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As an answer to her request, Eliana grabs her hand and pulls Audria after her, out of the room. "Oh, I have so much to tell you, and so many questions! Talanaliel, you'll tell me if Audria is being too modest, yes?"
The girls spend a good chunk of the night in Eliana's room, a small but well-appointed space one floor below the guest rooms. Eliana doesn't want any of her old clothes from her room ("Look! These dresses are gifts from the queen! Aren't they gorgeous?"), but she does ask for a few personal effects, her flute and a few Blackjack novels ("They don't have them in the castle library, can you imagine?"). Concerning the latter, she is less fazed than Audria might have expected to know that her secret is out. "It just... doesn't seem that important anymore, you know what I mean? You read stories about heroes, but in the last few days we had real people step up and I know you and your new friends were among them. I know I've been very sheltered here, but I still hear things, the people who d- who got killed. And suddenly it doesn't seem so swoon-worthy anymore, you know? Where there are heroes, there is death, too."
She listens in silence as Lania explains her need, then directs her to sit, speaking to her in Elven. "I have that which you seek. Let us share a brew of leaf and flower first." She sets an infusion of chrysanthemum, peppermint and honeysuckle to steep while she moves to take a branched spear off the wall, presenting it to Lania in both hands.
"I will only let this go if you hear its story first. I have little need for gold, but its legacy should not be forgotten." She relinquishes the weapon, pours the tea and settles down.
"Hearken.
Un'hinirfarylandriel was a young woman of our people who lived several centuries ago in the Mierani forest. Her mother was a warrior and a scout, and her father a craftsman skilled in the art of weaving. He wove not only fibers or strands, but the living wood also could he bend to his will and shape into wondrous creations, without blade or nail or binding.
Un'driel, or Unna'el like her friends called her, loved her parents deeply, but more than them she loved her twin brother Dayli'atrasiliss, or Da'liss. They were inseparable as they roamed the forest learning its ways, or sat at the feet of the elders listening to their wisdom. They both wanted to become warriors, and they would challenge each other in trials of speed and skill and cunning, but they were evenly matched and neither could best the other.
One day, the dragon Verchazmia attacked the village of Crying Leaf, and all who were able were called to defend it. Unna'el and Da'liss naturally took up arms in defence of their home, fired up with the flames of youth and confidence. They both fought bravely, but Da'liss was sadly slain. After the dragon was driven off, Unna'el and her parents mourned bitterly, and Unna'el asked her father to make her a weapon to avenge her brother. Despite his misgivings, his father acceded to her request, and poured all his skill and craftsmanship into fashioning a haft so strong that nothing could shatter it. Her mother melted down her twin blades and reforged them into spear points - four of them, one for each member of their family.
Thus armed, Unna'el set out to find the lair of the dragon and slay her. She knew that this was impossible, and that she would very likely lose her life, but that seemed preferable to living without her brother, and to knowing that she had failed to protect him. It is not known how the battle went, if there was indeed a battle at all, but Unna'el never returned. Her spear was found later in the dragon's lair by those who did manage to slay the great dragon, and returned to her mourning parents. They are both dead now, and the spear has made its way to me."
The elven woman puts a hand on the spear's haft, gently, her gaze seeking Lania's. "Unna'el did not write history with this weapon, and claimed no great deeds during her lifetime. It is my hope that you will change its fate, and use it to defend those who need protection."
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Audria returns the hug and beams with joy before Eliana pulls her along out of the guest room.
"Don't worry, I will," Talanaliel chirrups as she flits along.
Audria tries, and fails, not to gawk at the finery that Eliana has been lavished with by the Queen. She nods, a little to stunned to speak, when Eliana asks her about them. When it comes to the novels, Audria feels something cold run down her spine as she hears Eliana speak.
"D-do you remember Giggles," Audria asks seemingly out of the blue. The look of fear and anger on Eliana's face was all of the answer Audria needed. "I-- I killed him," she says, shaking from a chill only she feels. "The night you were playing at the Onelos' place, I found a card..."
Audria spends the next couple of hours telling Eliana everything that's happened since the last time they saw each other. How she met Abella and the mysterious elf known only as Shrike. ("Tally had to practically push me through the door.") She tells her about Zellara and the mission she had for them. She shudders when she recounts the fight with Giggles and then the fight with Lamm, how she'd held him while Abella slit his throat.
From there, Audria cheers up as she tells Eliana about finding the children that had scattered and saving them, meeting Pip and Dal in the process. She makes a face when she talks about fighting an imp ("...stupid, goo-dropping, flying rats...") and another when she tells of her flight through the vaults after finding another group of lost children and having to squish a spider between her back and the wall while trying to avoid getting swarmed by them and eaten alive by an ettercap. Her mood darkens as she recounts running into a woman called Embercat and having to knock her out only to face her in an alley a couple of nights ago when she and two thugs ambushed her. Her face and voice are bleak as she talks about that night and what happened afterwards.
An entirely different expression crosses her face when she moves on to Jessica's arrival to help prepare everyone for King Eodred II's Remembrance. Audria takes a little satisfaction in seeing that she's not the only one blushing as she recounts their unofficial big sister's antics.
"...If she didn't like us, I'd think she's been trying to see if someone can die of embarrassment!"
Audria smiles as she talks about meeting Keyra for the first time and then the audience with Queen Illeosa. She mentions her plea, more because Talanaliel isn't going to let her just gloss over standing up and laying her heart bare before a monarch.
