He closed his books as his studies finally concluded. Most of the material he'd studied hardly stayed in his mind long, he'd always found it hard to learn such uninteresting things.
"Your books, young Boughtstrider." His professor lent down a hand to his desk towards his books. The boy's professor was an elderly high elf, at least relative to many of the human servants who generally were within their mid 20s to 30s. The professor on the other hand was well into her 260s. Nonetheless wrinkles were only just beginning to crease her face. Her hair was an elegant bleached blonde, similar to the young boy before her. It was tied in a braid that laid loosely over her right shoulder.
The younger elf handed his books to the professor. "Thank you for the class Ms. Anqwinn."
The professor started towards the exit of the room, waiting a half-second for the young elf to follow. However he was glancing out the nearby window into the dark expanse of the subterranean city beneath them. The only fragments of light were specs of torchlight throughout the streets and windows of buildings.
Anqwinn cleared her throat to get the young noble's attention. "I understand the city of the Hollows is grandiose, but I assure you it's little more than tradesmen and the occasional drunk."
The boy rose from his seat, making a glance out the window before following his professor into the hallway.
The hall was dark except for flickering lanterns set at regular intervals on either side of the stone walls.
The floor was made up primarily of tiled stone; both elf's feet clicking in the tile and echoing down the corridor as they walked.
The young elf stayed close behind his professor, hardly straying a few feet from her flowing blue gown.
In the shadows of the lantern-light. An armored figure walked by them, causing the boy to move to the other side of Anqwinn.
He looked back to see another elf with dark grey skin and silver-white hair walking down the corridor, donned in black plate armor that hugged their form, but not so much so to hinder their movement. A shield baring the Boughstrider crest was strapped to their arm; a tree with its canopy forming an eye in the center, while its branches grew downward to encompass a city.
"Young Boughstrider." Anqwinn whispered, getting the boy's attention once again. She gestured her head down the hall as they continued to walk.
After a few minutes, and a few turns along with an upward staircase, they finally arrived at a set of dark wooden doors flanked by the same armored elves.
Anqwinn knocked on the door. "Ms. Cithril," she called, her voice booming in the relative silence of the tower. "The master's son has completed his studies for the evening."
A few second passed before the door was opened by a woman in the royal staff's attire, albeit a slight variation of it.
Most of the normal house staff wore a dark blue suit with silver buttons up the center, along with dark blue pants. They wore black shoes and white gloves on occasion, mainly the ones who cleaned or served the meals.
But Cithril's uniform was a black and white maid dress rather than a suit, which some of the female staff wore as an alternative. But beyond that the neck of the uniform was an inch or two lower then most of the other staff, even if they too wore the dress. On top of that, the dress was slightly shorter than many of the others, stopping around a third of the way down her thighs.
Cithril bowed to the two. "Master Erdan is in his study at the moment. However you are free to enter." She spoke softly before stepping aside.
Anqwinn and the boy walked into the main plaza of the building they were in.
Down a short hallway they came to meet the top of a splitting staircase overlooking the main floor of the building. At one of its walls was a large set of iron double doors; the main entrance to the sprawling tower that made of the Boughstrider's estate.
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From the ceiling above was a large silver chandelier with blue glowing crystals hanging from it.
The main floor was made of stone tile colored to show the Boughstrider crest on the floor below the hanging chandelier.
Anqwinn led the boy down the stairs, to the 2nd floor of the tower and down a hallway.
Slowly, as they walked down the hall, the boy began to hear familiar voices, along with one unfamiliar one.
Finally, they came to an open doorway.
Inside were three people.
At an elegant desk at the end of the room sat a wrinkled elf with near yellow skin and short bleached hair that glistened in the light of a glowing crystal on the ceiling. The head of house Boughstrider, Erdan.
To the housemaster's side, was his wife Birel. Her eyes were sunken into her skull. She wore the same noble garb as her husband, a blue and silver garb with the house crest across its breast pocket. Her eyes briefly flicked to Anqwinn and the boy as they appeared in the doorway before looking back towards the one in front of them.
