A Chance Encounter

[Farryn Loragwyn]

Farryn meekly looked up as the Duchess spoke, her cheeks flushing a bright red, embarrassed. Though she hated hearing others speak of Ashira, she remained quiet and chose to say nothing as she understood how fervent some Eldorai were when it came to the Goddess with her mother being one of them. Rather than reading her bedtime stories, the woman would instead read the young Farryn scriptures instead to lull her to sleep. In fact, had Ashira not betrayed her so greatly, Farryn would have been one of the zealots singing the Goddess' praises.

Grateful for the tug on her arm leading her away from the Duchess and her servant, Farryn shot Cyraea a weak smile and followed her out of the reception area, past the living room, and towards the bedrooms.

The Duchess' home was a welcome change from the Cathedral where she had sought refuge that lacked all the luxuries she had been so accustomed to on Kaeshana, before Faith and Cecil robbed her of everything, and dependent on the generosity of others of others for survival. The ill-fitting clothes on her back, the lace up boots she had to stuff with toilet paper because they were a size too big, and the ribbons she had used to tie up her hair that were actually strips of cloth torn from clothes that could no longer be worn, had all been given to her by others. So while she did not believe in Ashira, she was grateful for the kindness the Goddess' followers had shown her for, without their generosity, she would surely be a corpse rotting away somewhere.

"There's the bathroom," Cyraea pointed Farryn to a large chamber as they made their way down the corridor and towards the bedroom that had been prepared for the silver-haired Eldorai. "I can do your hair and nails if you want after you're finished there. And this is your bedroom," the blonde said and opened the door to a large room that Farryn might have once considered the normal size for a bedroom on Kaeshana.

"Thank you, that would be lovely," Farryn smiled. It had been too long since her hair had last been styled by someone more skilled than herself and her nails neatly trimmed and filed. Eager to finally relax in a hot bath, the disgraced noble made her way to the bathroom and watched as the bath was being prepared.

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


Suffice to say the bathroom was very luxurious. Indeed, it was probably bigger than the home of most commoners. Warm steam rose into the air from the bath, there was an assortment of soaps, hair products and lotions waiting for Farryn to utilise them.


Cyraea picked out a towel and a soft, warm bathrobe for the noblelady. The aide had many talents, including being very good at reading a woman's measurements. She put her hand in the water to make sure the temperature was right, then laid a towel on the marble tile.


"I'll be outside. I'll lay out some clothes for you on your bed," she spoke. However, before she stepped out of the chamber, she turned. "I can see you're not devout. You believe Ashira failed you. That's understandable, but the Duchess is very zealous. When she speaks of the Goddess, it's best to smile, nod and not make a fuss. Or gently steer the conversation in another direction." In other words, go through the motions when Tarissa felt like giving a sermon. Clearly Cyraea was a more practical woman than her boss.

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

"Thank you," Farryn smiled gratefully and took note of Cyraea's word. Just smile, nod and not make a fuss, she repeated to herself as she tugged on the ribbon, releasing her long silver hair that trailed past her chest and reached the small of her back from its grasp and disrobed.

The warmth of the bath water calmed her as she cleaned herself and recalled memories of happier days on Kaeshana. Though her mother was known as a cold and ruthless woman by many who valued the reputation of House Loragwyn above all, she had been an excellent mother to Farryn who always made time out of her busy schedule for her daughter. Even with many pressing matters to attend to, the woman did her best to minimise the amount of time her daughter had spent with her nannies, maids, and father - who was little more than a sperm donor her mother had wedded in order to form an alliance with his family.

"Mother..." Farryn whispered softly as she remembered how the woman used to make time to say goodbye to her daughter is she was unable to take her with her on a business trip. And though she saw how her mother had treated her siblings like pawns, forcing them to serve her, she believed the woman truly loved her even if she did not feel the same way about her other children.

"Mother," she whispered again then stepped out of the bathtub, dried herself, slipped on the soft bathrobe, and headed to her room.

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


In that regard, Farryn's relationship with her mother had been quite different from Tarissa's...though there might still be similarities when you scratched beneath the surface. Young Cadalthor had not been her mother's favourite.


