His Hand In The Shadows

Chapter 7: Blind Faith

The Lady's eyes followed Zayd as he took a seat before her. His light blonde hair. His sharp chin. His chiseled cheeks. "Who is this?" she asked as her eyes dropped to the ring he wore over his white gloves.

"I am Zayd."

"Of what House? You wish to hide your identity from me, Sir?"

"No, my Lady. I hail from the House of Cormill, son to Sir Cormill."

"The heir to Cormill accompanies this young girl?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"A problem, Lady Nas?" Ayla asked.

The Lady turned her attention to the documents before her. "The results to the investigation arrived." She passed them to Ayla. "The investigation corp found nothing to hold you on. They shall return your possessions today."

Ayla leaned back into the chair. She squeezed the paper in her hands as she noticed the 'Dismissed' written on the first page in bold letters. Her teeth shun through her quick grin.

"We did find a halo..." her eyes shifted from Ayla to Zayd, "a Cormill halo."

Ayla blinked back her words. She had prepared for this revelation. She opened her mouth to speak but Zayd spoke up before she could.

"I gave it to her."

The Lady's eyes fixed heavily on Zayd like a storm approaching over water. "Why?"

"She is my tutor, contact is needed between her and me."

The rising tides calmed slowly. "Of course, Sir Zayd," the Lady said, sliding a document across her desk to him. "I will have that in writing."

Zayd scanned the paper then accepted the investigation documents from Ayla as she passed it to him, whispering to him while she pointed. Zayd looked up at Lady Nas. "In what condition will the items be returned, may I ask? Both mattresses were slit open."

She dug through a stack of papers on her desk. "Orhem Academy provides no funds for such matters. I ask that you fill this form." She slid another paper across her desk to Ayla. "My organization uses donations for matters such like these." She turned to Zayd. "We provide funding for the unsettled throughout Norlyn and subsidies for the working class that they too may attend Orhem. With the ongoing drought we run quite busy, but they should have no problem releasing funds for the mattresses."

"She sleeps in couches for over two weeks now. How much longer?"

"Given her innocence, there should be no problem in gaining approval."

"Record names of the classes you missed also," Zayd told Ayla as she filled the form.

The Lady gave Zayd the halo and he passed it to Ayla. Ayla gave the document to Lady Nas and excused herself.

"Sir Zayd, may I ask you stay a moment?" Lady Nas asked before Zayd could follow Ayla out.

~

At a young age Lady Nas had realized what it meant to be common and what it meant to be high classed. Her mother's servants raised her more than her mother did. She learned of the servant's family and became fond of her two young sons. She met them when she managed to slip away from the grounds and gave their mother food to take home to them secretly. Born without magic, Lady Nas still yearned to contribute to the progression of Norlyn. Norlyn Nobility for Change was created to fulfill that desire. Nobility who were drawn by the same calling, found their roots as patrons to the cause though many prefered to remain anonymous.

Lady Nas presented her testimony and slid a paper before Zayd. "If you feel the urge to help those who cannot help themselves, do so."

The document had a briefing of the organization and the expectations of the patrons. At the back was a list of the patrons for him to sign his name. "As a child, I never asked the servants how their day went. In honesty, we never spoke beyond a greeting or request. I never asked what the life they lived entailed nor how they perceived the imbalance in society. Carried through the city with Sir Cormill, I saw many beg for dinner but never stopped along the way. I never had to be close to them. Easier were the days I watched from a distance with a full stomach. I did try to speak with villagers upon attending Orhem but they never seemed to enjoy my company. So I stopped my advances."