An Unexpected Visitor

The sunlight warmed Kyliska’s skin, her form soaking in the rays as she lay upon a blanket spread over the beautiful white sands of the beach. She sighed happily, enjoying the moment of relaxation, her eyes closing in the pure bliss of simply enjoying the day. A happy shout made her open her eyes for a moment, and she stared out over the gorgeous blue water, watching as Braeth’el lifted Biara’s daughter Astariel up into the air playfully, the girl shouting again and laughing. He brought her back down, nearly dunking her in the water and she shrieked in delight.

He will make a fine husband one day, a fine father for my own children.

The thought had come unbidden, but it made Kyliska smile secretly as she watched Braeth’el gently bring Astariel down into the water, her eyes devouring the way the sunlight played on his bronzed skin and glittered with the beads of ocean water that clung to muscles seemingly carved from rock. She sighed again, snuggling on the blanket and letting her eyes drift closed, imagining the happy times that the future would hold.

A moment later a shadow fell over her, blocking out the sun with its darkness. Kyliska frowned, peering up with one eye, her mouth opened to scold Braeth’el from blocking her sunlight. What she saw made her jerk in shock, her heart racing in her chest as a pair of glowing blue eyes stared down at her, the face of the dead elf above her pretty and framed with golden blonde hair. Kyliska nearly jumped to her feet before she realized who it was that was standing there, a hand coming to her heart as she regained her breath, “Sunwell! You scared me Avielle! I thought there was a ghost there…”

Kyliska’s voice trailed off as she realized just how offensive such a thing might be to an undead person. For her part, the death knight Avielle Silverlight merely offered her a half smile, as if she found the entire situation amusing. Dressed in a shimmering black and silver dress, she looked nothing like the warrior that had saved Kyliska from captivity all those months ago. After regaining her composure for a second time, Kyliska did rise, peering at the other elf with curiosity, “Why have you come here? How did you come here? I mean, how did you find me that is?”

Avielle studied Kyliska for a moment and then spoke softly, her tone even as if she were afraid to give offense, “It has been months since last we spoke. When I returned you to your estate on that occasion you were in no condition to discuss…well, anything. I have waited patiently for a chance to speak with you again, but time has passed and I’ve heard nothing. Most recently I heard rumors about a narrowly avoided disaster at one of your garrisons, and when I attempted to speak to a member of your newly enlarged House about it, I was rebuffed and told to seek you at your estate.”

Kyliska’s mouth opened in surprise for a moment and she had the grace to look embarrassed even though the death knight had somehow tracked her down on a beach while she was sunbathing in a bikini, “I um…I’m really sorry about this but it totally slipped my mind to come and seek you out. I know I should have but… a lot has happened.”

Avielle held up a hand, shaking her head, “It is I who should apologize, for I have come uninvited and unannounced. I just...when I heard about these troubles through my agents, I became concerned. Our accord still holds for as long as you draw breath, and as such I feel an obligation to help you.”

She paused for a moment, biting her lip in thought and shaking her head, “No, obligation is the wrong word, for what do the dead owe anyone? Instead, the accord gives me purpose. It gives me a reason to be Avielle. To continue to walk the forests of Quel’Thalas. To think of dishonoring it makes me…upset. Does that make sense?”

Kyliska smiled at the undead elf, meeting her gaze, “Yes, it does make sense and I’m sorry that a member of my House has made you feel unwelcome. You may always come to our estate to seek me out if you need to speak with me. I owe you that much both for saving me and in honor of the accord my father signed.”

Avielle smiled at this, seeming to relax a little. It was hard to tell with an undead creature, but a certain tension seemed to drain from her. Her voice was softer when she responded, “Do not blame your priestess, Lady Selenthiel, for rebuffing me. Her kind have understandable qualms about dealing with the dead. I fear I may have left a sour impression with her however. I hope that she will, in time, come to see past such things.”

Kyliska laughed, “Oh don’t worry about Sel, I’ll talk to her the next chance I get! That is easy enough to fix. I really do feel bad though; I should have come to see you or at least sent you a missive. My life has been…well, crazy lately. I’ve been attacked, been in battle, found romance. It’s…”

Kyliska trailed off, amazed that she was chatting away with a dead elf as if they’d been friends for years. The death knight’s quiet and seemingly serene nature made it easy to speak with her, despite what she was. For her part, Avielle seemed to be enjoying the fact that someone, anyone, was speaking to her at all. She offered Kyliska a knowing smile, “I remember my own, similar times. I am glad that your life has been blessed, Kyliska. My only hope is that it continues to be so and that I can aid you where I may. I came to you today for two reasons related to this.”

