Kaela stared at Lorne incredulously as they both sat alone together inside their private quarters. The silver moonlight shining through the window illuminated her face softly while casting shadows across its features otherwise hidden underneath flickering candlelight flickering nearby.
"So let me get this straight," she began before continuing onwards immediately thereafter, "you're asking us to abandon our duties here for however long Ardeunius intends on occupying Old Drakon's Castle and act as a third party should anything escalate between him and Elmsworth?"
"Yes," Lorne affirmed. "It would only be temporary...at least until the Order leaves the Eldergrove."
Kaela frowned thoughtfully towards this response. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts before leaning back against a nearby wall covered entirely with maps depicting various locations throughout the region.
"That's a lot of trouble to go through just for something like this," she mused aloud. "Why not just leave Ardeunius alone and trust the Order will act responsibly while staying within their boundaries?"
Lorne gave a rueful smile before explaining further, "Because that's what the Order's reputation entails. Even if Ardeunius doesn't intend on causing conflict with Elmsworth...it doesn't guarantee that his men wouldn't act on their own initiative."
She grunted in understanding before asking another question moments later, "And what about Ebonheim? Has she already given permission for this or is this something she would refuse outright?"
Lorne hesitated momentarily before answering, "I don't know. Engin says she's opposed to the idea entirely...but that doesn't mean she would outright reject this favor."
"Sounds like you're walking a thin line between opposing sides here."
"Perhaps," Lorne conceded with a shrug of his shoulders. "But regardless of how she feels about this proposal...I'm confident she'll want us to follow through with whatever decision we come to eventually regardless of her personal feelings on the matter."
Kaela sighed deeply and pushed herself upright again before walking over towards her bed where she sat down heavily upon its edge afterwards. "Just when I was getting used to lounging around this town and not worrying about anything besides keeping watch for any would-be brigands."
Lorne chuckled and shook his head wryly at those comments spoken in jest. "You act as if you're the only one here who enjoys a peaceful lifestyle. I'm also not thrilled by this sudden change of pace myself...but given everything involved here, I'd rather do something to prevent a potential disaster from happening later on than ignore its existence altogether."
Kaela snorted and glanced over towards him. "You have a point. So, when would we have to depart from here if we choose to help out with this little assignment?"
"By the end of the month," he answered without missing a beat. "According to Engin, the Order plans on arriving in three weeks' time. That gives us enough leeway to prepare ourselves accordingly beforehand."
"I see..." Kaela trailed off as she lay back onto her mattress after removing her armor pieces one by one until nothing remained covering her body except her undergarments. She stretched out lazily with a satisfied groan before turning her head towards Lorne with a playful expression lighting up her face moments later. "Well, in that case...let's enjoy these upcoming weeks together while we can. It'll be a shame to leave behind this nice cushy life we've become accustomed to over the years."
Lorne blinked at her sudden flirtation as he watched her run fingertips across bare skin exposed beneath a simple white cotton blouse. It wasn't often she initiated such intimacies between them unless tipsy or intoxicated. And given the fact neither option applied tonight...this caught him completely unprepared for her advances unexpectedly coming his way.
"Are you just going to stand there gawking at me all night or are you going to join me under the sheets? Because if not, I'm going to sleep like this," she added teasingly afterwards with a seductive smirk adorning her lips as she continued gazing up towards him from her current position sprawled across her bed.
Lorne chuckled softly and stripped out of his leather armor before climbing into bed alongside her afterwards. He wrapped arms around her slender waist and pulled her close enough so that their bodies pressed tightly against each other.
"Someone's bold tonight," he whispered softly into her ear as he nuzzled his cheek against hers. "I thought you preferred things being the other way around between us?"
Kaela hummed happily in response and shifted closer toward him until she lay half atop his chest. "I just wanted to switch things up a bit. You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all," he murmured affectionately in reply. "As long as you're happy then so am I."
----------------------------------------
Morning arrived swiftly for Ebonheim. With the rising sun came renewed energy within the town and surrounding forest. People awoke early to start their daily routines. Some headed off towards nearby fields where they worked tirelessly alongside animals harvesting crops planted months prior; others went about their day tending to livestock kept within pens scattered throughout Ebonheim proper.
