On Secrets and the Unknown (Anvael and Archalen)

[Archalen Andares]

Continued from the Governors Office.

In books you always read about how long-lost siblings recognized each other instantly, but in reality such things never happened. Anvael stared at the man before him blankly, noting that they were of the same age, that Archalen couldn’t be much older, but that was it. A perfect stranger, although one who possibly had a few character flaws. Imperia was most famous for the thieves and murderers that resided within, and he couldn’t help but wonder whether the Thane was just like them. He didn’t say it out loud of course, wouldn’t accuse the man of a crime openly. He just looked at him. He just looked at him, his face unreadable and wondered how he should start.

His gaze drifted to the ring Archalen had placed on his desk. “May I?” he asked and picked it up to inspect it closely. “It is the same”, he decided after a moment. “The same coat of arms …” He pointed at the picture that was hanging on the wall behind his desk. It showed the same motive as Archalen’s ring, although a few dozen times bigger. His voice trailed off. A thief, a murderer, a criminal that should be thrown into the gaol or something else? He remembered the letter he had written to Malkaer, he had mentioned something about Archalen either being a thief or another of their father’s bastards, but that had been a joke, nothing but a joke.

“Tell me again how you got the ring”, he asked. “And then I will tell you of my suspicions. I already mentioned them in my letter, two possibilities …” He laughed softly and shook his head. “Tea, Your Grace?” he asked and took the tea pot that was standing on his desk. He’d been enjoying a cup before Archalen had arrived. Maybe a drink would lighten the mood a little.

Archalen looked towards the Governor. "The ring was a gift from my mother, sent to me....during my time at the orphanage." The Thane nodded at the other esh'lahiers offer of tea. He wasn't suited for such drinks usually, but anything to parch the uneasy dryness of his mouth was welcomed at the moment. "My mother sent me a letter, with the ring enclosed....the letter was her apology for the events that led my life to where it was. However...." he said, gesturing to the ring "the ring she explained was a trinket my father had left her for me. I never did know him.." Archalen explained, a little cool on the last sentence.

Archalen waited to see what the Governor would say. He was a little plexed, at how the ring from his father held the same symbol as the banner behind the Governor. Although, surely the idea of being related did not even pass his mind.

[Anvael Andares]

As Archalen nodded, Anvael filled two cups with tea, delicate porcelain cups that were painted with scenes of Sherianite life. The tea was a little unusual, unlike the cup or the pot it had been imported. It contained orange and cinnamon, rare in Sherian, but more common in Eunesia. Anvael took a sip and listened to Archalen’s story.

“You were in an orphanage?” he asked. “Why did your mother put you into an orphanage, if you don’t mind asking?” The story bore some similarities to his own. Both Astartus and his mother Alara had been unfit to become parents. His mother had never wanted a baby. She had had no room for one in her life, so she had given him to his ancient grandparents the moment he was born and left her home to become rich and famous. He had not heard from her since then.

Archalen’s mother seemed to have been a better person than her, although only slightly. At least she had had the decency to apologize. He was still waiting for his mother to say that she was sorry. Alara had likely forgotten all about him by now.

He actually felt a little bad about accusing Archalen to be a thief and a murderer now – although the accusations were not unjustified.

Growing up in an orphanage couldn’t have been easy. He’d always complained about his own life, about being stuck with two elderly elves that didn’t do much besides sit in the garden and watch the sky, but at least he’d had a family.

“Did your mother tell you anything about your father?” he wanted to know. “Anything at all? What was his name? What did he look like?”

[Archalen Andares]

Archalen gripped the tea with both hands, drinking slowly. It seemed to relax him some as he leaned back and crossed one leg over the other. He had never had a beverage like this one before, it was strange but not unwelcomed. He looked to Anvael and only now the whole absurdity of the conversation dawned on him. But, always willing to make inroads to economic and diplomatic ties he continued the conversation.

