The Faerie Blade: Chapter 46

 

 

 

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Author's Note: Here's chapter 46 of The Faerie Blade. Further chapters are available on my Patreon page. ~Amethyst.
 

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Chapter 46: Kaelyn and the Summons

The morning after the disastrous party progressed much like many of our mornings had since arriving in Kalidar’s capital. I awoke early and Sharai put me and Shava through our morning sword dance practice and sparring in full armor, with archery practice immediately after. For the latter though, Mara and Hagen joined us for a while so that all four of us could practice with the pair of massive wheel bows that we had bought for the troupe from Relgar the Dwarven Smith.

The bows were large and heavy, and while they required surprisingly little strength to draw and fire the large steel-banded bolts, they were awkward to use at first because of their size and weight after being used to normal bows. Between the size, the extra care that the weapons required, and the possibility that we might need to use them against something big once the troupe was back on the road, Mara had thought it a good idea that we all familiarize ourselves with them before the road east was passable again and we were back to traveling. The huge mechanical bows were difficult to get used to at first, but as Relgar had shown when we bought them, they did not lack power or accuracy once we started to become accustomed to them.

After training, the wheel bows and their dull-headed practice bolts were put back into their cases and I returned to my wagon to change out of my armor before eating breakfast. Kalara was already awake, but it looked like Vesha and Master Nirlyn were still sleeping, so I tried not to wake them as I took my daughter to use the privy and cleaned her up before going to join the rest of the troupe who needed less sleep for breakfast. Then we enjoyed our meal with the others while awaiting the late risers and I took a brush to Kalara’s hair and mine, played small games with her, and then fed Zaiya and let Kalara play with the owlet a little until everyone had finished breakfast and were ready to face the day.

After that, it was Bard lessons and practice for Vesha, Korine, and me while Mara and Hagen took Kalara to play with their daughter, Cylia, and the twins, Kirla and Kegan. Since our pair of scouts and hunters didn’t have much else to do besides weapons practice until we were on the road again, they offered to entertain the youngest kids of the troupe and start teaching them some valuable lessons such as knife fighting with roughly carved wooden daggers and defending themselves from someone bigger if they happened to be unarmed.

Like most lessons they would be teaching mostly through games, only gently correcting them when necessary. It seemed that Kalara had enjoyed herself, from her excited babbling while we were eating lunch with the troupe. I think that was mostly because the games were still new to her and she was starting to find her place among the younger kids in the troupe since, as the littlest, the other kids were becoming a bit protective of her, especially Cylia and the twins. It was nice to see Kalara becoming more relaxed and comfortable with the troupe.

I did notice that she was still very scared and guarded around humans though, when three of them stepped into our camp as we were finishing our midday meal. One was wearing fancy livery in the colors of the royal family of Kalidar, while the other pair were wearing the armor of the royal guards. Poor Kalara froze up completely as I attempted to wash her face and hands with a damp cloth. She had gotten more of her food on her than in her.

I attempted to soothe her and calm her down as my grandparents talked to the trio of humans, who I assumed had been sent with a royal summons for me and Selice. “Shhh… it is okay Kalara, they are not going to hurt you. They mean no harm, I promise. Anyone who purposely tries to harm my daughter, or anyone from this troupe, will meet Neva’kul and a swift end,” I vowed, feeling the weight of the oath settle upon me.

I gave a quick glance to Selice, who nodded and slipped off to her wagon to change into my twin and some clothing that would fit her in that form while my grandparents were still speaking with the man in the livery. She had been spending enough time as my twin recently that Zenna had made her a few outfits that would fit her form properly and allow for her wings so she would not have to borrow my clothes, as she had been doing for the first couple of days in the city while we went out to perform on the streets of Hindra. As she left to do so, I stood up and, still holding Kalara in my arms and soothing her, I made my way over to the group.

“Good afternoon,” I greeted as I approached my grandparents and the strangers. “I trust that you are here for me and my sister?”

All three humans gave a polite bow in return to my greeting, and it was a moment before the man in the livery found his words. “Aye, Lady Ambassador, I am Olain, the King’s Steward,” he finally replied, earning a raised eyebrow in my direction from both my grandparents. I gave them a resigned shrug in return and tried not to sigh at the title that Arinelle had casually bestowed upon me and Selice at the party.

“Please, call me Kaelyn,” I said as evenly as I could manage while trying to reassure Kalara that these men meant no harm, carefully stroking her hair. “See, Sweetheart, it is okay, these men mean no harm to us.” She started to calm down under my gentle soothing, but her illusory wings were fluttering behind her back and tickling my arm holding her, making it hard to keep a serious face.

