*As Kyliska Sunfire
awakens, she would find herself in a strange bed within one of the
suites of the Silvermoon City Inn. As she raises her head to look about
the room, her bleary eyes would catch the sight of a blonde-haired elf
sitting indian-style on top of a chest at the foot of her bed. He
doesn't move, merely staring at Kyliska for a few moments before speak.*
"Good morning, Lady Sunfire. I trust you are feeling alright?"
"Braeth'el, is that you?" Kyliska said wearily. "I do not feel alright, but thanks for asking...."
Braeth'el smirks, nodding at the other elf, "Of course it's me, although you probably didn't expect to wake to see me here. Had a bit too much last night, hmmm? I hope you are able to speak now, as we have many urgent things to discuss. I have had some hot coffee and breakfast muffins brought, Lady Sufire. You will find them on the nightstand beside you."
Kyliska takes a deep breath and tries not to get sick from the smell of the coffee. "That is very kind of you Braeth'el. What things are you speaking of that need discussing?"
Without moving from his position at the foot of the bed, Braeth'el nods at Kyliska and speaks quickly, "I believe it best to get to the meat of the matter right away, as I suspect that you could be in some degree of trouble if you linger here too long, so I will state it plainly; what are your intentions with the information you discovered last night?"
Kyliska sat up in her bed and looked to Braeth'el. "What do you mean? My intentions? What I do know is that I am very upset with Biara from what I learned last night. She cast you out for some unknown reason, she had me locked in my room, sent my Blood Knights away, took my weapons....I have no idea what is going on right now!"
Braeth'el sighs, holding up a hand to forestall the torrent of points spilling out of the Blood Knight, "Be at ease, Lady Sunfire. I am here to aid you, and I shall give you information about some of those matters before you leave. What I first must determine is what you intend to do about Telatha Dayfire. Though honorable, she rather naively put herself in great danger by revealing herself to you. I am highly concerned over her safety."
Kyliska opened her mouth in shock. "Braeth'el, first of all why don't you just call me Kyli, and secondly, why would you think I would hurt Telatha. She was nothing but kind to me last night when I truly needed a friend to talk to. I have not had many nice people in my life. And when did you even meet her and become so protective over her anyway?"
The spy sighs to himself and murmurs, "What is it with you nobles and wanting to ditch your titles lately? Very well then, Kyli...Your words have encouraged me somewhat. That girl is very special. She is much like her father, and if you remember Tel'athar at all, you will know that this is a breath of fresh air in these times."He pauses, looking away for a moment before affixing a keen gaze on Kyliska, "Quite frankly I am tired, Kyli. When I discovered that your sister had pseudo-imprisoned you, I attempted to see you against her wishes. She cast me out, and sent some of my own men to put an end to me. Lady Dayfire offered me sanctuary at great risk to herself and her people healed my wounds. I owe her a debt, and I owe a debt to the memory of her father. Do you understand now?"
Kyliska nodded and smiled at Braeth'el. "I'm so sorry. I know you have been a true friend and you have never betrayed us. I cannot believe that Biara would cast you out and try to put you to death just for trying to talk to me. I do not know what is going on with her right now. "
Kyliska moved closer to Braeth'el. "I have always trusted you and your judgement. You have been a dear friend to me, and I do not know how Biara did not feel the same. You are a good man. I do understand why you would want to protect Telatha, even just talking to her briefly last night I saw something in her. She didn't know me, and actually thought I could be dangerous to her, and she was honest and just nice to me. That is hard to come by these days."
Braeth'el nods at this, smiling, "Then you have seen what I have seen. Tel'athar would be proud of his daughter if he saw her now; she is coming into her own and will lead those who chose to follow her wisely I believe. She must be given that chance however. You -must- remain silent about her presence here, at least until she's had a chance to make allies. If you do not, I fear that your sister...or worse, her mother, will come down upon the remnants of House Dayfire and obliterate them. They deserve at least a chance here, and I've decided to stay to see to it that they get them. Can I count on you in this, Kyli?"
