The Gift of Knowledge (Alomir)

[Silisia Anja Saffy]

The queen dipped her quill daintily into the glass ink pot on her drawer. Pausing for a moment, she formulated the words in her head, before putting them down on paper. Silisia, being a perfectionist, hated to make mistakes while writing. Taking a deep breath, the queen quickly wrote a neat later to Lord Alomir Orsoan. The lord had become a trusted ally over the years in her court and the queen believed she could truly trust him. That was a very big thing to believe in a world when most nobles were out for self gain.

Dearest Lord Alomir,

Please meet me in the old wood, boarding Rivadon in an hour. I have a rather important mission for you and it would be best heard away from prying ears.

Fondest regards,
Queen Silisia

Satisfied, the queen moved to the door, and beckoned for a servant. Hurrying up to her, the servant bowed deeply. While all the bowing and subservience had made the queen once feel rather uncomfortable, she was becoming very desensitised to it.
“Please take this to Lord Alomir Orsoan. It is of the utmost importance that he receives this letter as soon as possible,” the queen spoke gently, but a level of authority remained insistent.
“Yes, your majesty,” the servant bowed again then scurried down the hall in great haste. A small smile twitched onto the queen’s lips as she watched him go. While in her room, the queen quickly relinquished herself of her courtly gown and donned light riding breeches, a soft white shirt and her long riding boots. Picking of her brush, she quickly pulled her hair into a low pony tail. Upon her waist she strapped her former husband’s sword. Finally, she moved to a vault where some of the most valuable information was held, guarded by an ancient magic. The queen gently reopened the wound from the previous night and touched her bloody hand to the vault. The door swung open but before the queen retrieved the document kept in a capsule, she tied a strip of cloth over her hand. Satisfied she would not cover it in blood; she picked it up and tucked it away.

She quickly made her way from her room, and her ears were met by the singing chorus of ‘your majesty.’ The wave of those words had been all but drowned out from the queen’s mind over the years. She responded with a polite nod. Her feet wound down to the armoury where she retrieved her bow and arrows, and from there she moved to the stable yard.
“Your horse, your majesty,” a stable hand bowed, holding her young coloured stallion, Oblivion. A small nicker left the young horse as he saw his rider. She had sent word earlier to the stables that she would be going to go out riding. The stable hands were never impressed if she took the liberty to tack up her own horse. Taking the reins softly from the stable hands hand, the queen led the young horse away to the mounting block, and quickly mounted.

The back entrance was the most convenient for the queen. She did not need to great the people or have long conversations. While on a less busy day she would gladly fulfil her duty, today was far too full of important events that needed to be carried out as soon as possible. The previous night echoed in the queen’s mind and a twitch of a happy smile touched her lips. She would spoken to the council later that day, and hopefully they would understand. However, at the moment, she had other matters to attend to. Asking Oblivion for a canter, the queen made the distance from the capital to the wood outside Rivadon in a good time. Halting outside the forest, where she assumed Alomir would find her, she waited.

[Alomir Orsoan]

Alomir Orsoan hunched low over his massive black charger, Altzar, as the pair sprinted through the city and out of the city gates. Behind him the end of a navy blue cloak snapped and billowed behind him. Even at this high speed, the young aristocrat could not have helped but wish that he would have ridden Imogen, as she was the much swifter of the two. Unfortunately, however, but he had ridden her only this morning on a very long hunt, and he didn't dare risk damaging the hunter.

Queen Silisia's message had come unexpectedly, but it mattered very little to Alomir. He had been dining in his study, his body bent over a book when Frederick, his chamberlain, brought him a letter from one of the Queen's messenger. As soon as he had read the letter Alomir sprang into action. He had paused only momentarily to strap his long sword, Oeldris, to his belt before dashing out of the house, Frederick handing him the cloak as he ran through the hall of the house.

And off Alomir had ridden, urging the war charger to faster and faster speeds. As he arrived he slowed the horse to a halt before dismounting. Alomir tied the horse's reigns to a nearby branch, and patting the giant creature's head. Altzar seemed to understand the need for silence, and remained quiet, and relatively still.

As Alomir walked into the wood, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. This would have been a well-played trap, if someone meant to ambush him. The Queen's seal had appeared to be valid, and therefore Alomir hadn't really considered the possibility of anyone trying to trick him into meeting them out in the woods. Besides, even if they did want to trick him, the impersonation of a member of the royal family was a very serious crime, most often a capital one.

His worries were instantly alleviated as he saw Queen Silisia. He approached her, giving her a short and hurried bow. "Your Majesty," He said slowly in greeting, choosing his words carefully, "I received your message and I came as swiftly as I was able. The tone of Your Majesty's letter seemed very urgent." Alomir said graciously before falling silent. Alomir supposed that was one of the things that had made him so pleasing to the Queen. He was respectful, however unlike other nobles, he knew when the time for silence was at hand. And every instinct in Alomir's body told him that this was a very important meeting.

[Silisia Anja Saffy]

The forest remained silent for awhile after the queen’s arrival. It seemed utterly beautiful, the tranquillity. Her days in the palace were often littered with tense noise, provoking anxiety and unrest in the queen. She gently ran her hand over her young stallion’s neck. The strange boy was ever so calm for a stallion. Sighing, he pulled at the reins and dropped his head to eat the lush grass at his feet. A mouthful of grass, the stallion looked up. His body tensed beneath him, and with a trumpeting neigh, he challenged what Silisia thought to be an encroaching horse. The stallion arched his neck and pawed at the ground.
“Show off,” the woman muttered, straining her eyes to see if it was Alomir coming. Well, she hoped it would be Alomir. While attacks were uncommon in Samarid, they sometimes did happen. A slow anxiety crept up on her but she quickly shook it from her mind. She was being foolish.

