Leta's family were presumably killed during a Rebellion, and she was whisked away by one of her father's most trusted guardsmen to a faraway island to live out her days in exile, as ordered by the new King Calas. After King Calas's death, the Lady L...
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"Does he intend to ignore me forever?"
Gale had traveled two weeks down through the continent, the nights becoming colder and the days shorter and gray and unfriendly.
"His Grace insists you rest," said the servant of the household. "Your journey was long, no doubt."
Gale and Echo, a sellsword, his bodyguard and trusted friend, exchanged glances. "Of course. Thank you."
They were shown to their separate rooms and settled in for the night. "Is he even here?" Gale wondered. It wouldn't be unlike his brother to find business elsewhere to avoid confrontation with his youngest brother.
When Gale finally collapsed onto the bed, he couldn't fall asleep, despite the exhaustion. He looked around his room: to the left, a fireplace occupied most of the wall. It was monstrous, a blazing fire burning within.
Gale warmed himself by the fire and noticed words carved deep across the stone's facing in a foreign language. It was crudely crudely done with whatever natural supplies could be found, and it took Gale several moments to roughly translate the words:
There shall be peace.
Hope. There's so much hope in those four little words, he thought, sadly, and to find hope where there appeared to be absolutely none at all.
The thunder of horse hoods approached through the faint light of the sun's rise and the sound grew until it tumbled through the arched gateway and pounded into the courtyard.
Gale stood at the window, studying his brother's movements as he dismounted the horse, carelessly abandoning Argo to the grooms, to then stride to the entrance.
He waited and waited, and then heard booted footsteps approach closer behind. The door swung open and Gale turned, and there stood his brother. They stared at each other and said nothing at first. "Join me for a drink," Kyan finally said.
The dusty air of the tower stairs swirled around them as they descended, and Gale continued to study his brother from the back.
At the bottom of the stairs, Kyan pulled him into the corridor leading to the Great Hall. Gale drew back, stretching the link between himself and his brother.
He twisted around, face darkening— and then he suddenly relaxed. "Why have you come?" he asked, and gestures for Gale to help himself.
The table was spread with food— bread and fruit and meat. And wine. "Just wine. Please." Gale helped himself to wine and continued. "I hear you have a house-guest."
"You should eat. You look thinner."
"What are you doing?"
Kyan paused. "Making sure you eat." He grabbed a strawberry and bit into it. "If you are referring to the girl... I'm doing what needs to be done."
