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Faisal found himself reflecting upon his life while lounging about in the main room that his grandmother had once used as a study. The early morning sunlight flickered through the huge bay window of the room, highlighting all of the golden designs intricately woven into the indigo rug that covered a portion of the marble floor. The colors had gone from crimson towards indigo as his grandmother’s study became his own over the years. Now Faisal kept his own documents and work in the room, his current desk a replacement for the one his grandfather had once used. It felt just like yesterday that his grandmother had asked him about his future path in this very room. He had just been a lanky teen looking out the window while his grandmother stood next to him, the older Oban woman with crimson hair streaked with white still looking poised despite her age and lingering illness. Draped around her shoulders was a pale silk shawl, the only sign of weakness as the desert heat typically caused one to wear less clothing rather than more. Her legs were hidden in the folds of crimson silk and like usual she had on several pieces of priceless jewelry, rare gemstones set in pure golden chains. It was obvious that this woman was a wealthy noble who was not accustomed to shying away from any topic as years of power had developed quite the charisma, something that Faisal had always aspired towards once he took over as heir.

“Why not be a bard or a trader? Or learn healing like your mother?”

At the time Faisal had tried to avoid such topics, especially since she was intent upon deterring him from becoming a knight like his father. When he was younger, Faisal felt that he was meant to be a fighter because living a laid back life just bothered him. Not that he minded fun, but he was just far too competitive and thirsty for adventure to stay at home and whallow in his fortunes. At least his grandmother had originally been willing to compromise with him when he had wanted to learn the sword. If not the military then the royal guard had been suggested and so Faisal had started his training in earnest. Even if it wasn’t the Outcast Unit at least he could have some sort of adventure! At least that was younger Faisal’s hope. If only he knew where he was now, sitting in the very study at the desk that was now his. Some knight I am. But at the same time he recognized the importance of taking care of the family, of dealing with the politics that he had once stuck his tongue out at as a child. He hadn’t inherited his mother’s magic nor did he want to deal simply with merchant things so taking up the sword had been a good outlet for his endless energy when he was younger, but joining the military was out of his path whenever his father disappeared and his brother decided to travel shortly afterwards. It made sense for Dair to travel considering how much mischievousness they had done during their younger years. Faisal still remembered how protective their grandmother had been when they were children and how they had found a tree at the back of the gardens to climb that allowed them access to other yards. They had even found a hybrid girl practicing archery that nearly shot Faisal off the wall for peeking! Still, even though Faisal remembered those times fondly he understood the importance of his role so much more now that he was older. Dair was free to leave, but Faisal had responsibilities and a duty to his family. He refused to abandon his mother and grandmother, especially not after the loss of his father.

It was a strange and sudden transition because just a few months earlier Faisal had been determined to run away. As a teen he didn’t want responsibilities and simply wanted to just enjoy the world. Learning the sword had been part of his scheme to become an adventurer because then he could just travel with his sword, using the training under the pretense of becoming a royal knight to his advantage. That would offer him protection and probably allow him to leave home more since he would seem more than ready for it. Foolish, young Faisal was so ready to get out of Sulburi whereas it was actually Dair who ventured away from them to explore and left Faisal behind. Maybe that was why he was so protective of his sons now. Faisal had already lost his father and missed his twin, so he would do his best to protect his own family from falling apart in a similar fashion.

“And here we are now.” Faisal chuckled as he moved so that he could grab some of the reports he had been studying. He had settled into his role as heir and thought anything exciting was beyond him, but after capturing Zyn it seemed there was plenty of other excitement to be found thanks to marriage. Not that Faisal would change his marriage to Sariza for the world. He loved that woman and was so thankful that the fates had brought them together despite the dangers. Their sons were adorable, for now, but he couldn’t help smiling at the thought of the sleeping twins who were tucked safely away under guard until this matter was finally resolved.

