Gilded Seclusion (Brenton)

[Harbor]

The duke stared at him and snorted. "I don't care about your horse and where it takes you. Nor do I care for what you choose to adorn yourself with," he replied, eyeing both the crown and the armor. "As for the children, they're in the garden with their lessons." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the expansive garden below his tall windows, the stables not far beyond that. "Are you going to kidnap them?"

[Brenton]

If you want to call it that but you have been warned that after they leave they are not yours. You come near them with me close and I will strike you down in a heartbeat. Oh and step one toe Into my forest and I will kill you. With that said, Brenton walked out to the garden and approached the kids with a calm air about him. He looked at each of them and then bellowed to the sky where Grazael suddenly descended and landed with a thud. Children I approach you to tell you of a place where you are safe. People exist who stand against those like your father. I am one of them and you can be as well.

[Harbor]

Isilee's children were rarely together for anything but meals, and often even those were taken separately. Their father knew that the more time they spent together the stronger they would be, and the duke much preferred to be the only person of strength in his own home. But in the last half hour, the five youngest of her six had been gathered swiftly into the garden with a few of their tutors to watch them. They didn't know why and no one would tell them it was because their mother had disappeared. Only Marek, at nine years old the eldest boy, had been kept apart with his father, because he was the only one their father had ever been interested in. A son was all a man of station truly needed, after all. Once he had one, the other children he couldn't care less about so long as they stayed out of his way.

But then a strange tall man came striding into their hushed garden, the tutors all backed away, and the children stood alone together. When a dragon swept down from the sky and tore up the grass in his landing, the youngest girl fell over in fright and the oldest girl tucked her behind herself. A place where they were safe? What sort of fairy place would that be? "What about our mother?" asked the eldest girl, only ten years old. One of the boys tugged on the sleeve of her dress and when she bent, whispered in her ear. The girl straightened and asked, "May I see that?" She pointed at a square of intricate, ivory lace tucked into one of the buckles on the dragon's saddle, which looked foolishly small in comparison with the rest of his bulk.

[Brenton]

The king nodded as he pulled the piece of lace from the buckle and handed it to the eldest daughter while he took count quickly. Five children, no way were they all going to fit on Grazael's back. Four of them would be able to but Brenton wanted the youngest two with him on Frost Fire so they might be safe. He just hoped that perhaps they would get to safety with him because this family was stubborn and carrying five children wasn't possible.

[Harbor]

Celia, Isilee's eldest, accepted the lace gravely and in less than a moment identify it as her mother's. She may have very little knowledge of her mother, but she had envied and studied her mother's lace since she was a child. Within this city, Isilee was better known for the lace she produced than for the person she supposedly was, according to the duke's representation of her. Celia handed the lace down to the others, and they too accepted or recognized it simply because Celia hadn't disagreed with it. For all that their father tried to keep them apart, there were too many of them in one house, and they were too lonely, for him to always be able to guard against each other, and they had learned to trust each other in spite of his best efforts.

Once the lace had been passed around and little Iva had handed it back, Celia thrust the lace up her sleeve for safekeeping and returned her attention to the foreign man before them. "Very well," she said calmly, as though he had verbally answered her questions. "Where is our mother?" she asked a second time. She eyed the dragon, and the handsome horse, and the man again. "And where are we going? We have horses," she added, already having judged the sizes of the two saddles to be too small for all of them.

[Brenton]

Brenton laughed and crouched down right in front of the little girl as he thought about Drayden. Maybe his son was like this girl and he never noticed because of his obsession to live. Your mother is safe and waiting for us but I cannot say where. As for our destination, we are going to Ellesmera immediately from here. Your family will be safer there and I can provide you with a place to live. Of course the king had already stopped at the shop and given the man a note written "Ellesmera - Safe travels" Rella would know what it meant and he had said the name Rella before giving the man a golden coin.

[Harbor]

Celia blinked, evenly watching the strange man as he came down to her level. As odd as his face was, it was kind, and his gentle tone of voice was nothing like their fathers. It was closer to their mother's way of speaking tot hem: straightforward, balanced, honest. Of course he, like all adults, assumed that she would accept his offer as if they had no say in it, but it wasn't as if he didn't have reason to assume that. If their mother had already said they were going, then they would. Celia and her siblings never discussed it, but they knew that their father was harsher to his wife than he was to his children. Except for Marek, he ignored them utterly until one of them did something he didn't like. They were all very good at avoiding him by now though. "Very well," she said solemnly.She inhaled deeply. "Would you like to take any of our horses?"

