Private Tales The Ten O'Clock News and the Morning Blues

[Faramund]

Have I? 'Course!' He had eaten, albeit last night. Right now, he wanted sleep more than he did food, but both those things could wait. 'No need to thank us, Byanka. If not for you, Roe would be climbing the walls by now.' Grinning, Faramund made sure to put the smaller knight between himself and Monroe. His fellow dawnling had a propensity for violence that some people found quite intimidating.

Personally, he thought it was kind of hot.

'Guess we'd better get moving, then,' he continued, nimbly nabbing a loaf of bread for himself. He still had some field rations left over from his previous patrol. Any additional supplies they could acquire en route.

Nodding towards the exit, Faramund led his sister-knights outside into the light of a new dawn. The air was still a little crisp, but full of promise.

'I asked Squires Tovarik and Koljak to get our horses ready. Should be ready... round 'bout now.'

Monroe Byanka Valkas

 

[Monroe]

Honeyed brown eyes would narrow at Faramund for his comment, but did not say a word when her expression could say it all for her better.
She waited for Byanka to step ahead of her and exit, her lips pursed into a line as she clocked the Squires bringing round their horses.... and Tovarik struggling to pull along Monroe's stubborn mare.

"It helps if you weren't afraid of being near her." She signaled the squire to stop, walking over to take over. The mare turned her head from the Sworn, and Monroe went ahead and gave her neck a nice brush down to coax her to move. "Thank you." The words felt foreign and odd upon her tongue. Securing her pack, the dawnling mounted up and looked to Byanka and Faramund.

"You have everything, Syr Valkas?" She asked in a gentle tone, looking to the younger Sworn. Not necessarily close friends of Byanka, she still had two fellow knights in her company, there to support her for this visit.

Byanka Valkas Faramund

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka followed Faramund out of the Knoll and the three knights made their way to their waiting horses. Byanka mounted her own horse, who seemed to be much calmer and trusting than Monroe's mare.

Byanka nodded at Monroe, gesturing to her saddlebags. The letter from her father still rested like a heavy weight in her trousers' pocket.

"You don't have to call me Valkas. It's my father's name," she said. She wasn't normally one for formalities, especially now when Lady Valkas was ringing around in her head like alarm bells.

Once all three of them were ready, they would head out, sticking to the road. It would lead directly to Kavvin Valkas' estate. It would be a relatively easy journey, except for the six hours in between where Byanka's mind would be left to wander.

Faramund Monroe

 

[Faramund]

Leaving the monastery behind them, the three knights rode out into the wild expanse of the Valen. Greenery extended in all directions as far as the eye could see. Beneath the shade of overhanging branches, the air was cold and wet.

Leaf litter marked the road and its verges, a fading sign of the winter just gone.

'Never thought about making it your own?' Faramund asked, riding alongside Byanka, his attention split between her and the world before them. 'Valkas is an old, proud name, and yet... you seem ashamed to bear it.' He frowned, shrugged. 'Not that it's any of my bloody business, of course. Still, you can take pride in the woman you've become, Syr Valkas.'

Byanka Valkas Monroe

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka felt heavy. The weight she carried on her shoulders, in her mind, on her back; even her father's name added to the weight. It was a strange thing, really- it had never really bothered her before. But now that it was to fully be hers, it felt different. It felt... wrong. Like it belonged to someone else. Like she wasn't worthy of it.

She turned to Faramund, thinking for a moment before she replied to him. "No," she replied to his question. She had never thought of it often- it was her name and she responded to it out of habit. "But I'm not ashamed of it, I just... never had to truly bear the weight of the name Valkas,"

After another moment of silence, she spoke again. "What sort of woman have I become?" she asked. She did not mean to get into a philosophical discussion with Faramund, but she was genuinely curious what he thought of her.

She wondered if she should have kept her mouth shut; if she was making it awkward or uncomfortable. It would have been easier (though much more boring) to pass the journey in silence.

Faramund Monroe

 

[Monroe]

Monroe kept her mouth shut, listening and observing Byanka and Faramund. He was right to say she could make it her own, just as Monroe made Cathmore her own. It was her reminder of what happened to the township named after her family. One day she would make right what happened to the sea side town, and give a home to those who need it. She had a fortune to her name, one entrusted with a bank in Alliria, with the hope that one day it will be used to set up the township again.

