'I have always wanted to visit a large library, honestly I don't know why I haven't. Should've done so before I came here, cuz this place is severely disappointing'
Nyiko sat in his stiff wooden chair taking in the lackluster sights of the keep's library, one hand spinning a quill between his digits. The space library was large with enough windows to let enough natural light in to fill the entire area, each book self was as tall as the average guard and filled with tomes and scrolls of all sorts, besides that the library was awfully stale.
It was a great example of utilitarian design, for the library's layout only served its purpose and not the eyes of any visitor. There was no decoration on any surface, no color to brighten the muted surfaces and only the necessities for furniture; tables and chairs.
'They don't even have a lectern! Gods this sucks, if I make it out my first stop will be the city library'
"First off, you should be more worried about leaving. You're a little too lax when that thing is way closer now than the start of this. Second, if you do survive this, what if your flaw somehow made you unable to read"
Nyiko paused for a moment as he processed the voice's words, then leaned back in his chair and groaned.
'Frrrrriiiick! He's right!'
He prayed that he wouldn't receive such a flaw from the spell.
"Um, Nyiko? Are you well?"
He quickly snapped back into place on the chair.
"Y-yes?!" He responded a little too fast.
"I mean I'm fine, p-peachy even, actually." The only other two people in the library looked at him, one queer and the other just a quick glance. Drella seemed to want to bury herself with what plants and herbs she was studying.
He tried not to wince as he said that his new bruises did not agree with his earlier reaction. They complained through throbs and aching bones. The soft sound of paper sliding brought his attention to the task at hand, marking essays. He looked to Hectre, he thought about trying out another smile but thought better of it and gave her slight bow with his head.
"So the third try right, you know in some locations of the world there is saying about the number three. It goes; 'Third times the cham!'"
She just blinked at him, the worst reaction she could give. He awkwardly coughed and went to work on her essay.
The saying seemed to have rung true for Hectre, her essay had improved significantly from her previous attempts. The framework was the same but she had followed his suggestions and expanded greatly on the topic of the underworld. From theories of its ecology, to the formations of the mountain chains said to be above it and even the myths and fables of the dark creatures that reside there. He scanned through the essay, making ticks and crosses where necessary before giving his final mark at the essay's end, Hectre watched with the same intensity she had during a sparring match. He pushed down his discomfort and handed her the paper.
"Great job! There are a few things missing but overall your essay was good enough for a high mark"
Hectare let her head fall onto the table, exaggerating her exhaustion.
"Finally! Out of everything you've made me do, this has had to be the worst. For what reason would I ever have to do this" She complained
"Well, probably for progress reports, scout reports and other stuff like that. The things that are essential to war. Information gathering is an important skill. So is understanding it."
She rolled her eyes at him playfully, "I hate when you're right, I hope you know that Nyiko"
His cheeks burned, "Th-thank you Hectre, I was just doing my job though"
The two locked eyes for an uncomfortable moment before Nyiko quickly averted his gaze away from hers. He turned to look anyway else and found Drella staring at him.
"Oh, Drella! Wha- how's the reading going?"
She continued to stare for what felt like one long minute.
"Hey, Nyiko, for someone wanting to be my friend, you haven't made much of an effort to tell me about yourself. I mean what kind of friend would I be if I don't even know where you came from"
Nothing came out his open lips. She was right, he did say he wanted to be friends but honestly their current relationship was more akin to that of a work friendship. Their connection was amicable but shallow.
'Gods I'm a freaking idiot, I didn't try get to know her either'
"Well in your defense you have not had any experience making friends, you've just had them happen to you."
'That's not as reassuring as you think it is'
Well if he wanted Hectre to like him he was going to give her something, but what exactly should she tell her. What was the appropriate amount of information to tell a work colleague to turn them into a true friend?
"I'm very concerned that your metaphor for this situation is trying to befriend someone at the workplace"
'I guess I should probably start with my upbringing' He thought as he ignored the voice.
He would have to change a few things, a government health inspector and a communications manager were not period accurate occupations. Nyiko leaned forward a little, his eyes a little distant as if remembering something from a different time.
