Watching and Waiting

Bruce deals with his sister's slow physical change, while Deborah, the Watcher, finds a sympathetic ear.

8.

Watching and Waiting

 

 

The news of the Queen’s plan was kept extremely secret, with very few people in the Sylvan Elf kingdom knowing of it.   Yet quietly, plans were made and a team was formed for the mission.  

All the members of the team were Elves, except for one, for Lysa’s brother Bruce insisted on being included, to watch over his little sister.   At first Aedric and Snoe hesitated, fearful of jeopardizing the mission as there would probably be no Orcs anywhere close to the Temple of the Moon.

But it was Mathlyn who came up with a solution - she had a ring of invisibility that she would loan to the Orc.

“As long as you don’t attack someone or touch them, you won’t be detected”, The Grandmother of the Sylvan King told Bruce, “But I do suspect that the Hutcaiah wizards will have detection spells cast all around their temple, so you’ll still need to stay a short distance away.”

Bruce had agreed to that, so the plans continued.  

 

***

 

“Lady Mathlyn, do you think the plan will work?”   Bruce asked the lovely Inion Sidhe lady as the two of them sat with Lysa while Deborah took a break for dinner, nearly two weeks after Aaron had been handed over to the Hutcaiah.

“It seems like a good plan, Bruce, and it looks like the Watchers were suggesting this to us anyway, so I’d think we have a good chance.”

Bruce looked down at his sister, still unconscious, but sleeping peacefully on her bed.    Her skin peeling was nearly complete,  revealing a milky white skin that was only a few shades darker than Snoe’s skin color.

“She’ll look so different.” He told Mathlyn.

“Looks aren’t everything, Bruce.”   Mathlyn replied, patting him on the shoulder, “She’ll still be your sister.   In her mind she’ll still think of herself as an Orc.   She won’t forget that or forsake who she was.”

“We are a proud and stubborn race, Your Highness.”   Bruce told her, “We know that most other races look down at us, but we are proud of who we are.     That is even more true of the Queen’s guard, since we our more disciplined and respectable.”

“Bruce, I can tell you that I have the greatest respect for the Queen’s guard.    They have shown their valor numerous times and deserve the respect of everyone.   Whether your sister looked like an Orc or as a Hutcaiah Elf, she would be the same in my eyes.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.   I hope that one day everyone in Westmark sees things that way.    Oh, most people do, but there are still some that look down at us.”

“Many people are ignorant, Bruce.   They can’t get past appearances, and it shows how shallow their minds are.”

 

Suddenly Lysa stirred on the bed and her eyelids fluttered open.   She blinked a few times and then brilliantly blue eyes focused on Bruce as she smiled timidly, “Bruce?   What happened?   Where am I?”

  

***

In the royal dinning hall of the Sylvan palace, Deborah sat alone, eating some of the marvelous food of the Wood Elves, but rather lost in melancholy.   She knew Lysa would soon be awake and fully recovered and she was optimistic about Snoe’s rescue plan (since she had figured out what her fellow Watchers had in mind as soon as she’d heard what they had read to them).   But it wasn’t any of this that had darkened the mood of the Watcher.

It was the interactions with the ‘common’ people, seeing the families and friendships, everyone concerned and caring about each other, that depressed her.      She had missed out on all of that.   

 

Deborah felt really, really old, though in appearance she was just a young adult woman.   But she’d lived for eons, first as a colonel in a powerful air force, in a world long gone.   Then, selected by God as a Watcher before the Great Gathering, nearly 4,000 years as a Watcher, primarily assigned to observing the Southern Empire (until recently when her duties had been expanded to assist those who monitor Marksylvania and the surrounding Kingdoms).   

During all that time, she had mostly focused on her duties, and except for a frustrated crush on Archmage Drake, she had not any desire for any close relationships.   

They seemed too dangerous or frustrating.

Now Drake was living in Marksylvania without his prior memories and in the form of the Drow wizard, Devin.    It was sort-of a reincarnation for him and now he seemed to be developing a romance with Alleania, who was Queen Aurei’s mother.

Even the other Watchers seemed to be settling down.    Sophia and Khord would soon have a family and she knew of others who were pairing up and talking of having children.   

Yet she still was alone.

 

It usually didn’t bother her much, but since coming on this mission and having time to think as she sat long hours with Lysa, she began to wonder if she was really missing out on something.