“That would be far too familiar, Milady,” the man in charge replied respectfully before handing me a rolled-up scroll sealed with wax and stamped with the royal crest of Kalidar. There was another stroll as well, though that one was simply tied with a green silk ribbon. “His Royal Majesty, Vergun Sal-Kalidar, requests the presence of you and your sister at the palace as soon as is convenient.”

I nodded as I unsealed the summons and read it. It was not easy trying to unroll and read it with Kalara in my arms, so I carefully placed her on the ground, where she quickly hid behind my legs. The summons was all very formal and proper, it seemed, at least going by what Master Nirlyn had been teaching us during our diplomacy lessons. It very politely requested the presence of Ladies Kaelyn and Selice of Tarin’dol to meet with the king and queen at the palace. The second scroll was a small stack of papers with a note on top from Arinelle, written in Fae so the humans could not read it if they happened to try to peek.

Kaelyn and Selice,

I feel that I should explain some things for your benefit. Vergun is sending an official summons, though it more of a request since you are officially ambassadors of the Fae. Worry not, the ambassador title is an official one. As the High Ambassador of Tarin’dol to Kalidar, it is within my purview to appoint ambassadors, so long as they are Fae-blooded and willing to represent Fae interests among the other races, and I believe that you both fit those requirements. Enclosed are official papers granting you both the title of Ambassador, signed by me and stamped with the seal of the Fae Council in Tarin’dol. These documents should prove useful in your travels and I have placed preservation enchantments upon them to keep them from being damaged.

This meeting will be mostly informal and to discuss the Demon situation, the interrogation of Duke Farun Sal-Grethan, and to thank you for your assistance and protection last night. You need not worry about dressing formally. King Vergun and Queen Isante prefer to dress and act informally when behind closed doors and out of the view of the public and will not expect you to dress in human finery. I have already sent a missive to the Fae Council to update them on the Demon situation and the use of faerie fire in purifying Tainted and Darklings.

I would also ask of you a personal favor, Kaelyn. Please bring Kalara to the palace with you, if you would. Princess Saera is close in age to your daughter, and I believe that making a friend her own age from among the Fae, along with her parents’ positive attitude toward our kind will help relations between our people and the people of Kalidar in the long run. Do not ask to bring her, announce it as fact, they cannot refuse an Ambassador such a thing.

Yours truly,

Arinelle, High Ambassador to Kalidar.

I quickly read the lengthy note and nodded again as I considered the information and the request within. “My sister should be with us in a moment,” I informed the waiting humans. “As soon as she is here, we shall discuss accompanying you to the palace.

A few minutes later, Selice emerged from her wagon and made a beeline for our group. The mischievous dancer was now wearing her hair down like mine and her bodice, colorful skirt, and sandals were a match for my own to make it difficult to tell the pair of us apart. Her appearance caused both the steward and the guards to look in confusion from Selice to me, and back again several times and Selice and I could both barely hold back our giggles. She was a terrible influence on me.

I managed to cover my mirth by handing the summons, with Arinelle’s documents and the note atop it, to my twin, who quickly read the note as I picked up Kalara in my arms. “I will be bringing my daughter with me. I have heard that Princess Saera is close to her age and might enjoy having a playmate for a while. Allow us a moment to put away these documents that Ambassador Arinelle sent along, and we shall be right with you.”

“Aye, Milady,” the Steward responded with a respectful bow.

With that, Selice and I headed back toward our wagons with Kalara in my arms. “Well, this is an interesting turn of events,” the dancer noted quietly with a glance toward Arinelle’s letter. “I thought she was playing a good bit of mischief on the Royals and that dastardly duke by calling us Ambassadors, but I guess the joke is on us. Though she is not wrong about the credentials being useful during our travels. We still have much distance to travel through Kalidar and then Nalean before entering Haydin. These documents will carry weight since Kalidar and Nalean are the only two countries with land bordering Nightglade Forest.”

“What about Haydin?” I asked as we reached my wagon.

Master Nirlyn, who was currently leaning casually against the wagon, and had obviously been listening in with her big catlike ears, answered that question. “Haydin’s royal family ‘as been under a lot o’ pressure from the United Guild Council over the past few years t’ improve relationships with the Fae. It’s a council with members representin’ all the major Guild Councils in Haydin, includin’ the Bardic Guild. They’ve been hopin’ t’ get some influence t’ set up guild halls in Tarin’dol fer years. It’s an untapped market, an’ the Blacksmith an’ Enchanter Guilds ‘ave been hopin’ t’ learn advanced techniques from the Fae fer decades. Yer armor would be of great interest t’ both guilds with its enchantments an’ bein’ made from moonsilver.”