"I don't think Miss Merrin likes me that much," Audria says. "She looked like I was saying something improper. I mean, you know that look Zach has whenever Trinia is around?"
By the end of telling Eliana everything, including waking up to find Talanaliel looking like a person, which the bird demonstrates with all the lack of shame she showed before. ("What is it with humans and clothes?! It's not any different than when I'm normal-sized and covered in feathers.") Everything, that is, except one detail. Not once did Audria mention or even hint that Shirke and Merula are the same person.
"I saw you perform and Talanaliel flew over to see you afterwards. I wanted to talk to you then, but I couldn't find a way to catch you before you'd left the room, at least one that wouldn't have gotten me in trouble," Audria laughs. "I'm so happy to see you again. I knew Trinia was fine, thanks to Tallyfeather, but I couldn't see either of you. I didn't know you were even here until I saw you performing."
She hugs Eliana, happy to just be together again, even for a short while. She takes in a deep breath and lets go before looking over at the dresses.
"Well, now that we're caught up, I'd love to see what those look like on you, and maybe you can fill me in on who the harpist you were playing with is," Audria says, adding if Eliana starts to waffle, "Oh, no you don't. I had to tell you about my heroic escapades. It's only fair that you have to show off for me!"
Audria grins, for a moment, the turmoil and pain of the past week forgotten as she feels something normal again.
"Oh! We need to get Trinia to come with me next time! She'd love to see you in all of the fancy outfits," Audria exclaims as the idea hits her.
The rest of the night, the two of them spend being themselves until exhaustion catches up to them and they fall asleep with smiles on their faces.
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With some coaxing, the disheveled watch sergeant is chivvied along towards the Sanctuary of Shelyn. Now that he's emptied his innards into the gutter he seems to be feeling a little better and can mostly walk on his own, mumbling to himself, although he does keep trying to lean his head on Abella's shoulder and go to sleep.
Brother Theolan receives them with mild surprise. "What is this, another stray? He looks a little big to be an orphan", while Sister Jenelyn takes charge of Grau Soldado with a long-suffering look, taking him to wash and change, and putting him in an empty cell to sleep off the booze - pointedly away from the kids.
Several hours later, with a bowl of broth, a chunk of bread, some clean if rather scruffy robes and some restful sleep, Watch Sergeant Grau Soldado is sober and coherent again. He sits hunched over his bowl, taking slow spoonfuls. As he notices the ones who quite literally picked up his drunk ass out of the gutter, he puts the spoon down with a trembling hand and squeezes his eyes shut.
"I am so ashamed that you had to see me like this. I am a weakling, a coward, and a disgrace." He opens his eyes, staring at the floor, not meeting anyone's gaze. "The king's death hit me hard, but the riots... I stood on the other side of a barricade from people I knew, some of them well, and... I couldn't. After that, I crawled into a bottle." He rubs his forehead. "Not- not that's any excuse, I know. Thank you for taking pity on a broken man. I'll... I guess I'll head back to the citadel and hope the field marshal hasn't named me a deserter yet."
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Dal smiled and leaned against the wall. “Show me a man who hasn’t vomited in the gutter and I’ll show you someone who hasn’t been in Korvosa for very long. Just be thankful that we stumbled upon you rather than some pickpockets. They can be a bit opportunistic. No offense,” Dal added the last bit with a smile at Audria.
But something was definitely wrong here. A Sergeant in this state? There had to be more going on here and what was his connection to Merrin and her friend?
“Were your orders not simply to hold the barricade?” Dal asked. “That hardly seems like a reason for, well, this sort of reaction.” Audria was probably right in her guess: the Sergeant was probably related to the woman Merrin had been asking after, so Dal took a shot in the dark. “Are Tayce and Brienna safe?”
Pip walks with the sergeant.
"This bread will soak up the bad stuff and make you feel better."
Pip grabs one of his emergency loaves from his pack and rips into pieces and give them to the sergeant as he walks along.
"I think this one is baked in nuts, so should help with the digestions."
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Grau Soldado's head snaps up at Dal's question. "How... how do you know them? Have you seen them?" He drops his head in one hand, elbow propped on the table, his hand obscuring most of his features. "I am so ashamed. I should have gone to check up on them. I thought, they're outside the city proper, they should be alright. I'm such a coward." He holds up a piece of Pip's loaf in his other hand. "I don't deserve your kindness."
He rubs his face, his calloused hand rasping over the days-old stubble. "Yes, we had orders to hold, but what do you when the mob comes at you with knives and clubs and meat hooks? What do you do when the guard next to you, a colleague, a friend, is pulled under and only surfaces again as a bloody, battered mess? In the moment, my training took over. I'm not proud of what I did. But I do not want to have to make that choice ever again - between my colleagues and my neighbours."
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Audria looks a bit annoyed with Brother Theolan's choice of words and offers to help Sister Jenelyn get Grau cleaned up and in a bed. She understands the problem, but what was she supposed to do? The man wasn't coherent enough to say his name without slurring.
===
Audria waves off Dal's comment and sits next to Grau as he finishes talking.
"I think I understand, a little bit anyway," she says as she rubs her hand over the spot where Embercat's arrow had sliced her arm open. "I don't think you can stay here, though."
She blushes as she realizes how her words could be taken and looks away.