"Well, Your excellency....I have no answer to why I was put inside an orphanage. She never explained that to me...." He shrugged as if it were some minor issue of a story that had nothing to do with him. "The city I was born to is alien to...ones such as these. Things work differently there." He said, as if that would explain and sweep the decision of him going to an orphanage under the rug. "Virouya Mir'kana, was her name. A clerk for a government building some land ways away from here...I don't remember fully for I was very young. As far as my father" again, a shrug followed by a sip of tea.

The Thane absently smoothed out a pant leg as he spoke, looking around the office before his eyes came back to Anvael. "She mentioned him only briefly. Something of a sword for hire, ....or perhaps a military man." Archalen shook his head gently." All I know is that he traveled frequently, having departed for....Ieffron,...I believe... after he left my mother I believe."

Archalen sat straight and gestured toward the Governor. "And yourself sir?" If they were going to trade history then it would be so, he guessed. It was a bit curious, the governor seemed to be more interested in his family then his ring. But in some places, there were those that held ancestry and family prestige over anything else. Something he would have expected from Prime, or perhaps Jeadaxia, but not Taralon. It went to show, one never knew.

[Anvael Andares]

„It seems that there are fathers who refuse to take responsibility for their children everywhere“, Anvael remarked dryly. “My own one was quite like yours. He left my mother even before I was born.” He shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to talk about Astartus more than was necessary. Over the patterns the young elf had grown bitter. Astartus had never come back to visit, had never cared about him, had never visited him, had not even congratulated him when he had become Governor even though writing a letter didn’t take a lot of effort.

“I was born on Ieffreon. I spent most of my life there. Quite a pleasant island. You should visit it sometimes.” The situation was quite surreal, and he wasn’t sure where this conversation was really going. It had to be a coincidence, the similarity of their fathers and the mention of Ieffreon where both Malkaer and he had been born. There was more than one Esh’lahier in Eunesia, and men like Astartus weren’t that uncommon. It was unfortunate that Archalen couldn’t remember the name of his father. It would have made things a little easier.

Of course he wasn’t seriously considering that this man was anything but a thief or somebody who just happened to have a similar past. Malkaer, Malkaer would probably have solved this problem much faster. He seemed to have a talent for that whereas Anvael was incredibly easily confused. “If you’d excuse me for a moment”, he said to Archalen and scribbed a note on a piece of paper.

Secrets : Malkaer, Please come to my office right now. I am just talking to Archalen Esgalvith, the man I told you possesses a ring with our family crest, and things have gotten a little confusing. There are certain details of his story that don’t make sense to me.

“Clarissa!” he called for the receptionist and handed the message over to her. “Would you give this to my brother?”

Once the human woman had left again, he turned back to Archalen. “Do you have any brothers or sisters, Your Grace? Please humour me, even if my questions don’t make a lot of sense at the moment. Your story and the ring you have in your possession fascinate me, and I promise you I will tell you what I want from you soon enough.”

[Malkaer Andares]

In the Thane’s offices in another one of the three great buildings of the Sherian Grand Council Anvael’s receptionist was as usual received with mixed feelings. Welcome because Malkaer was always interested in whatever his dear little brother had on his mind and yet wary because he did not understand how Anvael could trust a human to be in such an important function as a receptionist. Malkaer rather hid the most essential documents even from his esh’lahier staff.

Always interested in matters of secrecy the shadow elf dropped his work at once upon reading his sibling’s note. He put on a white coat and headed for the Governor’s offices at once alongside Clarissa.

[Archalen Andares]

ooc: My sincerest apology for the ridiculous delay in this.

Suffice to say Archalen was a bit confused for all this. All this over a simple ring? He looked towards it now, his eyes falling over it and absorbing it. He knew there were magical trinkets and rings alike, could this be one? He didn't know and the young Esh'lahier didn't quite know what to make of this sitatuion. He turned to the shadow kin across from him and asked with a raised brow; "I hope there is no cause for.....concern here?" After the query the Thane simply laid his hands in his lap and clasped them.

