A sea of change

(This was written by Andithiel)

Andithiel stood before the waters edge of the beach and gazed into the calm waters below only to find his reflecting staring back at him. His polished armor gleamed back at him from the smooth surface of the water causing him to squint as he began to lose himself into thought. His thoughts drifted toward the one whom he loved , the one who has really only captured his heart more so then his sisters...Kyliska. The past few months had been hard for him as he deliberately pushed himself away from her in a sort of test for her to see how far she would allow him to do so. Never before had these feelings of jealousy surfaced in him before over another man with her and he clearly saw this 'friend' as a threat.

Andithiel shifted his weight and turned his attention away from his reflection in the water over to Sunsail Anchorage. The harbor was teeming with activity in preparation for a ceremony involving House Felo'melorn's newest addition to its rapidly growing fleet of sea vessels and of course Andithiel's presence was required . Off into the horizon of the sea he could easily make out two ships anchored just outside the harbor, in which he presumed were the Bloodvalor and the Firestrike. Like everything else, Selenthiel no doubt had requested their presence in order to make a much bolder statement to rival House's and to the allies of her own. Andithiel smiled to himself for a moment , realizing that this little 'show of power' could possibly impress Kyliska but the thought quickly died out with the sound of approaching footsteps. Andithiel turned toward the oncoming footsteps and discovered his elder sister Ty'avel. "Bal'a dash , brother. " she said with a smile. Before she could say anything else he sighed and offered a disapproving scowl, "Ah, back from the pursuit of world dominance I see. Things must be going ..'according to plan' that they would allow you to grace us with your presence I presume, sister?" He began to walk towards Sunsail Anchorage but stopped as she gently rested her hand upon his shoulder. "I will make this short as I know you have little to no desire to speak with me right now.." Andithiel snorted back before she could continue, "..right NOW?" he shrugged her off and continued on, now agitated over the thoughts of his sister Ty'avel.

Sunsail Anchorage was within a few hundred feet distance before a Sin'Dorei male wearing garments bearing the crest of House Felo'melorn stopped him. "Commander Felo'melorn! Your participating in the ceremony is requested by your sister Selenthiel and is about to begin. The Dawnrose is on approach to the harbor and will be docking any moment. " Andithiel nodded and gestured him away. "So she chose a name already...interesting." he said aloud to himself. Looking toward the harbor he now saw the Bloodvalor and Firestrike escorting the Dawnrose into harbor, the sails from all three ships grew larger as they slowly approached . Each ship was close enough for him to make out the House crest of Felo'melorn as it was adorned on the sides of the ships . He quickened his pace in attempt to make the ceremony on time.

Upon arrival , Andithiel quickly navigated through the crowd of spectators , workers and guards towards the end of the stone pier on which the ship was to be docked. His eyes scanned the harbor in hopes to locate Selenthiel but with no such luck did he see her and continued towards the pier . He located the section of the harbor as to where the newly recruited sailors for the Dawnrose were patiently sitting and awaiting for the ceremony to begin and once again made his way through onlookers and stealthy sat down off to the side just in time to see the Dawnrose dock.

Andithiel focused on the newly constructed ship as the workers aboard threw docking ropes to the harbor men. The design of the ship was basic to any Sin'Dorei sea vessel as was the coloring... in fact the only thing that would set this ship a part from any other would be the fresh coat of paint that adorned the outer hull. The mast of the ship was extended up for anticipation of immediate departure and Andithiel knew that he would soon be asked to board the vessel and take it out to sea for it's final inspection. As the last rope was secured , the gangplank from the harbor was extended out finally uniting the ship and harbor and out stepped Selenthiel .

The Magistrix of House Felo'Melorn gracefully disembarked from the Dawnrose, smiling as she walked. A sense of pride overcame Andithiel has he observed her , she glowed with her own aura of determination and he was proud to know she was of his blood. He watched as she disembarked the ship , signaling the crew of the Dawnrose to stand in formation as they awaited the Commander to board and prepare for the final preparation of the ceremony. Selenthiel walked up to him and smiled, placing both hands upon his shoulder greeting him, "Commander Felo'melorn. It is with great honor that you are here with us today. " She allowed her arms to return to her side and turned to the crowd of spectators and smiled. "Today , is a great day for House Felo'melorn and more importantly, for Quel'Thalas! Today we have yet again proven that ..." her words trailed off as Andithiel focused his attention towards the Dawnrose. As Commander, he was by right allowed to 'forfeit' the speech of the Magistrix for this event should he desire. As his sister continued to preach what sounded to him like a 'manifest destiny' of their people and her House, he slowly began his approach to embark the ship.

