Bringing home the Bacon

A snippet from the life of Iskrin Orin'Darr

Iskrin watched Etain leave his office and returned to sit on the sofa. He poured himself a second cup of tea and looked into the flames. She had asked him a question that he had not answered. When she had come together with Malekith, why had he been displeased? He turned the question over in his mind as he watched the flames dancing in the grate. There had been potential political difficulty about the match - many eligible Ysa Thalian nobles wanted their daughters or sons married to the King - but nothing that the AmranKai and Sa'viir-Arin's formal diplomats couldn't smooth out. Why then had he disliked her being in the palace so much? In Malekith's chamber so much? The flicker of a sad smile crossed his face. His eyes, silent and gentle, expressed a truth he would not give voice to: Because I loved you, Etain. Because I loved Malekith in another way. And the two of you in union took you both away from me.

He put his cup down on the coffee table and shook his head, clearing the thought from his mind and locking it away in the place he had secreted so many emotions and hopes over his lifetime. He stood with a swift exhalation of breath and turned to the internal chamber door, planning to return to his paperwork. Hove was standing quietly in the doorway, waiting for him to notice her presence. He nodded to her and she returned his smile. "Thank you for preparing the tea cups," he said as she stepped into the room.

"You're welcome," she replied, holding out a letter. He took it and inspected it. The paper was decent quality. Unusually cool and damp. He pressed it to his tongue. Salty.

"It just arrived by bird from the coast?" he asked.

Hove nodded. "I deduced the same."

Iskrin flipped the letter over to its other side and ran his fingers over the Guardian Seal. "From Lyrena," he said, his eyebrows rising. He moved over to his desk and ran a knife through the seal and the paper, then took out the enclosed note:

"First Estril Iskrin Orin'Darr,

I hope this letter finds you quickly with its seal unbroken. I imagine by now you are aware of my absence from Ansa'fel and the reasons for it. On the day of my leave, an urgent report reached the Guardians regarding the possible location of King Malekith Helerodis' brother Caldiin.

Corporal Styrren, Private Tyrasius and I rode there immediately. We made contact with the guards there. In cooperation with us, they watched the ports and gates of Cawdor for anyone suspicious trying to enter or leave, while my men and I did our own search.

A whole day of investigation yielded nothing, until I alone decided to investigate a final lead late in the evening that claimed a man resembling Caldiin with a wagon loaded with what looked like a covered-up body had set up camp at the beaches outside Cawdor.

I found Caldiin, and the wagon he had hauled. I clashed with him, but he escaped me. I have reclaimed the body of the late King Malekith and will ride back to Ansa'fel at daybreak. Upon returning, the guards of Cawdor claimed they had not seen anyone with Caldiin's description returning to town in the hours after our fight. However, a few of the peasantry have said otherwise. We questioned them, but their stories were different and inconclusive. My belief is that Caldiin has fled deeper into the countryside.

Lyrena Auberan, Dame Commander"

Iskrin handed the note to Hove, who read it quickly.

"Thoughts?" Iskrin asked her.

"She acted quickly and effectively. She has obtained Malekith's body, though not Caldiin."

Iskrin nodded. "Or, she took action on a matter I had specifically told her to leave to the AmranKai. She failed to capture a man who committed regicide and she's parading, relatively unguarded, the corpse of our dead king along the coastline on her way here."

Hove nodded. "That, too, is true." The woman cocked her head to one side. "You are cross?"

"No, I am not. I would have done the same in her position. I would not have captured Caldiin either," he said. "And she achieved what our people could not - she found him and retrieved Malekith. I owe her credit for that."

"She did," Hove observed. "Still, she seems to be a significant variable now."

"Yes, she is. But I knew that when Malekith appointed her. I welcome it for the most part."

Hove stood silently, waiting to see if Iskrin would continue. He seemed to be in a strange mood, even for him, she felt. He had missed, for example, the tiny amount of flaking in the wax of the seal. The sort of flaking that usually resulted when one sealed a letter with wax that had been frozen recently. It was unusual for him not to have seen it. She watched him carefully. His face was drawn from tiredness, which was not unusual, but his eyes had a haunted look that she was not used to seeing. Ever since his return from the Citadel, he had been tapping and rubbing at his chest, and each day that passed - and especially now with the events of the past days - he looked more and more disturbed. She did not allow her thoughts to change the expression on her face, but she felt that even if she had, he might not even notice them.

"Meet her at the city gate please, Hove," Iskrin said after some time. "If I go myself, those in the city who are observant of my public movements may start to take an interest. It would be better to announce Malekith's death once the body is preserved and ready for the funeral pyre."

Hove nodded assent. "Anything I should say to her?"

"Only that she should come to the Palace as soon as she can. Tell her we need to speak urgently."

"I understand."

"Oh, and that she has done well." Hove nodded. "And do not let the body out of our sight. Let Lyrena take it to the barracks or whatever she wants to do with it, but you or someone we trust must stay with it at all times. Insist upon that in exchange for the respect of letting it rest in the Guardian halls."

Hove nodded again and turned to go. As she reached the chamber door she turned back for a moment. "I think you should talk to the sword," she said softly. "Lemfillian always counselled you well. Her spirit might offer guidance from another perspective now. And you haven't touched it since you returned from the Citadel."

Iskrin looked at her, a curious expression crossing his face. "Are you worried about me, Hove?" he asked.

Hove smiled and made a small nod. "You've been different since you returned. Subtly. Only something that your training has allowed me to notice. You touch your chest often and your eyes look hollow somehow."

Iskrin continued to stare, his mouth spreading in a genuine smile. "I knew I trained you well," he said, impressed with the young woman. "I will speak with the sword. Thank you for saying something to me. I appreciate it."

Hove nodded. "You're welcome," she said, and left the chamber in a rustle of her simple robes.