She sat on the back of the wagon watching the last golden beams of sunlight sink beyond the horizon behind them. Brushing the tears from her eyes, she clutched her satchel close to her and tried to smile. It wasn’t really as bad as it could be, she was with friends who cared about her, she was alive, and well fed. The only thing that could be left wanting was her home, her family. The only thing truly denied to her now.

Igraine laid fitfully that night, the ground beneath her hard and cold. She longed for her bed as she shifted closer to the fire. Accepting defeat to the rest that eluded her, she stood up and walked over to sit with Llyral. The wild cold and biting whispered through the trees, as though it were lamenting with the pain in her heart. Llyral sat idly plucking at the strings of his harp working a song into being. He listed his voice singing a haunting melody that filled Igraine’s body with warmth and calmed her aching soul. She smiled for the first time in days as his voice lilted and spun the story around her. His eyes were half closed as his hands moved across the harp caressing the strings, drawing out the last notes of the song.

“That was very lovely Master Llyral.” Igraine spoke barely above a whisper almost afraid to break the spell that the music had seemingly enchanted the air with. Llyral opened his eyes and gave her a lazy smile.

“Thank you Igraine. I am glad that my song could lift your heart. It is however, not nearly finished.”

“I wish that my words held the silver as those that fall from your lips, your songs Llyral.” She frowned slightly frustrated with her own lack of skill.

“They could, if you would but join us Igraine. I assure you that you are not lacking in talent, just that of skill. We could train you. I could train you.” She shook her head and stared at her hands placed in her lap.

“Llyral I cannot. I want to join you and travel with you, but I cannot steal. I cannot take what is not mine for the taking. I do not have the skill, nay the heart to tarry in underworld affairs. Please understand, I adore you, I adore your troupe but I cannot.” Llyral lifted his face towards the heavens and laughed heartily.

“I swear it Igraine, you speak and act so high. If I didn’t know better I would wager that you were a Banner Knight.” Igraine cringed at his words, as he stood and jested about how high born she seemed and how she would demand to be decked out in the silks befitting one of her station next. Though it was in good nature, Llyral soon came to realize that his jests were upsetting her. Unshed tears clung to the lashed of her eyes as she stared into the fire. “Igraine, forgive me. I wasn’t trying to mock you. Honestly, I did not know that I would bring you such grief to state that you were not noble born.”

“Llyral,” She began her voice thick with unshed tears, “That is precisely my dilemma. I am noble born. I know that you will not believe me.” Llyral’s expression softened as he sat down next to her. Feeling lost at how to mend the damage he had done he lifted his hands to her face and brushed the tears now escaping her eyes.

“I believe you.” He said to her softly, “Igraine I believe you, but I cannot believe it. What would you be doing here in the company of rogues? Why would you pay us to escort you to Talanth when you could ride in a litter surrounded by guardsmen?”

“I am running away.” It was barely a whisper, his ears straining to hear it.

“Why? Why would you run from a life like that? Did they hurt you?” She shook her head. “Then what? I don’t understand what could make you leave a life where you wanted for nothing.” Igraine sighed and lifted her eyes to look at him, he moved his hands from her face.

“Do you really want to know? Do you really care so much?” Llyral smiled at her and settle back. “Of course I do, I would like to think that you and I are friends. I care about you, your life, and your story. Besides, if it proved intriguing I could write a ballad about you.”

Beginnings:

“My Mother was born in the province of Sarus. She was the 5th daughter of Lord Richard Brantley. I have been told in my life the only task my Grandfather ever set out to do, and failed was producing an heir. My Grandmother died, as the previous wives of my Grandfather died. There were whispered suspicions of the nature of her death. Some believed that it was in fact at the hand of my Grandfather, a punishment for failing to produce an heir. None would speak out against him. Fear of the power that he wielded within the Knights of the Banner kept any from charging him with the deaths of the three wives that he had dealt with over time. He was a natural tactician, a Knight of the Silver Banner. Not someone to deal with lightly, nor make accusations against without solid proof of guild and a string of witnesses. If there were witnesses, there were none that would raise their voice against him.

