It was utterly surreal, Mari realized, just sitting across from her brother. She had dreamt of this moment, of course, but Mari had never thought she would be so lucky. The splendor of the Feywild and Prince Dapple's castle around them only made everything seem more unbelievable. Uri, or Naeras, rather, also seemed to be experiencing the same near bewilderment and rewriting everything he had thought he had known. She knew her brother though, and knew he would sooner think himself into oblivion before actually talking and she assumed that trait had only gotten worse here.
“So…what do you do for the courts, is it a deal?” Mari asked in an attempt to break the silence.
“A deal of sorts, yes. When I first arrived, I wandered for what felt like days…though it was hard to tell since the sun never moved on the horizon. I was entirely lost and hopelessly confused when the Wild Hunt found me as I tried to, admittedly pretty terribly, hunt for food. They escorted me through PSA, which was an…unorthodox…experience to say the least, and then they…presented me to Prince Dapple. I had apparently been hunting in the royal woods, but after hearing my story, he was kind in his punishment. He offered to provide me safe harbor in return for my services, no questions asked.”
“Your service as a hunter or a courtier?” Mari asked curiously
A faint smile spread across Uri’s face. “As a courtier. He recognized quite immediately that I have a knack for handling browbeaters, a gift courtesy of mother, and put me to use occupying the time of those more unruly visitors of his court.”
Mari finally nodded, taking a moment to look at her plate of food. She found herself too excited, feeling too much to eat. Although that did not stop Orion from stealing a bit off her plate before settling on the back of her chair.
“What about you? You said you went into a small town. What were you doing? How did you survive?” Uri asked.
“I worked”, she answered brightly, “mostly at the inn, where I served food and drink, cleaned the rooms and the bar”. His eyebrows rose before shaking his head, although he seemed to be mostly smiling. “I really couldn’t do much else to be honest, but I knew if I worked hard enough I would figure it out”
“That is the way we were taught, but I don’t think Mother was thinking of hard labor when she drilled that into us. Although, she did seem to be preparing us for anything”, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“There are times I wish I had been paying closer attention. Do you think she knew if something was coming? I heard that noble families were being picked off but I just…”, her voice trailed, as her mind went back to that night. The fire, the sound of their mother fighting, her Father, the blood, there was so much blood and smoke. Her brother's hand was on hers, squeezing to bring her back. “Sorry…I guess, I have trouble thinking why anyone would come after us, especially our Mother. Do you have thoughts?”
An air of melancholy settled into her brother. “Mother was incredibly competent, and so was Father too”, he said, pausing to sigh, “but even the brightest of us sometimes fold in the face of overwhelming odds. I…only know a little since they didn’t start teaching me our family history until I turned 18, but the Dawnstrides have been fighting a…war…of sorts for centuries now. You see, Mari…we’re descended from the original Dawnmasters, the first mortal worshippers of Pelor. In his name, our family has served to uproot any evil that tries to sew itself into the material plane, where Pelor himself cannot directly reach.”
Mari was surprised, she knew her mother was devout and held a lot of weight for a noble of her status. “I suppose that makes sense, and why Mother went adventuring before she settled down with Father” Mari noted“...Do you know of my Godmother, I guess, The Godmother, not here, I know there are so many here but you seemed surprised in a different way?”
“Yes, I know of her. To be honest, I was genuinely, well, shocked. From what I know, your ‘Godmother’, as you call her, is something known as Barbello. I’m not sure exactly what she is, but I do know that she’s our family’s guardian. She guides us on behalf of the Dawnfather, but Mother always spoke of her as almost…transient. Apparently she only ever spoke directly to Barbello twice in her entire life, but you spoke earlier as if she’s always with you. The last time something like that happened was several hundred years ago, but I don't quite recall why she intervened then. I was just starting to learn about that when, well, you know…” he replied, trailing off into silence.
Mari sat with the info, shocked and quiet in thought if only for a moment. “I didn’t realize, I mean…” Mari paused trying to tie things together as she spoke“ I remember seeing her the first time when I was very young. I had a nightmare, and she was in the room when I woke up. I didn't feel afraid and she said she was my Godmother and I knew that to be true. I would see her again in the night, perhaps it was a dream, every once and a while until I grew a little too old to believe. I didn't see her again until…that night”. Mari had known her in an instant, it was like there had been no span of time between them, she was still the warm figure who chased away the bad dreams or eased an overly restless mind back to sleep. “And then I saw her every few months or so. It's only been in this past year that the visits have felt more…infrequent or distant. But I know she's here, I feel her now, I hear her all the time”.
Mari spooled the thought a little longer, that it was a wondrous thing, a miracle to be as close with the Godmother, or Barbello, as she was. “I don't know why, especially when Mother or you were stronger…”. The weight of such a responsibility suddenly felt heavy.
Uri squeezed her hand, sensing the spiral of complex emotions swirling in his younger sister. “I wish I could give you a better answer, Mari, but the important thing is that she’s never once led our family astray, so if she thinks you’re the answer to whatever’s happening, she must be right”, giving Mari a reassuring smile.
“She’s helped me survive this long, and hopefully, eventually I can return the favor for all she’s done for me, for us”the warlock said, suddenly more resolute than before, showing a beaming smile “ But I think it’s time I introduce you to my friends, and maybe I start telling the truth”