A smile flickered across her features as she saw Lord Alomir. If there was one thing she could be certain of, it was that she could trust Alomir. She had a soft spot in her heart for the respectful lord. While she was tiring of this constant bowing from someone she viewed as a friend, she tolerated it from him. Aslim, her other more trusted courtier always bowed mockingly. She preferred the real thing, on a bad day.
“Lord Alomir,” she tipped her head in return and dismounted from her horse. Running a gentle hand over the stallion’s neck, she smiled back at Alomir, sensing a slight urgency in his tone. However, the queen displayed nothing but an easiness and calm. Taking a moment, she secured the stallions reins around his neck and allowed him to graze.
“Left your horse a little way back?” she asked softly.

A small smile toyed at her lips as she watched him. It would be cruel to keep him waiting much longer.
“I have a special mission for you, as I know I can trust you,” her smile slowly flickered away. While she knew she would come right in the court without Alomir being there, she would sorely miss her ally.
“I need you to go to the elves, and try cement relations. Without their help, I doubt we’ll win this war,” she said frankly, her eyes searching his. She reached inside Oblivion’s saddle bags and pulled the tube from it.
“These are the directions to their city, Stalaga. Keep them safe,” she commanded softly, knowing that there would be a bit of a problem if the directions fell into the wrong hands.

“Formal business aside, how are you doing?” genuine interest laced her voice.

[Alomir Orsoan]

Alomir offered a small smile as the Queen greeted him. It was not unusual for him to be granted a private audience with Her Majesty, although Alomir's mind already raced as to what she could possibly want to see him in a location so remote. Despite his internal excitement, Alomir kept his expression and body language neutral, while waiting for the Queen to reveal the purpose behind this meeting.

However, she didn't dive right into the heart of the matter and Alomir could only admire her disposition. Even though he himself was so excited, the Queen kept a calm and very collected demeanor. He supposed that it was a necessary skill that one must acquire to rule a kingdom.

"Yes Your Majesty," He said nodding. "I had to ride my charger, my sprinter Imogen...the gray one...was too tired for me to ride at the pace I did." Alomir said again falling silent. He couldn't help but feel as though he were being a bit rude by deliberately keeping the pleasantries short. That may work with other nobles, but it was quite another thing with the Queen of Samarid.

He was inwardly grateful when Silisia finally began to divulge the reason why she had summoned him here. As the Queen went on, Alomir could not even hope to hide his astonishment. The Queen of Samarid was sending him to the Elves! This was no light undertaking and though Silisia had always said she trusted him, he now knew without a doubt that she did.

Ambassadors had a lot of power when they were serving as diplomats in a foreign kingdom. And for Alomir to be trusted as diplomat to the Elves was a huge honor. One that he couldn't take lightly.

"T-Thank you...Your Majesty," He said as he took the tube containing directions to the Stalaga. Alomir did not know much of the Elves aside from the fact that they were secretive, and they guarded their knowledge. "I'd rather die before I let these directions out of my hands," He said as he put them into a pocket of his cloak.

Alomir looked up from his cloak as the Queen spoke. He smiled as she inquired about him personally. "I am well, though the question isn't about my health. If I may be so bold, my queen, as to ask how you...are faring?" He said in a way, twisting the question back upon the Queen.

[Silisia Anja Saffy]

A small smile touched her lips as she noted his silence. It seemed as though there was very little the queen could do or say to distract him from his mission. At the mention of the pace he came at the queen stifled a laugh and a shake of her head. The man was truly loyal, charging to her every beck and call. However, she was sure she should be able to survive with a few moments of waiting. Still, she refrained herself from keeping the lord, who was cutting off any chances of small talk. It was as though there was a huge wall building itself in between the two of them. The wall of subject versus leader. The wall was built from inherited blood. No one could escape or outrun it. It separated people that could be friends, and lovers, and every person was reduced to what lay on their side of the wall. It was lonely for most people, she could imagine. Even the queen of Samarid struggled with her side of the wall and wanting to be with someone on a different side. Except, she was going to break that wall down. She caught a sigh of exasperation before it left her lips, and she dipped her eyes from those of the soon to become diplomat and ambassador of Samarid.

She smiled as the lord gave his thanks. Amusement touched her mind at his shock demeanour.
“It’s always a pleasure, Lord Alomir,” she said warmly, and moved over to her impatient steed. The young black and white stallion champed anxiously at his bit, and swivelled his ears around toward every noise. The queen placed a gently hand on the young horse’s neck, knowing he was probably feeling uncomfortable because he had not often left the safety of the palace and the grounds around it. The most she had ever ridden with the stallion was down to Aslim’s father’s fiefdom.
“Die? That is a bit extreme. Rather don’t. It’s very hard to find truly loyal allies these days. I would hate to waste am exceptional one,” her smile dulled into a soft seriousness.

Laughter trickled from her lips, like a gloriously sun kissed fountain, at the young man’s words. She shook her head, and tried to keep the rising euphoria from showing. She was ecstatic, love struck and strangely bashful. She twisted her lips into a cheeky smile.
“Now now, don’t twist that question around on me without answering yours properly,” she said lightly, turning to fiddle with a buckle on her horse’s bridle. “I’m quite well, thank you. Very well actually. I am happy.”
She turned back to face him, her expression clouded with the regal mask she had been taught to done.

“What do you know of the customs of the elves? Do you think you will be able to fare well there?” she asked softly, quickly averting the conversation from her personal life. “I can send escorts up with you until the forest border, if you’d like. Perhaps Aslim would go. And, it’ll be better to only leave tomorrow or in a few days. I’m sure you have people to say goodbye to.”

Sorry it took so long. I was struggling to get muse for her.