Aetherian(Part 1): A War Begins

Blake

 It was nightfall when Blake and Julien arrived at Belhall's gates with Ser Arthur Drumwind. The soldiers there instantly recognized him, and let them into the city. Queen Kara had allowed Blake and Julien to return Arthur to his home after he helped them acquire the dryad's bark, and he had a smile on his face when they passed through Belhall's southern gate. The bell towers ringing at sundown were a welcoming sight, indeed.

"I've missed this place," said Arthur.

"I can imagine," agreed Blake. "The last time I was in a city like this, it was almost destroyed."

"Which city was that?" asked Julien, as they went down the streets.

"I don't even remember," said Blake. "I think it was Desertwood."

"The Mercers' city?" asked Arthur. "I always thought it was destroyed. They were loyalists of House Redwald."

"I know King Robar wanted to destroy it, but Commander Vestarr advised against that," said Julien. "If you ask me, they deserve to have their city destroyed."

"Don't say that," Blake scolded. "I'm sure some of these people have family in Desertwood and Sandstorm."

"My cousin's married to a Mercer," said Arthur. "I kind of feel sorry for her."

"I can imagine," agreed Blake, then she grabbed Julien by the arm, and stopped, letting Ser Arthur get ahead of them, then they followed him again.

"Yeah?" asked Julien.

"Tessa said she was here, remember?" said Blake. "We should look for her."

"I doubt it," Julien denied. "If she arrived this morning, she would have left already. She might already be in Desertwood."

"Well, if she is here, then don't you think we should spend a little time looking for her?" Blake suggested. "After we get Arthur back to his brother, I mean."

"Fine," Julien admitted. "I'm only saying, if she was smart, she would have moved while it was bright out."

"Epsilon may not sleep, but they still have to rest, and she was coming here, all the way from Dragonbarrow," Blake reminded. "She would have been exhausted by the time she got here."

"That doesn't mean she'll still be here," Julien argued. "Besides, not every desert house accepts the Epsilon in their cities." They soon approached an ancient pyramid in the center of Belhall, with the silver bell banner of House Drumwind draped over all four of its sides, and a silver church bell at the top. Blake and Julien could both sense a feeling of joy from Arthur when they stepped through its ancient doors. At the end of a long, golden pathway was a throne carved into the stone wall, with Lord Matthew Drumwind sitting in it. Lord Drumwind was speaking with a bronze-armored Morvain Knight when they walked in, but at the sight of Arthur, he turned their way, with widened eyes.

"Matthew," said Arthur.

"Arthur, it's sundown," Matthew scolded, stepping down from the throne, and walking up to his brother. "Where were you all this time?"

"Oh, you know, getting captured," said Arthur.

"You?" Matthew repeated. "Getting captured?"

"They were Draconians!" Arthur argued. "They wiped out my men!"

"They spared you?" said Lord Matthew.

"I put up a good fight," said Arthur. "So did he." He pointed to Blake and Julien and added: "They convinced my captors to bring me back here."

"Who are they?" asked Matthew.

"Guardians, my lord," answered Julien.

"This is Blake and Julien," Arthur introduced. "Guys, this is my brother, Lord Matthew Drumwind."

"Thank you for bringing my brother back, Guardians," said Lord Matthew. "You're welcome to stay in the keep for the night if you need rest, and if you need anything else of me, don't hesitate to ask."

"We're only doing our job, my lord," Blake promised, as she and Julien bowed. "It's not our way to expect anything in return for reuniting brothers. And we wanted to look around the city for a friend of ours."

"Well, either way, you have my gratitude," Lord Drumwind thanked. "You are welcome in Belhall anytime."

"Thank you, Lord Drumwind," said Julien, and he left the pyramid keep with Blake. Seeing Arthur with his brother brought tears to her eyes. She had wished that Trevor and Kara's reuniting would have been like that, but they didn't know each other. They were mother and son, and they were strangers.

"What's wrong?" asked Julien.

"Nothing," Blake lied. "So, how are we going to find Tessa in a city this big?"

"She'll be a silver-eyed girl in a dark cloak," reminded Julien. "And she'll probably still have guilt. If we look hard enough, she'll be easy to spot." They began their search of Belhall, with Julien looking across the eastern side, and Blake looking across the western side. The western side of Belhall seemed like the richer side of the city, with people living in giant houses with grand architecture, and people driving sports cars, all wearing robes and neckties. Blake could swear she noticed people looking her way and chuckling when she walked passed them. When she asked people if they had seen a girl with hair cut to an inch long on her head, and wearing shorts with a denim sleeveless shirt, they all said they hadn't seen anyone matching that description.

"Sorry, I haven't," one man said.

"No, I don't get out much," said another.

"Well, thank you," said Blake, with disappointment. She wasn't surprised. She must have asked a few dozen people about Tessa's whereabouts by midnight and met Julien outside of a small tavern near the center of Belhall when she had canvased the entire western half.

"Did you find anything helpful?" she asked.

"No.," said Julien, and yawned. "She probably went into the desert during the day. She could be anywhere by now."

"Yeah, we'll be lucky to ever see her again, won't we?" Blake agreed. "We'll never find her. I just hope she's okay."