(Eden Blackthorn)
Elea chased Donnan into the Tower. She knew he was headed straight to Be'ornhelm's study, thinking that someone would be there to direct him to where his father is. Elea felt Tranthor on her heels as she followed Donnan, who had burst into Be'ornhelm's study without even knocking.
Luckily, Be'ornhelm and Bretonius had anticipated the young swashbuckler.
"Where is he? Where is he? Where's my father?" Donnan demanded breathlessly.
Elea knew that Matthew, Morena and Janort had made it back two days ago with Ballarius - at least, she hoped so. She waited silently as Donnan paced around the room, looking all around, as if their patrons had hidden his father away on a bookshelf or under a chair.
Bretonius was enjoying this immensely. "He's at home. They are all at home."
"Where's that?!" Donnan half demanded, half begged.
"In Veluna, at Reynald's castle." Be'ornhelm answered him this time, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Send me there immediately!" Donnan was not to be dissuaded.
To Elea's surprise, both Bretonius and Be'ornhelm looked to her for direction. She cleared her throat. "Yes, please. Send us..." She indicated Donnan, Tranthor and herself. "all to my chambers in Reynald's castle. I'll take care of it from there."
Bretonius and Be'ornhelm nodded. "We'll see you there soon." Bretonius winked at her as she felt the world shifting around them.
Then, they were in her familiar chambers. Everything was as it should be. There was even a fire in the fireplace. As soon as the world stilled, Elea turned to Donnan, who looked like he was about to bolt off at top speed. "Donnan!" She snapped. "Calm down! Do you want your father to see you like this? Like some out of control crazy man?"
That brought Donnan up short. He became aware of what he must look like - blood on his clothing, still wearing the enemy guard's uniform, completely out of sorts. He nodded and forced himself to calm down.
"Now, I will go find out what's going on. You are to stay here." She looked to Tranthor. "You need to make sure that he stays here. Remember, he still has a death sentence on his head for returning to the Cassandran Empire within the banished year." Tranthor gently, but firmly, guided Donnan to a seat. Donnan did not resist his brother. Elea caught sight of herself in the mirror and almost gasped aloud. She was still in her black leathers, now scuffed and dirty from the rescue. Her face and neck were still covered in the black grease paint that had kept the light from reflecting off of her fair skin. 'No time to clean up now.' She thought, glancing at Donnan. Instead she grabbed a rag and wiped at her face and neck, taking some of the grease paint away. Then, she hurried out into the hall.
Elea hurried down the corridor, looking for a guard or a servant. It did not take long before she found one. "You!" She called out to a young guardsman, striding to him and grabbing him by the jerkin. "Do you know who I am?" She asked.
The young guardsman nodded, stunned at her appearance. "You - you're the Duke's daughter, Elea."
'Thank the Gods, I don't have to explain it to him.' She nodded. "Right. Listen very carefully. I need to you to find my father... the Duke... Reynald... and tell him that I am waiting for him in my chambers." She shook his jerkin. "Do you understand?"
He nodded. "Matthew... he's alive...." He looked like a young man who had been through much in the past couple of days.
"Yes. I know. Morena, too... I was part of the rescue. I need you to get my father now!" Elea was growing impatient.
"Yes milady." His eyes had grown wide at her saying that she was part of the rescue.
Elea stamped her foot. "Why are you still here??"
"Um. Pardon, milady... if you would just let go of my jerkin...." His cheeks flushed bright.
"Oh. I'm sorry." She let go of him and smoothed his jerkin down. "Now, go and do as I say."
The young guardsman executed a crisp bow and then turn and literally ran down the hallway seeking out the Duke. Elea returned to her chambers and let them know that Reynald was on his way.
Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was Reynald and a series of servants bearing food, clothing and the like. Elea smiled at Reynald. "Father!"
He hugged his dirty daughter. "I was expecting you to be seven feet tall, according to the guardsman you sent for me. You seemed to have scared him."
"I'm sorry. I fear I was bit intense. You understand." Elea was not sorry in the least.