"The young woman I have seen grow up with the Order is Syr Valkas. You fight alongside us, bravely, and I am sure the friends you have made will sing your praises. You were free to be yourself." Monroe's horse came to ride astride Byanka and Faramund, the former now between the two dawnlings. "You need not change to fit the bill your father expects of you."

Her own return to her childhood home would not magically bring her back to the happy child she was. Instead, her defesenses and hardened resolve had made Monroe grow into a fiercesome knight.

Her eyes flicked up to meet Faramund's dark hues, nodding to him. "Valkas has always been your name too, Byanka. It does not change who you are."

Byanka Valkas Faramund

 

[Faramund]

Faramund opened his mouth to reply, but before he could... 'Couldn't have said it better myself!' He smiled, exchanged a nod with Monroe. His gaze swivelled back to Byanka. For all he talked, the dawnling had his doubts. Finding and saying the right thing in moments like these weren't easy.

Byanka was strong, smart enough to take Monroe's words in good faith.

A little bit of honesty. He nearly snorted. When was the last time he had been honest with anyone? 'We are who we are... and we do what we can.' Grinning, he shook his head, embarrassed and somewhat perturbed by how easily those particular words had flowed. We are who we are... what a joke! Blinking, Faramund looked to the two knights riding alongside him.

What was that Roe had said? About friends?

'Roe tells the truth. Not the other day, I was catching up with Gruki-... well, Syr Gruki now, and for one reason or another, your name came up.' He smiled, then. Knowingly. 'She looks up to you. Funny, I know! Damn girl puts the Eldyr Tree to shame, so tall and green is she!' Faramund laughed. 'Still, she lauds your abilities, praises your resolve. None of us have had it easy. And yet... we persevere, press on in spite of what the world throws at us.'

Faramund looked away. He wasn't sure if he was speaking to Byanka or to a deeper, darker part of himself. A part no-one could ever know about, for fear of how they might react.

'Just keep being you, Byanka. No matter what your father has to say.'

Byanka Valkas Monroe

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka could not help her smile as both the knights spoke encouraging words. She blinked a bit when Faramund mentioned Gruki's name and gave her a... strange smile. As if he knew something she didn't.

She swallowed. "Thank you, that means a lot. Truly," she replied. She was glad the two of them had come along with her. It eased her mind and her headache faded a bit. Perhaps this trip wouldn't be so awful after all.

---

Six hours (give or take) later, Lord Valkas' estate rose into view through the trees. His land was in a hilly area; and trees encircled his large home. Byanka slowed her horse as she took it all in. It brought back memories she hadn't thought about in a good while.

She turned to look at Faramund and Monroe. It was just after noon, and the sun was high in the sky. She knew that her father would want them to stay for dinner and spend the night, even if he lay dying; especially considering his three visitors consisted of knights of the Order.

Faramund Monroe

 

[Monroe]

Monroe raised her brows, impressed by the estate the Lord Valkas kept.

"You grew up here?" She asked. It was something stately, well kept, and perhaps more orderly than the large home she had grown up in.

They rode up until the receiving party, a representative patiently waiting for the three to dismount. "Spied you and your company from down the hill. Forgive us, we were not properly prepared for an arrival so soon..." The butler explained, albeit with a pleasant smile to the three Sworn.

Monroe dismounted, pulling at the tips of her riding gloves one by one before pulling them both off each hand.

"It was quite a last minute decision. Sorry for not sending word ahead of us." She attempted a smile, but the genuine politeness she tried to muster was undermined by her frowning brows.

Byanka Valkas Faramund

 

[Faramund]

'No need to apologise, Syr!' The butler replied, all airs and graces. 'His Lordship is a gracious host, as you are all no doubt aware. Not to mention, he has grown rather... fond of your Order over the many years he has ruled here.' A fair assessment, Faramund mused, though he could not help but notice the pause in between.

Following Monroe's example, the big dawnling made to dismount.

Having ridden nonstop for just under six hours, it was with some small relief Faramund slid from his saddle to stand on his own two feet. The butler, who he knew to be an old, dedicated servant of House Valkas, stared passively at the three knights as they took a look around.

