Kael
Kael hated emotional entanglements almost as much as he hated magic—and yet, somehow, the Ashthorn girl had managed to become both, but for some reason he could not seem to bring himself to hate her, for she seemed to have a special light about her that just drew him in.
He dismounted outside the Frostborne encampment, ignoring the salutes from his soldiers. His armor was still dusted with road dirt, his gloves stiff with dried blood—not from Elric Ashthorn, but from the border skirmish two nights ago that had left two villages smoldering, it seems everywhere there's magic war soon follows, although he wasn't quite sure if that's due to unruly mages or the law that unmercifully makes them illegal from the moment they manifest their magic.
Magic. Always magic.
He yanked off his gloves and strode into his tent, the flap snapping shut behind him. The silence was a small comfort, it wasn't very often he got to enjoy simple silence.
Thinking back to the events from earlier he started to question his own actions.
She had called him a dog. To his face. In front of an entire crowd.
And worse: he had let her.
He poured a measure of darkroot brandy into a tin cup and sat down, staring at the flame of the lantern as it flickered, soft and orange and utterly indifferent to his thoughts.
He'd seen her kind before—reckless, defiant, dangerous. But Elira Ashthorn wasn't just loud and stubborn. She was clever. Controlled. She had magic in her blood. He had sensed it long ago, but never made that public knowledge, although he was aware few knew of it.
And still, he had given her seven days.
A mistake.
A challenge.
Or maybe… an excuse to observe her more openly , watch her put her clever mind to work.
After all he has always liked watching her overcome any challenge she's faced and this one would certainly have her full attention.
He told himself it was tactical. Let her chase shadows for a week, fail, then return willingly to Frostborne for trial. Simpler. Cleaner.
But a voice deep within him whispered otherwise.
You want her to prove you wrong, you always have.
Because something about the fire in her eyes had shaken the frost in his veins.
And something about him liked that.
He had been watching Elira from the shadows a long time now, and felt a certain protectiveness over her after all this time, but she didn't know that, she doesn't know the countless nights he's checked in on her, the battles he's fought to help her keep her secret.
He had never thought Elric would be caught using magic so easily, but he had to admit it did seem a little suspicious, deep down he knew he hoped Elira would figure out what happened, even with his position of power there's only so much he can do to help, with so many eyes watching regarding the law, and regarding the Ashthorns…