aicendor

[aicendor]

Beginnings

Aicendor had no idea why he had been called to the director’s office. This time, at least, he had not recently flunked an exam or failed an assessment. His current performance had seemingly been passable and, as far as he was aware, he shouldn’t have any more trouble progressing to the next stage of his training. That did not stop the butterflies accumulating in the pit of his stomach as he stood before the office’s grand oak door, however.

Gulping down his fears as best he could, he reached up and knocked on the door. For a long moment there was silence. Aicendor panicked somewhat. Did he have the wrong time? Surely not - he had checked it at least ten, if not fifteen, times. He had been so desperate in his attempt to commit it to memory and not forget it like he was so prone to doing.

“Enter”, finally came the unmistakable voice of Rilcion and Aicendor breathed a sigh of relief. Very carefully, he placed his hand on the gilded door handle and pushed.

The director’s office always had a very stern aura to it. It was as if the hundreds of neatly shelved books, the large portrait of Rilcion himself that hung above the fireplace and the strange crow statue that sat upon the desk were all staring at Aicendor, sizing him up for another lecture. And gods, had he been summoned here to be lectured more times than he liked to think about.

But for once Aicendor wasn’t feeling all that intimidated. Instead, he was mostly surprised to see a girl, possibly only a little younger than himself, already sitting in one of the seats across from Rilcion. She looked at him with nervous amber eyes as he walked in. Evidently, she had more or less just arrived herself from her rain-speckled cloak and the large leather knapsack by her feet. Catching Aicendor staring at her, she appeared uncomfortable and quickly looked down at her lap as if trying to ignore him.

“Sit”.

Aicendor jumped. He had been so busy studying the new girl that he’d forgotten where he was. Looking to the other side of the impressive wooden desk, a much older mer with meticulously combed grey hair was watching him with a look of blatant irritability. Without any further hesitation, he gingerly sat himself in the chair beside the girl and in front of the Director of Recruitment.

“Vaneth, this is Elenwen Laemihre. She will be joining our training programme from today and you will be the one in charge of making sure she settles in and gets caught up on everything she has missed.”

Aicendor blinked at Rilcion in surprise. Surely there was some mistake. Out of all the first-year recruits why would anyone put him in charge of a latecomer?

Seemingly sensing the mer’s confusion he added, “You managed to injure yourself last year and had to take temporary medical leave, correct? And consequently, you are retaking your first year, are you not?”

Aicendor nodded. It was true. Last year he had fallen down a flight of stairs and badly broken his right leg only six months into his first year of training. To his parents’ perpetual disappointment, he had been forced to return home whilst he recovered, only returning once the next cohort of recruits had arrived.

“So,” Rilcion continued in his usual, matter-of-fact tone. “You might not be at the top of your class, but you do have a little more experience of how things work around here than those who are. Miss Laemihre will need your experience if she has any hope of catching up with the first two months’ workload.”

The explanation elicited a slow nod from Aicendor. It was making some sense now. His gaze flicked from the director’s rather stern appearance to that of Elenwen. She had not said a word yet, but her brows were furrowed in seeming concentration as she continued to look down at her lap. It was hard to judge how she felt about this arrangement. Aicendor only hoped that she was not resentful of being assigned to him at least.

“I promise I will catch up with my peers, sir!” Sitting up a little in her seat, Elenwen seemed to have finally found her voice. “I am exceedingly grateful for you allowing me to enter the programme so late. I will do my utmost to ensure your faith in me is not misplaced.”

“You best had, Miss Laemihre. This is an intentionally very intensive programme. Not everyone will see it through to its completion.” The old mer’s beady eyes lingered on Aicendor just long enough for him to get the feeling that he believed he was one such person who would fail to make the cut. Aicendor felt his cheeks flush. He would prove Rilcion wrong. He would prove everyone wrong. Eventually…

To his right, Elenwen nodded confidently. “Thank you, sir.” In one swift and almost elegant motion, she picked up her knapsack and stood up. She gave Rilcion a small smile before bowing. “I shall take my leave now. Good night.” And with that she slipped quietly out of the door. That was Aicendor’s cue to do the same.