'If you would please follow me, I shall take you to see His Lordship! Don't worry about your horses. They will be taken good care of.' Turning on his heel, the butler began to lead them up the hill towards the front of the manse. Attendants and stablehands awaited them there, rushing to get ready. The sight made Faramund smile.

Not going to lie, this place really is quite peaceful.

Sunlight glistened through the treetops lining the gravelled path as they walked. Beyond, Faramund could see a number of gardeners winding between the hedgerows and flower patches, secateurs snip-snipping busily as they went.

'Is this how you remember it being?' He asked Byanka, his voice low and even.

Byanka Valkas Monroe

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka remembered very well the butler that arrived to guide them inside- Seamus Barrow was a loyal man, and had served her father for as long as she could remember. He recognized her as well- there was that familiar twinkle in his eye when he looked upon her. He was polite and elegant to Monroe and Faramund as he led them down the path to the manor itself.

The stone turrets came into view the closer they got to the manor. It was in fact the same as Byanka remembered it- nothing had changed, at least on the outside. As the three knights walked, heads turned in their direction, and she wondered how many of them recognized her.

She nodded at Faramund's question. "It was all... bigger. Though likely because I was smaller,"

She was nervous about what she would see on the inside. Her father's wife- or past wife, since he had said in his later she had died and he had never remarried- had had a tendency to decorate things in the most garish way possible. Now that she was dead, what would it look like?

They entered the manor at last, the air inside the large stone building cool. Byanka was surprised at how dull it looked inside. There were little decorations and none in colors other than green, grey, or brown. She was glad for it, in a way.

Barrow led them to a side room, promising refreshments while he announced their arrival to Kavvin Valkas. She wondered if her father would come down to see them, but she doubted it. What memories she had of him painted him a tad dramatic, and the way he wrote his letter did nothing to change that picture.

Byanka sat on the edge of a chair, glancing around the sparsely furnished room. The outside was certainly prettier than the inside, and it felt much emptier and quieter than she remembered. She supposed her father couldn't host nearly as much people when he was on his deathbed.

Monroe Faramund

 

[Monroe]

There was a certain atmosphere clinging to these haunted halls of the manor, something that seemed to keep Monroe uncertain with every step following Byanka and the butler. She made no move to speak, or to share a quiet glance to Faramund. The dawnling felt as if she would ingest the sickness clinging to this home if she tried to say something.

And so she stayed on her feet as they were brought to a room to wait in. Monroe felt restless, but did her best to remain still as she stood to look out a window.

She knew this feeling. Had felt it over a decade ago after walking her town a day after the massacre, had walked home from the sea and felt smothered with the death hanging about.

Monroe was certain Byanka's father was to die, could feel it close and inside this very home.

"Did you keep any friends when you were a child here?" There. Contribution to the small conversation Faramund and Byanka were having.

Faramund Byanka Valkas

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka felt as if she were balancing on a precipice. Monroe's words reached her as if she were underwater and she had to take a moment to return to her senses somewhat before she could answer.

"Not really. It was just me and my mother," She had never had any close friends. While she had been here, nearly everyone was too afraid of her father's wife to even acknowledge Byanka's existence.

She didn't to think about it for too long, before Barrow returned. He gestured for her to follow. So Kavvin Valkas would not be greeting his guests. It must truly be bad. Byanka followed the butler up a spiral staircase and down a hall, stopping outside of a pair of doors she knew led to her father's chambers.

After only a moment's hesitation, she opened the doors and stepped inside. She moved through the front sitting room into his bedroom, where he lay on mountains of pillows, covered to his neck in blankets. A nurse sat in a chair in the corner. She glanced up when Byanka entered and quickly excused herself.

Byanka moved slowly towards her father's bedside. He was awake, and his gaze followed her as she drew near. She barely recognized him- the years had not been kind to him. His hair was no longer the same shade of brown hers was- it was a white gray. His eyes had faded from their original vibrant green, and his jovial, loud personality seemed to have faded as well. She could tell he had thinned, even beneath the blankets.

"Byanka... is that really you?"

Even his voice sounded thinner. Byanka nodded. "You asked me to come, and so I came," she replied, her voice soft.