"Yes Braeth'el you can trust me. As of right now I do not even want to SEE my sister let alone tell her of Telatha. I am not stupid, I know how she would react if she heard about her. And don't you even mention Seluna, I would never talk to her about anything, other than how to end her life. "Kyliska paused as if in thought and then continued. "It is hard to believe that Biara and Telatha are sisters, they are so different. I mean they look similar, and I'm sure they have some traits in common, but if I met Biara now I do not think she would have been as kind to me as Telatha was last night. Biara has changed. I fear I do not even know her as of late. I know I have been....busy with other things lately and have not been paying attention to the matters at hand. I need to focus more."
Braeth'el shakes his head, "It is not entirely your sister's fault. After all, look at the mother she was ill-fated enough to be born with. Telatha has had an entirely different experience, a different mother, and of course she has been isolated from the harsh realities in Quel'Thalas for some time. She is from a world wherein her father's ideals lived on long after his death, so it is no surprise that they differ so much. One has only to look at them to know they are blood however; I mistook her for Biara immediately when I first saw her."He pauses, as if looking for the right words before continuing, "As for your sister...she has many fears, and they drive her now. She plays dangerous games with the other Houses that cost her and everyone an ever increasing number of lives. It is this that I am tired of, and which must end. You must guide her back to a more reasonable course before she destroys everything you two have built."
"Sadly I do not think she will listen to me. I have let my love troubles blind me from House Sunfire and what is going on. I have never been great at politics, which is why I usually let Biara handle that part of things. But something needs to be done you are right. "Kyliska sighed. "Things have gotten so out of hand lately it seems. But back to something you mentioned before, why would I be in trouble if I am here?"
Braeth'el chuckles at Kyliska, smirking, "Yes, your love life has lead to quite a bit of trouble for you and many others. In all seriousness though, people have lost their lives as a result of the current situation, and that is why I am warning you. You are wandering the city, distraught, not paying attention. This is when your enemies will strike at you. You need to open your eyes Kyliska. In times past, if I had been aware that you were in a drunken stupor at a bar within the city I would have assigned agents to watch over you. I am not there now, and your sister is no spymistress, regardless of what she may think of herself."
Kyliska found herself smiling. "I did not know that you would send agents to watch over me. That is very sweet of you. I know I do not handle my broken hearts well. I tend to drown my sorrows in alcohol. I do feel terrible for our current situation though. I still cannot believe that Andi would sink our ship like that. I have not even heard what House Felo'melorn is doing to rectify that."
One of Braeth'el's eyebrows rises in surprise, "So your sister has not notified you of her agreement then? House Felo'melorn is going to salvage the ship and return its contents to your sister, under the supervision of her apprentices. House Felo'melorn has already contracted with the goblins to make arrangements for the salvaging operation from what I understand. Did your sister tell you none of this?"
Kyliska nodded sadly. "No, she has told me about none of this. Braeth'el, I have literally been in my room this whole time. Ever since the ship sank. I know I have been healing but she has cast me out also as it were. She has barely even checked up on me to see how I am doing. I am starting to feel better now, even though I'm not completely healed, but I think it might be time I have a chat with my sister."
Braeth'el nods and then his mouth draws into a grim line, "Be careful, Kyliska. There is something you should consider before you do anything; one key question. What was on that ship?"He pauses for a moment, ticking points off on his fingers, "We know your sister was quite displeased with its loss; more so than she was concerned over your health. She demanded that its contents be returned to her at once, forcing House Felo'melorn to comply even though she could have pressed other demands that would have better suited her agenda. And finally....House Dawnsea launched three military vessels from port two weeks ago. Word from the port is that they were to proceed to the area near where the ship sank for 'training purposes'. Why would that be? What was on that ship that both your sister and her mother desire? You were on it many times, what did you see within its hold?"