After a mumbled “good night” and a much less grateful move to exit, Aicendor had a hand on the door handle when Rilcion spoke once more.

“Don’t fuck this up, Vaneth.”

Aicendor grimaced but gave one last nod of acknowledgment before hastily leaving, lest the director see the awkward blush appearing on his cheeks.

***

“A-ahh?!”

The heavy door was barely shut behind him when Aicendor collided with something, someone, smaller than himself. Elenwen.

“Gods! I’m s-sorry!”

For a moment he was confused. Hadn’t she left already? But quickly it dawned on him. She was new. Clearly she did not yet know where the dormitories were. But Auri-El, he was not making a particularly good first impression!

“It’s fine.” The younger Altmer said as she adjusted herself, however, her voice denoted a definite hint of annoyance.

Aicendor was not unaccustomed to people being annoyed with him, but he had hoped not to irritate his new peer quite so soon. Attempting to lighten the mood he gave something that resembled a friendly, welcoming smile as he offered in a half-joking voice, “I promise I don’t always walk into new recruits.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Elenwen seemed to pull her cloak in a little closer and tighten her grip on her knapsack. Aicendor could feel the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Err...” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “So… I guess I should show you where you’ll sleep...?”

Avoiding his eyes, she gave him a very small nod. “...Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” He laughed a little nervously which only made him feel all the more foolish.

Clearly this wasn’t going to be easy. His charge already seemed irritated by his very presence and Director Rilcion appeared to have little to no faith in him. Perhaps it was deserved, he thought as he resisted the urge to sigh.

“It’s just this way.” Gesturing for the younger mer to follow his lead, he headed down the deserted hallway and towards a door that led back out into the courtyard. He paused once he got about halfway and turned to Elenwen. “Here,” He motioned to take her bag for her with another attempted smile.

“I’ve got it.” A slight scowl formed along her brow.

“Oh…”

He turned back and kept walking, ignoring the overwhelming sense of embarrassment that weighed against him. Perhaps it wasn’t him specifically that she didn’t like. Maybe she just wasn’t much of a people-person. Aicendor hoped so, at least. He knew he wasn’t perfect, but surely, he didn’t give off that terrible a first impression?

As they made there way out into the courtyard, ensuring to stay firmly under shelter as the evening downpour continued to thunder against the buildings’ rooves and the trees, the silence between them was deafening. Aicendor had always hated uncomfortable silences, but how could he break this one without causing more irritation to the new girl?

“…Have you come far?”

Elenwen looked up at him and appeared to study his face for a long moment before answering curtly. “No. My family live in Alinor.”

“Oh,” He tried to smile again. “That’s nice. You’ll be able to see them a fair bit.”

She didn’t say anything.

Aicendor’s gaze dropped to his shoes and the ground beneath them as they walked. Family didn’t seem like a viable conversation topic then.

“Are you hungry at all?” He asked softly after another stretch of silence.

Elenwen remained silent again, but Aicendor persisted. “After you’ve had some time to settle in, I can take you to the canteen? You’ve come on a good day; Fredas is beef stew with sweetrolls for afters.”

“...Sweetrolls?”

Hearing her speak actually made him jump. He’d been so sure that she wouldn’t answer him again. And perhaps he imagined it, but Aicendor swore that when he glanced at her, he saw her slender ears perk up ever so slightly.

“Yeah! They’re freshly made too.” He smiled, already feeling more relaxed. “Nobody ever skips dinner on Fredas.”

“Hmm…”

At last, they had reached the large building on the south side of the courtyard. Above the double doored entrance hung a wooden sign with a single word carved into it. “Dormitory”. Opening the door for her, Aicendor brought the now somewhat soggy new recruit inside.

“Here we are. This is where everyone sleeps.”

Beyond another set of double doors, they could see a large room filled with rows and rows of bunkbeds. To their immediate left was another door, labelled ‘Bathroom’ and on its right was a worn wooden staircase that led up to more rooms with more bunkbeds.