Something like a smile colored his thin, wrinkled face. "You're not a child anymore. You... you look just like your mother," His smile faded, but an energy arrived in his gaze, making his green eyes a bit brighter. "You have to know- I loved your mother, it's why I sent you a way," he paused to cough. Byanka turned to call the nurse back in but he gripped her wrist. She looked back at him and he shook his head, swallowing hard. "I couldn't stand to look at you, not when you reminded me so much of her. But now... I'm going to see her soon, I'd give anything to see her again."

Faramund Monroe

 

[Faramund]

'A lonely existence.' Faramund sympathised. For the longest time, he had been unsure of his place in the world, and what his presence meant to the people around him. The Order had been a beacon of hope, in the early days, before he had discovered his true purpose in life.

Or rather before Bebin Theros had discovered it for him.

The butler reappeared. Glancing toward Monroe, the dawnling followed Byanka from the room and up the spiral staircase. When they reached the corridor leading to the Lord's chambers, he paused, sat down on a window ledge overlooking the courtyard below. Whatever lay ahead was for Byanka's eyes and ears only.

'If you need us...' The words went unsaid.

Watching the dusker disappear into the room beyond, Faramund turned to look out of the window. His own thoughts began to wander as he studied the clouds drifting oh-so slowly across the clear blue sky. To family... and the ties that bound.

'You okay, Roe?' Turning away from the view, he looked up at her. He tried to smile, but for once he couldn't manage it. 'You've been awfully quiet of late. More than usual, I mean.' Tucking his knees to his chest, the knight gestured to the ledge beside him, inviting her to sit.

'This place... there's something about it. The air is heavy here, like fog on a cold winter's morning.' He grimaced, shook his head. 'It's hard to explain.'

Monroe Byanka Valkas

 

[Monroe]

Monroe followed Faramund, who trailed behind Byanka and the butler leading them to the bedchambers of Lord Valkas. She lingered by the end of the hall, watching as Faramund too stayed back and assured Byanka they would wait for her. The butler nodded to them each as he left, and Monroe's fists curled inside the pockets of her riding jacket. Her honeyed eyes stared out the window again, admiring the new view.

This side of the estate still had the same neat exterior, no doubt meticulous effort on the staff's behalf.

'You okay, Roe?'

Monroe stiffened for a second before tearing her gaze from the window. He was sat down at the window, a small surface allowing him to perch on. He invited her to take up the space beside him, and with the memory of the annoyance she held for him for what he did outside the Knoll, she shirked it after him talk about the feeling she had been smothered by.

"I never thought I would feel that again. Death lingering in a home." Even as she moved to sit, she put as much distance as the ledge would allow between herself and Faramund. Even with their newfound venture of each other, she still was unsure of what she wanted from him. How she was now willing to be pull away from both her fellow knights... there was something in the back of her mind that wished for the warm embrace of his arms... but she did not make a move towards him. "At least she gets to see her father before he goes." Her eyes lifted to rest on the closed double doors that lead to the very rooms Byanka stood in. Perhaps they should have sent their thoughts with the young dusker?

Byanka Valkas Faramund

 

[Byanka Valkas]

A silence stretched between father and daughter. His hand was still firm around her wrist, his eyes beseeching her forgiveness. She didn't know what to make of his words- he had loved her mother? Byanka hadn't thought that was the case but then she had been a child, oblivious to adult matters like love. She thought it ought to make her feel better, and though she could understand now why her father had sent her away, she still wished he hadn't. She wished he (and the rest of his household) had treated her with some form of human decency, while her mother had still been alive.

She blinked a couple times as if to clear her head before speaking. "You want me to succeed you when you die." Her voice was soft, and she avoided challenging her father on his claims of love for her mother. He claimed love for Byanka's mother, not Byanka.

Kavvin released Byanka's arm and sagged into his pillows, clearing his throat softly. "It seems my way of life has finally caught up to me. The doctors do not expect me to live more than a month or two longer. I thought it pertinent that I name my heir, and who better than my own daughter, who is also a Knight of Anathaeum? Our alliance with the order will be strengthened, Byanka, don't you see that?"

He paused to catch his breath, allowing Byanka a few moments with her thoughts. The nurse returned to attend to her father, effectively dismissing her. The older woman promised Byanka would get to see him and talk to him again tomorrow, but now he needed to rest.