Boarding the Dawnrose revealed nothing out of the ordinary. The ship had been commissioned for construction shortly after his sister rose to power as Magistrix from Ty'avel prior. It was a vision of Selenthiel's to invest more of the House's resources into a more 'mobile fleet' for many reasons...one of them being a display of power to the other Houses, another being to show House Felo'melorn's commitment to the defense of Quel'Thalas in which both Andithiel approved. His hands grazed the smooth surface of the ship, carefully inspecting the wooden surface for any imperfections in the wood. Satisfied with the area of inspection he turned to the crew who had already been proactive in forming into positions.

Andithiel turned and faced them taking a few steps to position himself in front of them. "Crew of the Dawnrose. I will skip the formalities as most of you are aware I am not keen of them. You all know what is expected of you and that each one of you will hold the integrity and honor of House Felo'melorn aboard this vessel. Never forget that loyalty comes first to the House! " as he pointed over to the banner bearing the crest of the House. The sound of clapping was heard from the pier of the harbor, signaling him it was time. "Today will consist of the simple task of navigating the Dawnrose off the coast of Sunstrider Isle where we will rendezvous with the Firestrike and Bloodvalor . From there, we will engage in a mock battle between the three in order to test your preparedness of battle." Andithiel nodded to the crew and looked over to his sister back on the pier in return, nodding back at him signaling him he could now fully depart. He turned his attention back to the crew, "Crew of the Dawnrose, prepare for departure!" With his words, the crew saluted their commander and dispersed into their roles as they prepared the ship for sail.

30 minutes later...

Standing at the bow of the ship, Andithiel watched as the crew worked to ensure the ship sailed smoothly along the coastline while others prepared the mock cannons fore battle. The sound of water all around him soothed his mind and he turned to take a glimpse of the ocean horizon before him. The sun still hung high in the sky and the waters reflected back at him, much like before but this time without the calm shoreline waters. Off into the distance the spire of Falthrien Academy began to appear, revealing they were almost to their desire location but before he could order the crew to adjust course, a ship off into the distance caught his eye. He continued to observe the ship from afar, attempting to make any detail out of the ship that may give him an idea of just who the ship belonged to. "Helmsman! " Andithiel shouted as he looked back over his shoulder. "Adjust your heading towards the vessel off of our port side and inform the Firestrike and Bloodvalor we will be delayed in our arrival. " Grabbing a spyglass that had been attached to the bow of the ship for exploration purposes, Andithiel turned and walked toward the upper deck of the ship in hope to get a better view. He placed the spyglass over his right eye and focused it toward the vessel revealing a ship of Sin'Dorei design. "Commander , have you identified the ship? " asked helmsman. Andithiel shook his head, "No but it is clearly one of Quel'Thalas's." The helmsman nodded and looked off into the distance. "Perhaps it is a patrol?" he asked with uncertainty. "Perhaps ...but this area was cleared of any ship traffic for our exercise by the Magistrate . There should be no sea vessel within these waters. " Andithiel continued to look through the spyglass in hopes of a sign as to whom the ship belonged to. A moment of silence passed and Andithiel calmly set the spyglass down beside the helmsman. "I want you to dock with that ship. " he said as he watched a confused expression form upon the helmsman's face. "Commander? Is something wrong? " Andithiel folded his arms and closed his eyes and thought to himself "By the sun I hope not." Andithiel looked down at his side and grabbed his bow, "The ship looks adrift and I see no signs of crew aboard. With this area sanctioned off from normal ship traffic, it falls to us to investigate if there is indeed something amiss. " The helmsman looked at him and nodded and Andithiel turned to walk away , "I will board the ship myself since the Dawnrose is not equipped with an arsenal of weapons for the crew yet." he said over his shoulder. The vessel bearing the banner of House Sunfire swayed in the wind as the Dawnrose docked with it.

Andithiel grew somewhat nervous over the discovery of whom the ship belonged to. The two Houses had had cooler then normal relations recently but were neither considered each other an enemy...yet. Andithiel fixated on the ship belonging to Biara Sunfire, sister of his love Kyliska. As the crew prepared to place the gangplank between the two ships, he continued to observe the fine detail of the House Sunfire ship. The ship was larger then the Dawnrose, it's hull being slightly larger and wider , leading Andithiel to believe it was built for hauling supplies to and from but observing it closer, the ship was well equipped with offensive capabilities as well. Two loud clicks were heard as the gangplank was secured between the two vessels. "Commander, should we notify Magistrix Selenthiel of this?" asked one of the crewmen before Andithiel could cross. "She will be notified after we have completed our investigation and will make the necessary arrangements to notify the Magistrate and House Sunfire. " Andithiel said calmly as he began to cross over to the other vessel.