“The girls usually keep to the upper floors.” Aicendor continued, nodding towards the stairs. “You might want to ask around to find a free bunk.”

Elenwen nodded whilst absent-mindedly combing her fingers through her hair.

“I’m on this floor, so if you need me at all, just come find me. In maybe an hour-ish we could head to the canteen together if you like?”

Looking up at Aicendor, Elenwen nodded again. Maybe he was imagining it, but he thought he saw her smile very briefly. “Thank you. I’ll see you later.” And with that she walked off towards the stairs.

Aicendor stood in the entranceway for a while, feeling a little dumbstruck. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be so bad after all. This Elenwen may have seemed aloof and a little irritable at first, but now she almost seemed to have warmed to him – even if it was only by a miniscule amount.

Eventually he found his feet again and he walked off to his bunk and sat down. He wasn’t sure what to do for the hour, but, at the very least, he was no longer completely dreading what this new responsibility would bring.

[aicendor]

((My muse is being sort of finicky, but I want to rp. So if anyone wants to poke El, Nallron or Aicendor with questions or maybe something IC from your muse…  👀))

[aicendor]

IC Pokemon Team

Using this website: Pokemon Team Planner build your character’s pokemon team!

((Aicendor is basically dad to his pokemon and he goes around calling each of them “buddy” all the time. If they could talk, they would 100% be saying “daaaaaaaad, stop embarrassing me!”))

Tagged by: @handsom-mer

Tagging: YOU

[aicendor]

((PSA: I have my dissertation deadline and then exams coming up really soon so I’m gonna have to force myself to take a break from roleplaying/social media/fun/etc. I might lurk intermittently but I’ll be deleting the Tumblr app off my phone so I actually do some work. My dissertation deadline is May 9th so activity will probably pick up after that.

I have a Discord now and I still have Steam - both of which I’m not temp deleting from my phone - so if you need me or just want to add me on there, feel free! Just let me know who you are beforehand or I won’t add you back.

Discord: thechaoticempress#7690 Steam: Emily~Kaldwin

Byyyyye!))

[aicendor]

B) What inspired you to create them?

((I honestly don’t know. He was sort of created for a fanfiction I was writing way back when I was like 16 and my writing was somehow worse than it is now. The catch was he was already dead and wasn’t actually going to appear in the fanfic. It’s a looong story and also a bad one.

Cendy’s changed a lot since then. He’s a lot less dead, for a start. So whatever did inspire me to create him at the time probably isn’t very relavent for this iteration of Cendy.))

[aicendor]

Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators:

Send me a # (questions for OCs) or a letter (questions for creators) and I’ll answer

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

How easy is it to earn their trust?

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

What animal do they fear most?

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

What makes their stomach turn?

Are they easily embarrassed?

What embarrasses them?

What is their favorite number?

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Why do they get up in the morning? 

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

 Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? 

 What are their thoughts on marriage? 

 What is their preferred mode of transportation? 

 What causes them to feel dread? 

 Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

 Do they usually live up to their own ideals? 

 Who do they most regret meeting? 

 Who are they the most glad to have met? 

 Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 

 Could they be considered lazy? 

 How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? 

 How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? 

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? 

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? 

What memory do they revisit the most often? 

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? 

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

How do they feel about children? 

How badly do they want to reach their end goal? 

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so? 

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS

A) Why are you excited about this character? B) What inspired you to create them? C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story? D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look? E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you? F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)? G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most? H) What trait do you admire most? I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe? J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

[aicendor]

Boe let out a quite squeak "W-who are y-you?"- @boethedragonborn

Aicendor jumped. He’d been completely lost in his thoughts and had not seen the young human. “N-no one!” He half-yelped instinctively before realising how much of a fool he was making of himself.

Taking a deep breath, he said as calmly as possibly. “Gods, you frightened the life out of me... Aicendor. My name is Aicendor.”

@boethedragonborn

[aicendor]

dyslexic-daedra

“Is that code for do nothing and aggravate the student population?  Because you people have done a wonderful job at that.  Is it extra credit to piss of the faculty?”

He was aware of the pink in the Justiciar’s face, but he parsed it as anger.