Kyliska's face flushed looking embarassed. "Sadly Braeth'el, I did not explore the ship at all. I really only went there for.....well....to meet with Tiandril. I had no reason to ever search the ship. I have NO idea what she had on there that her and her mother could possibly want. "
The spymaster looks at Kyliska as if she were insane for a moment, "So you entered the vessel a dozen or more times and never once thought to wonder what else was on it? It was your sister's personal transport and one she used frequently to move things to her laboratory...and it never once crossed your mind to wonder what was within its hold?"
Kyliska looked down for a moment. "No, the thought never crossed my mind to search the ship for anything that Biara was secretly hiding from me. Why would I? I thought that she would tell me if there was something I needed to know about on that ship, apparently I was wrong about that." Kyliska let out a slight laugh. "I had other things on my mind when I went to that ship as you very well know, looking for something she might be hiding was not in the forefront of my mind..."
Braeth'el smirks at this and nods,"He must have been very good. I almost envy him, you were always the most lovely of House Sunfire. Nevertheless, now you know that the ship had something on it that was so important that your sister would kill for it, and that her mother would spend resources to obtain. I can hazard a guess as to what such an object would be."
He gives Kyliska an appraising look now, as if determining whether or not she can handle the news before proceeding, "Your sister once had men scout the ruins of her spire. They brought many objects back, amongst them some of her most powerful magical items that had not already been stolen by House Dawnsea. Can you think of any objects she might have had in her possession that would draw her mother's attention?"
Kyliska blushed slightly. "Oh Braeth'el, you were always so charming! Now as to what could have been on that ship...." Kyliska then became silent for a moment thinking hard. Then she proceeded to think out loud. "Hmm, if it is something that her mother would want, it would have to be something that could be powerful. Seluna is never up to anything good. Something she could use and want. Something that Biara would want in HER possessioin so that her mother could not have it."Kyliska stopped talking and realization came over her face. Then dread. "No......she wouldn't still have that....I thought it was destroyed....."
Braeth'el nods slowly, watching Kyliska closely, "Lovely -and- intelligent; it is no wonder that you have survived as long as you have, Kyliska. A thing that is broken can be repaired given time and resources, but only if one were to have all of the pieces of said thing. Your sister plays a deadly game now, and the other Houses play along with it."
He rises from the chest he was sitting on, hopping lightly onto his feet, "I have given you much to consider now. I suggest that you do not act rashly with this information. You must guide your sister to safer waters, and the only way I can think of to do so is to shame her in that direction. I believe that we should speak again in the future. Perhaps we can endeavor to retrieve this item from under the noses of your sister and her mother, and if so, use its existence to....for lack of a better way to say this, put your sister back in her place."
He pauses, his voice grim now, "Titans help us all if either of them ever are able to reconstruct that artifact; we've had enough of such troubles to last a lifetime. I will give you time to rest and ensure that you can leave in safety. Beyond that....we'll keep in touch, Kyliska. Perhaps with your new perspective you and Lady Dayfire can actually make a difference here...before its too late."
Kyliska looked to Braeth'el. "Thank-you for sharing this information with me, I had no idea. I feel foolish that I did not know that she still had that. It was under my nose literally for months. I will help in any way that I can to get that phylactery, and to have it destroyed once and for all. I do not want my sister to have it and I most definitely do NOT want her mother to have it. "
Kyliska moved to Braeth'el and found herself giving him a slight hug. "I appreciate everything that you have done for me, and my House. I appreciate all this information you have given me. You have always been a good friend to me. I don't have many of those, I would like to keep as many as possible. I do think that Telatha and I can become friends as well."
Kyliska sighed. "I have much to think about, and I do need to seek out my sister. I do not want her to find me here and endanger Telatha and her people. I shall leave as soon as possible, do not worry, her secret is safe with me."
