Consequences (renamed)

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Cheyene squared her shoulders and smoothed her hair, then taking a deep breath to steady herself she walked up to the huge polished doors and pulled the bell.
The door on the right opened and a footman greeted her "Good Morning madame, can I help you?"
"I'd like to see Generals Dawnrunner please" she replied, flashing a warm smile.
"You have an appointment?" the footman asked returning her smile.
She shook her head and looked down.
"I'm afraid not, but please ask them if they will see me..." she said softly, glancing up at the footman "I am..I mean I was Arli's fi..." she left the sentence unfinished. She would let him draw his own conclusion to what she was going to say.
He looked down at her with a sympathetic nod and gestured her inside.
"Take a seat in the guest lounge, I'll see if General Dawnrunner is free." he guided her through more double doors into a comfortable lounge. She smiled gratefully and perched on the edge of a large chair.

A few minutes later she was shown into the family living room, Arli's grandfather rose to greet her, walking over to her with hands outstretched to take hers.
"My dear Chey" he started "I cannot begin to say how sorry I am..."
Chey looked at him and smiled faintly.
Valrik nodded his head solemnly in agreement with his father. "But rest assured Chey, he's gone too far this time, you will be always be welcome here"

Valrik gestured for her to sit and raised an eyebrow curiously when she shook her head.

Chey looked from one elf to the other, her face set in determination.
"I haven't come here for tea and sympathy Generals" she stated. "And whether or not Im always welcome..well perhaps not after what I have to say"
Valrik looked sharply at her and Grandfather gave a puzzled frown.
" I hope youre not painting us all in the same light as that waster of a nephew...." began Valrik curtly
Chey raised her hand to silence the younger general.
"This has nothing to do with Arli as such...this is about me" she replied. "How dare you..how dare you both be so damn arrogant as to announce an engagement without even consulting me, what gave you the -right- to determine the course of my life?"
"Arlithion said..." started his grandfather
Chey looked at him with a sardonic smile
"Arlithion said what exactly?" she demanded "Im going to marry Chey..Id be pleased if you'd announce it for us Grandfather? I don't think so!"
"Madame!" cut in Valrik sharply "I'll ask you not to speak to my father in that tone."
Chey spun to face him. and laughed slightly
"Sir, I'll ask you not to speak to or bully me like I was Arli" she retorted before turning back to grandfather "You were saying General? Arlithion said what?"
Alduron looked at her and for a moment seemed lost for words. "He said he loved you..and you are so fitting together, I thought formalising things would be the best for him"
Chey sighed softly and she smiled slightly at the tired looking older elf before sitting down beside him.
"I don't doubt that you do what you do in what you think are Arli's best interests" she said
"Indeed" said Valrik tersely "And the boy will learn there are consequences to his thoughtless actions"
Chey glanced at Valrik. "Yes, but these consequences have been brought about not by his thoughtless actions...but yours"
Both looked at her startled.
"The fact that you both can't see it just proves your arrogance and self importance, don't you see it...the first we knew about it was seeing it in the paper, we were nowhere near anything like that, we were just two young people enjoying that precious time together" she said fervently "Oh surely you remember it..that time a young couple has, when what they have is selfishly theirs, cherished time before family and friends intervene and plan your future?"She looked from one to the other, looking quickly away as grandfathers eyes were filled with memories for a fleeting moment and she felt like an intruder. A split second and the look was gone.
"No matter" interjected Valrik "Whatever the circumstances he took the irresponsible way out and ran away"
Chey's eyes spat fire at Valrik. "Oh did he now? and you know this how? Come on then General Know-it-all, please share"
She knew she was being belligerent if not rude, but Valriks willingness to blame Arli was irritating her. True Arli had brought it on himself to a point, pretending she was his girlfriend, but then she too was just as guilty by letting him. Although she very much doubted if Arli had actually said the words and had just let people make that assumption. But these two.. their blinkered approach to the situation was really beginning to annoy her.
"Chey, I will not be spoken to like that in my home.." Valrik reprimanded. She nodded once in acknowledgement.
"He has made us look foolish, we will have to retract the announcement" his grandfather sighed.
"Yes you will, but I maintain, its not Arli who has made you look foolish it's yourselves" her tone was softer. "Had we not seen the engagement notice, then we would not have panicked, and yes I say we..it wasn't just Arli, and we would still be as we were, Arli didn't dump me...you did, think about it."
There was a moment of silence as her words sunk in.
"I think perhaps it would be wise if you left Chey" said Valrik looking with some concern at his father.
Chey nodded.
"I'm sorry if I have upset you at all, but you had to know" she said as she rose to leave.