“Don’t worry about Talos worship here.  We do teach history after all.  You should sit in on one of those lectures.  I think you’d find the lecture on the First Dominion to be enlightening.”

“No.” Aicendor stressed the word carefully and narrowed amber eyes at Talasse. He simply was not going to leave him be, was he? And now Aicendor had found some composure, he was becoming very quickly exasperated with this continued conversation.

He glanced back down the hallway the instructor had pointed him down a few moments ago before retorting with a dismiss sniff, “I am certain I will be quite busy once I have met with Ancano and assumed my duties. Perhaps you too should find yourself some grading or something to keep you busy and away from irritating complete strangers.”

[aicendor]

Solitude‎

Solitude ~ Do you value authority? Would you consider yourself to be a follower, or a leader?

“I believe there to be great value in authority. If there was no one to create the laws we live by and to enforce them, our society would almost certainly break down.”

“That said, I do not believe I am qualified to lead in any capacity. I follow others and I am content with that.”

[aicendor]

dyslexic-daedra

Talasse started laughing a cruel bellowing laugh.

“Is that it?  Oh you are terrible at delivering that bullshit line.  You need to practice.  You sound almost beaten.”

He threw a wicked smile.

“Yes.  Let’s not have things get ugly, hmm?  Though I must know, what exactly is your job?  Ancano’s is, supposedly, only to advise.  He doesn’t do much of that.”

Aicendor flinched, an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks at Talasse’s critique. He had not expected to be judged now on how he went about saying things.

Attempting to stand a little straighter and compose himself in the face of letting the instructor see him become flustered, he responded. “I am to do just as Ancano - advise your Arch-Mage. Savos Aren, was it? And also to ensure that no one here violates the terms of the Concordat, but that is not a specific order. It is simply what any Justiciar does wherever they go.” 

Truthfully, Aicendor knew there was more to his job than that. But he had not been given any further instructions at the Embassy, other than that Ancano would fill him in on the specifics upon his arrival.

[aicendor]

Falkreath and Whiterun

Falkreath ~ Are you afraid of death? What do you think is waiting for you on ‘the other side’, if anything?

“It would be foolish of me not to be afraid of death. An unknown and permanent end to everything I have ever known… I am terrified of it.”

Aicendor frowned, looking quite sombre all of a sudden. “As for ‘the other side’, I hope my mother is there, waiting. And Miria…” 

Whiterun ~ What are your creature-comforts?

“I like to read a lot. Usually history books but I am partial to a good fiction novel from time to time. I also love apples. They’ve been my favourite snack since I was a child.”

[aicendor]

dyslexic-daedra

“Your politics are getting people murdered.  You know damn well that your people fanned the Stormcloaks.”  

He snarled.

“Your job is to put my students in danger, Aicendor Vaneth.  I do not welcome you.”

Talasse crossed his arms.  The motion let a short blade on his hip catch the light of the hallway.

“I am Talasse: head illusion instructor.  I think you’d rather I were honest than civil.  Civility is what gets knives in the back instead of in the gut.  Rest assured, if I ever have reason to come after you, you will see it coming a mile away.  But if you, intentionally or not, ever put my students in harm’s way?  If you bring your war here, if you fan hatred on this campus?  You will have my knife in your gut.”

He let his words hang a moment before throwing his thumb to the right down another hallway.

“Ancano likes to make the students uncomfortable in the Arcanaeum.”

“The Stormcloak Rebellion is entirely the doing of the Nords and their ridiculous desire to continue to worshipping a false god; a mere man who committed many atrocities in his lifetime. We are simply trying to uphold the terms of the White-Gold Concordat and maintain order.” There was no getting around the fact that the mer’s answer was rather rehearsed. It was the answer all Thalmor Justiciars were trained to give in the face of opposition.

“I was not expecting a hugely warm welcome, do not worry.” Aicendor did his best to remain calm, despite this Talasse getting under his skin already. That said, he did sub-consciously ball his hands into fists and his left ear twitched in irritation. 

