The Forsaken Hero

The inner courtyards were small and neat. The main manor dominated the center, with several wings extending to the side. A towering fountain portraying a dragon eerily similar to the lava dragons sprayed water between its jaws, filling a pool a dozen feet across.

The eastern wing, built flush against the wall, overlooked the rim of the spire. A large tower jutted from the third floor, so broad it overlapped with the wall ramparts. It was the highest point of the complex and easily over a hundred feet wide. Thick stained glass windows graced the upper levels, but they warped what was inside, letting only a hint of rainbow light escape. Something about it resonated with my soul with a gentle tug.

”I’m truly sorry for the difficulty earlier. Our empire has dominated this land for so long we’ve grown arrogant in our culture,” Elaine said.

Elise shrugged. ”It’s nothing we’re not used to. Only, I’ve been curious for a while. Even during the negotiations, you never seemed caught up in all the traditions. If you hadn’t said something, I’m not even sure they would have given me a proper room. They’d been discussing the stables before you arrived.”

”Stables?” I looked at her curiously. ”But that’s for animals. Rivlitt tries to make Fable sleep there.”

A shadow crossed her face. ”I’m aware.”

I flinched as R’lissea gave me a withering look, opening my mouth to protest and then closing it again. Maybe I’d been lucky to be assigned the slave quarters, after all.

”Once you’ve lived as long as I have, everything starts to look the same. Some react by rejecting change, being overly comfortable with the familiar. Others, like me, find it refreshing. When I was in training as a young girl, it was stylish for women to cover every inch of skin, even wearing feathered masks that covered their lips. I daresay the great, great grandmothers of the current generation would be rolling over in their graves.”

I nodded, glancing at the noble women meandering around us. The clothing itself would have been considered rather conservative, save for the long slits cut in the skirts and arms. Some dresses had slits running from the hem of the skirt around the ankles to midway up the bodice. Were it not for the colorful sashes they wore around the waist, every gust of wind could prove problematic.

”Still want to wear one?” R’lissea asked, nudging me.

”M-me?” I stammered, flushing slightly. ”No, I couldn’t! They’re too...um...I just don’t think I should wear something like that.”

She giggled. ”Is it your tail? While it’s true the slits are all on the side, I bet you could figure something out.”

I shook my head, and she frowned, tapping her chin.

”It’s not too revealing, is it? The dresses you wear now show more, don’t they?”

I touched my shoulder, tracing down the skin to where the ruffled hem rested midway up my forearm. My skin tingled where the sunpurge had once sat, something that happened anytime something brushed my shoulder.

Her smile faded. ”Oh, I see.”

”It wouldn’t be a bad thing to branch out a bit,” R’lissea said, eyeing me. ”Sometimes, trying something new can help you move on from the things of the past. If you wear off-shoulder dresses because of the sunpurge, you don’t have it anymore. No need to keep living your life restricted as if you did.”

”Well, I, um...maybe it wouldn’t be bad,” I admitted, fidgeting with my sleeve. ”They’re just...too pretty for me. They’d just end up getting cut or destroyed.”

Elaine laughed, causing our guards to give her strange looks.

”I’ll have some of my maids find a few for you, and you can try them on,” the woman offered. She followed up with a grin. ”I think you’d look beautiful in one, especially if you keep that mysterious starry glow around you.”

I nodded shyly, fidgeting with my sleeve some more. How was I supposed to refuse with everyone teasing me like this?

The smiles faded as we entered through the double doors of the central building. Another eighth-level guard gave us suspicious looks, especially with Fyren’s sword strapped to his back, but didn’t say anything other than a casual greeting to Elaine. Past him was the great hall itself, spanning a few hundred feet long. Colorful light danced across the rooms, cast by several crystal chandeliers fixed to the ceiling. Long, darkly stained and polished tables stretched the length of the room, with wide walkways left open for the servants. The banquet didn’t seem to have begun yet, with servants only passing around drinks and light foods. Nobles of all manner of status and power mingled together. They gave us furtive looks as we entered. A few bordered on hostile, but none confronted us.