"W-what I mean is that... *sigh* Well, yes, I guess I did mean it the way it sounded, but my friends and I have been going around finding the children Gaedren Lamm had under his thumb, and we still have two dozen of them, and I think Brother Theolan's going to lose his patience with me if someone else winds up living here for a bit, but that's not what I was trying to get at," Audria says, her words coming out faster and faster as she speaks before she has to stop to breath.
"What I was trying to say is that you can't stay where you are, trying to numb the pain or ignoring it. I-- I recently had to come to terms with taking someone's life to defend the lives of others and my own. I can't imagine what it's like when you're facing people you know, maybe even like or are friends with. You can't keep beating yourself up about it, though. That will just wind up eating up from the inside. That's what Mister Bartholomew told me, anyway. He also told me once that cowards are those that aren't willing to get hurt at all. You don't seem like that kind of person."
She looks to Dal and smiles as she has an idea.
"Say, Mister Soldado? We've been asked to check up on Tayce and Brienna. We could go together. After that, maybe we can see if the Guard would mind if you helped us get those children back to their families."
Shrike stands with her arms crossed. She has no real comfort to offer this man. She has killed, but only monsters and strangers threatening her own. Having to turn her spear against people she knows from her own neighborhood, people she is meant to protect, because of some temporary madness of crowds, is unimaginable. Her croak is quiet and mostly addressed to the others. "Desertion's a hanging offense. Citadel first. Make sure he still has work. If he wants it." If he loses his job, sure as the sun he'll fall back down the bottle again and be no good to anyone. He might do so anyway.
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Abella silently compliments herself for not participating in the riots on either side while she hears Grau give his tale. She appears only mildly interested and mostly amused by the whole situation, nodding along perfunctorily as Audria adds her kind wisdom. Until Shrike brings up the subject of hanging. Oh, this is perfect. She shakes her head and clicks her tongue. ”Oh no, hanging? That just will not do. Surely we can make sure it doesn’t come to that.” She leans in towards Grau. ”I would be happy to speak to your character, Grau, if you need a witness. I am a fine, upstanding citizen after all. Why, my sister’s in the guard. And I just had an audience with the Queen herself. No trouble at all. You could consider it a personal favor.” She accentuates the last couple words, letting them slide off her lips slowly. “A favor given is a favor earned,” as Cainabeth has often said.
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"I thank you, learned one. I will hear and remember its story." Lania accepts the spear reverentially with both hands after she is sure the elf woman has finished speaking, and attempts not to show her riot of conflicting emotions — shock, relief, nostalgia, guilt, longing, resentment — all of which should be foreign to an actual elf being invited to take tea with someone who at the very least is an istoreth, a knowledge-giver or teacher of lore. Papa would know exactly; she does not. At least she is confident in her ability to understand and speak Elven fluently at any level of formality, and in her accent, which marks her only as being of the Mierani too. He left her that much.
She pays close attention to the story woven of the spear while sipping the infusion: hot, yet somehow cooling, calming and sweetly fragrant. After the istoreth has finished speaking, she stays quiet for some time, regarding the spear. Its somber history has affected her deeply, though she is not sure yet that she fully understands it. A story never has only one meaning.
At last she speaks. "A branch-spear is in truth a defensive weapon. Sometimes it must be turned to offense to best serve that higher purpose. But its purpose does not change thereby.
"I claim no great deeds either. But I can remember the story of Un'hinirfarylandriel and Dayli'atrasiliss in honor. The spear that she made of her sorrow will have no purpose in my hand but to guard others from harm."
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Annoyed
Dal glanced down at Pockets as the cat rubbed against his leg. He gave his foot a little shake to put some space between his familiar and himself. “Gimme a minute. We’re in the middle of something.”
He turned his attention back to the conversation at hand. “If things really went down the way the Sergeant is describing, it might not be such a good idea to have him along anyhow. There might be some lingering feelings among the people. ” Dal said.
Agitation
Dal sighed and knelt to pet Pockets.Then, addressing Grau directly, “I’m sure that you’re not the first member of the city guard to disappear on a bender. Hell, after the riots, I doubt you’re the only one right now. But you might be the first to come back. Could be turned into amorale booster for the rest of the guards.” The cat stood on its hind legs and pawed at a bit of string hanging from Dal’s clothing. ”Would you cut. That. Out.”
Frustrated
Pockets jumped and snatched a bit of parchment that had been hanging loose from Dal’s pack. “You are the most insufferable feline to have ever crossed paths with anyone! Give me that!” Dal wrestled the parchment from his familiar. It was one of the scrolls he kept on hand. “Oh you blessed cat!”
Vindication
“I might have a way to narrow our search for Tayce and Brienna. The spell I have inscribed on this scroll would allow me to tap into Korvosa herself. I can quickly hear and see things that pertain to whatever or whomever I am looking for. Even if the Sergeant can direct us to where they should be, this could tell us where they are. Or narrow the search radius, at least.”
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Gazing into the depths of the soup bowl, Grau Soldado seems to shrink into himself at Audria's words. "Miss, I will do all I can to repay your help and your generosity - I'll defend those children with my life. And thank you for your words. I don't want to live like a coward anymore."
Her next words have him blinking owlishly. "Asked? Who asked you to check up on them? Was it... was it me and I don't remember?" A look of confusion passes over Grau's features as his brows crease.