Byanka backed out of the room, turning to face Monroe and Faramund, who were waiting for her by a window across the hall from the doors to her father's rooms.

Monroe Faramund

 

[Faramund]

'Mmm.' Some small consolation, that. 'Not many of us do.' Many among the Order were orphans. Boys and girls without kith and kin to return to. Monroe, for one, had come to join the Chrysanthemums after her hometown had been burnt and razed to the ground, her parents along with it. Few knew the truth nor the extent of her past. Just as few people knew of his.

Or the lack thereof.

I didn't exist beyond twelve years ago. The revelation still sickened and shook him. Twelve years! All of them, lies. 'I suppose we make our peace how we can, when we can.' Glancing at Monroe, Faramund huffed, bowed his head. Peace, he thought, what a joke!

There was a sound from down the hall.

Leaning out from their window alcove, Faramund slipped to his feet as Byanka wandered into view. 'That was quick!' He remarked, a grimace forming as he realised just how callous he sounded. 'Is your father okay?' A pause. 'Are you?'

Monroe Byanka Valkas

 

[Monroe]

Monroe had been about to speak, to ask Faramund a question that soon died behind her lips as Byanka returned. She kept her seat, angling her head to peer at the dusker and determine what had happened in that bedchamber. At least she did not look too distraught, a sign that her father had not passed.

"Shall we take a walk about the estate?" She asked instead. One would find it difficult to make decisions when Death hovered so closely in this home. "Clear your head, and I think I would prefer stretching my legs after the ride here."

Her head turned to peer out the window, the soft light illuminating her face. "The staff keep the grounds well maintained. I would like to see it before we leave for Astenvale." She was under the impression they would only need a few hours here, perhaps regretting asking Faramund here but she was right in saying he was a better support than her. He had asked Byanka how her father fared, and how she felt after that reunion.

But Monroe could only feel the Death lingering, the memories wishing to be recalled forth for her to process again.

Byanka Valkas Faramund

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka felt as if she had interrupted something when she rejoined her fellow knights in the hall. She paused a moment before answering Faramund's question.

"I don't know what to do," she said softly. It was the truth. She thought once more about her options- she could take her father's place and become Lady Valkas, or she could turn him down and continue on as a Knight for the order. But either way, her conscious would not leave her alone. She would feel guilty for abandoning the knights when her prospects looked up, or she would feel guilty for letting her father die without an heir, letting his estate and assets fall to pieces.

Was there some sort of achievable middle ground here? Byanka didn't know, and she felt trapped by the choices she had to make.

After a moment, Byanka nodded at Monroe. A walk around the grounds would be nice. It was so... empty and cold within these stone walls. Byanka had never spent much time inside as a child, anyway- she spent most of her days roaming the gardens and trees that surrounded the stone manor.

The three knights would descend the stairs to the first floor once more, passing by the butler as they left. Byanka told him they were going to take a few turns around the grounds, and he assured her that three rooms and a dinner would be prepared for them upon their return.

Monroe Faramund

 

[Faramund]

Faramund grimaced. If the questions swirling around inside Byanka's head had answers, they weren't forthcoming. 'Let's talk about it,' he said, following her down the stairs and out into the surrounding gardens.

Faramund had always found the rustling of leaves relaxing. There was a cool breeze blowing in from the west. Gentle, it pulled at his cloak, and robbed the day of some of its heat. 'Your father's done a good job of keeping this place in check.' The Valen Wilds were known as such for a reason. Untamed, vibrant beyond recourse, it was a land free of civilisation as most folk knew it.

Faramund liked it a great deal. How... freeing it felt to roam its forests, to drink from its brooks, to interact with the places and peoples that called the Valen home. People like Kavvin Valkas.

Eldyr Tree keep him!

'Tell us what's on your mind, Byanka.' Descending a flight of stone steps into the garden proper, Faramund cut a meandering path between the rows of flowerbeds and trees. Petals like white-gold fell to be swooped up by the wind. The big dawnling swiped one mid-air, sheltered it in the cup of his hands.

'How do you feel on the matter? I imagine you're contemplating your choices right now, seeing them how they're presented to you,' he turned to show her the petal he had caught. 'And not how you wish to see them.'