Away on the wall, having lost the suggested protection of the dragon, Isilee slipped back over the side and returned to the stand of ash trees where she was slightly less visible. She prayed that the dragon's departure didn't mean that Brenton was already fighting his way through her husband's men.

[Brenton]

Brenton did a quick calculation and nodded to the girl at her question. Three horses would be enough for them to all get there added to Frost Fire and Grazael. We only need three horses and any weapons you choose to bring. Maybe when we get to the forest I can teach a handful of you archery so you can supplement your meals with meat and protect yourselves Brenton whistled and soon Grazael was in the air at a nonspoken command and he was in the saddle of the stallion looking at the children.

[Harbor]

Celia nodded and bent to speak to the other children. The dragon took off and so did they, all five through the arched door in the thin wall of the garden. Not one of them being large enough to saddle the proper horses on their own, they enlisted the help of a few thoroughly intimidated stable hands, stole what food they found in the back as well as a little for the steeds, and located a few of the plain daggers that the men there used for daily chores. Only Marek was old enough to start learning the sword, but the others felt better carrying something sharp anyway. Using the steps, Celia organized them on the saddles so the two youngest were both sitting with someone who would hold them on, herself with Iva. She led them all back out of the stables, ducking through the tight fit of the garden door, and stopped before the peculiar man. "Have you a name?" she asked, deciding that despite the oddness of this whole enterprise, they might as well be courteous. "I'm Celia," and then she rattled off the names of the other four.

[Brenton]

My name's Brenton Bromsson, king of Du Weldenvarden. It is nice to meet you Celia but why do you not have at least a rapier to learn with? When we get back I can have a sword specially made for those of you who can tell me how to clean the blade. The rest can learn the bow or sling. He didn't want to hurt their feelings but a swordsman had to know how to clean their blade. Slowly he rode toward the edge of the city, keeping the kids in sight so he could protect them.

Grazael flew back to Isilee and landed next to the woman with his wings slightly folded so as to not crash to the ground and injure someone. He looked at the woman and nodded once to let her know that the children had agreed to return with Brenton. Soon enough the horses could be seen riding out of the city proud and tall with their noble riders.

[Harbor]

The girl's eyes widened. Why would a king be coming to rescue them? Surely he had more important, elvish business to attend to? But she was too polite to question his motives, and she wasn't about to tell him how foolish she thought he was being with his priorities when this priority suited her just fine. "Women don't learn weaponry," she told him instead. "And Rollo, Jerad and Yesley are too young to have learned the sword, though Rollo is good with a small bow."

When Brenton's dragon thundered down from the pale gray of the sky a second time, Isilee roused herself and stepped hesitantly out of the trees to watch the front gate. She made the tiny telescope with her fingers again and could see tiny figures on small horses riding out, accompanied by the fine white one. She snatched up her skirts so she could dart down the incline to meet them, crying her relief. Yesley was too young, only one, to have met her enough to miss her and sat inflectionlessly with Rollo behind him, but Iva shrieked and reached out to her, so astonished she was to see their mother out of the house and smiling.

Isilee counted her children four times before she forced herself to believe she'd done it properly. "Celia," she asked carefully, "Where is Marek?"

Celia looked down into her lap. "He didn't want to come. He's with Father."

Isilee's throat closed. "Oh," she managed, forcibly not allowing herself to rage or despair that the duke had managed to turn one of her precious children against her. "Well, that's his choice, love. He has the right." She turned to Brenton then and wasted no compunctions in throwing her arms around him. "Thank you. Thank you for bringing my children back." [/b][/b]

[Brenton]

Brenton smiled at the thought of women not fighting with weaponry since some of the best fighters were women. Women can do anything that men can do if they please. My sister is the greatest fighter I've known and she used a sword. It just takes more practice for women to learn as well as men. Boys start early but if you think they aren't ready then okay. Suddenly they were next to Isilee and she asked where a boy was. His face fell but Brenton knew a boy had the right to stay. I tried to bring them all but the Duke never mentioned a boy. I'm sorry, Isilee.

[Harbor]

"But we're not supposed to," Celia mumbled, and fidgeted under the novel of the thought of using a weapon herself. Iva muttered unhappily when her riding mate couldn't hold still, and Celia tried to stop squirming.

Isilee unwound her arms from Brenton's back and stepped away, composed once more. She'd had eleven years of practice with rearranging her face at will, not showing how she truly felt about one situation or another. "No, don't be sorry. I'd rather he chose to stay with his father than unwillingly came with me." She offered him a small, wry smile. "It's a choice I was never given." She took a deep breath, giving herself the momentum to leave the place she barely knew, knowingly leaving a part of herself behind, and began checking the straps and buckles for her children's saddles. "May we go wherever it is we're going? The farther we go the happier I'll be."