Braeth'el smiles and nods, embracing Kyliska in his rather muscular arms for a moment before releasing her, "Thank you, Kyliska. You're doing the right thing here. We will be in touch, and as much as I can in my position now, I will watch out for you. Stay safe and think carefully before you act and you will come out ahead in all of this. Be well my friend."
"Good morning, Lady Sunfire. I trust you are feeling alright?"
"Braeth'el, is that you?" Kyliska said wearily. "I do not feel alright, but thanks for asking...."
Braeth'el smirks, nodding at the other elf, "Of course it's me, although you probably didn't expect to wake to see me here. Had a bit too much last night, hmmm? I hope you are able to speak now, as we have many urgent things to discuss. I have had some hot coffee and breakfast muffins brought, Lady Sufire. You will find them on the nightstand beside you."
Kyliska takes a deep breath and tries not to get sick from the smell of the coffee. "That is very kind of you Braeth'el. What things are you speaking of that need discussing?"
Without moving from his position at the foot of the bed, Braeth'el nods at Kyliska and speaks quickly, "I believe it best to get to the meat of the matter right away, as I suspect that you could be in some degree of trouble if you linger here too long, so I will state it plainly; what are your intentions with the information you discovered last night?"
Kyliska sat up in her bed and looked to Braeth'el. "What do you mean? My intentions? What I do know is that I am very upset with Biara from what I learned last night. She cast you out for some unknown reason, she had me locked in my room, sent my Blood Knights away, took my weapons....I have no idea what is going on right now!"
Braeth'el sighs, holding up a hand to forestall the torrent of points spilling out of the Blood Knight, "Be at ease, Lady Sunfire. I am here to aid you, and I shall give you information about some of those matters before you leave. What I first must determine is what you intend to do about Telatha Dayfire. Though honorable, she rather naively put herself in great danger by revealing herself to you. I am highly concerned over her safety."
Kyliska opened her mouth in shock. "Braeth'el, first of all why don't you just call me Kyli, and secondly, why would you think I would hurt Telatha. She was nothing but kind to me last night when I truly needed a friend to talk to. I have not had many nice people in my life. And when did you even meet her and become so protective over her anyway?"
The spy sighs to himself and murmurs, "What is it with you nobles and wanting to ditch your titles lately? Very well then, Kyli...Your words have encouraged me somewhat. That girl is very special. She is much like her father, and if you remember Tel'athar at all, you will know that this is a breath of fresh air in these times."He pauses, looking away for a moment before affixing a keen gaze on Kyliska, "Quite frankly I am tired, Kyli. When I discovered that your sister had pseudo-imprisoned you, I attempted to see you against her wishes. She cast me out, and sent some of my own men to put an end to me. Lady Dayfire offered me sanctuary at great risk to herself and her people healed my wounds. I owe her a debt, and I owe a debt to the memory of her father. Do you understand now?"
Kyliska nodded and smiled at Braeth'el. "I'm so sorry. I know you have been a true friend and you have never betrayed us. I cannot believe that Biara would cast you out and try to put you to death just for trying to talk to me. I do not know what is going on with her right now. "
Kyliska moved closer to Braeth'el. "I have always trusted you and your judgement. You have been a dear friend to me, and I do not know how Biara did not feel the same. You are a good man. I do understand why you would want to protect Telatha, even just talking to her briefly last night I saw something in her. She didn't know me, and actually thought I could be dangerous to her, and she was honest and just nice to me. That is hard to come by these days."
Braeth'el nods at this, smiling, "Then you have seen what I have seen. Tel'athar would be proud of his daughter if he saw her now; she is coming into her own and will lead those who chose to follow her wisely I believe. She must be given that chance however. You -must- remain silent about her presence here, at least until she's had a chance to make allies. If you do not, I fear that your sister...or worse, her mother, will come down upon the remnants of House Dayfire and obliterate them. They deserve at least a chance here, and I've decided to stay to see to it that they get them. Can I count on you in this, Kyli?"