Ebonheim woke at the crack of dawn as usual. She brushed the bangs from her forehead and sighed while stretching out beneath warm blankets covering her lithe frame. She savored the lingering comfort of slumber gradually fading away while blinking away sleep still clinging stubbornly within unfocused eyes.
"Good morning," Kelzryn's voice called out from nearby as she propped herself upright in bed. "Did you sleep well?"
Ebonheim rubbed the remaining grogginess from her eyes before glancing towards Kelzryn sitting in a chair beside her bedside, reading a book under a nearby window.
She had grown accustomed to waking up every morning and finding him waiting patiently for her. At first, this unnerved her a bit. But over time, she'd grown accustomed towards his presence despite its initial oddness. After all, there wasn't anything wrong with being cared for by someone else other than herself.
"Yeah. Thanks," Ebonheim replied with a soft yawn.
A faint rustle stirred from beside her. Ebonheim shifted towards the source of the noise and found Evelyne curled up beside her sound asleep. The Arcanist's mouth hung open slightly, drooling onto her pillow. Her hair spilled across her face like a dark curtain covering half of her features from view. Underneath the sheets, her legs intertwined with Ebonheim's own.
At first, Ebonheim didn't react to her unexpected presence. It wasn't unusual for Evelyne to stop by in the middle of the night whenever she felt particularly restless or needed somewhere quieter to concentrate on her arcane research. She often forgot how late it was and ended up falling asleep on Ebonheim's bed by mistake. This wasn't the first time, and likely wouldn't be the last.
But then Ebonheim noticed something else different about Evelyne's appearance that stood out immediately—Evelyne was naked.
Ebonheim froze and tried not to panic while staring at Evelyne's exposed form. Her clothes lay in a heap on the floor beside the bed, suggesting that they'd been hastily removed before crawling in underneath the covers earlier on.
She slowly turned her head to Kelzryn, who continued reading his book without so much glancing towards them.
"W-wha—" Ebonheim stammered, her mind reeling with questions demanding answers right then and there. Was he aware of Evelyne's nudity? Had he seen her undress? What happened last night?!
Kelzryn casually turned a page from his book and finally glanced in her direction. "Is there something wrong, Ebonheim?"
Ebonheim opened her mouth to respond but stopped abruptly when Evelyne rolled over in her sleep and threw an arm over Ebonheim's abdomen, mumbling something incomprehensible as she snuggled closer towards her.
Her entire body tensed in alarm. Evelyne's warmth seeped into Ebonheim's skin and sent goosebumps prickling along her spine. The Arcanist's leg brushed lightly against the inside of her thigh, making her shudder involuntarily at the unexpected sensation.
"Explain," Ebonheim demanded in a whisper while looking towards Kelzryn pleadingly. "Please explain what I'm waking up to. Last I recall, I returned to my cabin alone and slept without interruptions. Now I find you two in here with me, and Evelyne sleeping naked beside me."
Kelzryn glanced towards Evelyne briefly before meeting Ebonheim's gaze again. "She came over late last night while you slept. She wished to discuss something important with me privately regarding you. When we finished our talk, she grew too weary to return home safely at that hour and fell asleep on your bed."
"But why is she naked?!"
"This summer season was apparently too hot for her liking," he explained with a nonchalant shrug. "She insisted on not wearing anything while resting beside you so as to prevent overheating while she slumbered. Apparently, she often strips during warmer months regardless who's around or not."
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"But this house has magic that controls the temperature! I haven't experienced any problems with heat or cold within its walls!"
"The duration of those enchantments had lapsed by the time you'd returned. I hadn't had the opportunity to rejuvenate them until now."
Ebonheim groaned and rubbed her face tiredly.
Great. Just great.
She wanted to wake Evelyne and demand answers right now. However, this was hardly appropriate given her current circumstances. Instead, she resigned herself towards letting the Arcanist sleep for the time being. Ebonheim carefully lifted Evelyne's arm off her stomach before sliding out from beneath the covers and standing up from the bed. She glanced over at Kelzryn once more. "What did she want to discuss with you anyways?"
"Something that needs to wait," he answered simply while returning focus towards reading his book. "A discussion for a later time."
Ebonheim scowled towards his evasive attitude. Normally she'd press harder towards gaining the information she desired. However, she also knew better than to waste her energy trying to pull words from a dragon.
"Fine," she muttered before turning towards a mirror hanging on the wall nearby and inspecting her reflection closely. Nothing looked out of place aside from slightly tousled hair and wrinkled clothing. Satisfied nothing improper had occurred, she glanced over at Evelyne once again.
