Elegy for a Star

Tess slept deeply that morning, and when she woke, the only thing that came to mind was Miri’s face. How good she looked with her mouth wide open, pearly white streaks across her pretty face. Toward the end of it all, Miri looked half drunk; Her eyes were hazy and lidded. She was so enticing. Tess just worried that something happened that Miri didn’t like. There certainly was a moment—or many moments—where Tess lost control.

“Miri?” Tess whispered from beneath the sheets. There was no response and Tess decided to not push her luck.

Looking to the side, Tess noticed that Gwendolyn was already gone, and her mind ran through all of the possibilities of where the knight could’ve gone.

After getting dressed in a simple white shirt and tan trousers, Tess departed from the room to go search for her traveling companion. Tess was lucky, and found her mark in the first place she checked: the dining hall.

This large room was something you’d expect to find in a castle like this. A tall ceiling, painted with all of the constellations, save one that Tess didn’t recognize. Buttresses could be seen through the windows, supporting the building from the outside. Food was ordered and delivered at the end of the hall and guests to Kravana Hall were given a specific long table to sit at.

Tess ended up ordering a pair of eggs with a bread roll and a slice of cheese. The only thing to drink was beer, and Tess decided to abstain given that she expected to need her wits in order to convince the Corps to allow her to enlist.

With her food gathered, she moved to the table where she saw Gwen. There were a couple others there. One of them must have been nearly seven feet tall, wearing leathers that appeared stretched to their capacity with the muscles she carried. Blue lines were tattooed across her body, most noticeably in a rune across her left eye. Golden hair was tied in a braid that rested against her right cheek, while the rest was left loose and flowing. She had a pretty face, but it was stark, serious and unwelcoming.

The other was equally odd. The first sight that took Tess’ attention were her long, pointed ears. Tess could remember that the Fey existed, but couldn’t recall many details besides that. She knew that there were different clans, but little else. Furthermore, this woman had long, auburn hair, upturned and pouty lips and an adorable slope leading to an even more adorable nose. She was dressed in what appeared to be formal clothing hidden beneath a linen tunic. She could only see the noble collar sticking up around her neck, while the tunic had a neckline so deep that the Fey displayed just a taste of—judging by her curves—what must be plentiful cleavage.

Gwen turned to greet her, having left a spot beside her for Tess to sit. She pat the bench and with the other hand gestured to the others.

“Tess, this is Mairaela Aulidwulf,” Gwen gestured to the Fey, before redirecting her hand toward the tall, tattooed one, “And this is Joyona Virkian.” Tess found it amusing that someone so sobering could be named anything resembling Joy. “Please tell me if I pronounced that wrong,” Gwen said to the both of them.

They both confirmed the knight’s pronunciation, and Mairaela looked to Tess and asked, “And your family name?”f

Tess scrambled for an idea, but nothing came to her, so just as she began to explain, Gwen interrupted, “Orphaned. We’re unsure.”

That was better than whatever Tess was going to think up, so she was grateful. And who knows, maybe it wasn’t a lie, either? That said, should the Dame really be lying? Her eyes flitted to Gwen in curiosity, and when she faced forward she caught Joyona observing that glance.

“Have you two been traveling together for long?” Mairaela queried, and Tess decided to let Gwen answer for the both of them.

“We traveled a far way from the Empire to get here. It is no short trip, for certain,” Gwendolyn gave an easy laugh, “Took us weeks.” She pointed between Mairaela and Joyona, “What about you two?”

Joyona didn’t budge, just looking back at Gwendolyn and Tess and letting Mairaela do all of the talking. The interaction felt odd, with Gwen and Mairaela being the only speakers for either side, and it pressured Tess to speak up and say something.

“No, we only met here. Joyona has been here awhile, though I just got here two days ago,” Mairaela returned, “We’re both joining the Corps.”

“So are we!” Tess replied, before it dawned on her once more that her entry was still very much up in the air. 

Mairaela didn’t need to know such details, though. The Fey clapped her hands together and said, “Perhaps we will have the same Void test. In fact, I’m certain of it. They usually wait for four new recruits to come to Krevana Hall before running them through the Void. That’s why Joyona had to wait so long.”

Joyona confirmed as much with a slight nod of her head.

“Do you know what your gift is, yet?” Mairaela continued.

Gwen replied quite easily and with a hint of pride, “Swordsmanship.”

“I’m jealous,” Mairaela laughed, “What luck you have.”

Gwen smiled and then gestured back to Mairaela, “What about you?”

“Archery,” The Fey replies, “And evasion.”

Even Gwen raises her eyebrows, “You have two gifts and I’m the lucky one?”

“We can both be lucky,” Mairaela said, holding up a finger as though this was a wise point.

Gwen shook her head and looked at Tess, “I can probably count on one hand how many people in the entire Corps that have two gifts.”

The finer points likely went over Tess’ head. Hells, all of the points went over Tess’ head. Then attention turned her way for an answer, and Gwendolyn didn’t save her this time. “I don’t know mine,” Tess spoke below her breath, “How do I find out?”

“Meditation or rituals, typically, or an interaction with the Black Sun. You’ll know it when you step into the Void, too. I recommend figuring it out before then, though.” Mairaela then pointed to Joyona, “She’s got armor.”

“That tracks,” Gwen says, looking the large woman up and down.

Tess took a bite of cheese, feeling embarrassed to be so out of the loop. She decided that she should get over that feeling, as it would be happening a lot with how little she remembered about the world.

“Say,” Mairaela started, planting her hands upon the tabletop, “How about we finish our breakfast and then go get Tess’ gift tested? If we are all going into the Void together, it would be good to know one another’s capabilities.”

Joyona bobbed her head and Gwen smiled. Even Tess cracked a smile at being treated so kindly. Immediately, she liked Mairaela, and was equally excited to learn what may be special about herself. Then came the dreadful thought that she wouldn’t be accepted into the Corps regardless. What if her gift was useless?

Tess pushed the thoughts away and returned to her meal while Mairaela and Gwendolyn continued their conversation.