"Yes Braeth'el you can trust me. As of right now I do not even want to SEE my sister let alone tell her of Telatha. I am not stupid, I know how she would react if she heard about her. And don't you even mention Seluna, I would never talk to her about anything, other than how to end her life. "Kyliska paused as if in thought and then continued. "It is hard to believe that Biara and Telatha are sisters, they are so different. I mean they look similar, and I'm sure they have some traits in common, but if I met Biara now I do not think she would have been as kind to me as Telatha was last night. Biara has changed. I fear I do not even know her as of late. I know I have been....busy with other things lately and have not been paying attention to the matters at hand. I need to focus more."
Braeth'el shakes his head, "It is not entirely your sister's fault. After all, look at the mother she was ill-fated enough to be born with. Telatha has had an entirely different experience, a different mother, and of course she has been isolated from the harsh realities in Quel'Thalas for some time. She is from a world wherein her father's ideals lived on long after his death, so it is no surprise that they differ so much. One has only to look at them to know they are blood however; I mistook her for Biara immediately when I first saw her."He pauses, as if looking for the right words before continuing, "As for your sister...she has many fears, and they drive her now. She plays dangerous games with the other Houses that cost her and everyone an ever increasing number of lives. It is this that I am tired of, and which must end. You must guide her back to a more reasonable course before she destroys everything you two have built."
"Sadly I do not think she will listen to me. I have let my love troubles blind me from House Sunfire and what is going on. I have never been great at politics, which is why I usually let Biara handle that part of things. But something needs to be done you are right. "Kyliska sighed. "Things have gotten so out of hand lately it seems. But back to something you mentioned before, why would I be in trouble if I am here?"
Braeth'el chuckles at Kyliska, smirking, "Yes, your love life has lead to quite a bit of trouble for you and many others. In all seriousness though, people have lost their lives as a result of the current situation, and that is why I am warning you. You are wandering the city, distraught, not paying attention. This is when your enemies will strike at you. You need to open your eyes Kyliska. In times past, if I had been aware that you were in a drunken stupor at a bar within the city I would have assigned agents to watch over you. I am not there now, and your sister is no spymistress, regardless of what she may think of herself."
Kyliska found herself smiling. "I did not know that you would send agents to watch over me. That is very sweet of you. I know I do not handle my broken hearts well. I tend to drown my sorrows in alcohol. I do feel terrible for our current situation though. I still cannot believe that Andi would sink our ship like that. I have not even heard what House Felo'melorn is doing to rectify that."
One of Braeth'el's eyebrows rises in surprise, "So your sister has not notified you of her agreement then? House Felo'melorn is going to salvage the ship and return its contents to your sister, under the supervision of her apprentices. House Felo'melorn has already contracted with the goblins to make arrangements for the salvaging operation from what I understand. Did your sister tell you none of this?"
Kyliska nodded sadly. "No, she has told me about none of this. Braeth'el, I have literally been in my room this whole time. Ever since the ship sank. I know I have been healing but she has cast me out also as it were. She has barely even checked up on me to see how I am doing. I am starting to feel better now, even though I'm not completely healed, but I think it might be time I have a chat with my sister."
Braeth'el nods and then his mouth draws into a grim line, "Be careful, Kyliska. There is something you should consider before you do anything; one key question. What was on that ship?"He pauses for a moment, ticking points off on his fingers, "We know your sister was quite displeased with its loss; more so than she was concerned over your health. She demanded that its contents be returned to her at once, forcing House Felo'melorn to comply even though she could have pressed other demands that would have better suited her agenda. And finally....House Dawnsea launched three military vessels from port two weeks ago. Word from the port is that they were to proceed to the area near where the ship sank for 'training purposes'. Why would that be? What was on that ship that both your sister and her mother desire? You were on it many times, what did you see within its hold?"