That had been Sylviane, until she perished in battle defending the motherland. In her youth, Tarissa had been a rather rebellious, disobedient girl, chafing under the yoke of her mother, who was fond of chastisement and rarely showed affection.


She'd even left Kaeshana, partly as an act of adolescent rebellion, partly because she'd ran afoul of courtly intrigue. Her experiences away from the homeworld had changed her profoundly, and ironically made her a more conservative woman. Yet the tension always remained, and things had finally come to head when at a noble's soiree when an assassin made an attempt on Siobhan Kerrigan's life. Using the chance to rid herself of her domineering mother, Tarissa had framed her as a traitor, goading the matriarch to attack her so that she could strike her down.


If Farryn took the time to look at the Cadalthor portraits hanging on the walls, she wouldn't find a single one of Tarissa's mother. She'd even been removed from family portraits and holopics. Cyraea was waiting for the young noblelady when she returned to the room. "There you are. You look so much better now. You're a beautiful young lady. I selected a few garments for you," the older woman pointed towards the neatly folded clothes on the bed. All of them were more than appropriate for a lady of good breeding to wear.


Stepping forward, she began to dry the pale elf's still somewhat damp hair with a towel. The aide was used to serving and fussing over blue bloods. Her Duchess was quite demanding. "I could not help overhearing you," she added. "You miss your mother."

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

"Thank you," Farryn smiled a little awkwardly. Usually dressed in shapeless clothing that did little for her appearance and her hair greasy most days of the week, she was unaccustomed to receiving compliments from others on her appearance. The time she had spent cast out of high society had quite a profound effect on her confidence. Farryn who was once a proud Eldorai, had been reduced to a one with almost no self-confidence; she was nothing without her status and wealth. If she had died no one there would've been no one to mourn her - except Calix - but then again, do ghosts even count?

Delicately, the albino Eldorai examined each outfit before settling on a dress, something she hadn't worn for a while and a welcome change from the stiff and almost abrasive cloth she had grown accustomed to. However, before she had a chance to change into the dress, Cyraea stepped forward and began to dry her long silver hair with a towel.

"I could not help overhearing you. You miss your mother," the blonde elf said, surprising Farryn who had not expected someone to hear the words she had spoke while she bathed.

"I do," the disgraced noble replied simply. "Even though my mother refuses to meet me, I still love her, and miss her no matter what Calix says about her."

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


Cyraea nodded understandingly. "I understand what you mean, dear. We crave our mother's approval and love, even if she wrongs us." The average Eldorai matriarch of a noble family had a well-deserved reputation as a scheming manipulator. Did this automatically mean that she did not care for her children? No.


But it meant she had high expectation and expected them to fulfil them, playing the role the family had assigned them. The family's honour and wellbeing stood above individual aspirations, even though this could lead to great tragedies.


She dried the albino elf's silver hair, then put the towel away and picked up the dress, helping Farryn into it. Putting on a dress was obviously something the noblelady was able to do on her own, but some customs in House Cadalthor were rather archaic. "What was she like before Faith betrayed you and your brother?"

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

Farryn stroke the scabs on her arms as if tempted to tear the wounds they closed open. "Mother was always good to me. Even though she was a very busy woman, she always made time for me and was always there for me," she started, tearing up a little as she spoke. "I remember when I was a child; my mother would read me the Goddess' teachings every night. She never missed a night even when she was away."

"Mother is just," she muttered as if to convince herself. "Mother is just," she repeated as tears rolled down her face. Though she had convinced herself that her mother loved her, she had begun to question this love after being rejected countless times. If her mother truly loved her as much as she had thought, the woman would have at least given her a chance to prove her identity to listen to her story... Right?

I must reclaim what is mine, she thought, wiping away her tears with a determined expression on her face. No matter what, she couldn't let Faith win after what she did to Calix. If Ashira has forsaken me then I will take back everything I have lost by my own power. Though she knew this was the last thing her twin would have wanted, Faith needed to face the consequences of her actions. Blood must be paid for with blood.

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


"I'm not as fervent a believer as Her Grace, but I cannot see Ashira considering it just that your mother rejected you," Cyraea spoke, gently raising her hand to wipe some tears from Farryn's face. "I suppose in some cases growing up in a commoners' family is easier than a noble one. There's less creature comforts, a mother's love is not marred by the game of thrones that poisons everything." Apparently the aide was feeling philosophical.