"I guess I could talk about my life before all this. I'll… start with my dad then, he's a priest of sorts. A preacher for my people and a follower of the word, he's kind of a pinnacle figure in my community and so is my mom. She's a teacher, not a part of the sage scholars though. She just taught the youths of my community, besides me of course and I'm thankful for that"
Hectre gave him a queer look, her head tilted to its side.
"What are you talking about? I'd love for my own father to teach me!"
His face was emotionless, a blank expression on his face.
"Trust me, please just trust me…" he quietly trailed off before falling into silence.
"Um, what about you Hectre?" Nyiko asked changing the subject away from his family situation.
"I'd like to learn more about your family. Like how long have they governed the Fourth Frontier?"
"Well, my family has only been ruling here somewhat recently. Actually it was my uncle's holding first…"
"Your uncle?" Nyiko unintentionally interrupted.
Hectare nodded, smirking in pride. "You may have heard of him, Oswin the sword Saint"
Nyiko didn't know who he was but he nodded as if he did.
"Did you ever meet the late lord?"
She shook her head
"No, not to my recollection at least. My oldest brother used to swear up and down these grand halls that Uncle Oswin had dragged me into battle when I was a babe" She cheerfully recounted her brother's strange fib.
"But from what I learned about him through… trustworthy sources, my uncle was a perfect role model of an awakened. Strong, fearless, skilled… oh and the honors he received! Wielder of the Wolf's fang, conqueror of the city of hymns, bulwark against the verdant hordes…"
"Slayer of the innocent, enabler of monsters who call themselves men, sir arrow to the neck… need I say more?" Drella asked sarcastically, her amber eyes never leaving the book she read.
In contrast to Drella's nonchalance Hectre's face was burning a bright shade of red out of indignation. She looked just about ready to defend the name of the uncle she never knew before Nyiko stepped in to calm her down, grabbing her hand to pull her attention towards him.
"Hectre, please give Drella a little grace. Many people outside the empire are unlikely to have a favorable view of Sir Oswin, I understand that her words equate to blasphemy to your ears but please we remember what we spoke of her. Remember tolerance."
Her reddened, furious cheeks lingered for as long as the scowl she had prepared for Drella had but it fell to Nyiko's soft pleading eyes. With a deep sigh, annoyed sigh she let go of that spark of anger and returned to her seat, Drella looked unperturbed by the entire thing while Nyiko was a washed in relief.
"So, about your family?" Nyiko wanted to move on from what happened, so he changed the subject. Hectare brightened a little at the chance to talk more about her family.
"Well, I guess I shall start with how my family came to hold the fourth frontier. My uncle, War bless his soul, was slain in battle and in his will he gave my father ownership of these lands and whatever else came with it. I was still very young when I moved here, barely able to walk but I could remember what it first looked like. The halls were incredibly sparse, like no one had actually ruled over the keep, my siblings and I would run around in there all the time."
She let out a chortle as she seemed to remember something from back then; "looking back at I'm reminded of the things I used to do with my siblings. My sisters would host play parties, dressing me up like on of their dolls as they made our servants play as our agreeable party guests"
"Other times," she continued in a wistful voice.
"I would play with my brothers, they were a lot more fun to play with. They'd show me how to wrestle which, by following their example, I'd usually play dirty. We'd gather as many servants as we could and held faux battles, trying out new strategies we were taught"
Her eyes stared into the distance, looking past the bookshelves and into the past they represented. Or memories she held dearly.
"So where are they now? Your siblings I mean, I haven't really seen or heard of them since I've been here"
Hectare sighed as she once again leaned her full body weight onto the backrest of her chair.
"Well, one of my sisters has left with my mother and one of my brothers. She was getting married to some nobleman in the capital and mother found it best to accompany her to help her adjust to the capital, and my brother is there to be an ambassador of our house. My other sister is fighting in a distant campaign with her husband and my three remaining brothers are fighting in different hotspot battlefields,"
'One sister married off, another in a campaign…' He counted each sibling in his head before his eyes grew wide.
'Gods, that's seven kids!'
"Oh that poor mother!" He muttered aloud, quickly covering his mouth with his hands out. Gods, of all the things he had to blurt out. That act had earned a side eye from Hectre and a short chuckle from Drella. Cheeks still burning he tried to collect himself, he needed to continue this conversation and there was only one other person who had yet to contribute to the conversation.