Just the thought made him restless and Faisal found himself standing to walk across his study. Notes had been spread across his desk since his investigation with Sariza and while he was puzzling out the pieces, trying to gather the evidence that would condemn the family who had started this mess the man needed some fresh air. He didn’t want to bother Sariza who was hopefully getting some sleep after all of their recent excitement and so Faisal figured he would venture towards the gardens. Faisal was feeling fairly nostalgic and even as he approached the grand staircase that curved downwards from the second level of their manor to touch the floor with its wide steps. Each pale white marble step felt cool beneath his slippered feet. When he was younger he had greatly enjoyed running up and down them during the hottest of summer days. As his fingertips trailed down the ebony railings that swirled around the steps he couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped him. When he was younger he did enjoy racing down them to beat his brother to the bottom floor - though to do so would risk his grandmother or mother chastising him. Too bad these halls were much quieter now though with Alinta and the boys living in the manor, Faisal worried that would not be the case after a few more years. Would they too want to rush down the steps and out into the gardens to cause more mischief? He just hoped he could get his family to that point where they could focus on getting in trouble for simple tricks rather than risking their lives simply by venturing outside of the estate.

At least they had the gardens where Faisal could ponder over that mysterious map some more. His grandmother was fond of any oasis and in a sense she had made her own in the desert with this garden that his own mother had helped to expand. Tall hedges decorated with early spring flowers rose from the sandy ground and bushes preparing to bloom in the later months while others that bloomed year round dotted the stone paths that twisted like a maze throughout the greenery. A large fountain depicting the goddesses was in the center of the twisting gardens, a statue representing his grandmother’s lost garden holding one of the vases to honor her loss. Benches surrounded that area and it was one where he would often find his mother whenever she was also out and about studying tomes in the sunlight instead of being hidden in the towering library that was inside the estate. There were greenhouses too, once that he had shown Sariza on her first trip to the estate that housed flora and fauna all the way from Jahaur and even Yael now since merchants had reached out that far. Perhaps one day they would make a space for those new islands that had appeared, filling it up with vibrant plants that would brighten up any space. Faisal smiled at the thought. Even if it seemed like a fantasy it was nice to think about a positive future instead of falling into despair and stressing over their current situation. It helped to strengthen his resolve to think about all the things he could do with his family in the future once this was all over.

“If you think too much then you’ll struggle to sleep later.” The sudden voice made Faisal jump as he turned to see Taiso lingering near the fountain. The Matori woman was bandaged up from their earlier fight, her toned body barely covered by anything save for loose pants and a short top that had bandages wrapping beneath where a couple of her ribs had been busted. Her dark braids were woven tightly on one side, half of her head shaved lightly with tribal designs to save her from the desert heat while her dark amber eyes studied him as if sizing him up for a fight. Taiso always looked ready to fight and at one point Faisal had been worried because of that stance, but now it made him feel relieved to know that he had a guard who was always alert.

“I know.” Faisal waved a hand as if to dismiss her concerns. “But sleep can come later with so much happening. How is everything on the southern front?” He asked as he thought about their relocation of the assassin to a safer area.

“Tucked nicely away.” Taiso confirmed. “Some sleep poppy for now just in case and we’ve kept those chains on him that your shadowy hybrid friend gifted you.” She huffed, her scorn for the hybrid Yaeli obvious as she spoke. Annoying b*****d that Valek was, he had still helped them greatly by giving them information and the tools to capture Zyn.

“Thank you.” Faisal started before looking over at Taiso again. “I appreciate everything you’ve done including pushing me forward while you dove off of a building for Sariza’s sake.”

Taiso just gave a slight shrug. “It’s my duty to protect the family. I couldn’t do it for…well you know. I’m older and stronger now so why waste it by being a coward and just letting someone kill one of you when I could intervene?” She brushed the thought aside with a frown. Saraf had been her leader at one point before he disappeared and Faisal had the feeling that she had been closer to Dair than she allowed others to realize. It seemed his family were not alone in being affected by their disappearances.

“Tai.” Faisal approached and gave her a small smile. “You mean a lot to us, so please take care of yourself too.” He managed finally as he walked around to sit down across from the fountain. “We have plenty of guards here so you can take a moment to just relax? I can have some food brought out.” He waved down a servant as he spoke, giving the orders before gesturing to the bench across from him. Taiso gave him a look before reluctantly settling down, her arms crossed in a final act of defiance.