She chewd her lip as she walked down the driveway and hoped to fel she hadn't made things worse.

Kel'dos stared into the dying embers of the small campfire he had built to dry out after his hours of wandering the moorlands of Gilneas in the torrential rain. The half-crumbled tower provided a little shelter from the downpour and gave him the seclusion he craved right now.

Everything had come to a head that night; Sabien had shown him the announcement of Chey and Arli's engagement and he'd confronted Chey immediately. They'd argued and he'd quickly lost his temper; threatening to kill Arli and he'd said if he thought she had been having an affair, he'd kill her too. The game was over, he was making sure it ended. Of course she defended Arli, saying it wasn't his fault, which had only angered him more. Her arguments in his defence were rational, his response increasingly irrational - she was right but he damned well wasn't going to admit it. Then finally she said it..."You really want to kill him? Then maybe I should sleep with him so you finally have a good reason rather than blaming him for every little thing that goes wrong". His fists had clenched and he'd been so close to hitting her that he'd had to walk away, head back to Silvermoon before he did something he would really regret.

Arli Sunblade, he could give Chey everything she could ever want. Money was no problem to him, she'd have the finest clothes, be invited to the best parties and social events and have a perfect home to live in. Not live in a small apartment in the less salubrious area of Murder Row with a small-time gangster, in fear of the authorities catching up with him and being left alone again. She was right of course, he was jealous of Arli and hated how much she cared about him so he wanted to deal with it the only way he knew how - by removing the competition. She was his wife, no one took what was his. Could he kill Arli? Probably, and he knew Sabien would help him without question. Could he kill Chey? It scared him that in the red-mist rage of his anger, he might.

His fear of losing her had ultimately ended in driving her away; she said she was moving out of the apartment and unable to face hearing her tell him it was all over, he'd told her he was going away for a few days to think things over and then switched off his comms before she could reply. So here he was, in the remote wilds of Gilneas - once again on the run - but this time from the future paths he must take, rather than from the past. Maybe later he could try and catch Sabien on comms, he trusted Sab completely and maybe he could help him decide what path to take.

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Kel'dos sat at the corner table of the Booty Bay inn and swirled the last of the bourbon in his glass, deep in thought and oblivious to the travellers passing through the busy Inn. He'd met Sabien the previous day and he was still brooding over what he'd said "You're just like the kid, running away instead of facing your problems, Kel" and then he'd laughed. It took all of his self-control to stop himself throwing a punch at him; but this was Sabien, a former Four, higher ranked than Kel'dos and at a rank that wasn't given lightly. If he'd thrown a punch, chances are he'd have found himself flat on his back with a blackened eye before Sabien had even finished laughing.

"You're scared" he'd said

Kel'dos shook his head slowly; "I don't do 'scared'"

Sabien had just laughed...again... "You're scared if you go home she will tell you it's over"

"She won't leave me" Kel'dos had lied in reply.

"You've lost her, mate"

He could feel his temper rising, so did exactly what he did with Chey - he'd brought the conversation to an end and left.

"...running away...".

Kel'dos finished the drink and walked out of the Inn and stood on the boardwalk, hesitating and then shaking his head in a 'no' to the Flight masters enquiring look. He wasn't running away, he needed time to think things through rationally without the tidal waves of emotion that would drown him if he saw her.

Kel'dos knew that he loved Chey and if he wasn't with her, he couldn't imagine being with any other. But, it had been surprising how easily he had slipped back into being a Blade, Blades followed orders from no one but the higher ranks and Blades didn't do commitment. Right now, he and Sabien were equals, despite Sabiens former rank, and it worked. Chey had been the higher rank briefly and that was when the cracks in the marriage had started to show. She had worked hard, trained with Sabien to try and become a Blade instead...he couldn't fault her commitment to him or to Blades.

But something wasn't right any more.

Blades was a male dominated gang, apart from the joint-leader, the only other females around base were bed-warmers and hangers-on, none that came on the jobs with them. Perhaps it was that...suddenly his woman...was a Blades girl. Kel'dos shook his head slightly, he was being stupid, Chey was leagues above the women that used to hang out with the gang and was clearly able to work alongside them both, as an equal, as a Blade.

