Golden Promises

Melisandre

The rhythmic tap of footsteps echoed throughout the stone walls. The steps were followed by faint candlelight, as Melisandre navigated the narrow spiral staircase.

Emerging into the cellar, Melisandre used the candle to light the first sconce. With a flick of her wrist, the flame leapt from the first one, to each of the ones adjacent until the room was alight with dancing flames.

The cellar was a mix of brown and red stone that looked as though it was kissed by the sun, though it'd likely never seen daylight. It was sectioned off by archways that opened into large square spaces.

Organized along the walls were hundreds of barrels on racks. The markings on the floor indicated that more of these barrels had been configured in the center of the room, but had since been moved away.

"There," Melisandre pointed with the elegance of a spellcaster.

Metal scraped against the stone steps as a pair of armored individuals dragged Aisu's body down. Following their command, they brought her to the center of the cellar before laying her flat against the hard ground.

Melisandre looked down upon her with feasting eyes. Mortals normally would earn no better treatment than a doll to a child, and yet this dragonborn gave her so much pause. It was hard to discern if something was truly special about her, or if this was some sort of fleeting fascination.

The angular features of Aisu's face belonged on a statue, a shining example of a proud dragonborn knight. Though much of her bulk had been attributed to her armor, the muscle beneath it was still a great deal more than some of the other dragonborn she'd seen.

"Unbreakable," Melisandre sighed, "how interesting it will be to see where your loyalty continues to lay."

Melisandre's hand brushed against Aisu's cheek, then her neck, then slipped beneath her pauldron. In a single movement, she unlatched the piece of armor and placed it aside.

"I've not taken such an interest in a mortal since the family that first lived in this manor."

With another click, the second pauldron was removed.

"The matriarch of the family was a very influential woman. Upon my arrival, I found myself stunned by how she behaved like her life wasn't so delicate."

There was a ring of metal as she slipped Aisu's gauntlets away from her hands.

"I admired her for seeing the shortcomings of her fidgeting husband. Yet even she seemed to succumb so easily to death. In her final moments, she was barely an echo of who she once was."

Melisandre slipped her hands beneath the breastplate, undoing and setting it aside.

"Like her, you are firm. You believe what you were here to do was right, that it was the will of Bahamut. Maybe I'm looking to test your faith. Or perhaps I wish to allow you a chance to understand what transpired within these walls."

Melisandre stripped away Aisu's greaves and sabatons. She was now only left with the beige padded pants and undershirt that she wore beneath the metal. The fabric was torn and stained with red, which highlighted a deep wound on her arm.

Casting another assessing gaze over her, she turned a sidelong glance to her assistants.

"Clean her armor and weapons, and ensure they are repaired. Leave them in the guest bedroom afterwards."

"Yes, Mistress Melisandre."

"And bring some Ahnvae wine. I want to ensure our guest feels adequately welcomed to her new home."

"Right away."

The two guards turned and quickly stepped back through the narrow staircase.