Nyiko turned to Drella whom looked up from her book, as if feeling his intention. Or intentions, Hectare was also looking at her. The two eyes holding an implicit plea in them. Drella sighed, closing her book as she first looked to Hectre then Nyiko where it stayed and uncharacteristically softened. Or maybe Nyiko was just seeing things, and her eyes stayed the same.
"So two wish to hear my story then?"
Both youths nodded.
She took a breath, letting the room hold its. Then she began:
"There's not much to learn about me, I was born in a druid's grove, one that is specifically dedicated to his dominion over memory. The way we showed our dedication by coveting knowledge, pretty neutral I'd say but if you'd like to hear something more virtuous… we also took care of the elderly"
Nyiko ever so lightly cocked his head at that last part. His view of Drella slightly clashed with this new information. She didn't match the image of a kind, nurses who worked at old age homes and instead matched the media archetype of the ever annoyed desk clerk. Actually that felt like a really good comparison, she was just ninety percent less sassy or would be right to say sarcastic? Gods it had been too long since he'd seen an actual movie or show.
"Please don't compare very convincing illusion to a movie character,"
Nyiko imagined himself giving the voice an imaginary confused grimace.
'What?'
"...Never mind"
He imagined rolling his eyes at the voice as he returned his attention back to Drella. He jumped a little as he found her just staring at him for some reason. He awkwardly coughed before asking a question in hopes for her to continue her story:
"So um, What did you do there exactly?"
She shrugged; "Despite the title my slavers gave me I am not actually a druid, just a follower of Heart God"
She stopped there but Nyiko's wide eyes begged her to continue.
"...The title of druid is granted to those who either teach the faith or practices sorcery in Heart's name. Please don't ask about sorcery, it's a rabbit hole I do not wish to go into. All I did in the grove was deal with the day to day duties of the grove. That included cleaning, harvesting fruit, caring for the ill of mind and so on,"
She looked between Nyiko and Hectre, already tired of talking about herself and even more tired by the expectant gazes of the two. Nyiko was very, very curious about how she arrived here.
"I have nothing else to speak about," she abruptly stated.
"Besides that my mother was the head druid of the grove, if you were wondering about my family or whatever"
And once again, when she was done there was an awkward silence. Nyiko felt… disappointed. Sure some of it was about Drella's lack of interest in conversing and socializing, but majority of it was his own lacking social skills. He should be able to coax more out of her, ease her into being more amiable, he needed to be the bridge for the heiress of this city and the mysterious ochre haired woman and he was failing. He gripped onto his robes, as subtly as possible so no one would notice, as he let his thoughts run wild and dark.
Before he could really stew in his bad thoughts Hectre let an obnoxiously loud groan, incidentally pulling him out of his brewing funk.
"I'm so tired of this place, let's get out of here" She jumped in front of Nyiko's view forcing his back into his chair.
"We don't have anything else to do right?" She pressed the question with a mischievous grin on her face, making his cheeks flush. They probably did, at least he could find something to improve but honestly, he was done too.
"Nope all clear"
And like that, with Hectre's bright grin pushing them forward, the trio left the library and followed the warrior in training to one of the keep's balconies. There the three stood, a powerful gale followed the setting sun, causing the ladies hair to dance in the wind while his braids leaned against it. The orange skyline looked so peaceful, its glow touching each end of his eyeline, there was a feeling he felt as he saw the sun sink. He thought he'd seen it so many times but this time it was just so strangely sublime, the sunset was sure to bring him to tears. So he closed his eyes and stuffed that feeling deep down, because he knew that feeling would leave him weak and he needed to be strong to leave this nightmare. He just needed to be strong for a little longer.
He shivered as a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned to look at his left where Drella stood, her stoic face reflecting the orange light, giving her skin a beautiful tint. She leaned into his ears and whispered something in his ear.
"Take and think, scholar slave"
Something was thrusted into his hand, and she silently pushed his hand into his robes. She stared off into the distance after that, Hectre did not notice or didn't care as she looked at the sunset and there was surprisingly no one else around. So, he went back to watching the sunset. Then at night fall, he was taken back to the slave quarters, Pike beat him, and when he was sure he was alone, he looked at what Drella had given him.
A single note.
Don't be complacent, break your chains Sage Scholar!