Private Tales Before Lionesses

[Kaelen Silverblood]

It was good to be back to work after everything back home for Kaelen. The lose of his father, his eldest brother becoming head of the house, and his second eldest brother taking the Silverblood seat on the noble council had all happened so closely together that it was a blur. An emotionally unstable blur. But he had his latest mission given to him by his brother and so duty demanded action once more.

It was not back to Elbion that Kaelen found himself heading towards this time around. A new group on the mainland had come to their attention. This group was interesting as well since they were known for war and being matriarchal. Wealth and women. A very interesting combination indeed. That was as far as they knew about this group however and it was up to Kaelen to find out more for Mystmarch. Not the first time he was sent in for diplomacy without some previous conflict being attached to it, but certainly not the usual way of things for him. He was to travel alone as well, which was completely new. It was also dangerous and idiotic but he wasn't about to say no.

After landing at the nearest port city, Kaelen was forced to find a caravan that knew the location where he was going. After a bit of haggling, he managed to secure himself transport. After a couple of days the city of Shambhala came into view. It was impressive. Beauty and heavy fortifications mixed together in a way that spoke truth into what little he had heard of the people inside.

Kaelen stepped out of the caravan once it got into the outer edges of the city and walked about. His legs felt stiff from the lack of activity. It also gave him a chance to find a guard of some kind. He had spoken with the caravan owner a bit and learned a bit more about these new people. Women were not just high up on the social hierarchy but dominated it to the point that men were strictly limited to where he was at now. Good he found that out or else he likely would have lost his head entering their inner district.

It did not take Kaelen long to find a guard. No matter where you went they all had the same habits and mannerisms. He stopped them and handed them a letter addressed to their leadership. It contained the Mystmarch seal and detailed out who Kaelen was and why he was in the city. With that task done all he needed to do was wait and see what they wanted him to do next and where to do it at.

 

[Arslan Lionheart]

​

You know why habit rhymes with rabbit? 'cuz your whole life disappears down a rabbit hole. When you grow long sensitive ears to better hear the sounds of sirens coming for you, it becomes an instinct to escape down that hole before your predators find you. Well, it seemed Arslan is the rabbit and her inner desires for tranquility in her existence is her predator. She wanted no secrets, no lies, no betrayals so she could at least live with herself without waking up in broken dreams and despair. But what happens when the darkness in your life comes crawling back, lurking in the deepest, darkest shadows just waiting for the right moment to strike again -- well that big fat cloud of darkness in her life are all the mistakes she made in her past. It's almost always impossible to get rid of it, one reason why is because that dark energy clings to the vulnerable and the innocent she seeks to protect.

She had been exposed to much in the coming weeks...the lessons she had learned and the wisdom she had reaped exposed her mind to understandings that she found herself agreeing with more and more...although even her own logic prevented her from fully giving herself into the ancient teachings of her people. And as her gaze wandered over the hustle and bustle of her Queendom the maiden could only stare with a trace of annoyance upon her features. Call it instinct or simply a womans intuition but something within the Lionesses bones told her that it was going to be a very long day.

Unaware of her guest who had arrived at the gates Arslan remained nestled in bed with her pet who remained tucked behind her head like some kind of human pillow~ Laziness had become something of a luxury these days. Working herself to the bone for weeks on end had begun to take its toll on the woman and her council practically forced her on temporary bed rest for a couple of days.

Stress was a killer apparently, but sitting in bed all day felt as if it were only killing her faster. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath Arslan pushed herself off of her pet and sat up, rolling her broad shoulders and stretching herself out as an audible yawn escaped her throat. Running her fingers through that riven of golden hair and swinging her legs over the edge of her bed to prepare for her long day. And just as her feet graced the marble floors of her palace a loud audible knock slammed into the surface of her golden doors, forcing Arslan to grimace from the abrupt sound that rang through the hollows of her room.

~Enter~ She would command, lifting a leg and crossing it over her knee as her door slowly swung open, a tall dark skinned woman entering Arslans private chambers with an envelope in hand; her orange eyes falling upon Arslan and giving a respectful bow as she approached the Empress and slowly sunk to a single knee, bowing her head and presenting the letter to the Lioness, making the blonde haired woman sigh deeply and take the letter from the other. ~My Wrath, we talked about these needless displays of formalities so early in the morning. Please rise~ She'd muse in her native tongue, the larger woman slowly nodding and standing to her feet beside the Empress.

Arslan took a moment to examine the letter she had received, taking note of the seal stamped onto the surface before opening it up to examine the contents. Her eyes widened in surprise at the details the note possessed, her gaze shifting over to Khali as her brow arched.

~I see...i trust our 'guest' is being taken care of then?~ Arslan questioned, Khali giving a nod of agreement quickly after.

~Yes, he is being escorted to the Golden Estate as we speak.~ Khali replied, setting Arslans mind at ease as the Lioness stood up from her position and making her way towards her wardrobe.

~Excellent, i will be there shortly. Instruct Sa'vahk to provide our foreign guest with proper entertainment.~ Arslan demanded, Khali giving a bow and taking her leave to find Sa'vahk who was off gallivanting somewhere in the palace.