“So, I guess that being official Fae ambassadors would give us some influence there if needed,” I said thoughtfully.

“Aye, it will. An’ the fact that yer openly Fae an’ lookin’ to apprentice with one o’ the major guilds will ‘elp too. We ‘ave no Fae guild members yet, at least none tha’ the Guild Council knows of, so you would be the first,” my master replied with a wink as I set Kalara down and took the papers with my name from Selice to put in the wagon with my other valuables. I would not truly be the first Fae guild member, that was my mother, and Korine was half Fae, but nobody knew about the Voyagers’ Changeling secret, and we only planned on revealing it to other Fae to keep up the ruse of being traveling humans.

When I returned from putting the documents away and grabbing my coin purse in case we needed to stop in the city, Selice was putting hers away in her own wagon. I had noticed she already had her coin purse and thought that it might be a good idea to purchase a satchel or something on the way back to carry my coin purse and the documents when we visited other cities. As we waited for Selice to return, I quietly explained to Kalara what was going on.

“Sweetie, the King and Queen want to meet with me and Selice to discuss some things. They are human, but they will not hurt any of us, they admire the Fae and want a good relationship with us. They have a daughter your age and I would like you to try and make friends with her. It should be just like when you play with Cylia or the twins, only she is probably closer to your size and age,” I told her carefully.

Kalara looked hesitant. “Maera… Do I hafta?” She was getting much better with her speech, at least the smaller and more basic words. She might have all that language knowledge from Arinelle in her head, but she was still learning how to form some of the sounds with her mouth and tongue.

I picked her up and wrapped her in a hug. “No, Kalara, you do not have to, but I think that it would be good for both you and Princess Saera to meet someone your own age. She is a child, just like you, no matter what her species. She is still learning, and you can help her learn to not treat Fae the way you were treated by being her friend and helping her understand that we are not so different. I know that some humans mistreated you in the past, and that makes me furious, but we cannot assume what people are going to be like simply by the color of their skin, the shape of their ears, or other features they were born with.”

Thankfully she seemed to be listening and considering my words, so I pressed on. “Not all humans are bad, just like there can be some Fae who are not very nice. People cannot help the circumstances of their birth, Sweetheart, nor should they be blamed for them. I was raised as a human and my parents were the kindest people I ever knew, just like I try to be kind and gentle and protect you. The troupe is not only Fae either because we treat people based on who they are rather than what they are. Vesha and Master Nirlyn are not Fae and Journeyman Daivin is a human, has he ever treated you badly?”

Kalara looked at me with a confused pout as I said the last, seemingly having forgotten that Daivin did not look like the other Voyagers. She had gotten to like Daivin, especially since the journeyman had started to take over her tambourine lessons while I and my fellow apprentices were getting most of our lessons from Master Nirlyn. It had only been a couple of days, but Daivin was good with children and always tried to make the lesson fun for her while teaching. He was showing her some sleight-of-hand tricks as well, which always seemed to get her full attention.

Selice, who Kalara seemed to like just as much as Daivin, arrived back at the wagon while I was finishing my explanation and ruffled Kalara’s hair. Kalara seemed to love it whenever the dancer was copying my form and pretending to be my twin. It had confused her at first, but now it was like having two Faeries watching over her. I still did not know why she felt an attachment to Faeries in particular, but her mother might have been one, or at least someone who took care of her before she was sold to the menagerie.

My ‘twin’ nodded as she looked down at my daughter with a smile. “Your maera is right, little one. Daivin is human, but I fell in love with him because he was a good person who I had a lot in common with. I think you should give this princess a chance, you might have fun. If it doesn’t go well, Kaelyn and I will be close by.”

With ‘Auntie Selice’ supporting me, and the reminder about Daivin, Kalara gave in. “Okay, Maera, Auntie,” she said. She still looked a little uncertain and scared, but I was hoping that the two would get along and quickly forget all about their differences.

I had a feeling that this could truly help Kalara to get over her fear of humans. She should be cautious around them in general until they showed what they were really like, just like all people, but her fear of humans, in general, could be a problem with us traveling through human-ruled kingdoms. Arinelle was also right that this could be an opportunity to ensure a good future relationship between Kalidar and the Fae.

“Thank you for trying, Sweetie,” I told her as I kissed her forehead. “If you try your best and behave then perhaps on our way back from the palace, we can get you a treat, like those blueberry tarts you like so much.” Kalara’s face brightened almost immediately at that suggestion, and I settled her on my hip as Selice and I made our way toward the representatives from the palace.