The watch sergeant nods at Shrike and Abella. "You- you're right. I should go to the Citadel first. And miss, bless you for wanting to put in a good word for me! I'm so sorry about what happened to your sister. I'm sure- wait, what did you say? Audience with the Queen?" His mouth hangs open a little in astonishment.
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"Surely we can ask them to show leniency," Audria says when Shrike mentions what the punishment for desertion is.
She smiles when he says he'd help, though she feels a bit embarrassed when he thanks her. I didn't do much, though. I just passed on what I was taught. The thought runs through her mind as she mentions checking up on Tayce and Brienna.
"Um, Dal, didn't you say it was Miss Merrin that asked you," Audria asks, then turns back to Grau when he starts asking about the audience with the Queen.
"Queen Illeosa asked to see us when we were up at the castle for the Remembrance and they found we'd brought a stolen brooch of hers to return. She's nicer than the rumors make her out to be. She took a liking to my best friend and sister, Eliana, and Eliana's so sweet that only the most vile of monsters would want to hurt her," She says before she realizes she's rambling. "Anyway, we met Miss Merrin up there, and I guess that she asked Dal here to check up on them while we were there."
She pauses for a moment, a worried look crossing her face.
"Um, is it Miss Merrin or Lady Merrin? I just realized I don't know."
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Grau Soldado winces at the mention of Sabina Merrin's name and seems lost in a rather unpleasant memory for a few moments. "Can't fault her for her concern, even as it twists the dagger..." He shakes himself out of his reverie to answer Audria's question. "She would be very cross with the first, and she is not of the nobility, so it's safer to call her Captain Merrin."
It is clear that there is some history between them.
"Anyway, Tayce is my sister and Brienna is her daughter. They should both be in Trail's End, but if your magic scroll reveals otherwise, sir..." He shakes his head. "I don't want to think about the worst scenario, not until we know more."
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"Oh," Audria says as her cheeks color. Captain Merrin, I'll have to remember that. I wonder what happened there. Something bad, it sounds like.
"Maybe we should go to the Citadel first and then use the scroll. I mean, shouldn't we make sure that Mister-- er, sorry-- Sergeant Soldado isn't going to-- I mean-- I... just..." her voice trails off as she turns to Grau and grimaces. How'd one say they should make sure that someone else isn't going to be killed for desertion when that person is right next to you.
"I don't want you to get in trouble," Audria says in a small voice.
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She touches the point of the spear-blade with one finger, long and slender and sharp as a thorn. Thorn. That is a word belonging to both languages. The defensive spine of a plant, but also steadfast...ness? Loyalty? No, not quite that.
"I will call you Fidelity," Shrike says. "We have work to do."
"You'll handle it," Shrike says to Audria, Abella and Grau Soldado. "Just shouldn't delay."
The shrike mask turns down to regard Pockets. "He understands us." The croak holds wariness, or perhaps respect. Most of the time she forgets that he's not a cat, but then he does something uncanny like this and she is reminded that he comprehends language just like a person. And not only speech, but the names of people who aren't here, the abstract concept of finding a specific person they've never met in the future, and the function of all that his master's spells do. It's unnerving.
She takes up her usual position guarding the rear when the group leaves the Sanctuary again for Citadel Volshyenek, the headquarters of the Korvosan Guard in High Bridge.
Talanaliel's feelings about Pockets are much the same as Shrike's.
"Stupid cat's too clever by half," she grouses from Audria's shoulder.
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With Watch Sergeant Grau Soldado in tow - now washed, shaven and with the worst stains on his uniform gone - the group retraces their steps through North Point and Midland towards Eodred's Walk, taking a left on Bromathan Street before they reach the market area. At the end of that street, on a tip of land jutting out into the Jeggare River, encircled by walls with defensive towers at each junction stands Citadel Volshyenek, one of the landmarks of Korvosa.
Four guards are posted at the entrance gate, watching the passers-by on the street. As the sizeable group approaches, they tense a little, posture subtly shifting and hands drifting towards sheathed sword hilts. They must behold a rather strange sight - three armed and armoured women, a halfling astride a large dog, and a watch sergeant of the guard, with Dalmano probably the least odd-looking of the bunch.
The guards salute Grau Soldado, if a little uncertainly. One of them, a woman with her left arm in a sling, calls out. "Watch Sergeant, we thought you were dead! Field Marshal said to notify her the moment you returned." She pauses, her eyes shifting to the rest of the group. "Who are these citizens, sarge? Do they have business with the citadel?"
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"We were hoping that we could persuade the Field Marshal to let us borrow him for a little bit," Audria says, "We've been asked to check up on a couple of people Sergeant Soldado knows by Captain Merrin and after we found him and figured out that he did know them, we thought it'd be better to have him along for his own and their peace of mind, especially since we appear to make quite the impression." Audria smiles sheepishly. She hadn't wanted to wear the armor, but she also hadn't been given much choice in the matter. Between Talanaliel, Sister Jenelyn, and Brother Theolan, she hadn't a prayer of getting her way.
"Ah, forgive me. You were asking who we were. I am Audria Lumina, a priestess in the service of Shelyn. These are my friends and companions. Abella Tribastarion, Dal and his familiar Pockets, Pippip Hooray, Shrike, and Talanaliel." She points out each in turn, feeling Talanaliel's irritation at Pockets being acknowledged but also her pleasure when she was in turn acknowledged. Audria turns back to the guard who'd started this conversation and shrugs as her sheepish smile returns.
