Endings

Biara sat at her desk, piles of paperwork stacked up before her in both her completed and unfinished stacks, hours of work ahead of her. She sighed, her quill running across the paper before her as she completed yet another requisition form for the Magistrate to review.

A soft knock on the door brought her blessed relief, and she looked up from her work, "Come in."

The door opened and Rayleth stood there, a grim expression on his face as he paused in the doorway. After a moment he seemed to find his nerve and entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him and walking hesitantly towards the desk, "You summoned me, Magistrix?"

Biara sighed and waved a hand, "You may still call me Biara, and yes I did summon you. It's time we had a talk now that my head is clear."

Rayleth nodded, slowly sinking into a seat across from her, his voice steady, "You have been keeping me away."

Biara met his gaze, her tone even, "I have. After...what happened to me, and what passed between us at that time, I needed time to myself to think. I saw how you reacted when you saw me. It was not what you were expecting, was it?"

Rayleth considered the question for a moment and then finally nodded, "No, it wasn't. I expected you to sometimes need to risk yourself in battle, you are a battle-mage after all, but this was different. You were supposed to have been going to the city to go shopping, and you returned a bloody mess."

Biara sighed, toying with the feathered end of her quill, "Before, I told you about the difficulties of my life, of being with me, but I don't think you had a chance to truly come to terms with it. My life can be taken at any moment. At all times there are enemies who wish me ill, or may be battles that I must face for the good of the Sin'dorei. I cannot shirk these duties or stand idly by while others are placed in grave danger that I could avert with my magic. You now see what I really meant."

Rayleth nodded slowly, "I do."

Biara paused, studying him for a moment, "You may speak freely with me, Rayleth. Even if you say things that are hurtful to me, I will not hold them against you, nor deny you your place here. I need to hear what you are thinking, what you are feeling."

He sighed and nodded, "I was scared. For you I mean, but for us as well. I just never thought...well, that you could be taken from me so easily."

"It made you reconsider, didn't it?" Biara said softly. "This is not the first time that I have had suitors come to this realization, nor will it be the last. Everything that you saw is the truth of the matter. I will die doing what I was born to do; fighting for our city. That day could be a hundred years from now, or it could be tomorrow."

Rayleth looked grim, "I know. I just wish it could be different, that you didn't have to do this. It makes everything so hard."

Biara nodded, "Courage is not the lack of fear, but it is acting even when you do fear. Even so, I will not consider you a coward for being afraid for me, and for what we've had between us. You simply didn't fully understand."

"I don't think words can adequately explain it until you experience it," Rayleth said softly. "I want you to be happy, to be safe, but at the same time what we have is then on a knife's edge."

Biara frowned and sighed again, "It always was, you just didn't know. The only way for us to truly be, is for you to sacrifice more and accept that it must be this way. If you cannot, if the doubt and worry gnaw at you too much, I will not hate you or wish you ill for being unable to handle it. Suitors who I would have expected even more from than you have fled from this, and I understand it."

Rayleth nodded, "I...need some time to think about it, if that's alright?"

Biara smiled sadly, "In some ways, that is all the answer you needed to give, but yes go and take the time you need. You can return to the garrison and when you are ready, send for me. Regardless of what you believe though, promise me one thing?"

Rayleth tilted his head, "What is that?"

"Promise me that you will at least care for me, and be my friend," Biara said softly. "I have too few of those."

"Always, Biara. Always," he replied with conviction. He nodded, slowly rising from his chair and looking at her one last time, "Regardless of how I feel about...all of this, I still admire you for what you do, for your courage. I think everyone should."

Biara smiled and nodded, "If only the world worked that way. Farewell for now, Rayleth. I hope when next we speak it is of more pleasant or casual things."

"Farewell, Biara," Rayleth said with a sad smile. He turned and walked from the room, closing the door behind him.

Biara sighed again, rising from her desk and leaving her pile of paperwork behind. She headed towards a set of double glass doors that lead to the balcony connected to her upper floor office, pushing them open and letting the sunlight in. Walking across the balcony, she leaned against the stone railing, looking down into the courtyard below.

Far below her, Kyliska's Blood Knights trained, the sunlight sparkling off of their swords. Biara leaned on the railing, a head held in one hand as her eyes wandered across the elves training there, spying one that she sought. There, off to one side, two Sin'dorei stood near a third, holy Light flowing from them and into their target as they practiced their healing arts and prayers. The day was hot, and the elves had stripped down to the bare essentials.

The blood knight Myriel wore a tight bodysuit, meant to be donned beneath a set of plate armor. Standing beside her, muscles glistening with sweat in the sunlight, a bare-chested Evindar practiced his magic, his hands aglow as he cast spell after spell, his form rippling as his hands darted forward to place his spells on his target, his blonde hair flowing in the soft breeze.

Biara watched him for a time, smiling secretly as she gazed unobserved at his practicing. When she saw Evindar say something that was apparently a joke and the other Knights around him began to laugh, Biara became amused with herself as a streak of jealously shot through her when Myriel placed a hand on his arm, patting him after whatever jest he'd made.