Kyliska's face flushed looking embarassed. "Sadly Braeth'el, I did not explore the ship at all. I really only went there for.....well....to meet with Tiandril. I had no reason to ever search the ship. I have NO idea what she had on there that her and her mother could possibly want. "
The spymaster looks at Kyliska as if she were insane for a moment, "So you entered the vessel a dozen or more times and never once thought to wonder what else was on it? It was your sister's personal transport and one she used frequently to move things to her laboratory...and it never once crossed your mind to wonder what was within its hold?"
Kyliska looked down for a moment. "No, the thought never crossed my mind to search the ship for anything that Biara was secretly hiding from me. Why would I? I thought that she would tell me if there was something I needed to know about on that ship, apparently I was wrong about that." Kyliska let out a slight laugh. "I had other things on my mind when I went to that ship as you very well know, looking for something she might be hiding was not in the forefront of my mind..."
Braeth'el smirks at this and nods,"He must have been very good. I almost envy him, you were always the most lovely of House Sunfire. Nevertheless, now you know that the ship had something on it that was so important that your sister would kill for it, and that her mother would spend resources to obtain. I can hazard a guess as to what such an object would be."
He gives Kyliska an appraising look now, as if determining whether or not she can handle the news before proceeding, "Your sister once had men scout the ruins of her spire. They brought many objects back, amongst them some of her most powerful magical items that had not already been stolen by House Dawnsea. Can you think of any objects she might have had in her possession that would draw her mother's attention?"
Kyliska blushed slightly. "Oh Braeth'el, you were always so charming! Now as to what could have been on that ship...." Kyliska then became silent for a moment thinking hard. Then she proceeded to think out loud. "Hmm, if it is something that her mother would want, it would have to be something that could be powerful. Seluna is never up to anything good. Something she could use and want. Something that Biara would want in HER possessioin so that her mother could not have it."Kyliska stopped talking and realization came over her face. Then dread. "No......she wouldn't still have that....I thought it was destroyed....."
Braeth'el nods slowly, watching Kyliska closely, "Lovely -and- intelligent; it is no wonder that you have survived as long as you have, Kyliska. A thing that is broken can be repaired given time and resources, but only if one were to have all of the pieces of said thing. Your sister plays a deadly game now, and the other Houses play along with it."
He rises from the chest he was sitting on, hopping lightly onto his feet, "I have given you much to consider now. I suggest that you do not act rashly with this information. You must guide your sister to safer waters, and the only way I can think of to do so is to shame her in that direction. I believe that we should speak again in the future. Perhaps we can endeavor to retrieve this item from under the noses of your sister and her mother, and if so, use its existence to....for lack of a better way to say this, put your sister back in her place."
He pauses, his voice grim now, "Titans help us all if either of them ever are able to reconstruct that artifact; we've had enough of such troubles to last a lifetime. I will give you time to rest and ensure that you can leave in safety. Beyond that....we'll keep in touch, Kyliska. Perhaps with your new perspective you and Lady Dayfire can actually make a difference here...before its too late."
Kyliska looked to Braeth'el. "Thank-you for sharing this information with me, I had no idea. I feel foolish that I did not know that she still had that. It was under my nose literally for months. I will help in any way that I can to get that phylactery, and to have it destroyed once and for all. I do not want my sister to have it and I most definitely do NOT want her mother to have it. "
Kyliska moved to Braeth'el and found herself giving him a slight hug. "I appreciate everything that you have done for me, and my House. I appreciate all this information you have given me. You have always been a good friend to me. I don't have many of those, I would like to keep as many as possible. I do think that Telatha and I can become friends as well."
Kyliska sighed. "I have much to think about, and I do need to seek out my sister. I do not want her to find me here and endanger Telatha and her people. I shall leave as soon as possible, do not worry, her secret is safe with me."
Braeth'el smiles and nods, embracing Kyliska in his rather muscular arms for a moment before releasing her, "Thank you, Kyliska. You're doing the right thing here. We will be in touch, and as much as I can in my position now, I will watch out for you. Stay safe and think carefully before you act and you will come out ahead in all of this. Be well my friend."
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