"I know the guard has been stretched thin these last few days, and that Sergeant Soldado probably has better things to do, but I would guess having him along would be better than having a patrol being called over for a misunderstanding."
At the back of the group, Shrike remains silent and watchful behind the mask, keeping her hands well away from the odd new long spear that has been slung over one shoulder since she appeared in the market this morning.
It is a relief that these guards seem to respect the sergeant. That argues that his drinking is a new and perhaps a temporary problem, not a chronic one. Even if she wouldn't trust splintered wood not to break again under pressure, the robins might not be able to afford to be picky. Good news for him, if not the city.
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Abella tosses up a casual salute. ”Good day, it is as Audria says and this fine fellow is assisting us. So terribly sorry about not letting you all know sooner. And yes, Tribastarion as in the sister of Cainabeth Tribastarion, though I am sure you noted the resemblance if you had ever met her.”
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One of the other three guards peers at Abella, blinks a few times, then wisely refrains from comment as the injured guardswoman waves everyone forward.
"Alright, I'll take you to the Field Marshal, but weapons stay here. Don't worry, you'll get them back afterwards."
Once everyone is disarmed to the gate guards' satisfaction and Dal is warned to keep Pockets from underfoot, the whole group is led through the gate into an open yard. Several outbuildings line the walls, and training areas are delineated away from the main thoroughfares. Through the yard into the central keep, up a few flights of steps, down a narrow corridor and their guide stops in front of an open door. She knocks on the jamb.
"Field Marshal, some people to see you. And Watch Sergeant Soldado's back." There must be some sort of affirmative response from inside, as the guardswoman steps aside and gestures for everyone to enter the field marshal's office before saluting and beginning to walk down the corridor to return to her post.
The field marshal's office is large, but the many pieces of furniture make it feel cramped. Several wooden cupboards are against the walls, bits of paper escaping through the seams. The massive hardwood desk is cluttered with stacks of parchment and paper, inkwells, pens and the half-finished remains of several meals. In front of the desk several padded chairs are arranged a little haphazardly, and a low table to the side holds cups and mugs with the dregs of tea and coffee within.
The Field Marshal, a woman in her late thirties wearing a red breastplate, with short dark hair and dark brown eyes, rises from behind the desk. She looks tired and harried, the exhaustion etched deeply in a well-proportioned face. "Watch Sergeant! Good to have you back, I feared the worst. Get yourself a new uniform, and we'll talk later about your absence." She looks away from Grau Soldado, dismissing him. Her expression indicates that she knows more than she is saying, but she does not seem angry.
"Welcome, please have a seat." As she becomes conscious that there are not enough chairs for everyone, she rounds the corner of the desk to sit, hip cocked, on its edge rather than retake her chair. "I am Field Marshal Cressida Kroft, of the Korvosan Guard. I recognize Miss Tribastarion... Abella, was it?" She narrows her eyes at Shrike's mask, then her gaze pauses over Audria, Dal and Pip. "I think I remember seeing some of you yesterday, at the king's remembrance. How can I be of service?"
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Now that the time to meet with the Field Marshal had come, Audria feels like her stomach's full of butterflies. Even Talanaliel's support and whispered encouragement do little to calm the young paladin's nerves.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mi-- I mean Field Marshal Kroft," Audria says. "I'm Audria Lumina, priestess in the service of Shelyn, and these are Dalmano Imperiosus, Pippip Ooray, and Shrike." She nods to each in turn as she introduces them. "It sounds as if you already know Abella."
Audria takes in a deep breath, hoping that her nerves aren't showing too badly.
"Would you be able to spare Sergeant Soldado for a little while? I know he's been missing, but we have a bunch of children that we rescued from Gaedren Lamm that we'd like to see safely home. Captain Merrin also asked Dal to check on a couple of people, Tayce and Brienna Soldado, and well, we thought Sergeant Soldado might know them, and he seemed worried about them when we asked."
Doubt, which had been gnawing at her as she talks finally gets the better of Audria as she thinks she sees something in the Field Marshal's expression. Whether it is real or imagined is almost beside the point as she looks at the toes of her boots.
"O-on second thought, f-f-forget I asked. M-mister Bartholomew is always talking about how short-handed the guard is. I-I shouldn't be t-trying to make it worse."
After a moment, she looks up and quietly asks, "I-is Sergeant Soldado going to be punished?"
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Field Marshal Cressida Kroft crosses her arms over her breastplate, tilting her head ash she regards Audria. "Gaedren Lamm, I heard about that business on the docks. Sister Lumina, I do not approve of vigilantism. Officially." The softness in the corner of her eyes belies her words.
"And why Sergeant Soldado?" Once she receives her answer, she snorts, a corner of her mouth briefly curling up. "Alright, I can loan you Sergeant Soldado, on two conditions. One is that you keep an eye on him and make sure he returns here as soon as your business is concluded. Two, and if your errands go well... I expect a favour in return from you and your friends. Or rather - let's call it a paid opportunity that needs some finesse and a certain set of skills."
She takes her hip off the edge of the desk, coming to standing once more. "And no, he's not going to be punished beyond me giving him a talking-to that he won't forget in a hurry. I'm certainly not going to send him to hang for a moment's weakness in a time when everyone was afraid." Her expression turns stern. "Provided that it doesn't happen again."
"Yes, ma'am," Audria says, her eyes meeting the Field Marshal's. "I'll make sure he gets back here as soon as we're done."