Maybe it was the fact his woman was so close to a Blades 'Rat', that's all Arli was when he was in Blades after all. His woman, hanging around with the lowest rank, Kel'dos frowned. He'd threatened to kill the kid, even got Sabien looking for him, but even he could see it was no reason to end the kid's life.

Sabien was right, he couldn't stay away forever and he needed to decide what to do, either way, he owed it to Chey to return and sort things out, or return and finish things for good. Kel'dos walked slowly back to his room at the Inn and scribbled a note to Sabien, asking him to meet him in Booty Bay. He needed to talk to his Blades brother and come to a decision.

Arli Sunblade pulled up in front of the golden gates that marked the entrance to the Sunwing estate. While the gates themselves looked flimsy, and Arli thought his mechano-hog had enough power to pull them from their marble pillars, he knew better than to try and meddle. Indeed, the wards around Lord Sunwing’s domain were so ancient and powerful that the vast alabaster wall that encircled it shimmered with magic.

Without a sound, the gates began to swing open, unveiling the beautiful gardens of the spire, complex patterns of runes picked out in marble upon the lawns, golden statues of past masters of House Sunwing looking down on all who passed up the paved driveway. A craggy hill off to Arli’s left poured forth water down its face into a river that meandered through the grass down to the sea, where Abulos’ destroyer, the Liara, was moored, her sails fanning out gently in the breeze from the Great Sea. Arli’s attention, however, was drawn to the colossal Spire that was to be his new home.

A towering, majestic edifice of delicate gilded arches and imposing marble towers floating serenely above perfectly manicured grounds, Sunwing Spire is the seat of the incumbent Lord or Lady Sunwing. Decorated in a style charitably described as “aggressively Sin'dorei”, the palatial estate simply drips with phoenixes, blood icons, stained glass displaying the glory of the Sin'dorei, and all manner of accoutrement designed to impress upon the visitor that they are, in fact, in the presence of Thalassian power. While some may say the original designers were trying too hard in an effort to prove their legitimacy, most see it as a home worthy of the powerful and ancient Sunwing dynasty.

Arli drew to a stop before the great mahogany doors into the spire and killed the engine. He looked up, at the towers and bridges linking them, the tall windows of scarlet glass, the silken banners bearing the crest of Sunwing fluttering lightly. Arli’s gaze fell back to the door, where Lord Abulos Sunwing had materialised whilst Arli had gazed skyward. His expression stoic, it appeared that even in the privacy of his own home, Abulos wore the elaborate robes of his station. Beside him stood another elf, with long, platinum blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail at his nape, wearing an expression of discomfort. Abulos beckoned to Arli, who mounted the steps, glancing up at the towers again.
“So....nice place you have here...” He began.
Abulos remained apathetic. He gestured to the elf beside him. “Indeed. This is Art’lorn Silverstrike, the Steward of the Spire.”
Art’lon stepped forward. “A pleasure” he said, bowing low. The miniscule pause between his two words was not missed by Abulos, whose lip curled upwards slightly. “If there is anything Sir requires, I will do my best to oblige.”
“Does this place have a bar?”
Art’lon’s jaw flapped uselessly for a few seconds, before reasserting itself. “We normally do not allow guests to drink too much. However, I will have a bottle of our finest Everdawn Red sent to your room.”
“Make it a bottle of bourbon.” Arli smirked at Art’lon, his smile vanishing as he took a fleeting look at his hosts face, his eyebrow raised the way only he could. “...The wine will be fine, thanks.” Silverstrike bowed again before withdrawing into the spire, leaving Arli alone with Abulos, who spun around and followed his steward into the house. Arli, feeling slightly uncomfortable now, trailed after him into the entrance hall.

Arli stood, dumbstruck as he took in his surroundings as Abulos swept across the room and started to climb the stairs. A thousand impossibly thin filaments of a glass-like substance sprouted from the floor, supporting stairs that spirally gracefully up to the higher levels. Delicate threads of white marble and silver wove between rails and stairs like branches of a climbing vine. They looked too frail to hold the weight of a man – and probably would be if they were not strengthened with magic. And in the centre, an enormous marble edifice, a glorious representation of who Arli knew was Harrion, the first Lord Sunwing, his arms held high in adoration of the glowing sphere of arcane magic that floated unaided above his head, and above that, high above the glass domed ceiling, the sun. Light bounced off silver and refracted through glass, the room shining in a glowing testament to his races dominance over the arcane. Arli mounted the staircase gently, gaining confidence that the thin sheets of glass would not shatter beneath him with each step.