The Arcanist slept peacefully with her cheek resting on Ebonheim's pillow and her limbs sprawled over the space vacated by her previous bedmate. She breathed evenly and occasionally murmured incoherent sentences between dreams.
"Make sure she gets back safely when she wakes," Ebonheim requested while gathering her belongings from various areas scattered throughout her cabin.
"Of course," he responded without bothering to glance towards her. "Though, I doubt she would want me escorting her back to her workshop."
"Whatever works...as long as she's taken care of."
Kelzryn gave a small nod in acknowledgment. "Very well. Enjoy your day, Ebonheim."
With that settled, Ebonheim promptly exited her cabin and started towards town for her daily routine. The sound of chirping birds accompanied her along the path as they flew overhead through branches swaying gently in gentle breezes blowing past them both. Sunlight shone brightly between clouds drifting lazily across azure skies above.
A typical sunny day in her domain.
No sign of storms brewing in sight. No omens appearing in ominous shapes signaling impending danger ahead. It may as well be an unremarkable day for Ebonheim's duties. Unless something noteworthy occurred throughout town during her daily walkabout, she didn't expect anything out-of-the ordinary happening soon enough...aside from Evelyne's earlier intrusion that is.
She sighed.
A serious talk about boundaries was needed, but she'd deal with that later. It wasn't worth stressing over too deeply for now. In the meantime though, she had plenty of other things occupying her attention to dwell on.
----------------------------------------
One week later...
Ebonheim sat at the head of the table with her chin resting on top folded hands. Her elbows dug into wood grain below while she watched Engin stand across from everyone present within the council room. Around him gathered members belonging towards various factions within town. They conversed amongst themselves quietly while waiting for Engin to begin speaking once again.
He cleared his throat and brought attention back towards himself before continuing on with whatever speech he prepared beforehand. "Ardeunius and his knights will arrive here soon. By tomorrow or the day after at the latest."
Ebonheim winced inwardly at this news and braced herself for what was about to come next.
"They won't be staying long though. I've spoken with Lorne and he's agreed to allow the Order to use his company to act as a third party between Elmsworth and the Order," Engin announced, glancing around the room towards everyone present for this impromptu meeting. "I know some of you might disapprove of this solution...but I assure you both parties will benefit greatly from their involvement. It will prevent any incidents from occurring that could potentially cause damage between us all."
She and Engin had already discussed the matter several times. Even though she'd given her blessing for the Silverguard Company to act as neutral arbitrators between the two parties, she thought he was being too cautious about the entire affair.
Elmsworth would have just reached out to her should there ever arise an issue between him and the Order. This measure seemed a little excessive...not to mention inconvenient to the Silverguards.
Why send someone else in your place for something as simple as this?
But regardless of her misgivings towards the situation, Engin's mind was set in stone regarding the matter. He reasoned that it was best for her not to get preoccupied with too many things at once. Ebonheim knew he meant well. After all, she did have a habit of focusing too intently on one single task over another. So instead, she decided to go along with his suggestions and allowed the Silverguard Company to handle everything without interfering herself.
And as far as the Silverguard Company was concerned, they accepted their new mission readily enough. She knew how well they served their purpose whenever deployed for specific duties. In this regard, she trusted Lorne's judgment on what his company would do.
Plus, having Lorne and his company stay around Old Drakon's Castle for a few months wouldn't hurt anything either. The Asura demons that were unaccounted for could return or come out of hiding during that period. Having extra manpower available made sense given these circumstances.
"Thank you for understanding," Engin concluded afterwards with a nod towards the rest of the room's occupants before taking his seat once again.
Everyone broke out into hushed conversations shortly thereafter with voices filling the air around them. Ebonheim listened attentively as various topics were discussed among those assembled.
Next, Roderick rose to his feet and cleared his throat loudly to gain everyone's attention again. "Now, before we adjourn here...there's one final matter that I'd like to address with all of you present. Namely, the discovery of the Vesperia veins and Eclipsium beneath the northern mountains."
The chatter ceased immediately as those present focused exclusively on Roderick speaking before them. "I've spoken with Brevin Stoneshield about this already...and he believes we should prioritize mining operations in the area above everything else."
