~ Tal. Trust me, this one's diffrent from the rest of the highborn. He gave his friend a smile full of warmth. It had been a couple of weeks since Devon last smiled. A few years back he'd been a boy filled with hopes and dreams. A rising star amongst my students. His swordskill as unparalleled as his charisma. His father was a decent nobleman. His mother a maid. Still he was raised as a lesser noble instead of a streetwelp. His proficency with the sword was discovered early on aswell. The kid was like a luckcharm. His father begged me to let him join the class I was teaching at the time. Two weeks of nonstop pestering. After I thought that he'd finally given up on his quest he challenged me to a duel. In the country of Varst one was forced by law to take on any proposition of a duel if it was done by a noble. Even if the man in question was a lesser one. After seeing his father being beaten so badly the young man attacked me infront of the crowd that had gathered in the square. In accordance to the law I had the right to kill him then and there. However such things were never really my thing, so I beat him blue and told him to show up for class the coming morning. The memory of it made Tal smile to himself. Devon stared at his old teacher for a second before Tal finally gave a nod of acceptance. His jump for joy turned a few heads in the marketplace but none deemed it worth of their time and they quickly went back to their everyday business.
~ So how much is she willing to pay? Devon jerked to a stop as he slowly turned around.
~ Well since It's just a quick trip to a small village I might have told her that it was on the house. He blushed as he spoke. Tal gripped the hilt of his sword and swung towards him with the intent of cutting his head off right there. Dev had anticipated the reaction and was already running and climbing up the wall of a nearby house. He took off after him. There were a few close calls where Dev almost lost his head but Tal got tired of all the running and jumping and had begun sulking as he walked down the road towards the nobles estates.
~ Anything else I should know before we get there? Tal shouted out so that Dev could hear him since he was walking thirty feet away from him and his sword. Dev decided to walk next to his friend. Close enough to lose his head but not close enough to get beaten up by the grumpy old man's hands. He muttered to himself as he walked beside him, something along the lines of "If he speaks there's a chance you're forgiven." He nodded to himself as he pondered on the question. The old man's face was turning red with anger yet again. Before he could decide on killing his former apprentice or not he answered.
~ She want's to buy a poltice for her grandfather. So I suggested Reina's store two villages over. She's always been good to me so I was hoping to impress her with a discount.
The Versail estate was one of the bigger estates in the city. Made entirerly of white marble the building was as impressive as it was grand. The style didn't stop there, in the courtyard white trees had been planted aswell as several patches of white flowers. Tal stared at them through the gate as the guards were talking to what seemed to be a butler. Row's of bearded irises, baby's breath, common snowdrop's and even some stephanotis with a white base. Something in the far back caught his attention as the butler and guards walked towards them. A hint of red hidden behind all of the white. Before he could think on it further the gates slowly opened and the butler gestured for them to enter.
~ Sir Devoun of house Quarst. The lady is awaiting you and your friend in the lower gallery. Dev nodded and walk towards the entrence. Tal's eyes kept coming back to the spot he had seen, red in a ocean of white. A singular red rose stood in the middle of a patch of white lillies. A stark contrast to the rest of the area. He followed after Dev with a few quick steps before he went back to a normal pace. Dev swung the doubledoor open like he owned the place. The few servants around paid him no heed. It seemed this had happened more than ones before. Tal bowed low before the staff. A show of respect aswell as a subtle apology for his friend. He kept his pose a few seconds longer than the custom would have allowed. They answered in kind and went back to work. He finally took time to admire the decor of the mainhall. Six large pillars held the huge ceiling up. Two giant marble stairs led up to the second floor while in the middle of them a stairway down could be found cloaked in shadows. Devoun spoke quietly as he approached, done with taking it all in.
~ They never bowed to me. He said with a slight frown.
~ Did you ever offer one? He asked with a sly smile, innocence sparkling in his eyes. Dev eyed the people walking about for a second before offering a bow and a loud "Thank you". The room went quiet until Tal chopped him on the head and moved down the stairs while gesturing him to follow. He gave the servants a quick glance before he left. He could swear he saw more than a few smiles.
The stairs came to a halt two diffrent times. Each time one had the option to go either left, right or to continue downwards. On the second stop Dev turn left and Tal followed quietly. Stumbling forward in the poorly lit walkway Dev almost fell twice. He'd walked here before but at that time he could simply follow the white hair of the person before him. He silently cursed the scar he had over his left eye. On a good day in the sun it was like it wasn't even there. Here in the dark he felt it stronger than before as it hampered his vision. After a stumble here and being forced to hold his hands on the walls as a guide they finally turned a corner and was greeted by a blinding light. Behind him Tal could be heard mumbling curses to the highborn of the world that were blessed with the ability to see in the dark.
They stepped out of the shadows and stood beneath a giant chandelier. Standing with her back towards them was a young woman, no more than twentyfive years of age. A slender build that would make any human woman jealous. Sharp pointy ears common for her kind. A strict face that showed her noble birth with eyes as cold as ice. Pale as most of the highborn yet skin smoother than that of a babe's. Her hair braided into a singular simple braid that reached down to her behind. Her posture even in this place hidden beneath the massive estate screamed authority. She wore a simple dress that pressed against curves in the top and loosened at the legs. On each of her arms there were three golden bracers holding a silk so pure it seemed to not even be there in place.
Out of all these things there was one particular detail that stood out. On the top of her head there was a singular red line in her hair. A mutation of sorts that was highly rare in the nobility.
~ Devoun It's a pleasure too see you again. She curtsied quickly as if in a rush to move the pleasantries along. The two men gave a long bow as she continued.
~ Is this the friend I have heard so much about? Her hand was already out as she approached. Tal kissed it lightly and stood up to partake in greetings.
~ Talrio. Pleasure to meet you. He gave the friendliest smile he could. Which to everyone else was neither sincere nor warm.