Elegy for a Star

Gwendolyn turned the spoon through the mix of dry sausage and potatoes. She got to sit with the regulars of the Corps during meals now, and wasn’t forced to sit at the guest table, or eat down in the barracks like she’d been forced to during probation. What a miserable time that was. She still awaited the letter from her father about her probationary status on her first few days at Kravana Hall.

She hadn’t seen Tess in a few days now. After that night together, Tess was gone in the morning and didn’t come back the next night, or the one after that. Or the one after that, so on and so forth. Gwendolyn did what she could to not think too deeply into what might keep her from coming back to the room. The more she tried to push them down, the more the thoughts kept cropping up, “She wasn’t ashamed, was she? Was I gross? I don’t behave all that femininely and-... well, I’m not like Mairaela. Maybe I did something wrong.”

Maybe her class was keeping her busy. Gwendolyn couldn’t imagine that a class called “Late Gift Development” would be that intense. It sounded like information she’d learned when she was a child. Not that Tess didn’t need it, or that she had no excuse for not knowing it, but Gwendolyn thought that Tess would catch onto the information easily. She hadn’t heard of Madame Pava, though. Gwen wondered what she was like.

“Hey,” Gwendolyn turned to see Mairaela taking a seat behind her. The auburn haired Fey was placing down a plate of fruits, berries and sausage. She had two chunks of bread on her plate. Mairaela must’ve noticed her staring at her food and said, “Here, I snagged this for you.” The Fey passed her a piece of hard bread.

Gwendolyn took it, smiling in thanks, only to see Joyona stand across from them. The Evigkin had two plates, one full of potatoes and sausage and the other… also full of potatoes and sausage. She placed the plates down and murmured something about beer before walking off again.

“Tess busy with class again?” Mairaela asked. She didn’t show up to dinner yesterday either, after all.

Gwendolyn nodded silently, choosing to not bring voice to her growing concerns. “How’s ‘Advancement Theory’ coming along? Did Scirocca slap your knuckles again?”

“I managed to avoid her wrath this time,” Mairaela jested, “And despite what I said yesterday, I like her. She knows her stuff. Like.. fuck, Gwen. She really knows her stuff.”

Gwendolyn was getting used to having her name shortened. She stopped fighting it. It wasn’t a big deal to her, personally, but her father would wring her neck for it. The knight smiled softly at Mairaela and took a bite of the bread she’d been given.

“For instance,” Mairaela begins, “Did you know that Maeros the Mad was the first recipient of a divine’s boon?” Mairaela’s face crinkled up and she shook her head, “Well, basically. It was from the Dragon Queen, but before she became a goddess. Back when she was just… you know, a dragon queen.”

“What would Maeros need from Her?” Gwen asked between bites. Maeros was a part of a group of adventurers known as the Heroic Divine. They were more the former than the latter; not having any divine blood between any of them.

“Power to kill Arlen,” Mairaela replied, “She gave him access to her Blood Wyrd. He had magic like dragons do.” The Fey was really into all of this, though she had a bit of a disappointed tone when she added, “Much good that did him.” 

Gwendolyn found it interesting, but she preferred what she’d been learning in her class, “I learned about aura control today. Can’t wait till we get an assignment and I can put all of this theory into practice.”

“You’ll have to teach me,” Mairaela said with a smile, “And I’ll teach you what I learn.”

Joyona returned then, setting down two mugs of some sort of foaming drink.

“How was your class, Joyona?” Mairaela asked.

Joyona shoved a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth and replied around the food, “Stab a tomb guardian in its eye before you get fried.” Joyona shoveled more food into her mouth. She’d been a lot hungrier lately, Gwendolyn noticed.

“That’s what you said yesterday,” Mairaela replied.

“Mm. It’s still true.”

“You doing alright?” Gwen asked.

“Mm,” Joyona nodded, taking a big swig from her mug.

Gwendolyn looked to Mairaela, who seemed to have a similar look of concern on her face, but the pair moved on. “What else did you learn?” Mairaela asked, nudging Gwen on the arm.

“Well, that glow that forms around us in the Void—the aura, I mean—it comes from Thyr. The Black Sun is constantly eating away at our star, but that light doesn’t go away. It’s just trapped in the Void,” Gwendolyn explained, pushing the bread through her food, “So sometimes that light flocks to us. We don’t exactly know why, but we can use it. It’s empowering.”

“Miri was able to rip mine away from me,” Mairaela said, picking up a  couple of berries and popping them into her mouth one at a time. “What do you think that means?”

“Not sure. Maybe it’s a demon thing,” Gwendolyn replied, looking over to Joyona who was already done with one plate and beginning on the other.

Mairaela and Gwendolyn exchanged a look again. Gwen didn’t think that Mairaela would say anything, so she spoke up, “Joyona, why are you eating so much? I mean, no shame if you’re just hungry, but it’s just unusual for you.”

“I skipped class,” Joyona grunted past a mouthful of food, “Did something else.”

Mairaela nearly spat out her food, “What?!” She chewed, swallowed and followed-up with a harsh whisper under her breath, “Joyona, we depend on passing these classes!”

“If you fail out, you’re gone from the team. You’re out of Kravana and the Corps, everything,” Gwendolyn added, “You heard the Captain.”

Joyona nodded her head, “I’m alright.”

Gwen took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding her head. She knew not to press Joyona, but the woman was so difficult to read at times like these. She was confident even when she was acting strange. She had never let them down though, so maybe they should just stop being suspicious of her habits.

“Where are you from, Joyona?” Gwendolyn asked, “I know you’re giantblooded, but did you grow up in a Cairn?”

“I did,” Joyona replies, licking two fingers, “West of the Summer Branch.”

“You were near Rotherham?” Mairaela asked.

“About two days’ walk from it,” Joyona nodded.

“Good cheese?” Mairaela followed up. Gwendolyn couldn’t help but laugh. Rotherham was known best for its cheeses, despite all of its other massive economic and diplomatic successes.

Joyona nodded her head.

“What about you, Mairaela?” Gwendolyn asked.

“Shathlenora,” Mairaela replied with a bit of pride in her voice. The woods of Shathlenora were known to produce some of the best Glade Wardens in the Summer Court.

Gwendolyn’s brow raised, “You know how to use a glaive?”

“A spear, in my case. And yes,” Mairaela nodded, “Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when my gift wasn’t something pertaining to that.”

Gwendolyn nodded her head. This new information about her cohort was interesting. Having spent so much time becoming trusting and comfortable through battle, it only just occurred to her that she didn’t really know much about them.

“And what about-...”

“Whoa, there, you haven’t told us about where you’re from, Dame Gwendolyn Mirabenise,” Mairaela said, holding up a hand to pause Gwen.

Gwendolyn rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Alright. I’m from Lannercost. Armskirk before that. My father is a landed knight and a-...” She paused, redirecting, “Uh-.. My mother is a Valkyrie of Morro.”

“Let me guess, she’s the First Valkyrie, or something?” Mairaela asked with a smirk.

Gwendolyn chuckled and shook her head, “No, that’s Harkroth. Mum is rank and file.”

“You still talk to them much?” Mairaela asked.

“Last heard from my father in the post when I was passing through Testament. It’s been weeks, but I’m sure I’ll get mail soon,” Gwendolyn elected to not mention her estranged mother’s lack of communication.

The trio sat in silence for a bit of time, enjoying their food, Joyona enjoying her drink. Eventually, the silence grew anxious.

“So,” Joyona started, immediately grabbing the attention of Gwen and Mairaela, “When are we going to start worrying about Tess?”