Brevin nodded in agreement. "Aye. We can't ignore the potential boon for Ebonheim's prosperity should the mines produce viable quantities of Vesperia. Especially when combined with the gold veins located within the region as well."
Roderick smiled and continued on without missing a beat, "Precisely. If properly extracted, we could sell excess materials overseas for tremendous profit. Not only that...we might even manage to attract foreign investment opportunities over time. Or better yet, establish trading relations with other regions beyond the continent altogether!"
His words received mixed responses from those listening intently nearby. While most seemed interested by these prospects, there were still a few who appeared skeptical of such claims despite how ambitious they sounded.
"Wouldn't that paint a target on our backs though?" Thorsten voiced out loud from across the table. "The Eldergrove is neutral territory for everyone within the continent. But if word gets out about us exploiting rare minerals that could disrupt the balance of power between the other kingdoms...we could potentially be inviting unwanted attention towards us."
Several murmurs of agreement followed after he spoke. Ebonheim raised a hand to silence any further debate before glancing towards Roderick once again.
"Thorsten's right," she stated firmly. "As much as I want us to flourish and grow...I also don't want to jeopardize what's currently here either. So far, the Eldergrove has managed to remain relatively peaceful despite its status as a crossroads between continents. We should keep that peace intact for as long as possible."
Roderick tilted his head down in acknowledgment of her words. "Yes...yes. Of course, we should," he reassured while sweeping his gaze across everyone sitting at the table before him. "In that case, we can just stock up on materials for now and keep them hidden within the Deep Miners' outpost for safekeeping. If nothing else, it'll serve as insurance should times become rough."
"Good idea," Brevin approved with a firm nod. "I'll inform my kin to extract only what we can handle within storage facilities underground. No more than a fraction of our monthly haul from now on until further notice."
Ebonheim smiled approvingly towards Brevin and Roderick. She appreciated how quickly they both reacted towards addressing possible obstacles ahead for them all. The last thing anyone needed right now was unnecessary complications arising later down the road because of negligence on their part.
"Then that settles it," Engin declared while standing up from his seat. "Let us wrap up for today. Please remember to report any developments to me as soon as possible. Until next time, good evening."
Those assembled echoed back their farewells before exiting the room one by one afterwards. Ebonheim lingered a moment longer, watching them disperse before taking her leave as well. As she passed through the doorway leading outside, a pair of footsteps sounded behind her and matched pace with hers.
She turned slightly to acknowledge Kelzryn following on her heels. "You missed the meeting."
He shrugged and gave a small smile in response. "There wasn't anything urgent I needed to contribute to the discussion. So I elected to skip this time around."
"Hmm...I see. Well, in any event...thanks for showing up anyways."
"Always."
The two walked side-by-side in silence for a short while afterwards before Kelzryn spoke again. "How do you feel about this arrangement between Ardeunius and Elmsworth?"
Ebonheim heaved a sigh while considering his inquiry carefully. "Honestly? I'm worried," she admitted after a brief pause. "Elmsworth tolerates travelers passing through his territory...but he isn't fond of them staying long term. But he allowed them to occupy the castle ruins so it's not really my responsibility to mediate any issues between him and the Order."
"But you offered to anyways, didn't you?"
Ebonheim glanced towards Kelzryn, startled by his sharp perception. "I did. But now Engin has Lorne and his company handling things for me. How did you know I'd want to intervene?"
"Because you're kindhearted and thoughtful towards those who depend on you," he replied simply. "It's not surprising in the slightest you'd consider intervening at some point or another if necessary."
She laughed wryly at his answer and shook her head ruefully afterwards. "You make me sound more virtuous than I truly am. Most of the time I just find myself reacting instinctively towards whatever situation presents itself before me."
"Yes. But your instincts always lead towards positive outcomes overall regardless of how dire they might seem initially," he countered calmly without breaking stride. "Even if you fail to resolve everything yourself...your compassion and generosity inspires others around you to do their best. Without those qualities within you, I doubt the people of this town would prosper as much as they are currently."
Ebonheim stared at him wide-eyed. Kelzryn rarely gave compliments without merit. He was a pragmatic sort and only voiced his opinion if he genuinely believed in what he said.
"W-well thank you...that's high praise coming from you," she stuttered with a blush spreading across cheeks heated by embarrassment.
Kelzryn smirked knowingly before nodding once more towards her. "Likewise."