Arthur Leywin
I just finished my training with Buhnd, Hester, Kathyln, and Camus, they have been helping me get stronger over the last couple weeks. The four of them were helping me with all of my elements.
Buhnd was a silver core, earth mage, who was also a Dwarf, currently assisting the council as well, taking over Rahdeas's position since he was now locked up in the dungeon thanks to Veer.
Speaking of Veer, I've been hearing about his victories, I knew I could trust him, but I still wish I was there with him. I needed this training though, I need to get stronger, and understand my limits. I'll join him eventually, but I know that the wall incident happens after I finish training, at least that was what Veer told me.
Hester was related to Jasmine, she was her aunt, she was human and a fire elemental, but she wasn't like her family. She was actually nice, and thought that Jasmine deserved better, which made it easier to work with her.
Kathyln was her usual self, quiet, she was helping me with the water element by using ice. When we did talk, she either asked about Veer, or asked me what she could do to get stronger.
Finally, there was Camus, he was an elf, wielding the wind element, he reminded me of Elder Virion, he was very snarky with some of his comments, but he knew what he was doing. He was a silver core as well, making him somewhat dangerous.
'Sylvie, where are you?' I asked my bond through our mental link as I exited the training hall, I was the second to last person to leave, Emily Watsken was still in there, messing with the artifact she had created to help train me.
'In our room.' Sylvie responded. 'Are you finished?'
'Yes, I'm on my way to the Council room, want to meet me there?' I turned the corner, heading in the direction of the council room. I think Buhnd also went there after we finished training, but I wasn't able to track people like Veer can, so I wasn't completely sure.
'Yeah, wait for me to enter with you though, I don't want to walk in there alone.' Sylvie told me as I passed a smiling elven maid who bowed to me.
'Aww, is my bond scared?' I teased her, but not enough, there was something else I could say. 'Do you need me to call Veer? He can lead you into the room.' My bond went quiet, not answering me, I couldn't feel what she was feeling as she blocked her emotions, but I knew.
'I'll meet you there.' She finally answered. 'And I thought you promised not to joke about that.'
'I'm sorry, it's just too easy.' I replied back, arriving at the council room doors.
"Lance Arthur, let me get the door for you." The guard standing in front of the door spoke, but I held up a hand, silencing him as he grabbed the door handle.
"Give me a second, I'm waiting on someone." I turned toward the direction Sylvie should be coming from and waited for her.
"Yes, sir." The guard stood at attention, waiting for me to tell him to open the door.
Down the hall, Sylvie finally appeared in her human form, wearing her black dress that represented her scales. "You can open the doors." I told the guard as Sylvie came up to me. "How was your nap?"
"Good." Sylvie answered me.
"You know you didn't have to come?" I looked at her with a smirk. "But I guess you want to hear any news about Veer firsthand." The doors opened up for us, and as we walked inside, my bond hit my arm.
"Stop joking, I don't joke about Tessia and you." As Sylvie said that, I examined the room, inside was Elder Virion, Buhnd, and King Eralith.
I said one last thing to Sylvie before they could hear me. "You called her mama when you were younger, don't you forget that." She shook her head sarcastically, and I spoke up so the council could hear me. "I heard there was news for me."
"Yes, Arthur, please come sit." Elder Virion said, and Sylvie and I made our way to the two opens seat near King Eralith.
"Arthur, I've heard your training has been going well." King Eralith gave me a warm smile; one he has been giving me lately ever since Tess and I started to date officially.
"It has, I appreciate you asking." I nodded toward him and faced Elder Virion. "Is it news about Veer?"
He shook his head. "No, but he had a role in what I am about to tell you." I looked at the old elf seriously, not knowing where this was going. "Cynthia Goodsky is up and alive, she is doing well, and her core is stable, and replenishing." My eyes widened, we saved her, Veer is going to be excited to hear of this.
"Where is she? When did she wake up?" I asked immediately.
"Yesterday, I kept it secret, but now that I know she is okay, I wanted to let you know." Elder Virion smiled at me, something he didn't do often, like at all ever since the war started. "I am thankful for what Veer, and you did for her, you saved one of my best friends."
I shook my head and spoke. "I wouldn't thank me, Veer was the one who caught it, and saved her with his blood magic." Veer knew she died from a curse that day, so he was able to catch it before it happened.
"You helped him." Elder Virion turned toward my bond and said. "I also thank you, Lady Sylvie."
"It was no problem." She responded to him. "Is there any news on Veer, though?" I stared at my bond, and then turned to Elder Virion, curious msyelf, there had to be something.
"I'm having a division join up with him, he's getting closer and closer to the Elven Kingdom, and he suspects that there is a larger force somewhere near there." As Elder Virion spoke, I thought back to Veer's words, he said that the Elven Kingdom was the first to fall, he must be trying to prevent that by himself. "I think the Division will meet up with his force sometime tomorrow."
"Any new victories?" Sylvie asked.
