The Forsaken Hero

I awoke the next morning to a soft knock at the door. I blinked groggily, rubbing my eyes and yawning, finding it was still dark. How long had it been, five, maybe six hours, since I’d returned from visiting with Korra? Not long enough, judging by the weight of my eyes and the cotton in my mind.

The soft pad of leather boots in my room sent a jolt of adrenaline through my system, and I jerked up, gathering the green silken sheets about my chest. I wore a nightdress, of course, but the soft white satin was weightless and nearly sheer, a style I’d used to protect the sungpurge. I’d tried heavier ones in Blacksand, but couldn’t get used to the weight of the fabric.

That was a decision I now regretted as my eyes flitted around, finding a silhouette standing in the doorway leading to the common room. Had they come in already, or–

Gith’s voice came softly in the dark. ”Peace. All is well.”

”Phew...” I let out a sigh, falling back against the mattress, my head bouncing on the pillow. ”What is it? You scared me.”

He gave a Brithlite Salute, expression unreadable in the gloom of the early morning.

”Forgive me, my lady, but Anrynth is waiting at the door. He’s been sent to fetch you.”

”Me? This early...?”

I trailed off as my memories of the night before slowly slotted into place. I sat up quickly again, eyes widening.

”Is it that time already? I didn’t think it would be so dark!” I squeaked, swiveling my feet over the edge of the bed.

Gith coughed, turning his head and keeping his eyes lowered. ”My Lady...”

I froze, tail going rigid as he retreated through the doorway, shutting it behind him. It happened so quickly that a flush had barely begun to creep up my neck when it clicked shut. By the time my face grew hot, I could hear Luxxa chastening the ranger.

”I told you to wait! What were you thinking, barging into a girl’s room like that?”

Gith’s response was muttered under the threshold of my hearing, but I squeaked anyway, burying my face in my hands. It wasn’t as if he’d seen anything, as I was clothed, but the thought hadn’t crossed my mind until it was far too late. Was it always going to be this hard having guards so close?

A few seconds saw my blush fade a bit, and I rose, casting a hesitant look at the door. I even checked the balcony door, relieved to see the windows and glass portal covered with curtains. Amazing how I’d overlooked them the day before, yet now they seemed like the most important part of the room’s decor.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I collected my spatial ring from the nightstand and chose the white satin dress I’d worn to Tana’s wedding. While the dresses I’d gotten in Blacksand were more suited to a formal setting, I was feeling far too shy after the incident with Gith to wear something so provocative.

Just as I drew tight the bow of the red sash around my waist, letting the ends hang low past my knees, there was another knock at the door. I jumped, tail twitching, and double checked I’d actually put on my dress before answering.

”Good morning!” R’lissea said, looking me up and down. ”You look...sleepy.”

I blushed, rubbing my horn. ”I...went to bed later than I planned. I was with Korra. But weren’t we supposed to meet in the courtyard?”

Elise giggled and entered the room, snagging my hand on the way past. She dragged me over to the rather large vanity cupboard and sat me down on the chair in front of a tall, oval mirror.

”I figured you could use a little help,” she said, producing a comb.

I nodded my thanks, but she pressed a hand to my forehead, firmly positioning my head and running her comb through the long, crimson waves running down my back.

”It’s gotten pretty long,” she said, lifting a thick ribbon and letting it trail through her fingers. ”Almost to your waist.”

”Is it too long?” I asked.

”I’m hardly one to ask that,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at her own long, blonde hair. It was almost a foot longer than mine, reaching the middle of her thighs. ”But even if it were, I wouldn’t ask you to cut it. I know how important it is to you.”

I nodded, clasping my hands in my lap. To be honest, I didn’t feel the same anxious tightness in my chest when I thought of cutting my hair as before, but I much preferred to let it grow. There was something...liberating about it, a small way I could defy those who had enslaved me. Maybe, one day, I would give it a trim.

Mistress Anyla had done a remarkable job brushing it the night before, after my bath, so it didn’t take long for R’lissea to put her comb away. I finished dressing, placed the circlet of flowers Tana preserved for me on my head, and followed her out the door. The Star Guard greeted me with smiles, already armored and prepared to go. Anrynth saluted and led our party from my chambers down to the courtyards before the manor.

Korra and Elise were already there, along with Selena. Two carriages awaited us, accompanied by a squad of mountain knights. Their armor shone silver and gold, breaking the crest of House Sunsinger on their chests. As I gave Elise and Korra a hug, the sun crested the forested mountains, flooding the forest with dappled light.

”Where’s Aerion?” I asked, looking around at the gathered company.

”He’s waiting at the Verdant Grove,” Selena said. ”We’d best move quickly, else we miss our audience. The Tribunal rarely makes exceptions for those who miss their appointments, especially in times as trying as these.”

As I moved to enter a carriage, Fable padded out from beneath the eaves of a garden terrace, approaching expectantly. I hesitated, glancing at Selena. She shook her head.

”Sorry, you’ll have to sit this one out,” I said, rubbing his head.

He whined softly and pushed through my arms, rubbing his head against my chest. I patted his head, petting between his horns, before pushing him away.

”We’ll be back. I’ll call you if we need you,” I said.

He slunk back from where he’d come, plopping down on his side and panting, tongue lolling out.

”Sorry,” I whispered again, biting my lip as I slipped inside.

The carriage ride was long and bumpy, getting progressively more so as we penetrated the inner reaches of Duskwood City. The Sunsinger Manor was in the middle regions, between the main residential, trade, and merchant sectors and what Selena called the ’Old City,’ where the great noble houses and their greatest vassals lived.

I expected a gradual transition from manors to mansions and small castles, and was surprised as we came to a long stone wall picketed with towers. The guards waved us through a portcullis and gate without so much as hailing us.

The city I’d seen so far was similar to the human cities I’d been to, save that the architecture was uniquely ancient, and often crafted to resemble the forest it dwelled among. A few buildings, like the older manors, were literally grown from massive trees. It was beautiful, in its own way, a harmonious blending of the stone splendor of the human cathedrals and the blossoming gardens that often surrounded them.

But all of the grandeur vanished before the mansions and keeps of the older city. Each was unique, grown from a single entwined grove of trees that spanned hundreds of feet high. The walls, gates, towers, and manors within were glossy wood, colored and textured differently depending on the tree they were born from. Even the windows were framed by branches, with natural garden boxes sprouting living blossoms that turned to face the rising sun.

The streets were overshadowed by their canopies, each bleeding into the other, a literal forest of mansions every bit as thick as the Sylvarus woods themselves. There were even small streams and brooks running through courtyards and alongside the road, occasionally joining together in rivers we crossed on arched bridges or causeways.

”How many families live here?” I asked, staring out the window in awe.

Selena, with whom I shared a carriage, smiled. ”Many. The three great noble houses, the Splitbark, Whitemarsh, and Ellenwinter, form the backbone of the city. From them spring hundreds of smaller noble houses, extending their reach to every aspect of the city. Our own house, the Sunsinger, is a fringe vassal of the Whitemarshes. My mother came from the Redoak family. Her grandfather, their patriarch, is a nephew through marriage to the son of the current Lady Whitemarsh’s granddaughter.”

My lips parted in a silent mumble as I tried following the connection. Selena grinned as my brow furrowed, folding her arms and watching in amusement.

At last, I admitted defeat and shook my head. ”That’s...convoluted.”