This Town

Chapter 1: The Return

How many years had it been? Niall had decided to call everyone home now? Sindurath couldn't help but wonder what the occasion was when he received the mail from his longtime childhood friend. After Sindurath and Bloodlight became Kingsguard, their old friend's correspondence had become sparse if at all. Then one afternoon out of the blue, a letter arrives with a brand new golden wax seal on the desk of the knights.

****

"Hey Sinny boy, Remember how we met the devil?" Bloodlight asked as clasped his letter opener and cut open the envelope, "All those years ago in the schoolyard. I believe I was whopping your ass..."
"You were hardly whooping my ass, Blood. Ellysandra hit harder than you, and I'm willing to wager she still does," Sindurath retorted as he was pulling the letter into the humid air of the office. 
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever," the human replied to his half-elven friend before he cleared his throat and started to read the letter aloud. "Dear Bloodlight, My bestest good friend! I am inviting you and the gang back together for dinner! This fall, before Hallow's Eve. Let's say, two weeks? Yes, that sounds great. Two weeks before the night of Hallow's Eve..."
"Okay, Blood, I'm gonna have to cut you straight the fuck off. We have the same light forsaken letter. With the same invitation. To the same tavern."
"Yes, but he didn't call you his bestest good friend," Bloodlight replied defensively, a hint of hurt behind his voice as friend escaped his lips.

****

Sindurath chuckled to himself as they rode down Mainstreet together. Bloodlight looked over and rolled his eyes, "So, what's got you so giggly?"
"I just realized that our 'Emerald Lizard' is just a play on 'The Green Dragon' in the Imperial City. The barkeep is a retired Kingsguardsman. Remember when we always bugged him for stories?"
"You're fuckin joking me!" Bloodlight exclaimed, letting out a rolling belly laugh as the turned to the hitching post out front of the aforementioned watering hole.

Sindurath dismounted in as graceful manner as a feather, but Bloodlight dismounted about as graceful as a hammer. Sindurath took a deep breath of the crisp autumnal mountain breeze, "It feels good to be home in Beowcia. Even if only for a while."
"No kidding, the air is just different up here," Bloodlight reassured, "Do we wanna keep that Cassanova waiting?"
"Keep me waiting, Blood? How rude! And to think that I called you my bestest good friend in that letter," called out a soothingly familiar voice that was as smooth as silk and as sweet as honey. 
"Niall Horan, as I live and breath!" Sindurath walked up and embraced his brother, "Long time no see brother."
Niall pulled Sindurath into the embrace, patting him on the back, "Sindurath Everdawn, it has been too long, my friend. You and Bloodlight are men of the Kingsguard now! This must be celebrated!"
Niall broke the embrace and turned his attention to Bloodlight, "Come here!" He smacked his chest twice and then was nearly tackled from the force of the bear hug coming from Bloodlight. "I missed you, you handsome devil. Have you aged a bit?" Bloodlight asked as he squeezed Niall for what seemed like dear life.
The shorter human gasped for life melodramatically before being released by his companion, "Calm down, Bloodlight, ya trying to kill me? Come inside."

Sindurath held the door for his companions and quickly followed in after them just to head to the same old bar with the same old barkeep. "Hey, Old Ragnar!"
"Boys! Welcome home! I hope the Kingsguard is treating you well. Drinks are on the house tonight for your group! Courtesy of that handsome fella performing." The grizzled bearded veteran called out to the group, whilst gesturing to Niall.
"Why aren't we special? Speaking of special, can we get two Tyr's Envy, on the rocks?" Bloodlight jostled Niall in a teasing manner, before leaning against the bar.
"Comin' right up!" Old Ragnar responded as he pulled down two square glasses and threw some ice cubes in them. 

Sindurath looked around the room and within seconds he felt a smart, stinging pain across the side of his face. The stars stopped circling his head just long enough for him to see the elven maid that had slapped the shit out of him. "Ellysandra, Pleasure to see you as well," he musters himself to reply as dry as Old Ragnar's aged Pinot. 
"Excuse me, Everdawn, but you have some nerve..."
"Ellysandra Nightflame, I do believe a condition we had agreed on was leaving the bullshit at the door this evening," Niall intervenes, already holding a glass of her favorite red. 
"I apologize to you, Niall. I should have known better," Ellysandra sighs, taking the glass from her friend. 

At that very moment, Wiz, Sindurath's brother, walked in. "How is my big brother going to be home and not tell me?"
"Hey genius, You don't live here anymore either. Aren't you a professor at the Mage's College or something?"
"I prefer the Archwizard."
"That's like saying I'm Captain of the Kingsguard."
"Precisely."
"Well, I'm not the Captain yet. I'm his lieutenant though, so I'm one ladder rung below."
"Are we gonna bitch about semantics or are you gonna hug me, brother?" 
Sindurath threw back his scotch and walked over to his darker haired brother and wrapped his arms around him. "With all that magic, you think you could teleport to the Cloud District sometimes. We work in the same city, little bro."
"If you had to see the politics I deal with then you wish you could teleport anywhere except the college," Wiz replied with a laugh, patting his brother on the back. 

Niall had somehow disappeared from the bar to the stage, "Now that mostly everyone in our group has arrived, can everyone take a seat?"