"Your mother was good to you...but now she left you. You must be strong and take up the blade yourself to take back what is yours and get revenge." Blood for blood. The Eldorai might have less of a penchant for stomach-churning punishments and violence than in the past, but life on top was still characterised by Byzantine intrigues, power plays and revenge.

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

"Revenge against Faith and Cecil is what I live for," Farryn frowned. "Calix likes to tell me that hating someone is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die and perhaps he's right, but I refuse to go down without taking both of them with me," the albino Eldorai had a flair for the dramatic, her eyes burning with hatred as she spoke.

"Without revenge, my life has no meaning. I've lost everything," she continued and began to pick at the scabs on her arm. She needed the pain in her body to distract her from the pain within her - it was one of the few sources of comfort she had left.

"Commoners are so lucky," she muttered with a sad expression. "Their lives are so simple and they don't need to deal with usurpers and vile plots against them. I wish I was born one instead so that life would be so much simpler and maybe even happier."

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


"Oh, we are. At least until nobles take their power plays to the streets, they run red with blood and we get caught in the crossfire or have to fight and die in their name. For a people that pride themselves on order, we aren't lacking in civil wars. Being blown to bits by blasterfire is unpleasant," Cyraea could not resist commenting. She could be quite snarky when outside of Tarissa's earshot. She'd already served House Cadalthor before the current Duchess claimed the matriarch's crown.


"Or Her Majesty, may Ashira grant her a long life, orders us to fight in this or that war. Though I concede your family life would've probably been happier and simpler you'd been born in a common family and not in the purple." the aide said airily.


"The Goddess, nature and society make some rulers, others commoners. One commands, the other is the foundation. Uneasy is the head that wears the crown. And stop picking at the scabs. It's unbecoming. You'll have more than enough pain when you go through training," she said while she fussed over Farryn's hair a bit, making sure it was nice and straight. It would do not for a noblelady to have shower hair, after all! Then she walked away briefly and picked up some bottles. "Sit down. What colour nail polish would you like?" There was quite a selection to choose from.

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

"True," Farryn agreed. As far as she was aware of, her mother never once fought on the battlefield, only commanding the infantry from a safe distance. Though her mother returned after every battle, many weren't so lucky and their families were left to mourn their absence.

"Do the parents of commoners love each other?" she wondered. The world of the commoners and the world of the nobility were two completely different worlds.

"Unbecoming?" Farryn chuckled at Cyraea's comment. "I have done many unbecoming things since I've lost everything in order to survive. Besides, I'm not even nobility anymore," she smiled bitterly but stopped picking the scabs.

"Nude pink with an accent nail would be nice," the albino replied after a minute to consider her options - there were so many colours to choose from but she only had one set of hands.

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


"Many do. I'd say that just as many don't, either because they married for reasons other than love or it died somewhere down the line. Few things last till the Goddess calls us to Asur to make an account of our deeds," Cyraea responded.


"Sciians are still likely to receive preferential treatment, but it's less pronounced than in the nobility. Somehow, we're better at seeing that someone's value is not determined by their ability to toss fireballs and shoot bolts of lightning. It all varies a bit based on social class."


The servant chuckled slightly in response to Farryn's remark about how unbecoming she'd acted lately, then picked up the bottle of nude pink nail polish and accent nail. With the practiced grace of a woman who'd clearly done this many times, she began working over Farryn's finger nails. They would be trimmed and filed, buffed and cleaned before she finally began painting them.

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

Farryn smiled as she watched Cyraea tend to her long, unkempt nails. It had been so long since she had been attended to in this manner so it felt rather odd and almost unnatural.

"Calix," the albino Eldorai called for her twin. Extended periods of time without him made her anxious. Though he had promised not to leave her side before she was ready, she still feared that she might suddenly be without him. He was all she had left and her sole motivation for continuing this miserable life of her's.

"Well done dear sister, you have lasted a whole hour without me. It's a new record," Calix teased as he appeared before the two women. Though he didn't say it, her neediness worried him.

