The Nightfall Saga: The House Gathers (Part 1)

It was the breaking of the early morning. The sun had yet to rise above the horizon and the grey of the morning was starting to push away the night’s darkness. It was silent this early. Nothing stirring, no one moving around. No one except one lone person, creeping around their own house.

She silently came down the stairs, fully clothed in a long, draping dress, not bothering to light a single lamp or candle. She led herself, using the polished railing of the banister. In the darkness of the wee hours, she slid her feet into a pair of heeled shoes and wrapped her head in a lightweight scarf. Part of her wanted to leave a note for her husband, but she knew it would be best if she didn’t. He would simply assume that she had headed out to the city to see friends if she said nothing. And she would much rather have him believe that than the actual truth.

The click of her heels knocking against the wooden floors was deafening in the silence. She wondered if the noise would wake her husband. She wouldn’t have minded if it had. For a moment, she imagined that barely there smile on his face as he stood atop the staircase to wave and tell her to have a good time. No, she would not have minded at all if these shoes on her feet caused him to come to her. However, as she reached for her luggage that was sitting near the door, there was no one to bid her goodbye. It was just her and the darkness of her home. It was just as well. 

Not even the wind stirred this morning, like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Much like she was holding hers right now. As the door softly clicked closed behind her, she lifted her scarf covered head and was greeted by a familiar sight. One that she had not seen in quite some time. A pair of brilliantly colored hawkstriders were right outside of the door and on top of one was the silhouette of a hooded person, draped in dark brown robes. Upon, seeing her, the cloaked shadow nimbly slid down from his mount and reached his hand out towards her.

“Lady Alara.” 

The formality in his voice, in that title, it sounded so foreign and yet she remembered the sound of that voice as if she had never parted from it. Falling into old form, she held her hand out and allowed herself to be lead to her hawkstrider. She did not speak to this man, only nodded when he called her name. Once she was securely in the saddle, the pair headed away from the village and along the winding road to Silvermoon City.

“Your brother wished for me to express how grateful he is that you decided to attend,” the elf in robes stated. 

“He says that as if he gave me a choice in the matter.”

Her voice was stiff and cold. Simply mentioning him made her blood hot.

“It is quite forward of me to say, and I hope that you forgive me, however I am grateful as well,” the elf continued, shifting his hooded head in her direction, slightly, ”It has been many years since I have seen you, Lady Alara.”

She only nodded.


Part 2