Oh if only things were different. If only I were truly free now that I've given up my role as the Lady Sunfire and abdicated to Kyliska. Why, if I could do as I pleased, I'd shout down into that courtyard right now and order Evindar to come up into my quarters and-

"A lovely day, isn't it, Biara?" Braeth'el's voice said softly behind her. He moved to stand beside her, his footsteps having been silent.

Biara nearly jumped, her face blushing bright pink in an instant, "Oh y-yes, yes it's a lovely day, Braeth'el."

Braeth'el smiled at her, as if he was quite aware of what she had just been thinking. He said nothing of it though, nodding at her, "I apologize for saying so, but I accidentally overheard what you and Rayleth were discussing. I think you made the right decision to speak to him as you did."

Biara's smile faded and she nodded. She turned and looked back out over the courtyard, "It was hard to let him go. I wanted so badly to have what you and my sister have."

Braeth'el patted her arm reassuringly, "You will one day, but he was not the right one. Think of this; you need someone who will be beside you in battle all of the time. Your life, like my own and Kyliska's, is one of risk. He is a civilian in the end, even if he performed admirably in a battle. I know you, Biara. I've watched over you for your entire life. You need a strong Lord to fight by your side, a Knight or a warrior of renown. You will find it, eventually."

Biara smirked, "Or I'll die of old age long before...and given my contamination with temporal magics, who even knows when that will end up being..."

Braeth'el shook his head, leaning on the railing beside her, "Just be patient, my friend. I never thought that I would find it either. I wasn't even looking for it, but your sister kindled something in me that I would never have found on my own. It will be the same for you one day."

Biara sighed, waving a hand at him, "Just be sure that when you marry her you have a large number of eligible bachelors in your wedding party please."

Braeth'el barked out a laugh and nodded, "I will see it done, Magistrix."

For a time, the two fell silent, merely watching the knights training down below. After a while, Braeth'el stirred, his tone more serious, "I need to ask you how your progress goes in searching for Telatha. I'm becoming worried."

"As am I, honestly," Biara replied. "I've found no sign of her with all of my magical resources, although I have evidence that she survived the battle around the Dark Portal. I have even spent considerable coin for hints of information relating to her and offered to pay goblins of all things to hunt for her, but to no avail thus far."

Braeth'el nodded, "I am grateful that you are expending so much effort on this. I know that you are quite busy with other, much more important things."

Biara looked at him, shaking her head, "Nothing is more important than our family. I will find her, I swear it. Actually...I had a thought, although it is not a pleasant one, about what more we might do."

"Oh?" Braeth'el asked.

Biara looked him directly in the eyes, her tone flat, "We should find out if she was captured by the Alliance. I believe we need to tap into your SI:7 contact."

Braeth'el blinked, "Rosellina Cooke? She would be able to find out if Telatha had been captured or if the Alliance was aware of her whereabouts, but....what would motivate her to aid us?"

Biara gestured behind her, "I have prepared a redacted report of the battle for the Felo'melorn garrison. It fully details the strength, disposition, and deployment of the Iron Horde forces that assaulted that position. Given that the Felo'melorns were wiped out there, and that the Iron Horde still controls that territory, they are hardly state secrets that would bring harm to the Sin'dorei. I am willing to exchange this information for information that will allow us to locate Telatha, but you must ensure we get a fair deal in exchange. You are the only one I would trust with such a task."

Braeth'el considered this carefully, finally nodding, "What you propose isn't treason, as you aren't giving away any state secrets...and we're not technically at war with the Alliance at the moment anyway. It seems like a sound plan, but....Kyliska. She's going to be annoyed with you if she finds out."

Biara's tone was cool now, "Then see to it that she never finds out, Braeth'el. My sister...is quite capable, but she is untested in her new role. She would not understand that sometimes necessity requires bold moves like this. Agent Cooke is not a threat to us, as we know her identity, and if she can be of use to us, then a fair trade is reasonable."

Braeth'el fell quiet for a long time, turning to stare out into space, "I can do this for you, but understand that my days in active service are coming to an end. I send agents to do this kind of work now. I want to settle down, to retire. I want to spend my best years holding your sister in my arms and waking with her in the morning."

Biara nodded, turning away from him and looking out over the courtyard, "And I want to see my daughter grow into an adult, but I know that I will likely die long before that happens. We do what we must for Quel'Thalas and for our family. I understand what you are saying though; I will burden you no further once this task is done, and leave you to your happiness."

Braeth'el nodded, looking troubled, "Very well then, I will do as you ask. Your plan sounds like it could bear fruit. If not, it will reinforce our contact with what could potentially be a non-hostile enemy agent in the long run."

Biara nodded, not looking back at him, "You have your orders then. See to it that my sister remains ignorant of this; she won't understand the need."

Braeth'el turned, his voice carrying over his shoulder as he departed, "I've never betrayed the secrets of this House, not even to you, Biara. I'll do my job, as I've sworn to do long ago."

After he was gone, Biara stood quietly for a time, staring out into the blue sky beyond and ignoring the Knights down below now. Her heart was heavy with the many secrets, plots, and deceptions that had long plagued her rule of House Sunfire. Even now, even when she'd stepped down, they continued to stir and she knew deep within her heart that she would have to continue her course for the good of her people.

"I do what I must for Quel'Thalas," she whispered to no one.