#since...yknow...current day 'Laisren' /is/ Oleander

[soulsxng]

Laisren Cynwrig Ris, life to current day, pt 1

Another fae born in the Unseelie, to two longtime advisors to the Queen-- a birth that coincided with that of the Queen's only child. Laisren grew up in a rather sheltered environment, with few peers his own age...aside from the young royal, that is, whom Laisren quickly grew rather fond of.

The two grew up closely with each other, and many thought that one day, when the young royal took the throne from their mother, that Laisren would come to be their top and most trusted advisor.

The young fae himself, however, dreamed differently. Having taken a rather grand admiration toward Bleddyn, his only dream was to one day become a royal knight. Someone that could stand by his best friend's side to protect him, as well as beside his longtime idol.

...Unfortunately, his lessons had little focus on combat, and for a long time, the dream seemed so far out of reach that it would be better to let go of. For Laisren to move on from it. It was the young royal that changed his mind, and encouraged him to speak with Bleddyn about becoming a student under him.

Though he was promptly turned down (Bleddyn couldn't risk compromising his duties by trying to teach a completely green student, after all), Bleddyn too, encouraged him to "hone his craft", and-- should he still harbor the same goal later on-- to ask again at that point.

It was then that, against his parents' wishes, Laisren forwent the path that they had chosen for him, and began to study the path of the knight, instead. He flourished in this new environment, where he had once struggled to keep up with the lessons he had been given before. In this time, he was able to broaden his horizons. Visit new places and meet people that he never would have had the chance to encounter before.

Years later, when he decided it was time to make his request to Bleddyn again, it was with his head held high and a confidence in his voice that convinced the older knight that now, finally, he was ready.

Laisren proved to be a quick study-- hanging on every last word and every action. If there was something to be learned from his mentor, then Laisren would give the matter his entire focus.

And it very quickly paid off as, at nearly the same time that his best friend took the throne, he was made one of the youngest royal knights in the Unseelie. He was always proud that he was able to continue standing beside his friend, doing a job that he felt he was meant to do.

The days passed at leisure, and in that time, the relationship between Laisren and the young ruler blossomed into something more. Along with a third-- a dryad healer from near the Mortal Realm's entrance to the Unseelie, whom the two met by little more than chance-- they fell into a love that endured even in the hardship of the days to come.

It was the dryad whom the young ruler eventually married. Their relationship with Laisren remaining mostly a secret, so as to allow the royal knight to continue on in his duties without being constantly bothered with other matters. And it was because of the relationship remaining a secret that Laisren eventually came to be the one to discover the first seeds of the coup within the young royal's own trusted allies.

The two in question being his very own parents.

He never did come to know their reasoning for siding with the coup-- be it that they didn't agree with the direction the young ruler wished to take the Unseelie, or that they had been planning such a thing even during the Queen's rule. Perhaps they had simply been too afraid to act against her, but that wasn't the case with the young ruler?

Laisren couldn't say. And though it pained him greatly, he showed them no mercy when he learned of their transgressions-- it was by luck alone that his mother was able to flee, where his father was struck down.

At first, he expected to be viewed with scrutiny by his lovers and Bleddyn alike...but not once were his loyalties questioned. As always, he was met with the same acceptance that he had been before. Something that only served to further his loyalty, and the lengths that he was willing to go for them.

When his son was born-- when Oleander was born-- it was simultaneously one of the happiest, and most terrifying days of his life. For the more his family grew, the more fearful he grew that one day, something would come to take it all away.

...It took two decades, but the time finally came. Bleddyn was sent away to bring Oleander to safety, and Laisren remained.

The coup invaded the palace undetected, which left Laisren and some small few royal knights against a force that quickly saw them surrounded. For each opponent that fell, he saw his family that much closer to safety. He held nothing back, even as he was met with familiar faces standing against him, he would cut them down without the slightest hesitation.

Close...he had been so close, when he was run through. Having been met with a trap when they were mere feet from escaping, Laisren had leaped before his beloveds to protect against a blow that he otherwise would have had no hope of defending against. And just like that, he fell.

With the last shreds of his awareness, Laisren could hear them cry his name. With the last of his strength, he pleaded for them to run.

His last thought, a prayer that his family would be safe.