Arli found Abulos waiting for him near the top of the stairway where he conjured a small globe of light and set off down a darkened corridor. Arli, once again, followed his host, past glass cases filled with all manner of magical relics and artefact, all covered with a thick layer of dust. Wondering where he was being led, he jumped slightly as Abulos’ voice echoed down the corridor towards him.
“I must apologise for the state of your tower, I’m afraid no one had used this part of the spire for years, and Silverstrike has yet to send people to tidy up. Ah, here we are.” Arli blinked several times as Abulos threw open a door, bright sunlight spilling into the hall and temporarily blinding the assassin, who had been distracted when Abulos had said this was his tower. Once he had regained his sight, he stepped into the room beyond.

His room was sparsely, but richly, decorated, with a large bed, marble desk and mahogany wardrobe. Paintings of Silvermoon, the Sunwell, and Eversong lined the walls, along with doorways to a small washroom and one that lead out onto a balcony. Abulos was inspecting the lone bookcase, upon which rested tomes mostly, Arli noticed, about swordplay and battle tactics.
“I’d forgotten he had these...” Abulos muttered, before turning to Arli. “While you are in my house, you will not embarrass me or bring shame upon my name. You may go anywhere you like within the grounds, barring any locked doors of course. Feel free to decorate this place as you like it, and there is room in the coach house for that...contraption of yours. Dinner will be served at the sixth bell. No need to dress up.” With that, the Lord of House Sunwing strode out of the room, leaving Arli to get used to his new home.

Chey stood on the small balcony of the apartments bedroom and looked out over murder row, shivering slightly as the early morning breeze pulled at the sheet she had wrapped around her. She took a small sip of water from the glass she held and sighed softly. She glanced over her shoulder into the dimly lit bedroom and smiled softly at Kel'dos's sleeping form, the blanket barely draped across his waist, his tousled blond hair falling across his shoulders and his sculpted arm wrapped possessively around a pillow. He couldn't have looked more perfect and gorgeous in her eyes if he'd posed. Last night they had reconciled their differences, healed their argument, drawn a line under it and agreed not to rake over any more. So why wasn't she happy?

Finally last night after days of silence he'd contacted her over coms, asked to meet her as they needed to talk. She'd agreed and as she'd waited for him her stomach had done somersaults, was he going to tell her it was over? She had a sinking feeling that he was and she tried in her head to rehearse her reply. Should she beg and cry, plead for him to stay, or shrug her shoulders and say "Yeah ok.."?
She saw him walk towards the meeting place and with a deep breath strolled as casually as she could down the hill to meet him.
No hugs, no kisses, no smiles, they stood face to face, their faces mirrored with an awkward uncertainty.
"I don't know what to say" he said finally.
"No me neither" she replied as she fidgeted with a strand of hair.
Hesitantly at first they exchanged inane platitudes, how had she been, she had been as well as could be expected, how had he been, pretty much ok..

"I don't want us to end" he said "I want you home but I have two conditions"
She looked at him and nodded slowly "And they are?"
"One, the kid, he has to know that you two are just friends nothing more, you can go out with him, go to his parties and all that, but he must know its on a friend only basis" he stated firmly.
That was fair enough she thought, although the way he said it made her bristle slightly. " Ok..and the second?"
"I'm a Blade, I need freedom to be a Blade, to do what I do and not have to answer for it in our marriage, they need to be separate. It was wrong of us to make you leader, unfair on us and you." he explained "You'll make a good Blade I'm sure, but you will need to train like all the other rats did, when we can trust you on a job then in Blades you will be an equal..."
"You're asking me to butt out and leave you to get on with it?" she asked.
He shook his head, "No, I'm asking you to understand the way we work, you won't be asked on every job, and those you are asked on you will be expected to learn from and not be spoken to like an equal" he said.
She nodded again, it seemed the best thing to do although she didnt quite grasp what he was telling her, as far as she recalled she had never stopped him being a blade, made no objection to Sabien and he going off at night and she had never presumed to think she was anywhere near as close and as good as those two in their work. Everything Blade-wise she had done at been at their request, not through any great desire of her own to be a part of their culture. Was he trying to make her say no..make the decision to break up so he could walk away free and blameless?
"Is that what you think?" he sounded shocked when she voiced the opinion "Are you so insecure about us..?"
She shook her head "It's just the way it sounds" she tried to explain.
"Well thats not the case" he said emphatically. "I just want you to understand the way things are, how I feel in here.." he put his hand to his chest.
"I understand" she nodded. "Lets draw a line under all this.."
He nodded and finally a smile broke his impassive features. "Move forward from here and not look back at it"
"Yes, no bringing it up in any other fights we might have" she agreed.
He smiled looking relieved. "Now Im going home...you coming?"
She nodded and reached out to take his hand as he offered it.