Reynald patted his daughter's shoulder and looked to the antsy Donnan who was standing a polite distance away. "Ah, Donnan. The prodigal son has returned."
Donnan grinned and bowed deeply. "I have, indeed. Would you might know where the prodigal son's father is?"
Reynald gestured a servant forth. He picked up two goblets of wine and handed one to Donnan. "Of course, I do. But first, a toast! To a job well done."
Donnan dutifully toasted the Duke and downed his goblet of wine without tasting it. "To a job well done." He repeated.
Reynald smiled so innocently. "I will take you to your father once you have rested and bathed and dressed and are presentable."
Donnan frowned, looked at the goblet in his hand and grinned wide. "You didn't.... did .... " He did not have a chance to finish his sentence before the strong drug took hold of his system, knocking him senseless. Tranthor was able to catch Donnan before he hit the floor.
"Father!!" Elea was shocked and highly amused.
"Yes, daughter?" Reynald arched an eyebrow at her.
"Nothing. Are you planning to drug me as well?" She grinned.
"No. Not if you won't fight going to sleep, then bathing, then dressing appropriately for dinner." He looked at her steadily. "Ballarius told me that this would happen. The rescuers would return home after almost five days of non-stop fieldwork and immediately demand to see Janort. Of course, they would not realize that their bodies are about to give out. The best thing for everyone involved in a good rest - BEFORE - anything else happens."
"No Sir. I wouldn't dream of it. I'll go to bed quietly." She glanced at Tranthor who raised his hands.
"I'll just sleep here in the chair and watch over Donnan." Tranthor smiled a little smile.
Reynald nodded. "Good. It's decided. Elea, the servants will wake you in seven hours and will wake these two in eight hours." He turned and smiled at Elea, taking her hands in his. "Congratulations, darling and welcome home." He strode out, leaving two guards at the door and two chambermaids who followed Elea into her bedroom.
"You look wonderful, Donnan." Elea moved to his side.
"Thank you, my dear. And your beauty is beyond mere words. Would you grant this humble man the honor of escorting you to dinner?" Donnan offered his arm.
"Why, thank you!" Elea was quite pleased at this unexpected surprise. They met up with Tranthor in the parlor area of her chambers. He was in his usual black, looking dark and dashing. As Donnan moved to the door, Elea slipped from his arm and moved to Tranthor. "Remember your promise." She whispered as she looked him in the eyes.
Tranthor nodded. "I do remember." He pulled his daggers from their sheaths and offered them to her. Elea placed them on the table. Then, she returned to Donnan's side.
"What was that?" Donnan asked.
Elea shook her head. "Tis nothing, my friend. C'mon, we don't wish to keep everyone waiting."
Donnan kissed her cheek and escorted her out towards the private dining room with Tranthor following behind.
Donnan paused for a moment as he brought Elea into the Duke's private dining room. The room grew silent as they entered. There was an impressive number of people here. At one end of the table was Reynald, Sharlynn, Morena and Matthew. At the other end was Janort, Bretonius, Ballarius and Be'ornhelm. There were several seats left open in strategic places. Donnan brought Elea to the seat next to her mother and across from Matthew and Morena. He seated her with all the mannerisms of a high born nobleman.
Then, Donnan looked to Tranthor and together they walked to Janort, who was standing now. Janort and Donnan looked at each other for a long moment, then pulled each other into a huge hug. "Papa." Donnan whispered softly. Janort blinked back his own tears and slapped Donnan on the back. Donnan then pulled away. "Father, may I have the pleasure of introducing to you, your son, Tranthor Lore." Donnan gestured Tranthor forward.
Janort's face went white, then red and then white again as Tranthor hung back, seemingly, not sure of what to do. Janort hobbled forward on his newly acquired wooden leg and touched Tranthor's shoulder. "They... they told me you were dead. Oh Gods, son.... I didn't know! I didn't know!"
That broke Tranthor's steely exterior and he half lunged into Janort's open arms. "Father." Tranthor said, voice breaking. That released the spell that had held the whole room silent. Spontaneous applause broke out as the Duke's guests wiped at their moist eyes.