Kyliska studied the pale face of the other elf, an eyebrow raised, “Oh? Do tell! We have all day my friend!”

Avielle turned and stepped aside, revealing a rather large and long pack that she had brought with her. She knelt beside it for a moment, undoing ties on the top of it and slowly opening the canvas top. Within the pack was a long wooden box that Avielle carefully removed from the pack. She turned towards Kyliska, lifting it and placing it at her feet, remaining on her knees before the other elf. She looked up at Kyliska, her expression hopeful as if seeking approval for what she’d presented, “I have found something of interest to you. Something that I had restored in remembrance of those who have fallen and of our accord.”

Kyliska smiled, kneeling down on the other side of the long box, her hands reaching out to touch the polished wooden surface. With an encouraging nod from Avielle, Kyliska undid the clasp that held the box shut, lifting the lid to reveal a sword laying atop velvet within. Kyliska’s eyes widened as her hand reached out to grab the gold-enameled pommel, her breath catching in her throat.

“I present to you with Belore’melorn. Your father’s sword Sunstrike,” Avielle said softly. “I discovered the broken fragments of the blade on our estate grounds. Although I never found your father’s body, I have had his blade reforged for you to wield in honor of what he did for our people.”

Kyliska couldn’t breathe and tears ran down her face as she held the golden weapon before her, a piece of her father’s heritage clenched in her hands. Her hands shook for a moment, and she drew in a deep breath before gently setting the blade back down within its case. She leaned over the box, her arms wrapping around a stunned Avielle and hugging her tightly, “Thank you so much. You have no idea what it means to me or how wonderful a gift this is.”

Avielle shifted, clearly uncomfortable and surprised that a living person would touch her. The feeling of Kyliska’s blessed form against her own unholy body was somewhat painful, but she did not push the Blood Knight away until she’d had her fill of the moment. She smiled again, reaching back to the now mostly empty pack and pulling out a second object, this time holding a silver necklace with a green emerald set in the center.

“I have created this with magic that I believe will be inert to you,” she said. “If you call for me, if you say my name or the name of my House, I will come to you in need. This way I will feel assured that you can obtain my aid in an emergency. It would…make me more comfortable to know the accord was protected.”

Kyliska nodded, taking the necklace from the undead elf and wiping her face with her free hand, “Thank you. My sister has given me similar items in the past so I understand how useful they can be. I will keep it with me always.”

Avielle was about to speak again when another shadow fell over them. As Kyliska rose, Braeth’el came up beside her, an arm around her and a rather hard look on his face, “Who do we have here, Kyli?”

Kyliska blinked once, wiping away more tears and coming to realize she had never told Braeth’el about the death knight. Her mouth opened and closed, a million details she needed to tell all trying to get out at once. She was saved the trouble when Avielle herself spoke, her tone cooler but polite, “I am Avielle Silverlight, last Heir of the fallen House Silverlight and vassal by accord of the Lady Kyliska Sunblade, ruler of House Sunfire.”

Braeth’el blinked once and Kyliska drew in a sharp breath, the words laying bare the entirety of the situation quite efficiently. Braeth’el’s tone was wry when he responded, a half smile on his face, “Are you now? And yet I’ve never heard of you before. Strange, being the Master at Arms for House Sunfire.”

Avielle dipped her head once in respect, her tone mild when she replied, “I beg your pardon, Master at Arms, but I am not beholden to House Sunfire. My accord is with the Lady Sunblade, and I answer to her and only to her.”

Braeth’el chuckled at this, his tone amused now, “Oh Biara must adore you!”

Kyliska gave Braeth’el a sharp elbow to the ribs, her tone stern, “Biara doesn’t know about her and I forgot to mention Avielle to you. I’m sorry, but a lot has been going on. She fought beside my father and fell with him as well, and was the one who saved me from captivity.”

Braeth’el studied the death knight closely, his eyes meeting her icy cold gaze, “Well then it seems that you are owed my thanks, Avielle. It is a shame I’ve not heard more about you before this.”

His tone was clear, and Kyliska had the dignity to blush a little. For her part, Avielle simply nodded again, her gaze going out over the ocean. Her expression softened and for a moment something sparkled in her eyes, “I remember...we used to swim in the Elrendar river. We’d dip our feet on the warm days and then slip into the waters to cool off.”

“Oh you should go swimming then!” a voice piped in from behind the group. Kyliska turned in surprise as Astariel bounded past her, running right up to the death knight as if there were nothing unusual about her at all. To everyone’s everlasting shock, she grabbed Avielle’s hand, pulling her towards the water, “Come on! The water is beautiful today!”