They'd walked slowly back towards the city, their talk becoming more natural and less strained with every step. They stopped by a small copse and exchanged a look, a slow, what she could only describe as a dirty smirk crossed Kel's face as he nodded towards the overgrown grass.
"We couldn't...." she smiled "Could we?" and without waiting for a reply pushed him down into the depths of the copse. Laughing quietly together as their lips met in an explosion of mutual outpouring of the tension of the last few days.

It was hours later that the pair meandered back into the city, their arms wrapped around each other, heads together intimately as they spoke softly to each other, pausing now and then to pick a blade of grass or prickle from each others disheveled clothing or hair. Once back at home, Keldos swept her across the threshold in his arms, she stifled a giggle by kissing him softly, with their lips still together Keldos slammed the door shut with his foot and carried her to the bedroom.

And here she was, sleep not finding her, standing on the balcony...
She looked at him again, sleeping contentedly on the bed and it dawned on her. She had met, fallen in love with and married "Serrar". She sighed, Serrar was now gone, he was Kel'dos again, back to his old..no his real self. In one way she was a widow of sorts. She smile ruefully as she walked back to the bed and slipped under the blanket, gently raising Kels arm from the pillow and placing it around her waist.
She knew what was needed now if she wanted this to work,learn to forget Serrar, he wouldnt be back, and learn instead to love Kel'dos.
Kel's arm tightened around her as he drowsily kissed her back. She snuggled into his chest and yawned sleepily at last. She smiled to herself as her eyes closed. It was good to be home.

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Abulos was enjoying the game. Arli wasn’t.

They both sat opposite each other, Abulos casually causing a small silver disc to dart around the room, Arli trying to aim and hit it with his knife. Every time he missed. All it takes is a little push, and the disc is somewhere else. This is impossible. When he voiced this opinion, Abulos had smirked and told him otherwise. “Think, Sunblade. Just think.” Arli had tried to think, had tried to predict where Abulos was going to send the infernal disc next, but to no avail. And then it hit him. The Solution . Or certainly a solution. Could he? Would he get into trouble? He wasn’t sure if Abulos would go so far as to curse him, but he could easily send Arli away from his new home. With every second, Arli became increasingly unsure about his answer, before putting doubt aside and hurling his dagger at Abulos’ chest.

The Magister whipped his hand through the air, the silver disc shooting across the room and into the path of the knife, where it deflected harmlessly to the marble floor with a clang. Abulos smirked. “You’re learning Sunblade. If a solution seems too difficult to enact, aim to remove the source of the problem instead.” Abulos stood and swept across the study to one of the tall windows, looking out across Eversong towards the place where the slender spike of Sunfury Spire thrust up out of the trees.

“And this kingdom has a lot of problems.” Abulos clasped his hands together behind his back and sighed. “When Arthas tore through our beloved lands, his aim was to resurrect his pet necromancer. But he also wanted to extinguish our way of life. Now, we pander to the likes of Orcs and Trolls, ancient enemies that we have turned to out of sheer desperation. Now, they are walking our streets, even own property in our glorious capital. What have we become, that we allow these savages anything more that a well placed blade? Five years the Lich King has been dead, and yet, he may still have managed to obliterate everything our race once stood for.” Abulos turned back to Arli, who looked quite shocked at being allowed to hear exactly what Abulos thought. “You probably shouldn’t mention that...outburst. To anyone.” Abulos continued as Arli hastily nodded. “We will be having guests tonight. Whilst I did only send an invitation to your grandfather, your uncle has seen fit to invite himself along too. No doubt to see if his nephew is abusing his new host’s charity. See that he is sorely disappointed, would you Sunblade? I do so hate it when Valrik is happy about something. It’s...disturbing.” Abulos swept out of the room, leaving Arli to smirk at fact Abulos seemed to hate his uncle as much as he did, all thoughts about Abulos’ opinion of the Horde forgotten.