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Shrike rocks back on her heels slightly when told to hand over her obviously well-made new weapons. She has no particular desire to enter this place or meet with any Field Marshal. But this would make the third time in four days she has temporarily given over her weapons to an authority figure, and they have been returned without fuss both times before. It seems the robins can be trusted to keep track of objects and paperwork, just not people. So she grimaces unseen behind the mask and does it without outward protest. First picking up a lost robin, now welcomed into the nest. I'm getting positively domesticated.
Out of habit, she looks around at the layout of the place as they are led inside, thinking about how she would get to the central keep from one of the walls. They would be hard to scale, but not impossible with a grappling hook and rope, quick and quiet. Especially from the river side nearer High Bridge.
In the Field Marshal's office, she notices the clutter and the exhaustion on the woman's handsome face. Boss Robin hasn't been home since the King died, unless I miss my guess. Her usual stillness does not change under that narrow-eyed regard, her hands loose at her sides as she silently observes the room and conversation.
"Gaedren Lamm, I heard about that business on the docks. Sister Lumina, I do not approve of vigilantism. Officially." The softness in the corner of her eyes belies her words.
"And why Sergeant Soldado?" Once she receives her answer, she snorts, a corner of her mouth briefly curling up. "Alright, I can loan you Sergeant Soldado, on two conditions. One is that you keep an eye on him and make sure he returns here as soon as your business is concluded. Two, and if your errands go well... I expect a favour in return from you and your friends. Or rather - let's call it a paid opportunity that needs some finesse and a certain set of skills."
She takes her hip off the edge of the desk, coming to standing once more. "And no, he's not going to be punished beyond me giving him a talking-to that he won't forget in a hurry. I'm certainly not going to send him to hang for a moment's weakness in a time when everyone was afraid." Her expression turns stern. "Provided that it doesn't happen again."
"Yes, ma'am," Audria says, her eyes meeting the Field Marshal's. "I'll make sure he gets back here as soon as we're done."
Cressida Kroft seems very willing to forgive Soldado his dereliction, which means she is either a merciful employer or a desperate one. Shrike knows which she thinks is more likely. Instinctively, she wants to like this woman, but she pushes that down. Robins can't be trusted any more than a random person off the street. Less, because they care for themselves and their organization first, then for enforcing the easy laws with barely a nodding relationship to justice, if that much. Whether it was corruption, incompetence, cowardice, or all three, they let Lamm operate undisturbed for decades, smug and unassailable and growing fat on misery in his squalid little warren. If Boss Robin is secretly glad that someone else did what her people should have done long ago, that is no more than natural, and nothing to praise. Her cynical impression is confirmed when Kroft almost immediately thereafter mentions needing a favor. As good as saying we'd better say yes. Shouldn't have given over the weapons. Stupid, mayfly.
"What favor." The flat croak of her voice is even, giving no hint of her thoughts.
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Cressida Kroft remains silent for a moment, regarding Shrike appraisingly. "You seem to have a knack with wayward guards. It is something in that vein, but a little more complicated. I will tell you more when you return."
"Is there anything else, ma'am?"
Cressida Kroft remains silent for a moment, regarding Shrike appraisingly. "You seem to have a knack with wayward guards. It is something in that vein, but a little more complicated. I will tell you more when you return."
After a moment, the shrike mask dips in a nod. Now this is confusing — the Field Marshal has them right where she wants them, but is allowing them to walk away. Perhaps she didn't mean to imply a threat by mentioning their illegal activities at all. Either way, Shrike isn't about to question or jinx their good luck with more words. She holds her breath, itching to be out of here.
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"Nothing else. Good luck out there." The Field Marshal sits in her chair again, picking up the piece of paper she was looking at when the group entered. A report, a request, a requisition form? Either way, there seem to be plenty of them that require her attention.
Sergeant Grau Soldado is waiting in the yard by the entrance to the keep, chatting with a couple of other guards. He straightens up as he sees everyone emerge, looking uncomfortable in his stiff new uniform. "What did the Field Marshal say?"
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"Thank you ma'am. I pray that things calm down for you soon," Audria says as she stands and gives the Field Marshal a bow.
Outside, she smiles as she sees Grau.
"She said that as long as you don't go wandering off like that again, she's just going to give you a talking to," she tells him. "I did tell her that I'd make sure you got back here after we've checked up on Tayce and Brienna and gotten the children we rescued back to their homes, if they have one."
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Talanaliel flits over to Grau's shoulder.
"You're lucky. It seems like the Field Marshal likes you."
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"Or needs bodies," Shrike mutters. If Kroft had enough proper Guards to hand, she has no doubt that the Field Marshal would not even think of negotiating with bands of concerned citizens to do what sounds like Guard-work corralling other Guards.
Shrike's shoulderblades itch like the keep itself is watching her, though she knows it isn't. She does not fidget or shift, but collects her weapons with every sign of patience and leaves when the others do.
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From Citadel Volshyenek, the group crosses High Bridge into East Shore, passing through Endrin Square and taking Kroft Boulevard through the northern gate onto Dwarfwalk Road. They are out of the city proper now, heading past Thief Camp and the eastern end of North Bridge towards Trail's End. The small community is made up primarily of Varisians and feels more like a village or a small town than a district of Korvosa.
