"Love is violent," Emiliana Blackwell thought to herself as she stared at the ceiling. She was not tired, but the man resting next to her was exhausted - and thus she had stayed.
She welcomed the quiet moments of reflection, though. Her arrival in Sundren had been one fast-paced adventure after another - not that she was complaining. She thrived on the thrills. She gloried in the challenges. She wanted the opportunities to meet new people, see new places, and learn new things.
But Sundren was different than she had expected. The land was riddled with dangers she still did not fully comprehend. Vampires roamed throughout the region - through the 'Valley' as the local denizens called it - and the dark creatures had a pesky little habit of abducting victims in the midst of the night. Emiliana had witnessed with her own eyes the sudden, magical appearance of a sentient skeleton. She heard him called 'The Caretaker', and while she was startled, she soon realized that many of her fellow adventurers were already well-acquainted with the creature.
There were more political intrigues in Sundren than she could fathom. Waterdeep, her former home, was so vast that she never dipped her toes into the complexities of the politics there, but here in the Valley was an entirely different story. She was becoming aware of all the pieces that danced upon the game board, and to her own chagrin, she was becoming a dancer herself.
The man beside her was no ordinary man. Salararius William Shepard was a well-respected, fast-rising star of the Fourth Legion. In the brief time she had known him, he had gone from a minor level of responsibility to becoming the second-most powerful man in the division - only Centurio La Croix held more clout. William Shepard exerted authority; he exuded level-headed confidence. He held nothing back when it came to telling others how he felt about a matter, and his brusque mannerisms had earned him both begrudging respect and seething hatred - sometimes both at once from the same person. She had been one of those persons when they first met, but despite her best efforts (and perhaps his as well), they had fallen in love. He was determined to keep her safe, but Emiliana knew - she knew deep within her heart - that it was only a matter of time before his enemies would seek to use her as a way to strike at him. She was an unwilling dancer upon the game board, but the alternative - living life without him - was much more frightening than any torture or anguish that might be inflicted upon her.
As she continued to stare at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted to a situation that held a similar, albeit mirrored, portent: the vampiress, Iosolde, and her lover, Lilene Jora. Emiliana was still confused about certain aspects of the matter, but from what she had managed to piece together, Lilene was a wanted criminal now, and her friends were trying to 'save' her from the vampiress.
Their mistake, the young woman idly mused, was speaking to her when William was near. The vampiress enjoyed Emiliana's musical talents, and Lilene had sought to request an encore performance from the young bard. William was incensed, but the matter soon dissipated - or so she had thought. She had no idea of the severity of her love's anger at what she had deemed a harmless request until she received an urgent message from Tigen Amastacia. When she reached his room, Emiliana soon found herself listening to a heated discussion between him and Lilene, as well as Nati Salana and Maia, about Iosolde. Lilene was a wanted criminal now, Emiliana learned, and realization slowly dawned upon her as to the person responsible for the new warrant. A snippet of conversation between herself and William replayed itself in her head. "I am simply uncertain as to why I am involved."
William's response was cold and impassive. "Most likely she grows bored of Lilene and wants a new plaything."
In the inky darkness of their room, Emiliana took a slow breath and then shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the handsome soldier who appeared peaceful enough in his slumber. Never one to wait for his enemies to make the first move, he had struck at the vampiress before she could strike at him. In that moment, Emiliana felt a strange sense of kinship with Lilene; they were both the loves of two very powerful people, and they would be used to inflict pain and torment whenever possible. Her heart ached at the unfairness of it all, but she understood that life was rarely fair.
She turned her head so that she could kiss William's bruised shoulder and then comfortably settled herself beside the sleeping form next to her. Tomorrow would bring another dance, and she had to make sure that she was ready for it. As she closed her eyes and draped an arm across the soldier, a resigned murmur escaped her lips: "Love is violent."
She welcomed the quiet moments of reflection, though. Her arrival in Sundren had been one fast-paced adventure after another - not that she was complaining. She thrived on the thrills. She gloried in the challenges. She wanted the opportunities to meet new people, see new places, and learn new things.
But Sundren was different than she had expected. The land was riddled with dangers she still did not fully comprehend. Vampires roamed throughout the region - through the 'Valley' as the local denizens called it - and the dark creatures had a pesky little habit of abducting victims in the midst of the night. Emiliana had witnessed with her own eyes the sudden, magical appearance of a sentient skeleton. She heard him called 'The Caretaker', and while she was startled, she soon realized that many of her fellow adventurers were already well-acquainted with the creature.
There were more political intrigues in Sundren than she could fathom. Waterdeep, her former home, was so vast that she never dipped her toes into the complexities of the politics there, but here in the Valley was an entirely different story. She was becoming aware of all the pieces that danced upon the game board, and to her own chagrin, she was becoming a dancer herself.
The man beside her was no ordinary man. Salararius William Shepard was a well-respected, fast-rising star of the Fourth Legion. In the brief time she had known him, he had gone from a minor level of responsibility to becoming the second-most powerful man in the division - only Centurio La Croix held more clout. William Shepard exerted authority; he exuded level-headed confidence. He held nothing back when it came to telling others how he felt about a matter, and his brusque mannerisms had earned him both begrudging respect and seething hatred - sometimes both at once from the same person. She had been one of those persons when they first met, but despite her best efforts (and perhaps his as well), they had fallen in love. He was determined to keep her safe, but Emiliana knew - she knew deep within her heart - that it was only a matter of time before his enemies would seek to use her as a way to strike at him. She was an unwilling dancer upon the game board, but the alternative - living life without him - was much more frightening than any torture or anguish that might be inflicted upon her.
As she continued to stare at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted to a situation that held a similar, albeit mirrored, portent: the vampiress, Iosolde, and her lover, Lilene Jora. Emiliana was still confused about certain aspects of the matter, but from what she had managed to piece together, Lilene was a wanted criminal now, and her friends were trying to 'save' her from the vampiress.
Their mistake, the young woman idly mused, was speaking to her when William was near. The vampiress enjoyed Emiliana's musical talents, and Lilene had sought to request an encore performance from the young bard. William was incensed, but the matter soon dissipated - or so she had thought. She had no idea of the severity of her love's anger at what she had deemed a harmless request until she received an urgent message from Tigen Amastacia. When she reached his room, Emiliana soon found herself listening to a heated discussion between him and Lilene, as well as Nati Salana and Maia, about Iosolde. Lilene was a wanted criminal now, Emiliana learned, and realization slowly dawned upon her as to the person responsible for the new warrant. A snippet of conversation between herself and William replayed itself in her head. "I am simply uncertain as to why I am involved."
William's response was cold and impassive. "Most likely she grows bored of Lilene and wants a new plaything."
In the inky darkness of their room, Emiliana took a slow breath and then shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the handsome soldier who appeared peaceful enough in his slumber. Never one to wait for his enemies to make the first move, he had struck at the vampiress before she could strike at him. In that moment, Emiliana felt a strange sense of kinship with Lilene; they were both the loves of two very powerful people, and they would be used to inflict pain and torment whenever possible. Her heart ached at the unfairness of it all, but she understood that life was rarely fair.
She turned her head so that she could kiss William's bruised shoulder and then comfortably settled herself beside the sleeping form next to her. Tomorrow would bring another dance, and she had to make sure that she was ready for it. As she closed her eyes and draped an arm across the soldier, a resigned murmur escaped her lips: "Love is violent."
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