My Mother Egrette was raised by her older sisters, my aunts. She did not know her Father well, rarely having a chance to see him until she was of the marriageable age. To my understanding my Grandfather and his advisors thought it best to send my Mother to be wed to a Lord of the Tiger in Talanth. From what my mother told me there were problems between the two organizations that went back long before her birth. It was thought that the marriage would help to deal some of that. The benefit was I believe for my Grandfather who had agents working in Talanth. She never told me if it was a match that she welcomed, my Mother was so instilled with a sense of purpose and her loyalty to her family that she never questioned her Father’s wishes.

I would like to say that my mother was happy in Talanth with my Father, but I do not believe it was so. I could tell from her stories of Sarus that she longed for her childhood home, as even now I long for mine. I was brought up in a small manor house that was set into a hillside. From the windows in my room you could gaze out at the forests that surrounded us. My Father Kurosi Tsao was a loving and gentle man. He doted on my Mother and I, bringing home any luxury that he thought might bring us joy. He was a retainer to his Father, an influential warrior among the Lords of the Tiger. More often then not he was away from us, but when he was there he filled the house with his laughter, his joy, and his love. In the summer of my 13th year my Father had succeeded where my Grandfather had not, by producing an heir. He was a beautiful little boy, with golden curls and wide almond shaped eyes. They named my Brother Tannan. I remember being afraid that my Father would now lose interest in me, due to the birth of his son. This fear however was completely unfounded. He still made time to spend with me alone. He taught me how to use the magic of the Arches of Spirit and Fire. While my tutor Master Duvel would teach me the Arche of Power and Body, only my Father would teach me how to manipulate the flame and spirit. He also taught me what bit of bard craft that I know. He taught me how to bring the harp to life with lilting melodies and how to harmonize my voice to the unearthly music of the instrument.

I was so happy with my life and my home. I never thought that it could all be taken away from me, but it was. It was just before my 17th year when word was brought to my Mother that my Father had been killed. I was not told what had happened to my Father. Agents of my Grandfather came to the manor and instructed my Mother of his death and then had her pack all of our belongings and leave. Most of our belongings had been packed into a wagon; only furniture and drapes remained within our home. It was in the middle of the night when I climbed into the litter with my Mother and Tannan. I held onto his small body and cried for our Father, who I would miss my entire life, and Tannan would never come to know.

We were brought to Sarus the childhood province that my Mother had missed since the day she departed to meet and marry my Father. I had earlier stated that our manor house was small, though it never seemed thus unit we came upon my Grandfathers stronghold. It could not even be called a house, for surely it was too large to be that. My Mother told us that it was a Keep. I came to realize that it must be called so because it was not only adapt at keeping things out, but also keeping things in. I spent about 2 years in my Grandfather’s Keep. My Mother kept herself occupied and left me and Tannan alone, spending most of her time in the solar weaving, and embroidering clothing with the other ladies of the household. There was quite a few times in my life there that they drew me into the solar with them to teach me the basics of the sewing craft. While I was not completely inept at the process it grew tedious and I longed to be able to play in the gardens with Tannan. We were you see, the only companion that the other had.

I loved Tannan, more than my own life, more than anything that I can describe. He was a quiet solemn child who would find himself content to sit on my lap beneath the trees as I read to him. I spent hours telling him all about our Father, determined that in his own way, through me Tannan would know him. We were never permitted to venture past the walls that enclosed us, but we had gardens to play were enough for a small child and his lonely sister. My life even there was interrupted when my Mother came to me one evening to help me dress my hair. She had told me that I was lucky that my Grandfather cared for me well enough to ensure that I was married into a house of prosperity. She had told me that her Father’s own cousin was in need of a wife and that I had been promised to him. I was in shock. I did not understand how a man that was charged with my well-being could promise me in marriage to a blood relative. I told my Mother as such, but she berated me for being ungrateful and for displaying no loyalty for the family. She told me that I had about a year until the wedding, more that enough time to create a gown befitting one of my station.

I did not know what to do. The more I thought about it the more it weighed on my heart. I tried time and again to get out of this fateful match. My Mother however would hear nothing of it. Then my Grandfather came home. He brought with him the nameless agent from Talanth and his cousin Mort Brantley, a Knight of the Azure Banner. While not as aged as my Grandfather he was a pitiless soul with a lecherous look about him as he gaped at his prize. It made me sick. The man was older than my Father had been, and while my Father had maintained grace with age this man was entirely lacking. He even tried suggesting that we need not wait for the marriage to partake of the benefits. My Mother was no help to me, stating again and again the need to have loyalty and a sense of duty for the family. I kept my room locked each night in fear that Mort would lose his sense of honor in the drink and come early to claim what my Grandfather had so generously gave him.