I glanced at the corners of the room, expecting to see the rough, unpolished tables set aside for servants and slaves, but there were none. The servants exited the room as soon as they emptied a platter or tray, distributing its contents amongst the massing nobles. The level of wealth and status necessary to dine here was on a completely different level than Brithlite. Or maybe Alverin had just like a constant reminder of his dominion and power.

”W-where are we going?” I asked as Elaine led us deep into the room.

”To meet the emperor, of course. This banquet commemorates the sacrifices made to protect the city from the dragons and undead plague, making you some of the guests of honor.”

I swallowed hard, falling to the back of the group. Even if the emperor had every reason to be grateful to us, meeting the host of the banquet wasn’t exactly something to look forward to. At least Fable was there, letting me run my hand through his fur. I couldn’t care less how many frowns or odd looks we got.

”So they decided to come. Hmph, color me surprised.”

Avant’s voice caused me to look up again. We’d reached the front of the hall, where the Emperor’s table was on a raised dais. Avant and a handful of other eighth-level beings had their places, as did a middle-aged woman at the peak of fifth-level. She sat directly next to the emperor. A young boy, maybe four or five, sat on her other side, watching me with wide eyes.

Two youths, one a man only a little older than me and a girl about my age, were on the other side of the emperor. The girl wore a beautiful blue dress with deep slits with embroidery on the sleeves and bodice that looked spun from actual gold. She looked me up and down with a disapproving frown before giving a small sniff and turning to admire R’lissea’s graceful elven dress. She didn’t spare Elise more than a passing, derisive look. The boy wore something akin to a high-ranking military uniform. His eyes narrowed, but the target of his scrutiny was Fyren.

Elise stepped out front, spreading her skirt in a low curtsey. R’lissea merely lowered her head, bearing regal, yet I quickly followed Elise’s lead.

”Greetings, your imperial majesty,” Elise said, keeping her eyes low. ”We’re grateful for your invitation to attend this fine banquet. May the sand always warm your feet.”

The emperor smiled faintly, gesturing for us to rise. I waited a heartbeat after Elise straightened to follow suit. I inched as subtly as possible to shelter behind Fyren from the emperor’s piercing gaze, which swept over our entire group.

The girl in the blue dress wrinkled her nose. ”You’d think one tutored by nobility would have a basic understanding of court decorum, but your manners are as undignified as your past. What were you thinking, Elaine, bringing them here before father?”

Goosebumps broke across my skin as the temperature plummeted, every influential person in the area turning to stare at her. But the girl’s soul was only fourth-level, too weak to notice subtle changes in the attitudes of high-level beings. Perhaps, had she been glaring at anything other than Elise, she might have noticed, yet she continued.

”Even if they participated in the battle, it couldn’t have been more than token aid. The...girl from Brithlite isn’t any stronger than I am.”

Elise’s shoulders hunched almost imperceptibly. Her composure remained smooth and professional, but her eyes wavered, and her lower lip seemed on the edge of quivering.

She looked about to say more, but the boy beside her laid a hand on her shoulder. Her gaze flicked to him in annoyance.

”That’s enough, Belisa,” he said softly.

She folded her arms, pouting. ”I’m only saying. It’s rather insulting to be addressed so directly by someone whose role was to entertain the–”

”Belisa.”

The emperor only spoke one word, yet the girl’s jaw snapped shut. She looked up timidly at the emperor, hands gripping her skirt beneath the table. His eyes narrowed.

”S-sorry, Father,” she mumbled, quickly lowering her eyes.

The emperor sighed and returned his gaze to us. Elise’s legs trembled almost as much as mine, and she kept her eyes on the floor.

The emperor stood, and the hall grew silent. Looking back, it seemed everyone had found their seats. Their gazes were now fixed on us, and from the whispers and glints in their eyes, it was clear they’d overheard the princess’s petulant