"A toast!" Reynald cried out and lifted his goblet. Each person grabbed a goblet in response. "To family!"
"TO FAMILY!" The table repeated and clinked glasses with each other.
"If only Mama was here to see this." Donnan said as he took his place at the table.
Bretonius smiled. "She's been sent for. Genevieve will be here in a day or two."
With that, servants began to whirl in with a wide variety of dishes to be sampled and enjoyed. As the guests ate, they spoke of all that had gone on.
Sharlynn put the question on everyone's mind out to the table... "What happened? What was really going on?"
Donnan put his fork down. "It is actually a lot more complex that it first seemed. Elea and I will try to explain what we know." He looked to Reynald. "And you can fill in what we miss?"
Reynald nodded. "I will try."
"Starting chronologically, a series of events happened that seem to have nothing in common." Elea began. "First, Morena and Matthew were kidnapped on their honeymoon a little over two years ago. That was a crime of opportunity, we believe, or the beginning of a sinister plot to overthrow the crown of Furyondi. Then, Bretonius and his brother Edward fought in a wizard's death duel, causing Bretonius to call a final strike. Only, he did not die in the final strike."
"No. I felt myself thrown towards a different plane by an outside force. I was too weak to identify the outside force or stop it." Bretonius added. "Someone must have been watching us and took the opportunity to interfere when the opening came."
Donnan nodded. "That outside force was from the same person who ordered Morena and Matthew's kidnapping and sent in the doppelgangers. Bretonius has not been part of the plan until the duel happened. From there, the fake Morena and Matthew created havoc and tried to poison the Duke."
Elea frowned. "Though, I'm not sure why the fake Matthew was killed."
Sharlynn interrupted. "But, at the trial - it was confirmed to be Matthew's body."
Donnan nodded. "Exactly. Our unseen enemy did not know that we would find the real Matthew and Morena."
"Sir Aaron's man confirmed that it was Matthew's body." Elea stated and let that sink into everyone's mind.
Janort was the first to speak the thought. "Sir Aaron... the Head of the Furyondi Knights of the Hart was behind this?" He was aghast at the thought.
"Aye." Reynald confirmed. "Once Ballarius got you all back here and I saw Matthew alive, I knew that we had all been tricked at the highest level. And, I sent word to the Emperor."
"Yes." Donnan nodded. "I knew that the trial against Elea and myself was a sham from the beginning. It was designed to hurt Elea as Reynald's heir. The night before the trial, I had a couple of visitors and was told that Elea would be pardoned, but I would be found guilty. And, as this worked out for Sir Aaron, he asked me to save an artifact while I was trying to save my father. He did not care about my father nor of any other prisoners with him. All he wanted was the artifact. In truth, I think he was attempting to make the bait that much more enticing to me. If I got this artifact, he would re-instate me in the Knights of the Hart - but only with the artifact."
"What artifact?" Matthew asked.
"Cortina." Elea responded. "The fabled sword that Janort once wore.
"Which, I'm sorry to say, we did not recover." Donnan hastened to add, glancing at Reynald who smiled a knowing smile.
"That makes sense." Be'ornhelm mused. "I had wondered why my friend within the Furyondi Knights of the Hart had sent me that Tome. It had the clue I needed to send our young adventurers out to rescue Bretonius. It must have been at Sir Aaron's command."
"And it gave Morena's family and Sir Aaron the time they needed to build the trial against us." Donnan said. "I knew that it felt wrong, somehow."
Morena spoke up softly. "I don't understand. Why was there a trial in the first place."
Elea blinked, realizing that Morena had not been told of her execution. "Ah... That is because I ordered your... um... the fake Morena's execution." Morena's face when pale. "It was because Morena's servant had tried to kill Donnan's wife, Valaria and his unborn children. With the same poison that Reynald was dying from. We caught the servant after she messed up my tower, bashed Be'ornhelm's skull in and delivered the poison to Valaria. She fought to the death. But I had used my magic of spell singing to see where she had gotten the poison - from you... ah, the fake Morena."