Funny to see how far Taiso had come along. Faisal had met her because of the artisan who crafted his own blades. Bia had been the one to introduce him to Taiso. Taiso was her feistier cousin, the Oban girl actually having a quarter of Matori blood in her veins. Faisal could not help but to think of the smithy fondly. When he had first met her as a teen the two of them had constantly bickered over everything. Still she had been pretty and still was with deep crimson hair woven into a tight braid that touched the lower part of her back and pale golden eyes that stood out against sun-kissed mocha skin. She even had a slight flecking of stones across her forehead like a jeweled tiara that would slightly move whenever she frowned or prepared to yell at him or Taiso for damaging yet another blade. She was just as grumpy as Taiso, but at least she had been more talkative whereas Taiso had just glared throughout their whole first encounter. And now here they were sitting together in a garden after she had risked her life to help him out, her fingers curving around a cup of tea as a servant poured a fresh cup for them both. Taiso had joined his father’s company for a time before joining their estate while Bai’s weapons became well known since Faisal demonstrated their efficiency and beauty to others who started to pursue her for orders. Even if he had not become a knight he had made several connections and so her blades were seen regularly at the palace now to Bai’s delight, even if she did gruff at him for selling her too much and giving her too many customers.

Still, it was the least that Faisal could do for Bai since she had crafted him his first blade and helped him to understand his own responsibilities better. That feeling of protecting someone, of standing up against things to defend those you cared about was important and walking Bai home that day had been the best decision for him since they had gotten into trouble. Something that others may not often say, but that trouble had taught Faisal a valuable lesson about duty. Perhaps that was why he had refused to run away when the time came? It had kept him here in Sulburi so that he could support his mother whenever his father disappeared and made him take up the role of heir that eventually led him to this life with Sariza.

All because some ruffians had wanted to pick on Bai whenever Faisal had taken her through a slightly darker, out of the way alley that day. Faisal made a face as he thought about that stupidity. Earthlings like that did truly exist in their world, to his great disdain. Irresponsible Faisal would have just left Bai alone that day but Faisal had finally decided to stay and defend someone. Instead of turning away he raised his fists and got quite a few bruises in order to help Bai out. At that point he had decided to truly become a knight before his life twisted yet again. A sigh left his lips at the thought. Nothing had ever been simple or predictable for him, had it?


“You’re doing that thing again.” Taiso acknowledged much to Faisal’s embarrassment.

“Hmm?”

“That whole staring at a random object while obviously thinking about something completely different.” Offered Taiso with a frown. “As it is, if you're focused now can we regroup about the current situation?”

“Yes.” Faisal nodded, a flush heating his cheeks. Dammit he really was out of sorts today. Was he truly that tired? The nobleman shook his head before taking a sip of the tea, his mouth twisting at the bitterness of it. At least it would help him to wake up a bit more and stop him from dozing about all of these past things like some old man. Was this what happened when one thought they were preparing to risk their life? Was he just being nostalgic in case this was his last chance to reflect? Now that was a bit dramatic, wasn’t it?

“Alright.” Taiso set down her teacup. “We’ve researched the description and I’ve tracked down that Oban to being a lower cousin from a fallen noble family. However, they are working with some high ups because of their meeting location.” She added with a frown. “It’s hard to track which family exactly but the Oban has been spotted going to a particular teahouse that only serves private rooms to special guests.”

“Particular teahouse?” Repeated Faisal thoughtfully. “Which one?”

“The golden lotus?”

“That’s actually owned by the Divyanshu.” Replied Faisal as he started to ponder over the possibilities. That would narrow things down by a lot though the Divyanshu family was fairly intimidating with all of their connections throughout Oban society. The Inti and Soiley families also used that place a lot if he remembered correctly and had similar coming to power stories that greatly boosted their wealth and influence after the Oban war. The Golden Lotus itself was an ideal location for secret meetings, lots of spouses would also go there for other types of rendezvous since it covered up another establishment in the lower levels. Faisal pursed his lips as he thought over this newest revelation. This was definitely a good lead and actually could match up with the notes he had from Sariza’s family home. That secret study had an intricate map and notes scattered which had made putting the pieces together a bit harder, but if the same family from then was involved now then well…it seemed that they were a lot closer to the full truth.

“Good job, Taiso. We just need to keep an eye on them and work on gathering all of the evidence that we can. I’ll present it to the council soon.” Maybe he could even bait them into a larger trap by having something happen that could possibly exile Sariza and their family? Would exile be enough though or would death be the only answer their enemies sought for power? Still, when all of the cards were on the table then Faisal would make certain to trap this family and checkmate them. Even if it would take time, he was more than willing to be patient so that they could fully win this game. Just like how he had learned to take up the responsibilities of heir, the man was once more ready to face uncertain dangers in order to grow stronger and protect those he held dear.

[3048 wc]