Sterling: Knight Quests

WC: 278 +1c rosewater

A grizzled older Elvyian flew down, descending from the sky in a violent flurry of wings. A controlled slam onto the ground as he landed sent a puff of sand into the air. The small Elvyian, to my left, whose name I would soon learn was Peep, sneezed.

“Recruits!” The Elvyian bellowed.

“I am Captain Dreadnought. I will be your commander for the duration of your training!”. He stared at us with piercing amber eyes, as another Elvyian alighted next to him, landing with far more grace.

“This is Lieutenant Rosewater. She reports to me and will be directly overseeing your training for the majority of your time here.”

The elvyian grinned. “It’s an honour!”. She had bouncy red feather ‘hair’ and a personable demeanor.

I regarded the two with interest. I hadn’t seen either of them around the outpost before- they were obviously brought in specially to oversee the training of the new drift. It makes sense, I thought. Our resources and bodies were already stretched thin.

Captain Dreadnought nodded and walked away, presumably to liase with the General.

I knew from the start that I would like Lieutenant Rosewater. My feelings towards Captain Dreadnought were far more mixed, and cautious- though perhaps I was being unkind, a voice in my mind argued. Yes he was severe, but many were in this day and age. He had a lot of scars- he had obviously been in service for a long while, and done lots of good for Elvyiankind. I needed to at least give the severe Elvyian a chance.

With new resolution in my heart I turned back to Lieutenant Rosewater, who had begun to address us.