Boarding the House Sunfire ship, Andithiel immediately drew his bow in anticipating of danger. He took a quick look around the deck and found no signs of struggle as the crew of the Dawnrose watched in silence from their vessel. Confirming the deck was clear of danger, Andithiel moved to the cabin leading to the lower levels of the ship below but before he could open the door, a loud noise in the form of a 'thud' was heard from below following what Andithiel heard as a mans scream. A chill went up his spine and he flung the door open and made haste down the stairs to the lower levels of the ship. Opening the door revealed a small staircase leading to what appeared to be a small section of the ship that held small cabins, presumably for the crew. Magical crystals attached to the wooden wall made way for light as Andithiel made his way further into the ship. Past the small cabins the hall opened up revealing a large double door that was adorned with red and green crystals in which Andithiel presumed it was a room meant for the nobility of House Sunfire. Upon closer observation of the doors, he had noticed that they were not fully closed and the faint trickle of light escape them from inside. Moving in closer he made out more sounds as if someone was moving around inside. Andithiel's heart was beating fast as he prepared to enter the room , his grip tightened over his bow and swung the doors open to reveal decorated room with a large bed in the middle and just as fast and Andithiel entered , so did his eyes fixate on Kyliska and Tiandril, whom had both been startled from him bursting into the room.

Andithiel's mouth dropped open in shock as his beloved lay before him with another man . Kyliska and Tiandril both shared a look of horror and quickly reacted by grabbing the bed sheets to cover their naked bodies. Andithiel continued to stare in silence at the two, attempting to overcome his shock. Kyliska quickly grabbed a green silken robe that lay on the edge of the bed and put it on, " M..My love! What in the name of the Sun are you doing here?!" Andithiel's shocked expression quickly changed as he scowled at her words. " I could easily ask you the same question...Kyliska." he said as he watched Tiandril rise from the bed to grab a robe and place it over him which angered him further. Kyliska's forced a fake smile and opened her mouth to say something but Andithiel quickly interjected , "There is nothing you can say right now that will account for what you have done." Andithiel quickly turned his back towards Kyliska and started out of the room , leaving before she could say anything. He continued through the small corridor and past the small cabins leading up to upper deck of the ship as Kyliska followed in pursuit. "Andi! Please wait...give me a chance to explain! " she hollered as she stumbled up the stairs after him. Reaching the top deck of the ship, Andithiel stopped for a brief moment and turned back to Kyliska, whom had tears running down her rose-colored cheeks. Deep inside him he wanted to run to her and hold her tight, forgiving her for what she had done for he truly loved her that much that he just could not see himself with anyone else ...but what was their love if she was to set it aside for any 'friend'? "Andi...please, I am so sorry for what I have done , I am sure you feel..." Andithiel interjected her once again, " FEEL? Clearly you know nothing of feelings Kyliska otherwise we would not be standing here as we are! " Andithiel sighed and looked down to his bow and shook his head. Kyliska approached him cautiously and attempted to grab both of his hands with hers but Andithiel pulled away and a tear rolled down his right cheek. As the two stood in silence, Andithiel pushed his right hand into a small pouch that was attached to his belt and pulled out a diamond ring. He watched Kyliska's facial expression change from sadness to complete shock and set it on the wooden deck between the two. "I...had planned to ask for your hand in marriage by the end of this year , but now.." his voice trailed off into silence. The sounds of the ocean could be heard as silence filled the air around them both.