Under the scrutiny of the dozens of thugs and toughs loitering on the streets Grau Soldado leads them all towards his sister's house, a squat, two-story wooden building in desperate need of repairs, tucked away in an alley. He knocks. A thin curtain twitches aside in a window, then the door opens. A Varisian woman in her 40s opens the door, her long chestnut hair tied into a plain pale yellow scarf. Her expression is a mix of joy and confusion as she looks from her brother to his entourage.
"Grau! You're alive!"
After a moment of hesitation, she opens the door wider, stepping to the side and gesturing everyone though. "Come in, have a cup of tea." Inside, the house is remarkably clean and well kept, filled with worn furniture and decorated with the crafts and drawings of children. Two young boys are huddled under the kitchen table, pausing in scratching on its underside with a piece of charcoal to gawk at the strangers. They have distinctly Varisian features, with unruly black hair, brown eyes and olive skin. A girl of about 14 is poised at the top of the stairs, and rushes down the steps to throw her arms around Grau's waist in a hug. Her complexion is much lighter and freckled, and her light brown hair has blonde streaks in it as if bleached by the sun.
Grau returns the hug, ruffling her shoulder-length hair. "Ohoho-hoo, you've gotten so big, Brienna! Charlo, Rello, are you coming to say hi?" The boys wave from under the table, somewhat shyly, before bending their heads together to whisper animatedly as they point to Donnal. The woman, who must be Tayce, quirks her mouth at Grau. "You come by so seldom, they barely know you anymore." Her gaze moves past him. "Who are your friends?" Without waiting for an answer, she moves to the hearth and fills the heavy black kettle with water from a covered bucket, then swinging it over the embers and stoking the fire. Brienna begins to set out cups, counting under her breath and looking crestfallen when she comes up three short.
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Everything was moving so smoothly. The meeting with the field marshal. Grau’s “punishment.” Finding Tayce and Brienna. Heck, Dal had not even had to use that scroll of his. Everything was just working out.
“Just don’t get comfortable,” Dal told himself.
Noting the lack of available cups, Dal gave a polite smile and held one hand up. “Thank you for the offer but, tea and I have never been the best of friends,” he paused to flash a grin at the boys, “gives me a bad case of bubblegut.”
“My name is Dalmano, this is Audria, Abella, Pip, and the one who looks like they eat children for pulling on cats’ tails is Shrike,” Dal said with another glance to the boys. “We recently met with Captain Sabina Merrin. She asked that we check on you.”
"Oh, um, H-hello," Audria says after getting distracted by the artworks the children had made. "Thank you kindly for the offer, but I think I'll abstain," she adds as she realizes what's going on with the tea cups.
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A Varisian woman in her 40s opens the door, her long chestnut hair tied into a plain pale yellow scarf. Her expression is a mix of joy and confusion as she looks from her brother to his entourage.
"Grau! You're alive!"
After a moment of hesitation, she opens the door wider, stepping to the side and gesturing everyone though. "Come in, have a cup of tea." The woman, who must be Tayce, quirks her mouth at Grau. "You come by so seldom, they barely know you anymore." Her gaze moves past him. "Who are your friends?" Without waiting for an answer, she moves to the hearth and fills the heavy black kettle with water from a covered bucket, then swinging it over the embers and stoking the fire. Brienna begins to set out cups, counting under her breath and looking crestfallen when she comes up three short.
“My name is Dalmano, this is Audria, Abella, Pip, and the one who looks like they eat children for pulling on cats’ tails is Shrike,” Dal said with another glance to the boys. “We recently met with Captain Sabina Merrin. She asked that we check on you.”
Shrike, whose tall stature, bristling weapons, and impassive mask would match Dal's description perfectly if she did not currently have two toddler-sized gnome adolescents peeking from behind her heels, enters when directed but shakes her head at the offer of tea. "Your brother asked to come too. Ma'am."
”Oh, how lovely! Cainabeth and I always did want a place with more than one level. And more than one room.” The others have the fundamentals of the situation covered, so she begins scanning around the room for something to entertain her attentions.
”I do think I will have that tea.” Abella learned when she and Cainabeth were fresh on their own and destitute that you do not turn down free food and drink from mothers with small children. The fare will be reliable and occasionally excellent. Also, it is polite.
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At Dal's introductions, Charlo and Rello scoot deeper into the protective shadows under the table, whispering urgently to each other. "...eats children?!" "No, dummy, just looks like it, it's a metator" "Metaphor." "Whatever."
Tayce sets out a few deep bowls to solve the cup shortage, then shakes a generous portion of dried leaves into the boiling water. At the mention of Sabina Merrin, she glances at Grau, who is suddenly absorbed in studying one of the children's drawings. "Oh, that is very thoughtful of Sabina. We're alright, the riots didn't reach here." After leaving it to steep for a few moments, she pours tea for everyone who did not explicitly refuse it. "Oh, and these little ones! Didn't see them hiding there. You want some sweets?" She goes to rummage in a jar on a shelf, retrieving two pieces of sticky honey-and-nuts treats that she offers to the gnome children.
Meanwhile, Abella gives the house an appraising look. The large laundry tub in a corner with the three-legged stool next to it and the brick of grey soap hint at Tayce's profession. A maid uniform in Brienna's size hangs behind the door. There were curved wooden pieces and carpentry tools scattered among wood chips outside, so the two boys are likely apprenticing with a wood worker. Beyond that, the place gives off the impression of a tight knit family making the most of their simple life.