Monroe Byanka Valkas

 

[Monroe]

Faramund took charge in asking the questions Monroe did not think to ask, or rather, was unsure of where to start. She was grateful that he had fatefully appeared when he had at dawn, and that he accepted despite doubting his own capability in handling this. Monroe knew he was the right choice, because he was the only one that truly knew how to pry out the more private details of her history out from her.

She turned to give him a momentary look before casting her honeyed eyes out to the grounds, leaving Byanka the opportunity to think on his words and answer.

"How long did you secure us time to be away, Fara?" Perhaps giving a deadline could help the young dusker come to a decision, or give her ease of mind that she may not necessarily needed to make her mind up today, or tomorrow. Without knowing how long left her father had... that was a more vague deadline to work with.

Byanka Valkas Faramund

 

[Byanka Valkas]

Byanka was truly glad Monroe and Faramund had come along. This journey would have been downright awful if she had been by herself.

She turned to Faramund as he spoke, showing her a petal he had caught. There were others like it floating on the breeze, and the scent of flowers drifted with them. Her father really had kept up with the grounds. More so than the inside of his manor. She supposed he thought he ought to keep outward appearances up, even as he crumbled away on the inside.

"I want to continue to serve the order, but I don't want to leave my father hanging either," she replied. It was rather a simplified version of what was going on in her head, but the truth nonetheless. "I don't see how I could do both,"

Faramund Monroe

 

[Faramund]

'For Byanka? A week.' Faramund shrugged. 'No rest for the wicked. Time waits for no man. You know how it is.' The world would not wait for her to sort out her affairs. Their enemies, less so. But the higher-ups knew the importance of morale, just as they knew they couldn't spare three competent knights for too long.

'I'll be heading back tomorrow. Roe, you've got three days.'

It is what it is. Walking, talking, the dawnling drew up short alongside the centrepiece of the gardens; a stone fountain, eight feet tall and ten wide. Water flowed, cascading, waterfalling down to create ripples in the stone-damned disk at the bottom.

There was a bench nearby. Sitting down, Faramund contemplated Byanka's words, made remark.

'Perhaps a regent could rule in your stead?' He suggested, fumbling for the right words. 'Someone to manage and watch over your father's domains in your absence. It's that... or you could seek out a suitable heir? Surely your Lord-father had kin, brothers and nephews and the like.' House Valkas need not end, only one side of it. 'Or... or you take up the mantle.'

The Order were not gaolers. They did not hold their own knights against their will. If she wished to leave, to take up her father's responsibilities, she could.

A big decision, wrought with uncertainty. But ultimately her call to make.

'Sit!' he said. 'Mull it over.'

Monroe Byanka Valkas

 

[Monroe]

Three days? That meant two days alone with the young Knight, and already she felt overwhelmed at the idea of taking over talking Byanka calmly through this.

She was afraid to say the wrong thing when Faramund knew the right things to say and ask.

"If you leave the Order, I do not doubt they will receive you again if you wished to return after finding a successor."

She too once had something to inherit, a home and a legacy. It surely was likened to wasteland now, abandoned homes and stained beaches. That was the legacy she was left with now.

Monroe remained standing, something she often did to allow her to be detached, off to the side.

 

[Byanka Valkas]

A week. She had a week to make this life-changing decision, and she felt as if it were both too much time and not enough. She was silent for a moment as she considered what she would do for a week; how she would decide.

The trio stopped at a fountain in the center of the garden. She remembered this fountain, remembered sitting where Faramund sat now and reading, enjoying the gentle spray of water on the back of her head.

"If he had kin who could take over he wouldn't have asked me to come," she replied to Faramund's suggestion. Though his first suggestion hadn't exactly been a bad idea... A regent of sorts, someone to rule in her name, keep the estate running while she served the Order. She could travel back and forth whenever they would allow her.

It was certainly worth thinking over more, and so she took Faramund's offer and sat down on the marble bench bordering the fountain.

At Monroe's statement, she nodded once more- if she did decide to forgo a regent and take complete control, once she had her father's estate- her estate- in hand, she could return to the order and put an heir or regent in charge.

Byanka at least was certain that she did not want to give this opportunity up; she would not let any relative, however distant, coerce her into giving it up. She knew her father had been an only child, and his own father was long dead. He had no living immediate family besides Byanka herself, and the duty of procuring an heir would fall to her.

Faramund Monroe