Andithiel and Kyliska stood before one another, both unsure as to what to say next. The silence continued on for a few minutes before the sounds of footsteps behind Kyliska were heard as Tiandril appeared from below deck. "You !" Andithiel shouted and pointed his finger at him. " You are nothing more then a honor less coward!" Andithiel slipped past Kyliska, unknowingly kicking the diamond ring he had placed between them away from where he had set it as he approached Tiandril. Tiandril's expression grew pale as Andithiel approached and raised his fist into the air but was stopped as Kyliska grabbed onto him from behind, "Andi, please! Stop this!" she screamed. Kyliska's strength was equal to his own if not more during a fight...but he could hold his own against her in a fight if he must. Having Kyliska hold him back was the only thing that prevented Andithiel from introducing his fist to Tiandril. Andithiel roared with rage and pushed Kyliska off of him as he lunged for Tiandril but was quick to miss him as he moved quickly off the side in the direction of the edge of the deck only to lose his footing and fall into the waters below. Andithiel caught his footing, ignoring the fact that Tiandril now was calling for help from the water below . He turned around to see Kyliska glaring angrily at him but quickly shrugged if off. "Andithiel! Stop this!" she screamed as she quickly walked over to the edge of the ship and threw down a rope ladder. Andithiel's rage continued to grow as he watched his once beloved 'choose' to go to Tiandril versus not to, " You are right...I will stop this." Andithiel turned to face the Dawnrose , who's crew had been a spectator through out the commotion. He quickly boarded as Kyliska attempted to retrieve Tiandril from the water below behind him. "Withdraw the gangplank! " Andithiel shouted. The crew of the Dawnrose quickly regained their composure from watching the drama unfold aboard the Sunfire ship and withdrew the gangplank . Andithiel walked to the upper level without the slightest look back to Kyliska. "Helmsman, bring us about...I want to put some distance between us and them. Make sure the Dawnrose's portside is facing the Sunfire ship as well..." he stated to the helmsman before walking down to the lower level of the upper deck to where newly fabricated cannons of the Dawnrose were.

Andithiel's hand was guided by rage over the smooth metal surface of one of the port side cannons , noting that the cannon was already loaded. The vision of seeing Kyliska in bed with another man ran through his mind over and over, blinding him to his own reserved attitude. His heart had been broken for the first time and he could not cope with the pain deep inside. He had truly loved Kyliska for who she was and what she represented but...it was all a lie and it had had to end. Placing his other hand on the aiming mechanism of the cannon, he slowly aimed it towards the Sunfire ship that was already far enough in order to fire upon. "Commander! " the helmsman of the Dawnrose yelled, "You are not planning on firing on a vessel of House Sunfire are you?! The consequences of this will be..." Andithiel froze for a moment as the helmsman's words were true. Firing on one of House Sunfire's ships would indeed cost House Felo'melorn much since neither House were at war with one another ...and then there was the Magistrate of Silvermoon whom would be quick to condemn such actions but Andithiel did not care. " House Sunfire is supposedly an ally of our's but you have seen for your own eyes that one of them is a clear traitor to House Felo'melorn and to Quel'thalas! If one who is betrothed to another is quick to dismiss feelings such as love for one another, then what else can they possibly do if love means nothing to them? " Andithiel shouted as he attempted to even convince himself about the action he was about to take. The crew of the Dawnrose responded with silence as was to be expected, none would dare rise up against the Commander of the armed loyal forces of House Felo'melorn. Andithiel aimed the cannon and the Sunfire ship and quietly whispered to himself "May she forgive me...." as he pressed the metal trigger of the cannon as a massive payload from the cannon flew towards Kyliska's vessel.

The force of the cannon blew Andithiel back a few inches but continued to hold onto the cannon. Andithiel could see Kyliska and Tiandril aboard the upper deck duck to the floor as the payload struck the mast of the their ship. The sound of the wooden mast being struck could be heard from afar if not to Falthrien Academy itself. Wooden pieces of the ship flew into the air from the impact and caused it to rock off to its side from the sheer force . The sound of cracking wood from the mast was heard as it began to topple over onto the deck below to where Kyliska and Tiandril were and Andithiel watched in his own horror of what he had done he could see Kyliska push Tiandril back into water in attempt to keep him from harm but caused herself to slip and fall onto the deck as a large chuck of wooden mast came toppling over her, pinning her. Andithiel could not see nor hear anything else from the ship and his rage began to settle..but at what cost? He continued to observe the now crippled Sunfire ship in hopes to see Kyliska screaming at him from afar but alas, he did not. Kyliska was no where to be seen as the deck of the ship had become littered with broken wooden debris making it hard to see if she was able to escape or not. "Helmsman...order an apprentice to notify both of my sisters as to what has gone on here. Also inform the Bloodvalor and Firestrike to return to harbor for I have no doubt in my mind that Kyliska's sister, Biara , will not take kind of this at all and we will need all available units and guards prepared for what is possibly to come. " he said turning his back to the cannon.

Andithiel looked over his shoulder once more, " You did this Kyliska. You have tainted my heart with something far worse then anything imaginable then you can imagine." Andithiel walked below deck as the Dawnrose sailed toward Sunsail Anchorage.