She sighed in frustration at her mood while stabbing at the vegetables on her plate.

“Is the food not to your liking?” A voice asked behind her and she turned to find Lord Mattleos, the cousin of King Aedric, standing at the doorway of the hall, smiling.

“No, actually it is quite good.”  She replied, embarrassed that he’d heard her sigh.

“Just a long day, then?”  He asked, coming into the empty hall.

“Oh, it’s not been too bad.   Lysa is quickly recovering.   Your grandmother and Lysa’s brother are sitting with her now.   I’m just taking a dinner break.”

“And eating all alone.    That would cause me to sigh.   Would you care for some company?”  

“Sure.”  She quickly answered, for once actually meaning it.

 

Mattleos went to the bench across from her and sat down, “How is Lysa this morning?   Is there any change?”

“She’s improving incredibly fast, Lord Matt.    In fact, I expect her to wake up quite soon.”

“That’s wonderful!   Will she be able to participate in the Queen’s rescue plan?”

“I imagine that she will, if she can regain her strength in time.”

“How long will that take?”

“It’s impossible to say - I have nothing to measure her case against.   This has never happened before.”

“I’m sure Bruce is anxious to see her recover.”

“He’s been staying at her bedside most of the time.    I’ve got to know him quite well.    Lysa is fortunate to have a brother like him.”

Mattleos was surprised to see Deborah look so somber upon giving out such a compliment.

“Are you alright, ma’am?   You seem troubled.”

The Watcher gave a faint smile, “It’s difficult to see people worrying about others and not being allowed… or able… to help.”

“That must be one of the biggest challenges of your job.”

She nodded, but with a somewhat far away look in her eyes, “It’s tough at times.   Thankfully, in this case both Lysa and Aaron have people who care for them very much.    Family and friends make hard times much better.”

“I’m fortunate to have some here in Tarmard.   Do you have any family in Flux?”    

She didn’t answer, just staring blankly at her plate of vegetables as if allowing personal pain to pass without showing any deep emotion.     She obviously was used to being in control of herself at all times.  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you with my nosy question.”   Mattleos finally said in a gentle voice.

Deborah looked up with her mask firmly set, “It didn’t offend me, Lord Matt.    To answer your question; no I don’t have any family and very few friends either.    My family died eons ago in a world that no longer exists.”

“Oh… I didn’t realize you were that old.”

“I’m quite ancient, actually.   I was the age that I appear now when the Great Gathering occurred. “

“Then I feel very foolish.   So none of your loved ones came with you to Flux when you started as a Watcher?”

“Actually, all of my relatives were dead before the Gathering.    Where I came from, there was a war between a large number of nations and many people and whole civilizations were destroyed.”

“Civilizations were destroyed?”   Mattleos asked in disbelief.

She smiled at his amazement, “Yes, it was a vastly different world than this one.   I saw things too incredible to describe.   Many of them were horrible.”

“How do you deal with all of that, Lady Deborah?”

“You learn to put things out of your mind and try to forget what you can.   I try to stay busy, which helps, and for relaxation, I fly.”

“Fly?”

Deborah chuckled, “Yes, but I can’t really tell you about that - part of Yesh’s restrictions.”

“Ah… well, at least you have something that you enjoy doing.”

The Watcher nodded.

“Do you like Flux?    I mean, do you ever want to just give up your position and come over to Synomenia to live?”

“With all I know, I wouldn’t be allowed to do that if I wanted to.”

“Well, Archmage Drake got the chance, so-“ Mattleos stopped, seeing a dark look momentarily cross her face.

“He is a special case.”  She said, with a rather icy edge in her voice.

 

Before Mattleos could think of anything to say, one of the royal servants ran into the dining hall, shouting to them that Lysa had awakened, which brought an end to their conversation.

Reviews

[Elina]

"Family and friends makes hard times much better." Because "family and friends" is a plural...statement..."makes" should be changed to "make."
"...something that you enjoy to do." You might change this to "enjoy doing."

I absolutely love reading your books; they never disappoint! You do a splendid job of weaving together the lives of countless characters; each plays a pivotal role and you do credit to every one of them through developing their backstories and inner emotions.

[Eddie Davis]

Thank you, your words are a boost to me this week as I have struggled to write due to a busy schedule.

[Elina]

I am glad that I could be of some encouragement. ^^