Before the heads of the house was another elf with deep grey skin. His hair was like strings of fine white silk. He wore very fine plate armor that seemed to be made of black stone very finely carved into scales. On his back was a greatsword made of black metal. Its sheath was lined with arcane runes Anqwinn couldn't place.
Erdan spoke, paying no mind to the two figures in the doorway. "Sir Helivix, I understand your reason for being insistent on the use of your Dusk Knights to reinforce the military of house Boughstrider. I understand their uses and notoriety, and your place within them as the general. But my answer still stands just as it did before: No. One more offer and I'll be taking it to Lady Sszaered herself."
The dark elf spoke up. "As the head of house Oussret I assure you she will make much the same offer as I. In fact, she is whom is making this offer in the first place. Having the Dusk Knights at your service is-"
Erdan held up a hand to silence the dark elf. "Enough, Helivix. My answer remains the same. Now I suggest you leave this estate. My guards will escort you out."
As he spoke those words two armored men stepped into the room to flank the dark elf.
Helivix pursed his lips, but bowed to Erdan. "As you wish housemaster. I wish house Boughstrider the best, even in light of your decisions." With that, the general of the infamous Dusk Knights of house Oussret was led out.
Finally, the two housemaster's turned their attention to the two figures in the doorway.
"Ms. Anqwinn, the studies are done for the day I presume?" Birel asked, her eyes glaring downward at the boy, who practically hid behind the professor.
Anqwinn nodded and bowed slightly to the woman. "That is correct Lady Birel."
Birel raised a brow. "And... any improvements?"
The boy stepped forward, his head downcast to the fine rug on the floor. "No mother."
"I am asking your professor, child." Birel hissed back.
"No, Lady Birel." Anqwinn confirmed. "No notable improvements as of yet."
Birel and Erdan exchanged glances before Erdan nodded.
"Captain Orym," Erdan spoke louder then before out towards the doorway.
An armored man appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Master Erdan?"
The housemaster waved a hand towards the young boy in the room. "Escort my son here to his quarters, we will speak with him soon."
In an instant, the guard grasped the child's arm and practically drug him from the room.
Anqwinn met the boy's eyes as he was drug out of view.
"Now Anqwinn, we have something to discuss with you." Birel spoke, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Our trades within the Feywild have been skewed recently. We haven't been getting as many resources from the Winter Court. We aren't sure of why this is. But given your position within the Winter Court, I assume you can get everything cleared out?"
Anqwinn nodded. "I will get to that immediately Lady Birel." Those were her last words before leaving the two heads of house Boughstrider for what would soon be the final time.
***
"Shouldn't we just get rid of him by now?" Birel muttered as she paced from one side of the common room to the other.
"Not yet honey. Patience has never been a strong suit of yours, has it?" Erdan flipped a page in his book.
Birel turned on a dime and scowled at Erdan. "Excuse me?"
The two elves eyes met for a moment before Erdan sighed. He looked towards the nearby hearth. The fires flickering and alighting the otherwise dark room.
"Be patient Birel. It's been but 10 cycles since our boy's convince. We have hundreds more to conceive another child."
Birel grunted and turned towards the crackling flames of the hearth. "We can't wait hundreds. If the other houses found out us and that idiotic child were all that's left of the Boughstrider house they'd kill us in a heartbeat."
Erdan glanced up from his book. "Didn't you already take a precaution against that? Something about having one of the lesser nobles act as our kin."
Birel waved her hand as if swatting away a fly. "That plan sank the moment he was cast into house Teken'erves. It wasn't like we could have turned down that deal anyways. Having a kin, even loosely, as the bride to the daughter of a high noble brought us great prosperity."
Erdan nodded in agreement. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, a thin but sharp pain etched itself across his neck.
He only noticed his predicament when he felt his throat clog with his lifeblood. He let out a futile gurgle as blood pooled in his mouth.
Birel turned at the sound and nearly screamed before a hand clasped around her mouth. The next moment a pain and light snap in her spine caused all feeling beneath her chest to cease. The last thing she saw before her neck was snapped was a young boy looking on in horror from the shadows of the hallway before them.