“She could have just died,” Prince Krission rolled his eyes, “She’s a thrall, after all.”
Jonen bit his tongue not to say anything inappropriate. He watched the queen and Reiner read through the letter. Reiner scoffed at the last lines.
“May the Goddess bless you and your family. May She guide your way,” Reiner rolled his eyes, “Yet the murderous woman is considered a folk hero?”
“In all honesty, Grand Knight Reiner,” He cleared his throat, “There are no armies, no guards, or anything to protect the people around the mountains from monsters or bandits. Mira took it upon herself to be that role when she was able.”
“Duke Sterling was in charge of the eastern mountainous regions,” The prince commented, “The rise in bandit activity was noted in his personal journals. He chose to bring in the Travel Knights for that purpose.”
“May She guide your way,” The girl tapped a finger to her chin, “I see.”
“Do you have something to add, young prophetess?” The queen leaned over to view the girl with a quizzical gesture.
“Yes,” She nodded, “But I will have to speak to my priestesses first to know if I am understanding clearly.”
“Should we issue a warrant for the woman’s arrest?” Grand Knight Reiner proposed.
“No, not yet,” The young girl stood, “I will let you know if I change my mind. I need to speak with the others.”
“Are you leaving?” The prince questioned.
“Yes. I need to pray. I have questions only the goddess can answer,” She bowed to the royal pair, “I wish to speak to the knight on my exit. Is that allowable?”
“Of course,” The queen smiled, “Thank you for attending with us today, young prophetess.”
“I move to dismiss the knight, as he has given all information and answered questions,” Commander Grimson stepped forward, “He has spent months out of training and will need to be put in a routine again.”
“Yes,” Prince stood and eyed him, “Jonen Lafayette, you are dismissed. Before you leave, the young prophetess will have a word with you. Zrud protect you.”
Jonen bowed, “Thank you. Good day, your majesty, your highness.”
The small girl walked up to Jonen and held her hand towards him. He paused for a moment before he knelt and faced her. She lightly tapped a finger against his nose and giggled. He blinked and waited for her to say anything.
“She is okay,” The girl whispered, “Though, her heart is filled with sadness.”
“How do you know?” He asked, “Can you sense her?”
“No, I have asked and received the answer,” She rubbed at the bandages, “You are an interesting story. I would love to speak to you again.”
“Of course, Prophetess….”
“Oh, they never introduced me, did they? I’m the Talia-soul,” She curtsied, “And I hope to see Lady Mira soon.”
Jonen cocked his head at the title, “Lady Mira?”
“Goodbye, Sir Jonen,” The prophetess reached out to touch his hands and ease his confusion, “May your road be full of strength and free of sorrows.”