Seeing the blade at the instructor’s side, he quickly continued, “And I have no desire for things to get ugly around here. If you allow us to do our job without any issues, you can expect the same courtesy. Any disruption to you and your students will be kept as minimal as possible.”

Aicendor’s gaze followed were the other mer pointed and he nodded. “I see. Thank you, Talasse.” A slight contemptuous note found its way into the Thalmor’s voice, in spite of himself.

[aicendor]

Cities of Skyrim Asks

Dawnstar: What is your best kept secret?

Falkreath‎: Are you afraid of death? What do you think is waiting for you on 'the other side', if anything?

Markarth: Have you ever been dealt a great injustice? Does it still affect you? What was it?

Morthal‎: Do you value companionship, or isolation? Why?

Riften‎: Have you ever taken something that was not yours? Did you get away with it, and did you feel guilty for doing so?

Solitude‎: Do you value authority? Would you consider yourself to be a follower, or a leader?

Whiterun‎: What are your creature-comforts?

Windhelm‎: Does trust come easily to you? Do you consider some individuals more inherently trustworthy than others?

Winterhold‎: Is there something you would like to learn to be better at? If so, what?

[aicendor]

dyslexic-daedra

He would be met with far greater hostilities than a foul mouthed professor in his due time.  

“Aid Ancano?  Gods do us all a favor and go back to that shit hole you slipped out of.  One of you bastards is bad enough, we don’t need you on top of it all.”

Talasse huffed, straightened his vest, and stood eye to eye with the rather short mer.

“You’re different, aren’t you?  You apologized.  It almost sounded sincere.  For a moment, I had no idea you were one of those genocidal monsters they call the Thalmor.  Back in my day, the Thalmor were an internal group.  A civilian police force.  They didn’t act outside of the Dominion.  And yet here you are, telling me to watch my mouth.  My words may be crass, but they’re nothing compared to the flowery hate-spreading rhetoric of your people.”  

So this was the warm welcome that the college had to offer.

Aicendor listened to the other mer as he went on. And on. All the while his pointed ears pinned themselves back against his hair and a light scowl crossed his features. Eventually he found an opening for his response and he composed himself before doing so with a deep breath.

“My apology was sincere. I can assure you I have no quarrel with you and I am not looking to make enemies before I have even introduced myself. I am well aware that everyone has their own views when it comes to politics, but can we not be civil? I am here to do my job, that is all.” Aicendor’s tone may have seemed calm and collected, but inside he was anything but. He was not used to this.

Sticking his right hand out for the stranger to shake, he nodded politely. “Aicendor Vaneth. May I ask what your name is?”

[aicendor]

dyslexic-daedra

The College was, supposedly, the greatest repository of learning since the fall of the Crystal Tower.  Talasse wanted to call bullshit, but he wasn’t able to visit the remnants of the Mage’s Guild in the Imperial city.  It might well have burned.  He walked through the halls backwards while talking to a poor student who just wanted help with her assignment.  His voice echoed through the halls, and while he was very well aware of his lack of proper volume control, he seemed to be bragging.  

“See how much quieter it is now, Marigold?”  

He threw his arms out and spun in front of the poor Breton girl.

“Tolfdir works wonders!  You see, it’s actually quieter!  It’s not a trick!  It’s not illusion!”  

Talasse ran backwards smack dab into a person he didn’t hear turn the corner.   He stumbled forward, whipped around, all six foot five gangly apparent-dunmer, and looked at who he’d just collided with.  

Before the garb registered as Thalmor, Talasse began an apology.  A quick, “Oh heavens I’m– What the fuck do you want?”

Marigold, reasonably horrified, disappeared into an open door.  

If colliding with others was a talent, Aicendor would have perhaps been one of the most talented mer in all of Tamriel. For once, however, this collision had not been entirely his fault. 

“Oof! I’m s-sorry!” He jumped at the sudden impact with the other elf, instinctively stammering an apology. And then his face fell.

Aicendor had only been in Skyrim a couple of months. It was the first time he had ever even left the Isles. During his short time within the province he had not yet interacted a great deal with anyone outside the Thalmor. This was the first time anyone had reacted to the sight of him in his uniform with hostility and it was not a pleasant feeling.