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


There were many ways for someone to react when a young woman had the spirit of her dead brother on speed dial. Cyraea was not like most people. Compared to the general weirdness that went on at the Court of Courts, the often pointless rituals, the endless backstabbing, assassination attempts and occasional elder horrors, a restless spirit was almost normal. Besides, she'd ruled out the possibility of him being malevolent.


She gave him a critical look. "You call him often? I now have this amusing image in my head of your brother suddenly manifesting at a fancy soiree and an aristo fainting," she said wryly. "Do not take this as encouragement. It would be bad form." The lines between spirits considered benevolent and malignant often got blurry. The Church could be quite inconsistent.

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

Farryn chuckled at the idea.

"I guess," she replied. "I tend to get quite anxious when I'm without him."

"I do like the idea of ruining one of the Loragwyn's soirees by showing up in the state I died in," Calix chuckled maliciously as the room seem to grow a little colder.

"Just don't shout Boo! It only serves to make you appear silly," the albino Eldorai warned with a disapproving glance at her brother.

"Noted," he smirked. The idea of ruining an event of their mother's, embrrassing her in the process was all too tempting. Adding it to his to do list, a devious smile spread across the ghost's face as he imagined the scenario.

​

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


Cyraea did not answer immediately. Her expression was pensive, as if the gears were moving in her mind. "Humour aside, I believe that idea...could actually have merit," she finally said. "The confession of a spirit - especially a male one - is not legally valid, as you know. But if you were to manifest at a Loragwyn soiree in the state you died, they'd be confronted with their sins. It would force a reaction from them and perhaps knock them off their game. Few killers expect their victims to haunt them. Especially not in a place where they feel strong and secure. It might be most effective, if you, Farryn, contested Faith's claims and challenged her to a duel in that moment, if she and her confederate refused to confess their sins. Faith wouldn't be able to refuse a challenge before so many highborn witnesses."


She raised her hand. "Do not act rashly. This has to be planned carefully, and would not be something you could back out of." After all, there was always the risk that Calix might be branded as a malevolent spirit or a daemon, and then Farryn would be in a lot of trouble. "There, these look a lot better now, don't you agree?" she indicated Farryn's nails.

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

The twins nodded at Cyraea words.

"Yes, they look lovely. Thank you," Farryn smiled, admiring her nails then bit her lower lip as she thought about what the woman had suggested.

"So we only have one chance," the albino elf finally said.

"It seems so," Calix said with a look of concern. "What if Farryn can't handle it? She's...a bit fragile at the moment. Last time she had a papercut, she had a breakdown at the sight of the blood that oozed from her own finger," he added with a tone of concern.

"I'm not that delicate," Farryn rolled her eyes, embarrassed that her brother had brought it up.

"You are," he replied firmly. "That incident broke you."

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


"Who dares wins," Cyraea said piously, mainly because this writer likes making obscure meta references. "Blood will be spilt. Once you enter the arena of the game of thrones, there's no room for being a delicate flower. You'll prevail or be swept aside. You cannot beat Faith in a 'fair' fight, so you must fight dirty. Think hard about whether you're prepared to go all the way."


Her words were blunt, but then Farryn was playing a dangerous game. Once she entered the arena, she would not be able to exit. Having finished with the noblelady's fingernails, the servant started giving her toenails a good work-over. After all, a lady's feet had to look their very best.

 

[Farryn Loragwyn]

"She is in no state to fight," Calix said firmly, shooting a glance at his twin. "Unless no blood is spilled, she doesn't stand a chance."

"He's right," Farryn agreed and looked down at well-manicured fingernails.

"Is there any way for my sister to regain her position aside from a trial by combat?" he asked. "If there is absolutely no other way, I would rather her give up and live. I refuse to watch as my sister dies in vain. Death is not fun."

[member="Tarissa Cadalthor"]​

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Farryn Loragwyn"]


Cyraea gave Farryn a serious look. "This game is not for the faint of heart. If you want justice, you must do what needs to be done. Otherwise, abandon your quest and live with the fact that Faith's deeds will go unpunished," Her words were harsh, but if Farryn wanted to right the wrongs committed against, she could not stay this indecisive. "The Duchess gave you a room and a bed for tonight, but she won't help you if she thinks you weak. Choose wisely."