"My mother, in the letter she sent me those eras ago....mentioned the possibility, saying my father did indeed have kids prior. Although, I know not whether...any are alive today." This amount of personal information made Archalen quite suspicious and he wished to return to the original reason of the visit, the ring.

"As I said, your Excellency, this ring...cannot be yours." Archalen gestured to the ring. "Look there, on the inside of the ring near the rear of the band. There lies an "A", which is from the name of my father. I learned such as my mother wrote me."

He let the Governor inspect the ring to its fulliest. The "A" there was so tiny that if one was not told of its prescence there it might be rather easy to overlook it. Of course, if the full history of the ring was disclosed (of which Archalen had no knowledge of) it could be said the A was for Andares instead. Either way there was no mistaking the front of the ring did indeed have the same crest as the banner that hung nearby. It was only on thinking of this, his history, the race and age of the Governor sitting across, and the flurry of questions that Archalen realized this and finally pieced together what perhaps this all meant. Color, of what little was their naturally drained from his face and his mouth dropped in quiet confusion and disbelief. It couldn't be, or could it?

"By Ioannes....."

[Malkaer Andares]

A few hurried steps and he was there. In his excitement Malkaer did not knock on the door prior to opening it; a rare breach of protocol on his part. Always a man of excellent timing, Malkaer entered the office just as Archalen uttered the name of the king of Aetheria. Seeing the shock and (possibly horror?) on the face of the Thane of Imperia, he decided not to speak yet and silently closed the door.

[Anvael Andares]

„No, there is no cause for concern“, Anvael assured the Thane of Imperia. “Just a confused young governor who doesn’t know what to make of this situation.” Thief or brother? That was the question. He wasn’t entirely willing to trust this man, but then again Astartus had not exactly been known for monogamy. He was worse than a priestess of Haya when it came to relationships.

“An ‘A’ you say?” He took another look at the ring. “It can still be mine then. My father’s name was Astartus Andares. Are you sure the ring belonged to your father?” It was quite interesting to watch the expression on the Thane’s face, and had this been any other brightening he might have laughed. But he didn’t laugh now.

“By Ioannes, indeed”, he agreed. It was then that he noticed that Malkaer had entered. Anvael turned around. “Serale, brother”, he greeted him. “I was just having a most interesting conversation with the Thane of Imperia about his ring and his father whose name seems to start with an ‘A’. Without a doubt you have a few questions of your own for him.”

“From what I have heard so far, he’s either another one of Astartus’ children or a very clever liar, although I don’t know why he should be lying.”

That hadn’t been very sensitive, but then Anvael had absolutely no idea how to tell somebody that he might be related to you in a sensitive way.

[Malkaer Andares]

“Vedui Anvael.” Malkaer nodded at Anvael and took a long look at Archalen’s face. The noble lines of his jaw and forehead. Politeness prevented asking the Thane of Imperia to walk a round, or engage in a fight, for these movements told volumes about one’s heritage. The colour of his eyes was somewhat plain compared to the usual violet orbs of the Andares, but Malkaer took more of his mother as well. The scar was a reminder of the former soldier’s own facial deformities. “Serale I am Malkaer Andares, brother of his Imperial Excellency and Thane of Taralon.” Technically he and Anvael were half-brothers.

“A liar?” The elder esh’lahier repeated his little brother, frowning because of the suggestion but more so because it was said bluntly in the face of another Imperial official. “May I see that ring?” Malkaer asked whilst seating himself in another chair in the office. Once given the esh’lahier turned it around to watch all sides of seal ring. Then he pulled the silver ring from his left ring finger and started comparing the two. After a minute or so and some shuffling around he passed them to Archalen. “Interesting. Mister… Esgalvith… can you tell me which of these rings is yours?” A difficult task indeed, for they were identical safe a small imperfection in Malkaer’s caused in one of his many fights.