"We rushed here via magic, sent healers to take care of Reynald and then we went and arrested the fake Morena." Donnan added. "While there, she admitted to killing Matthew, swore fealty to Iuz and swore that I would never find my father."
"I was put into a position, knowing that if we sent her to the dungeon, there would be six dead guards and the fake Morena would still be free to cause more harm. So. I ordered her death, based on attempted murder, murder and treason. Proof gathered by her words and my hand." Elea looked at her hands. "I ordered her death to be carried out immediately by Donnan."
"And I obeyed the command." Donnan said softly.
"What about the Right of Peerage?" Morena asked.
Elea looked chagrined. "I did not grow up a noble nor with noble schooling. I did not know about the Right of Peerage. That's why there was a trial. Demanded.... rightfully so.... by your family."
Morena nodded, looking contemplative. Elea noticed that she was nothing like the fake Morena.
Donnan cleared his throat. "That is something else that Sir Aaron did." He glanced at his brother. "He hired an assassin from the Black Swords to kill your immediate family, Morena. He called it - 'Culling bad blood.' Four are dead already."
"Four?" Tranthor suddenly spoke up. "Try six." He had been looking increasingly uncomfortable throughout the conversation. He suddenly stood and walked to Morena, a dinner knife in hand. Elea held her breath, hoping that she would not have to fight Tranthor, should he attempt anything against Morena. "Please accept this in the spirit it is given. I have nothing else to give to show you my remorse." With that, he cut off the pinky and ring fingers of his right hand, folded them in a napkin and gave them to a very pale and rather confused Morena.
Donnan was on his feet and at Tranthor's side. He stanched the blood flow with a napkin. With great tenderness, he lead Tranthor over to the disbelieving healer to heal Tranthor's hand. The fingers would never grow back, but the bleeding needed to be stopped. Elea wondered if Morena realized that not only was Tranthor the hired assassin, sent to kill her family, but because of being tricked by Sir Aaron - he had just resigned permanently from the assassin's guild, The Black Swords.
While Tranthor was making his apologies to Morena, a servant came in and handed Reynald a scroll. His eyebrows bounced and he smiled as he read it. "I think you will all want to hear this." That settled the room down a bit. "After receiving my information, the Emperor had Sir Aaron arrested and his quarters searched. They found, among his possession: several directives from an agent of Iuz named Racist - "
Elea took a breath and looked at Donnan.
"Including a directive about Morena - she was to be sacrificed in a manner that would put Elea on trial for her death. Failing that, Elea and Donnan's murders" Reynald continued. "A plan to have Sir Aaron move to take over Furyondi once I was dead - seeing has how my heirs would be dead or banished. And a black uniform with a red symbol - a red spiderweb with an eye in the center of it." He looked around at everyone. "Sir Aaron will be charged with treason, attempted murder, kidnapping and anything else they can pin on him."
There was a general sigh of relief as everyone heard this. Finally, justice would be served.
Morena and Matthew wanted to know more about how Donnan and Elea were able to find and save Janort and themselves. Donnan told the tale from when he had recovered and had sent Tranthor into the Bandit Kingdoms to scout out the area, seeking Janort. Donnan and Tranthor told everyone of the plot to make it seem like the group was in Yarnik, across from Stoink, when in fact, they were headed to Crag Rift. When they got to the part about fleeing home and encountering the Dragon Riders, Elea spoke up.
"Britage was there... he was with me. He's the one who killed the other seven Dragon Riders." This brought forth a stunned silence.
"Are you sure, Elea?" Donnan asked, his voice gentle.
She nodded. "Yes. He spoke to me. Told me that he had never left me. And that he'd always protect me." Elea looked sad as she stroked her bracelet of cloth. "I miss him. He's still here, on this plane. There has to be a reason for it. Maybe a way to bring him back."
Be'ornhelm and Bretonius looked at each other, something passing between them.
Donnan reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "If there is a way to do it, Elea... we will find it. I promise you."
Continue on to: 28. Llamas Night