The Forsaken Hero

The remaining hours flew by. Despite my protest, R’lissea refused to allow me to wear the plain white dress I’d chosen at the beginning of the day, taking nearly an hour ensuring I wore my white satin dress and my hair was in order. Rosarie knocked on the door, informing us the carriage was ready. When it opened, she scampered back, watching me warily. She didn’t flinch when Fable walked out, just held her hands behind her back, pressing against the wall as I passed.

”I’m not going to hurt you,” I said. ”What happened before was...it was an accident.”

”Y-yes, Oracle,” she squeaked, curtsying low. She didn’t relax in the slightest.

I sighed and followed R’lissea into the outer courtyard. Elise and Fyren waited for us there. Fyren wore his adventurer gear with his broadsword strapped across his back, while Elise hadn’t changed. She never wore anything that wouldn’t be out of place in a royal court, but her dress seemed more reserved than anything she’d worn to negotiations or banquets.

The carriage was drawn by two pure white horses. Their manes and coats were brushed until they shone. The house seal above the gilded driver’s seat resembled that on the journals in Elise’s study. The previous family’s, perhaps?

”Aren’t you coming?” R’lissea asked Elise.

She shook her head. ”I’ve got about a thousand items to get through before we leave. Stuff like contracts for caring for the estate and managing investments. I’ll catch up in a bit.”

”I don’t envy you a bit. I suppose you don’t mind if we steal your ride?” R’lissea asked.

Elise chuckled. ”They’ll just be dropping you off. Until we get more personnel under the estate, Jonathan’s filling in for the coachman, escort, and estate guard. I’ll need him to look after things here.”

Jonathan, the guard of the Lastlight Estate, gave us a welcoming smile. ”Pleasure to be of service.”

He offered R’lissea his hand and helped her into the carriage. He offered his hand to me, but froze stiff as Fyren eyed him. With a hasty bow, he retreated a step.

Fyren harrumphed and took me by the hand, gently boosting me over the step into the carriage itself. It was small and cramped inside, with barely enough room for four people. There was a small window on the door, and another on the opposite wall, covered with white curtains. R’lissea laced her arm through mine and tugged me to the far side, while Fyren sat on the other.

Fable poked his head in after us, filling the narrow doorway with his shaggy bulk. I smiled at the sight. He whined, and I gave his nose a little push, earning a sullen look.

”He can just follow behind. It’s not far,” Elise said from outside. ”Just make sure he doesn’t wander off and terrorize the locals.”

Fable grunted and pulled away, giving the golden-haired noble a reproachful glare. She giggled and rubbed his nose.

As Jonathon mounted the driver’s seat, I peeked out the window. The horses were skittish with Fable near, but they responded to the reins, and we moved out into the city. The sights, sounds, and smells were foreign to me, yet I’d felt like I’d been in Blacksand forever. Perhaps, given the eternity I’d spent locked in visions of this very city, I had been. I hadn’t exactly gotten used to the city after the battle, with all the repairs underway.

The sun hung low on the horizon, tainting the distant sky pink. It was strange being able to look all the way to the caldera walls without them being obstructed by dust and cinders. Whenever I glanced at the looming spire above, I half-expected to see a plume of smoke or a tide of lava elementals swarming over it.

After getting my fill of the city, I studied the interior. The cushions were soft and plush, the walls covered in white and gold fabric. I could sense a few magic circles carved into the wood behind the covering, but restrained the impulse to tear it aside to study them. From the feel of things, they were just second and third-level enchantments to keep insects away, absorb bumps and jolts, and regulate the temperature.

It didn’t take long for the carriage to stop. It shook slightly as Jonathon jumped off and the door opened. I peered past him and was surprised to find we were outside the courtyards of the palace where the commemorative banquet was held.

”I-Isn’t this where the emperor is staying now?” I asked.

Jonathan nodded. ”Yes, it’s serving as a makeshift headquarters for the palace, seeing as its, uh, gone and all.”

Fyren stepped out of the carriage and helped R’lissea and me out. My gaze found the abnormally large tower where the shard had been, and my heart sank. I nearly tripped over my tail on the step, falling hard against Fyren’s chest.

”Careful,” he warned.

I nodded meekly, gripping my skirt. ”D-do we have to go inside?”

Jonathan tilted his head. ”Inside the palace? No, Lady Elaine requested we meet her at her personal quarters. It’s over there.”

He pointed at a large complex across from the palace, hitherto hidden by the carriage’s side.

”Servant quarters?” R’lissea asked.

The guard shrugged. ”That was my direction. Now then, would you like me to wait for a few minutes?”

”We’re fine,” Fyren said shortly.

The guard flinched and quickly saluted. ”Right. Good luck.”

He hopped back onto the driver’s seat and picked up the reins. I watched, clinging to Fyren’s arm, as it rolled away. There was very little traffic this far into the upper district, and he disappeared around the spire’s curve in just a few seconds.

I relaxed, loosening my grip on Fyren’s arm. ”So we’re not going inside?”

”Not the palace, it seems,” he replied. ”But it’s strange for such a powerful being to reside in such a humble establishment.”

”Maybe her home was destroyed in the battle, too,” R’lissea said.

Fyren shook his head. ”Then she would stay in the palace beside the emperor, no?”

She bit her lip. ”I, um...yeah, probably.”

”No matter. We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

Fyren strode toward the main gates of the complex, dragging me along behind him. The guards greeted us with crisp salutes.

”Welcome, esteemed guests,” a young man with a moustache said. Shockingly, he was actually sixth-level. ”Lady Elaine instructed us to show you to her quarters.”

”So she’s actually staying here?” R’lissea asked. ”Like...permanently?”

The guard chuckled. ”Indeed. She has many properties throughout the empire, but has few close enough to the palace. Now, please remain close. The servant wings are like a maze sometimes, and it wouldn’t do for you to get lost.”

It didn’t take long for me to lose track of the turns and stairs we took. The complex was massive, easily as large as the slave and servant quarters hidden in the labyrinth beneath the old palace.

”The entire upper city workforce lives here,” the mustached guard explained. ”His Majesty provides room and board in exchange for their services, making it convenient to aggregate those services in one location.”

”Aggregate?” I mumbled. I’d never even heard that word before. What kind of guard was this?

The guard brought us to a nondescript room on, judging by a glimpse I’d caught through a passing window, the third floor of the wing closest to the edge of the terrace. He knocked once then stepped back, readying a salute. Elaine opened it a second later, and the guard executed said motion.

”Ah, welcome! I was beginning to wonder if you were coming,” Elaine said with a smile.

She wore a beautiful dress, but nothing as extravagant as I expected. I peeked past her into the room and saw a basic servant’s quarters, exactly as I’d grown used to living in. Was this not a party?

My heart fluttered, though with nerves or hope, I couldn’t tell. R’lissea greeted her back, and I offered a small curtsy. She waved us right through, dismissing the guard.

”It’s not much, but I hope you’ll make yourself at home,” Elaine said.

R’lissea looked around, taking in the plain white walls and lack of, well, anything. ”I was expecting something a little more...formal.”

Elaine chuckled and gracefully sat on a cushioned chair beside a table. There were a few pastries and vegetables on plates, but nothing close to a meal.

”It only takes a few hundred years to get bored of the pomp and glamor of high society. I found residing in the same abode as our soldiers and servants does wonders for morale.”

”Is that why you’re not staying at an estate or mansion?” R’lissea asked.

”Something like that. I actually had a place close by that I had loaned to a small barony for a while, but they’ve since vacated, so I sold it to the crown. There was a new noble appointed who needed an estate,” she said, giving me a wink.

I gasped. ”You mean Elise?”