Of Ashes and Wind

The People

Tristan Howell watched with an amused grin on his face while the noble officers held an archery competition – the elves seemed to be a bit interested, but from their faces Tristan could see that they wouldn't bother with the current level of competition. Some of the officers took the lack of competition from the elves as being weak or spineless for a challenge. They were on the surface of Kal Darom and enjoyed a rare sunny day. Thankfully, his outfit was on rotation for surface patrols while the dives to clear the Great Thaig was on a brief pause to prepare the next stage of operation – the final push to clear out Endrim from the depths that he had dug away into.

Their dwarf counter-parts had suspected that Endrim fled to the deep recesses of the southern portion of the thaig, but other enemy forces had scattered throughout the many twisting passages and caverns of the Great Thaig which made the initial mount of forces near-impossible until they snuffed out the rest first.

It was a hard campaign that was coming up on the one-year mark.

Prince Rollin and his forces supported the initial part of the campaign, coming in after the Frosted Shores were secured and a siege was laid on Mount Kal Darom.

The Frosted Shore had turned pink in the beginning hard-fought battles, it would take two weeks of cleaning up the carnage before the water returned to its ice blue shine.

The Crowned Prince had to return a few months later to attend business back in Brilux – which coincidentally came in time when the deep-dives into the Great Thaig first kicked off.

But Phoenix Stroud was steeled in her resolve, he remembered her speaking in confidence to two Palace Guards, Lieutenant Ike Duron and a Lieutenant Galen Pike. The two offered Phoenix a way to return to Brilux with them, but she relented.

Stating that there was still work to be done and that she couldn't just leave the men and women that looked to her for guidance to the mercy of blue-blooded nobles. That it wouldn't be fair for her to go home when her entire company had to stay.

Tristan liked Lieutenant Duron because he made a comment of how true chivalry had died with their generation.

Lieutenant Pike mused about the heroes and warriors from the Golden Age of Aldernan, he wondered what their ancestors would think now.

Generations of excess and comfort had bred the incompetent, despite a majority of these nobles hailing from heroic lineages that could be traced back to King Algernon in the Golden Age of Aldernad.

Tristan would think back to that care-free and friendly child that was Nix from his childhood. How adventurous she would be and was always the first to volunteer for any of his games or adventures. How Nix was always his right-hand in all things they did while Penelope would venture along, refusing to let the two be outright hooligans for fear of reprimand from the adults.

His biggest regret was never being the person that Phoenix needed during a difficult time. How he failed to be the one to support her despite all the times Phoenix had been loyally by his side.

But the regret was pacified.

Especially when the two were reunited and Phoenix presented to him an old prized possession. Something that Tristan refused outright and said that it was hers.

He thought back to how bravely Phoenix had rallied the initial landing party.

When it became apparent that they were glorified pigs sent to the slaughter by spearheading the charge.

The bold blue eyes storming like the Frosted Shore around them which frothed with each break, refusing to bend to the fate levied upon them by those that commanded them from ships a lofty distance away from the ballista and cross-bows and explosions from the dwarven technology.