​

Meanwhile, outside the main city walls within one of the inner rings of the Queendom the foreign guest would be looked after by Shay, an younger woman who escorted the stranger to the Golden Estate, a grand building within the first ring of the city where male ambassadors and officials from other nations were held for hearings with the Empress of Shambhala given the strict gender restrictions placed upon the city. The dark skinned woman brought the man to the Estate and brought him inside the main hall, a colorful and vibrant interior decorated with fine fabrics and masked with the scent of Incense which filled the halls.

Shay turned to face the stranger and gave him a smile from underneath her Veil as she gestured an arm outward for him to enter. "Please, make yourself at home Voa'Silver, i will inform you when Her Majesty arrives~" She would tell him, lifting her hands and clapping them so they rang out within the halls, and as if summoning a horde several other veiled women came pouring from different rooms into the main hall, quickly surrounding the man as the inspected the foreigner and giggled among themselves. Muttering to one another in their native tongue, clearly fascinated by the stranger.

"Meanwhile they will keep you company, ~Settle down ladies and treat him nicely~ Apologies, they have never seen a foreigner before." She would must, snapping at the other women in their home tongue before switching back to speak to the male. The women all waved off Shay and grabbed Silverblood by the arm, pulling him away from Shay and leading him towards the main lounge.

Kaelen Silverblood

 

[Kaelen Silverblood]

The waiting lasted a bit of time, which Kaelen expected given he had literally just shown up without warning, but not as long as he could have. As he looked around he began to notice some things. There was only, or only, men around this area. And none of them were wearing anything half as nice as what he had on. Kaelen had on some custom made clothing for the trip, given how hot it was in this part of the world. He found himself wearing a loose and breathable shirt with pants of the same make. His pants were simply gray with some blue trim while his shirt was blue with some gray and trimmed in silver thread. Tied on sandals covered his feet and ran up his shins. A scarf was around his neck that was blue with silverthread designs of seabirds and seacreatures in it. He could also use it to cover his head from the heat. A little trick he picked up during a past campaign. He had his longsword tied across his back and a longknife on his right hip. The knife was the only real weapon he could use in this set up, but that was for the best. Stormedge was not the most friendly weapon in a city setting.

The men were dressed as laborers and slaves from what Kaelen had seen, which made him feel like he stuck out. This was made all the more so when his guide finally arrived. The woman had dark skin, amber eyes, and red hair creating a unique combination he had yet to see in the area. She was finely dressed as well and did little to hide her curves. A fact he was rather enjoying as she led him to where he was suppose to meet their Queen.

The place she took him too was a richly made building. All the gold and marble that went into it too made it obvious they wanted to show off their wealth and leave an impression. It certainly did both with Kaelen. It was called the Estate according to this Shay that was his guide. The inside was even more of spectacle than the outside. If he had to describe it in one word then luxury was the first that came to mind.

When Shay motioned for Kaelen to enter, he gave her a friendly smile and said, "Leaving me so soon? Here I was hoping to spend my entire time with the most lovely guide in the entire city." He would follow up with a wink. Once inside, he was caught off guard twice. First by the sudden clapping from Shay and then from the appearance of so many other lovely women. All of them wore veils as well. It was a bit sad that he hadn't had a single good look at any of their faces, but their clothing was just as unrestricted as Shay's.

This felt like a trap. Yeah definitely was one. It was not unusual for officials to use women to lower the guard of their guests to gain a political edge, but this was taking it a step further. Not only were they using women but the top officials were all women as well. And from what little Kaelen had seen of this city so far he was in the worst possible position given his habits. Perhaps it would be best to take control of the tempo a bit himself.

As the lovely ladies began to drag him off to the lounge, Kaelen gave them all a playful smirk. "Now now ladies. No need to be so hasty. The pleasure is in taking our time." A wink followed and a chuckle.

Once they got him into the lounge, Kaelen made sure to get some distance. He never turned his back on them as he did. Once he was at least arms length away, he said, "If my lovely guide's words are to be believed, then I'm the first foreigner as well as Mystmarcher you have all seen." He paused to judge their reactions. It was probably best they were a group right now. He couldn't help himself if it was a face to face interaction with a single woman. In that situation he always focused entirely on them and that got him into trouble. But like this he could actually focus on something else.

Motioning to his hair and beard, Kaelen went on. "You see we Mystmarchers are great traders. So much so that our hair itself is made of silver and gold." He repeated the same with his eyes as he smirked impishly to them. "My eyes as well and others have gems instead."

"But there is something else you absolute delights to my silvery eyes would never be able to guess." Kaelen said to them in a fashion almost like a bard telling a tale. "It is not just my hair and my eyes that flows with silver. So does my blood as well!" In one smooth motion he had his longknife in hand and made a minor cut along his palm. Silvery red droplets began to slowly drip to the floor. A little tavern trick he had developed with a Companion friend of his back in his university days. Who knew he would be doing it again in his life and so far from Mystmarch at that.

Arslan Lionheart