“I... I was sent here by the Third Emissary to aid our agent, Ancano, in his duties.” Aicendor usually tried to remain polite and even friendly with others, but his voice was remarkably cold now. Arching an eyebrow and seeming somewhat ruffled, he added, “Is there really a need for such language?”

[aicendor]

@dyslexic-daedra

“Gods, I hope I’m nearly there.” 

Riding in the saddle was not something Aicendor did for fun. And he most certainly did not find it fun to be doing just that for the best part of two days. However, he had little choice in the matter. If his betters wished him to visit the College of Winterhold and check on proceedings, that was exactly what he was going to do. Even if he didn’t quite understand why the Thalmor were so interested in the College. Supposedly Ancano would fill him in on the specifics upon his arrival.

At long last Aicendor caught his first sight of Winterhold. It was little more than a dilapidated eyesore. As he shivered under his cloak, he vehemently wished he were back home in the Isles. 

After a short while longer he came to the college. It looked a damn-sight more impressive than the rest of Winterhold, but that wasn’t saying much for it too appeared to have seen better days. Dismounting his horse, Aicendor made the trek along the bridge and into the college itself. 

The large foyer seemed completely deserted when he entered and unfortunately not much warmer than outside. The Altmer sighed to himself. He didn’t particularly want to go exploring the place uninvited, but perhaps he could find someone to help him locate Ancano he thought as he began to wander down a passageway to his right.

[aicendor]

“...Lona.”

The mousy haired womer looked up from the letter she was reading. Her husband appeared uncharacteristically serious as he stood in the office doorway, still wearing his work robes. She did not say anything but gave him an attentive look.

With a sigh Aicendor continued. “Lona, I’d like a divorce.” He winced slightly as he said it.

“I see.” Her reply was matter of fact. There were no emotions to be hurt from his request.

Stepping forward into the room, Aicendor gave her a nervously apologetic look. “I love you, Lona. As a friend. And I will not drag this out unnecessarily. You will get half of all I have. I just...” His voice faltered. “You deserve better.” He finally managed.

Lona’s brows furrowed with a sympathetic look. Dropping her letter and getting up from her desk, she drew close enough to her husband to gently hold his hands.

Their marriage had never been one of love. At least, not in the romantic sense. Lona had was just barely 350 when her and Aicendor’s parents had arranged their marriage. She remembered how he had at first been rather resistant to the arrangement, worrying that with their age difference he would be holding Lona back in some way. That was the moment she realised how surprisingly caring he was for someone who worked for the Thalmor.

“This... hasn’t exactly been the kind of marriage I think either of us expected. But I don’t regret our marriage. My parents could have found me someone far worse to marry. Instead they found me you; one of the closest friends I have ever made.”

Aicendor did not look her in the eyes, but he managed to give her hands a small squeeze.

After a long pause, Lona asked in a whisper of a voice. “Are you sure you want to do this now? Your mother...”

“Is three months gone.” He finally looked her in the eyes. “The only reason this did not come sooner is that I did not want to disappoint my parents, particularly her. Now she is gone... What point is there in keeping this up?”

He was right. Lona had not seen much point in their marriage for a long time. She knew her parents would also be disappointed, but she did not fear it like Aicendor did.

“If you are sure, then...”

“I am. Besides, I thought you would be happy. You no longer have to sneak around with that Calwen.” There was a teasing note to his voice and he forced a smile as he mentioned Lona’s “bit on the side”.

The womer’s cheeks flushed a bright red. “I-I...”

Lona had never thought of her relationship with Calwen as anything more than what it already was. A bit of fun. She had been married after all.

“Forgive me.” Aicendor laughed awkwardly, but continued to smile. “I want you to be free, Lona. And for us to remain friends, if possible?”

As the heat from her cheeks began to fade, she found herself returning his smile. “Of course. You will always be my friend, Cendy.”

Aicendor’s smile widened. It was the first time she’d seen him look genuinely happy for a long time. Happiness suited him.