"No, but I know he is arriving at a new camp he found, in his report, it was a force of seven hundred, he should be fine." Sylvie and I nodded, knowing that was probably true. "I know Callias talked him into letting him fight with him in the next battle."
"That's good to hear, I was getting worried about him mentally, he's been killing a lot of people." That worried me slightly, what was it, five hundred in each force he found, and he found three, so fifteen hundred men, Veer had killed over the last two weeks.
"Cynthia has asked that no one comes and sees her yet, so when she is ready, I'll let you know." Elder Virion turned to Buhnd. "Is everything going okay on your end in Darv?"
"Yes, everything is running smoothly, some people are harder to deal with than others, but I got it, you don't need to worry." Buhnd responded calmly, then turned to me. "I haven't met your brother yet, and I can't wait until I do, all I ever hear about is how the Youngest Lance keeps bringing victories to his continent."
"I'm sure he'll like you." I assured him. "He can be somewhat crazy at times, but he is just a kid, you got to remember that when you speak to him."
"You act as if you are not a kid." Buhdn said, and I just shrugged towards him. "If he is anything like you, I'm sure you are right, I'll like him." He paused, and then added. "You should know, there are stories about your brother in Darv, they call him the Prince of Darkness." That has to be a name an Alacryan came up with, or a dwarf that is helping them. "They say whoever comes across him in a battle ends up losing their life, no matter what, even if they survive, their vision of the future goes dark."
"That's nice to know." I said shaking my head, Prince of Darkness means something else where I come from, and I'm sure it's the same with Veer, but the name fits to be honest, but I rather people didn't look at him that way. "I can't say that what you said was false, it does seem that whoever he faces in battle ends up dead." Except for Cadell and Uto.
"He's been a huge factor in this war." Elder Virion said. "I didn't expect him to be this much of one though, it feels like he is single handedly taking out the enemy, which realistically he hasn't, there have been a lot of battles fought without him there that we had won or lost."
"Can I go?" Sylvie asked out of the blue, causing everyone to look at her. "Can I go and fight with Veer? I'll be able to keep an eye on him, and make sure he is safe, Arthur." No one responded, no one knew how too. "Please."
The dragon was looking towards me alone, not Elder Virion, she knew I had final say in what she did. "I don't know Sylv, I rather you stay here with me." I spoke honestly to her. "But if that is what you want, I'm fine with it, I know if you are with Veer, neither one of you will allow the other to die."
"Really?" She exclaimed, losing her calm demeanor. "Are you serious?"
"As long as gramps is fine with it." The two of us turned toward him, he only smirked at Sylvie, I knew why.
"If that is what you want, Lady Sylvie, I think I can allow it." Elder Virion told her. "He is near the Elven border; I'll give you his coordinates after the meeting."
"Thank you." My bond was exerting happiness, I didn't need a connection to her to know.
"What about the mana beast near the wall?" I asked, I didn't have a time frame, Veer didn't know, but at least we knew it happened.
"The wall hasn't been breached yet, so there is no need to worry about it, I'll let you know if anything changes, I know you dislike the idea of having your family there. I'm handling that for you, I'm placing the Twin Horns in a safer region, but nowhere is safe, so you never know."
"Thank you, gramps." That was a relief, at least he listened to me when I brought up the idea of having them placed somewhere further from the wall. "Is that all? No other news?"
"Yes, that's pretty much it for today." Elder Virion told me and wrote on a piece of paper. "Lady Sylvie, please, take this, it has the coordinates of Veer's location, keep it secret, and when you leave, destroy it." Elder Virion was keeping his exact coordinates private, not wanting any spies to see it, and message Agrona of what they know. So, the only thing people know is that he is near the Elven Border, but that is a broad location.
"I will." Sylvie said as everyone got up from their seats, and Sylvie took the paper from Elder Virion as they met in front of the doors. "Thank you."
"Arthur, see her off." Elder Virion told me, and I nodded. The doors opened, and we all stepped out into the hallway. "Keep Virion safe." Sylvie nodded to him, and he left down the hall. Buhnd and King Eralith left as well, giving us a farewell wave.
"Sylvie, make sure he stays sane when you are with him." I turned to my bond as we walked the halls.
"I will, Arthur, I'll take care of him." She responded to me and kept on speaking. "I won't allow a thing to happen to him, you know that."
"That's what scares me." We turned the corner towards the hanger where Sylvie would leave from. "The two of you will do whatever it takes to make sure the other doesn't get hurt, that could be bad."
"You think Veer would do that for me?" Sylvie asked, her face slightly red.
"Sylvie, I know Veer, after seeing you two at the party, I know he likes you." I smiled lightly towards her. "And you like him, I know that as well, so I don't want you two making the mistake I did with Tess in that novel, one of you need to speak up, and not wait until it's too late."
"I can't confess to him." Sylvie's face was bright red, the dragon was blushing thinking about Veer, something I never thought would happen.
I began to think about the future, and what it holds for us possibly. "You know what happens in the novel, Veer needs you, I need you, maybe the key to keeping Veer sane, is you."