For a moment Kyliska felt tension surging through Braeth’el as the death knight’s hand closed around Astariel’s. Kyliska could almost feel his seething thoughts about how one of the heirs of the House was near an unknown danger. Before he could say anything she wrapped a hand around his arm, her presence anchoring him in place and seeming to serve a word of caution and patience. The moment stretched on and Kyliska was rewarded when Avielle began to slowly move in the direction the young elf had been pulling her, her blue eyes fixed on the water.

“Oh you have to take your shoes off silly!” Astariel laughed as she pulled the death knight towards the surf.

Almost woodenly Avielle kicked off her shoes, seemingly lost in some memory from long ago, her feet stepping into the surf as Astariel released her hand and darted along the shore, laughing happily. For a moment Braeth’el merely watched the death knight, allowing Kyliska’s arm to hold him in place as the undead creature followed the child, his thoughts whirling. As Avielle stepped further into the ocean, one of the most puzzling questions was answered as she lifted the hem of her dress to avoid getting it wet, exposing the tip of the runeblade that was clearly strapped higher up on one pale white thigh.

For a moment the death knight looked back, her gaze meeting Braeth’el’s and an understanding passing between them in that instant. Here were two extremely dangerous individuals, but of alike purposes. In that moment, Braeth’el gave a subtle nod, understanding that the death knight would pose no threat to House Sunfire’s heirs.

As Avielle turned away, Kyliska’s arms wrapped around Braeth’el’s waist. He turned in place, staring down at her with an almost scolding expression on his face. Kyliska looked up at him, intentionally plastering an almost vapid look on her face, “What’s the matter Hunky Bear? Don’t look at me like that, okay? I know I should have told you. It was an accident. And besides, we’ve had a lot going on.”

Braeth’el sighed, glancing back to see if Avielle had been close enough to hear Kyliska’s pet name for him before shaking his head. How far could a death knight hear anyway? He didn’t even know. He looked back down at Kyliska, sighing again as she leaned on him, almost strategically also placing her impressive cleavage dead smack in the center of his view. It was like she played such games by accident sometimes. When he responded, his voice was one of long-suffering exasperation, “You know you’re going to be the death of me one day, right babycakes?”

Kyliska’s false expression melted and she grinned wickedly as Braeth’el replied with a pet name of his own, “Oh, I know.”

“And you’re perfectly okay with this? You’ll be a murderess you know,” Braeth’el chided, wrapping his arms around Kyliska.

“Yep! But you’ll love every minute of it,” she responded slyly.

Braeth’el sighed again and shook his head, “We will let your…friend…stay for a while. But once our adventure at the beach here is over I will look into this further. I do trust your word on this, and surprisingly, hers. If she had wanted to kill you there would have been no point in tricking you in the first place and she could have done it when you were imprisoned. Even so, I’d like to know more. More about her, about the accord with your father’s house, and about her fall. Silverlight…it sounds familiar to me. I remember Tel’athar mentioning it before.”

Now it was Kyliska’s turn to sigh. She rolled her eyes, squeezing Braeth’el tightly, “You always have to bring up work. Can’t we just relax for a bit? We came out here to relax and let Astariel play. Let’s talk about schemes and plots another time okay?”

Braeth’el sighed again and then nodded, “Sure. I can let this lie for now.”

They both turned, watching as Astariel laughed and splashed in the water, running in circles around a dead elf who had a look that was a mixture of bemused delight and the dancing shadow of memories from times long past on her face. Kyliska hugged Braeth’el closely as they watched, sighing softly, “She’s adorable and friendly. I don’t care if my sister or anyone else doesn’t like her, she’s done so much for me already.”

Braeth’el gave a noncommittal grunt, watching the death knight from a distance, his hands wrapped around Kyliska. Although Avielle Silverlight did indeed appear to be an ally and harmless, he knew better than to trust outward appearances. He also knew exactly what she was, and if Kyliska wished to forget that they were staring not at a girl but at a necromantically created weapon then it was up to him to ensure that someone remembered at all times. Even so, having such an ally could be useful if she could be trusted.

“Besides,” Braeth’el thought with a grin, “It will REALLY piss off Biara to have someone around that she can’t order about or manipulate with her scheming. It’ll be worth it just to see that!”

With the issue decided, he smirked and then moved suddenly, scooping Kyliska up in his arms and charging towards the water with her. She shrieked, pounding on his arm to no avail as he carried her into the sea kicking and laughing.

Despite the unexpected visitor, it turned out to be a very pleasant day indeed.