This is it, thought Arli an hour later. While in clothes he would not have picked himself, the formal attire that the tailors of Silvermoon had crafted for him was, Arli had to admit, sleek and stylish. Carefully sidestepping one of the golden rune-etched discs set into the floor, he continued along the corridor and rounded the corner into another, which would take him, hopefully, to the dining room. Two weeks in this place, and I don’t think I’ve seen a tenth of it. Instead of his regular leathers, the young elf had been bedecked in silks and velvets of deepest black, flowing patterns picked out of the cloth in silver thread. The long frock coat flared out behind him as he strode down the hallway, stopping as his hand rested on the handle, suddenly nervous. Why should I care what they think? They disowned me, they’re nothing to me, and I to them. I’m a Sunblade now. He pushed on the door gently, the mahogany panel swinging open silently.

Abulos sat in his usual place at the head of the table, with General Arandor Dawnrunner to his left. At Arandor’s other side sat Arli’s uncle, Valrik, looking suitably irritated at being relegated to the seat furthest away from Lord Sunwing, while his good-for-nothing nephew sat at Abulos’ right hand.

Abulos’ voice cut through the air. “Arli. I was beginning to think you’d gotten yourself lost again. Do take a seat.” Arli bowed his head as he advanced across the room, first to Abulos, then to his grandfather. He neglected to greet his uncle in the same manner, a fact that was not lost on any of them. Still, the small social rebellion went unchallenged as Arli sat down to the dizzying array of cutlery that was laid before each of the four elves. He glanced up to see Valrik sneering at him. “Having trouble with your knives and forks, nephew?”

Abulos began talking about House Sunwing to Arandor, distracting the General, Arli suspected, so that he could get away with a retort without reprimand from his grandfather. “I am your nephew no longer, if you remember, Valrik. Nor have I forgotten when the situation calls for a knife.”

“How dare you threaten me? I’ll have you up before the courts, Sunbl-“

“Dinner, is served.” Art’lorn Silverstrike’s voice drowned out the rest of Valrik’s outburst.

Course after course followed, plates and platters of magically prepared food, flavoured with the rarest spices. Arli found it easier to identify the right cutlery as the evening wore on, largely due to the used knives and forks being taken away with each dish, thus leaving a smaller amount to guess at. He drank uncharacteristically sparingly, while his uncle became more and more irate as Abulos ignored him as much as possible.

“You know, best thing we ever did, disowning you, Arlithion. The Dawnrunner’s can finally begin to flourish again without your degradation interfering, and I suppose you have done very well in conning Lord Sunwing into letting you stay here. A toast, to Arlithion, may he stay here and thrive!” Valrik called across the table, raising his glass. Arli looked at the glass, then to Abulos. Abulos’ gaze flickered towards Arli, his expression neutral.

“One does not toast with port, uncle” Arli interjected. Valrik looked outraged, Arandor chuckled, and Arli, glancing at Abulos, was sure the corner of his mouth twitched.

As the last plates were cleared away by the servants, Abulos stood, inviting them all to his study for a post-meal drink. Politely declining, Arandor and Valrik made their way to the atrium, where Abulos dragged Valrik off to show him the newest artefacts he had found on his latest expedition; much to Valrik’s all too apparent distaste. Once again, Arli got the sneaking suspicion that Abulos was controlling who talked to who, as he was left alone with his grandfather.

“So, settling in here? You seem to be changing for the better already.”

“Yes, sir, and thank you. Lord Sunwing has been most kind to take me in. I’m not entirely sure what I would have done otherwise.”

“You’d have found something. You always could talk your way out of problems.” General Dawnrunner smiled, his eyes betraying a hint of sadness. “Nevertheless, you have done well. I didn’t think Sunwing of all people would take you in. He might be trying to solve his conscience at last, though...” Arandor looked around the huge chamber, as Arli pondered his grandfather’s words.

“What do you mean, sir?”

“I mean, Arlithion, that Lord Sunwing disinherited his son too. And if he feels the way I do, he would try and make it right. But he can’t, his son is dead. You may be the solution, turning you around and making you into a well-respected gentleman may soothe his conscience.” Arli looked over at his uncle and Abulos. “But not in my wildest dreams could I imagine what stirs in his head. But, if you are careful, this opportunity could be a very, very good thing for you. I wish you luck...” Arandor hesitated for a moment “...grandson.” With a last sad smile, he turned and made for the door, Valrik, seeing his chance to escape, following quickly.

Abulos joined Arli at the door and watched as the Dawnrunners climbed into their carriage and pulled off down the long driveway.

“Sir, if I may, were you controlling the entire evening?”

Abulos looked at Arli. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean Sunblade.” He snaked his hand through the air, two glasses of deep red liquid appearing, floating in front of him. Abulos smirked. “Port?”

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