"We're going to Ellesmera, Mother," Rollo piped up. He pointed at their king. "He said."

Isilee's eyes widened as her eyebrows rose. "Oh really? That should be....interesting."

[Brenton]

Brenton smirked at how Rollo said that they were going to Ellesmera like it was a vacation to Gilead. The Empire will attack the Varden guaranteed but rarely do they fly to the elven capital and attack. We dealt with our biggest threats there and there are three dragon spirits in there. Plus I told Celia that she could learn to fight if she wanted but the humans and dwarves won't agree to that. You will be provided for and won't have worries. Brenton dismounted and handed the reigns to Isilee before he jumped into Grazael's saddle. If you run into danger then use your weapons until I arrive. I will be in the air scouting.

[Harbor]

Isilee, her entourage of children, the king and the dragon spent a month of slow travel crossing the plains and avoiding towns to reach his sacred forest. Isilee sympathized with the pair of them following in the air, as they must be chafing to travel more quickly, but with so many young children they hardly could. Isilee and her children had never slept a night on anything other than a bed, either. Briefly Brenton had to go into town for clothes for them all--Isilee had given him her heavy pearl necklace to pay for it--since traveling in silk and brocade quickly proved itself to be even more hampering than one would initially assume.

At one point a troupe of soldiers sighted them as they skirted some city or town and rode toward them, interested, but when a dragon and Rider dipped down from the sky to circle their ragtag party, they decided to risk their fates elsewhere.

At last they entered the forest, and at last they began to see other elves, and Isilee and her children rode more closely together for the comfort of being in the presence of their own human selves. Iva fussed until Celia traded her over for Isilee to hold, and then Yesley too needed comfort, and Isilee was relieved to give it because it meant that he was finally becoming more comfortable with her. "What will your brethren think of a slew of humans coming to live here?"

[Brenton]

Humans are not so foreign to us as we are to you but they may be wary at first. Your safest bet is to meet Laetri and Kialandi for they are respected. If you earn their trust and cause no trouble then the elves will accept you without qualms. Because I am with you then you already have the favor of my students.t Konner and my lord Shaelren. You are safe, Isilee for there are few people who do not trust me now. Brenton watched as elven faces stared at them from hiding and suddenly he realized something. Isilee, your children will need to learn weaponry to provide meat for your table but Celia does not wish to learn the bow. I will make her a bow and quiver of arrows but you have to convince her to learn the weapon.

[Harbor]

Isilee watched him in a sort of quiet shock. "Why should my girls need to learn weaponry? It isn't dignified." Being a bastard, she considered herself excused from such ladylike qualms. "I've heard that you don't eat meat but the boys and I will manage if we feel the need for it." Her boys puffed up their chests with pride at being so hailed as the providers for their unrooted family, and Celia, she noticed, was studiously inspecting the stitchery on her saddle horn. "You know we won't be able to live here forever." Well, she very well may. She had no intentions of ever remarrying, but her sons and daughters deserved the right to choose a mate for themselves, and she preferred, for their own sake, that they choose humans. That was unlikely to happen for them here, surrounded by elves.

[Brenton]

Brenton looked at Isilee, not missing the boys and their swelled chests or the girl picking at threads. He reached his mind out to Isilee and spoke mentally to her. Many great and powerful women knew how to use a weapon. I will not ask this of you if I do not think it's a good idea. Please understand that I do know what you feel. Brenton saw Ellesmera ahead and waved to the guardian who disappeared.

[Harbor]

Isilee went rigid with the sound of his words pressed inside her mind. It was one thing for a dragon to speak in such a way--he had the excuse of not having lips with which to speak vocally--but it disturbed her to have her safest places touched by someone she didn't know could reach in and move them. Responding in a like manner, since he had begun this conversation, and hoping that he would hear her, she responded, My children are already brought low because their mother is a bastard. I would not want them further disgraced in the eyes of my people. But--and she conveyed this to him too, as she knew of no way to put her fears into words--she also fervently, ardently wished for her daughters to be able to protect themselves, for her to be able to protect them, that they might never have to stand before a man such as her husband and know that they were helpless. Her sons she wanted to teach to be brave, to stand up for themselves, and to stand up for all women whether or not they knew how to stand on their own.

[Brenton]

And that's why I have arranged to have swords made for your sons but Celia is strong, Isilee. She took charge when I walked up and then made sure there were supplies and daggers for each of them. If you do not wish her to have the bow then I won't make it but she would be a great a proud leader who could take care of herself and her sisters. Ellesmera was large but finally the horses were at the house meant for Isilee and her children. He stopped Frost Fire and looked at the family.