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"I'm happy to hear that, Ms. Soldado. It was-- It was bad," Audria says, unconsciously rubbing her arm where an arrow had slashed it on the worst night. She shakes away the memories gathering like clouds in her mind.
"My apologies. The last thing you probably want to hear is how ugly things got. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I'm happy to hear that you didn't have to deal with any of that."
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Shrike looks between Tayce and Grau as Sabina's name causes a palpable awkwardness in the air. Curiosity is eating her alive, but she tries not to show it. This is none of her business. And yet the oddities are too much to overlook. Captain Merrin cares about this woman and her daughter, enough to ask strangers to look out for her welfare. But she didn't send anyone officially, or an ordinary messenger, though it must be well within her power as captain of the queen's guard. Why? She also didn't mention the two younger boys. Does she not care as much about them, or not know they exist? She was worried even though they live in a place the riots didn't touch. Does she know they live here? Grau Soldado clearly knows Sabina, enough to say confidently that she is not nobility and would dislike being called a Miss, but has volunteered nothing else about their connection, and every mention of her name seems to have him ready to sink through the floor. Merula had guessed by her scars that Sabina had been a more commonplace warrior once, and that seems confirmed by Grau: she is of common birth. Were these two her childhood friends? Did some falling-out between Grau and Sabina permanently rupture her relationship with Tayce too?
She does not ask any of these questions. But the mask turns to both siblings as the harsh voice says, "There a message we can take back?"
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Tayce smiles sorrowfully at Audria. "We heard plenty of what happened in the city. Brienna works in East Shore - I didn't let her go to work until today, mind! - and she brought back some of the news. Others we heard from neighbours." She shrugs to resettle her shawl, slipping off one shoulder. "It's been hard since my husband passed, but we manage. And the people here look after us."
At Shrike's question, Grau drops his gaze to the floor in silence. His sister replies. "Thank her for the kindness of sending you here. I know it must be difficult for her."
Shrike's attention stays on the silent Grau for a long moment before the mask turns to his sister again and dips in a stiff nod. "Ma'am."
"Pug, say thank you to Mistress Tayce." Diver and Pug made their sweet treats vanish in record time and now have sticky fingers and stickier faces. Pug mutters a thank-you, while his sister silently wiggles her fingers and produces a small puff of lavender smoke that causes the smell of fresh-baked cinnamon bread to momentarily fill the small room. Then she scampers behind Shrike again and latches onto her trouser leg with the same sticky fingers.
The mask turns to the others. "Ready?" Shrike straightens, clearly eager to get going. To Grau she adds, "We're for the Horse Shop. If you want to catch up longer."
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"We'll come back to see you to the Citadel. I did promise Field Marshal Kroft that I'd make sure you get back to the Guard," Audria says before bowing to Tayce.
"Thank you for your hospitality. If you ever need help, come find me at the Sanctuary of Shelyn," she tells the woman before grinning at Brienna and her younger brothers. "We're always happy to encourage others in the arts, and it looks like you have some budding artists here."
She looks to Shrike and nods.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
While Audria is ready to leave, Talanaliel has other ideas.
"I think I'll stay," she says before flitting over to Grau's shoulder. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Mister Grau here. He might fall in a gutter again."
"Tally, that's not very nice nor funny. Besides, how is a little song bird supposed to keep a grown man from falling?"
"Like this!" Talanaliel hops off Grau's shoulder and in a burst of light and feathers transforms into a half-elf, brown-eyed, brunette version of Audria.
"See? Now I can be big like you," she says with a grin.
Audria buries her head in her hand and sighs.
"Tallyfeather, you're my size, and I'm not that tall. I don't think I could catch him without hurting myself, and, well..." the young paladin looks Talanaliel up and down before sighing again. There wasn't much use in denying the obvious.
"We're both kinda scrawny."
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"The Horse Shop? The boys can go with you, they apprentice with the wainwright next door." Without waiting to be told, Rello and Charlo scramble out from underneath the table and within moments are waiting by the door with their coats and boots on, little cloth bags slung across their chest. Tayce hands them some flatbread and apples wrapped in a cloth, and offers an apple to Diver and Pug as well.
They all exclaim in surprise as Talanaliel speaks, then transforms. Turning beet red, Grau mumbles "No, no, I'll come with you, I promised I would help." Tayce's lips thin at that, and he doesn't meet her gaze. "I'll come back once the kids are safe," he adds apologetically, this time glancing at her. "There's kidnapped children, I need to make sure they get back to their families. I promised." His sister's expression softens, and she clucks her tongue and makes a shooing motion at him.
Once everyone is ready to go, the group sets out through the muddy streets of Trail's End again, south towards East Shore. Rello and Charlo are glad to have companions close to their own age and quickly take Pug and Diver under their wing, pointing out all the neighbourhood dogs by name, the best hiding spots and the places where you can pick wild mirabelles.
Grau Soldado starts talking to his nephews, much of his embarrassment and bashfulness gone. Soon, they warm up to him and all three are chatting easily in Varisian.
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Though he was not sure how long his jaw had been hanging open, Dal knew it had been at least one or two eons. He pointed at Tally. The definitely not a bird Tally. The “had just become a near-clone of Audria” Tally.
“That…is a neat trick,” he finally said.
Unimpressed
Dal looked at Pockets, still pointing at Tally. “C’mon. That’s impressive.”
As if in response, the cat stretched one hind leg and began licking the spaces between its toes.
Dal rolled his eyes and turned to go with the others.