One morning I awoke Tannan asleep on the rug in front of my door. I shook him gently as to not frighten him. He opened his eyes and lifted his arms up to me to be carried inside. I locked the door behind us. When asked why he had waited outside of my door instead of sleeping in his room he told me that he had important things to tell me that could not be said with the morning meal. He told me first that Grandfather was sending him away to be fostered by a Knight that was training boys to be Knights. My brother said that this very day he was to be sent to Sir Ictus before the midday sun. I held my little brother, my very heart close to me and began to cry. With clumsy hands he smeared the tears on my face and told me that he also knew what had happened to our Father. He had snuck down to the kitchen the night before to see if he could filch some cheese and heard the men talking in the hall.

Tannan told me that he heard our Grandfather ask the man that brought us here, whose name Tannan heard to be Feihevar, for a full report on the occurrences in Talanth. He told me that he heard Feihevar state that he had successfully snuffed out Kurosi Tsao without placing even the slightest of suspicions on the Brantley household. Feihevar also told our Grandfather that he had secured our Father’s lands as an inheritance for Tannan and as requested, had set himself up as chamberlain until he is of age to claim it. He also heard our Grandfather and Mort making plans about me. Tannan had tears in his eyes as he held my hands with his own little ones. We both cried out about the injustice that our own Grandfather would not only order the death of our Father, but do all that he could to rip us away from each other. We both knew that we could not tell our Mother. It was Tannan out of the two of us that stated that she had probably already known.

I held my little brother in my arms. Our goodbyes were in private, for only us. Neither of us wanted our tormentors to see our grief. Both of us with, our voices thick with tears shed promised that we would find each other again. Tannan told me that I had to run away, that I had to leave. He could not, as I could not bear the thought of being married to that man. Especially after the horrid things that Tannan told me fell from his lips about me, and the Grandfathers calm acceptance of it all. Tannan handed me 20 crown that he told me had been taken from our Mother. I started to berate him for stealing but found that I could not. He took the money for me, to keep me safe. I could not in good conscience find fault in that. He told me that he did not want to know where I had gone, for surely once I was found missing they would come for him. He was sure that there were ways they could force the truth from him and he would rather it was not his to give them. Holding my hand then we walked out into the gardens where he showed me a bench that moved to produce a tunnel that lead out of the Keep. He told me that he found out about it from listening to Feihevar. I begged him to come with me. I told him that we could stay together, never look back. Even in his youth he was wiser than I. He told me that he was not only our Father’s heir, but also our Grandfather’s. Since none of his other Daughters had a son, and he himself could not, Tannan was all that he had. He would never stop searching for him. I watched my brother leave that day. Despite my resolve I still wept, knowing that it could very well be the last time I ever saw him. I waited until nightfall to begin to pack. I took only what money Tannan had given me, a few plain gowns, toiletries, and what food I could take from the kitchens. I had with me my Father’s spell book and cloak. I crept out into the gardens while the rest of the Keep slept. I was only in the city a matter of hours before I met you Llyral, and from that you know the rest.” Llyral sat back with a thoughtful expression on his face as Igraine once again turned her face to the fire.

“Igraine, I cannot leave you with us. You, as much as I enjoy having you with us are not safe here, especially if your Grandfather should come looking for you. I am not sure that we are strong enough to keep you from being taken. I have a friend I think may be able to help you, he is an Academy mage and his name is Cayden. They need people to complete menial tasks for them, and I am sure that they would welcome a healer into their group. They will also pay you, as I cannot promise that coin could come your way with us. There is no need to tell everyone about it. I will tell Cayden what he needs to know to be discrete but I would advise against repeating this tale that often. The Knights of the Banner are considered law. I will do all that I can for you, and I am here to help you as much as I can.”

“Thank you Llyral, I know that you will watch out for me, and help me as best as you can.” Igraine smiled slightly knowing that her friend would place her with people that can protect her, and she thought fondly of the future when she could reunite with Tannan.