[Astedia]The Baron and The Bodyguard

[Xander Andaris]

Cylus 25th, Arc 718

Xander jolted awake, covered in sweat and breathing heavily he could have sworn he heard a scream. Had he been having another nightmare? The Baron rolled onto his side, rubbing his forehead as he noticed. Celeste was gone and the bed was empty where she should have been laying. Perhaps she had gone to check on the twins and he had just managed to sleep through their cries but it didn't feel right. Normally she woke him, told him. He sat up, the sound of the scream still haunting his mind and worry creeping into him.

So the wolf rolled out of bed, feet gently landing on the cool floor. He rubbed his eyes clear of sleep and headed for the twin's room, he fully expected to see Celeste there, standing over the crib. Instead there was nothing as he pushed the door open, no sound and no wife just a room with an empty crib. It wasn't so bad maybe she had taken them to be fed. At least that was his thought until he saw it.

The web covering the windows was bigger than any he had seen before, it was from no normal creature. Xander's jaw tightened as he advanced in, looking at the empty sheets in the crib. He looked again at the feathers only now connecting them to form the words, "Come to Ivorian or lose them forever." The noble stepped back from the crib, the cobwebs a clear connection to who he now believed the culprits but he refused to believe it. Dizzy and struggling for air the wolf stumbled out of the room and began to search dipping in and out of every room he found.

He must have searched the whole house but it was fruitless as they were all empty. This was no cruel trick this was real. Bare foot the wolf walked out into the driveway, looking towards the stables it was the last chance maybe they had gone there or maybe one of them had seen something. The Baron entered the stables looking around and gulping heavily.

"Celeste, are you here?" He shouted it and looked in each stall, checked the empty carriage and every alcove. "Celeste?" His cry grew desperate as he kicked a pile of hay, dropping down against the wall and burying his head in his hands. It was his fault, he had caused this by messing with the damned webspinners. "Why her?" He murmured under his breathe as he sat there, unable to find composure and balance his emotions.

[Torqin]

Torqin smiled down at the mop headed Teddy who was quite enthusiastically trying to explain the difference between twelve different types of saddle rigs to Torqin. The bodyguard wasn't sure if the lack of understanding between the two was due to his inexperience with handling the stabled animals, due to his many arcs away, or to the young man's inability to calm his fervor down to clearly explain his views on the subject. Regardless of the reason, Torqin enjoyed listening to the boy's passion. The same passion that he'd been told could always be found in a Lotharro such as Torqin. And yet, Torqin oft found himself wondering what his passion was, while Teddy here had more than enough to go around.

He ruffled the boy's mess of curls, "How's our old girl?"

Teddy smiled lightly, "She's doin' good. Happier since ya came back, she recognized ya immediately."

Torqin looked toward Sparkle's center stall. She was getting to be middle aged now, but still looked just as she had when Torqin had left. A most beautiful beast, and Celeste's first horse from when she was a girl. A tie back to the days before, just like Teddy, just like Celeste.

"I should be going Teddy, early morning," Torqin chuckled, and Teddy joined him. They both knew Teddy would be last to bed, first to rise of all the Estate staff. It was how it always had been. The boy had to be forced to take days off by the stablemaster, and did so with extreme protest and begrudging. He turned to leave when he heard Lord Xander's voice at the opposite end of the stables. The man was calling for Celeste, and with panic in his voice.

Torqin immediately set into a jog toward the sound, finding the lord in a heap against the wall in a stall. If Torqin hadn't already known better, he would've thought the man to be drunk at the ridiculousness of the situation he was looking on. There was something wrong, though he didn't know what. Perhaps a marital spat or miscommunication. That is, until he looked out the stable doors, seeing a small procession of concerned staff, away from their normal areas of work, mostly cleaning staff that worked during the night.

They all looked to their lord, and Torqin left the man for a moment, approaching one of the night maids, "What's going on Selina?" The older woman just shook her head, "The lord has searched every room for Lady Celeste. Is she not here? He is scaring us."

Torqin's eyes grew a bit narrow, unsure what to make of this information. Lady Celeste was missing? From her own home? They had plenty of guards on the ground, surely an alarm would've gone up, and he would've been brought in were she to leave. But now was not the time to make guesses, especially if she truly was missing. Setting in a jog, Torqin reached the front gate, not far from the stables. Approaching the guards, "Has Lady Celeste left here today?"

They all looked surprised. Ever since Celeste had hired the new personal knight, she hadn't left the grounds without him in escort. Which wasn't often, with the babies being so young and all. "Of course not Ser Torqin. Why do you ask?"

Torqin began to put stock in the idea that Celeste was missing. Lord Xander wasn't the type to just have break downs in the stables after all. "Lock down the estate, quietly. Alert the rest of the guard to begin searching the grounds. Lady Celeste might be missing."

He turned and quickly returned to the stables, waving off the growing gathering of staff. They all scurried off back inside, though many eyes still looked on from the manor. They loved their Lady. They hoped this was just a misunderstanding. Approaching Xander, "My lord." He offered a large hand to help the man stand, "My lord, I've alerted the guard to search the grounds, discretely. Why do you think that Lady Celeste is missing? What has happened?" Torqin stood there over the lord, head bowed, in his plain clothes, armor bundled up in the stables office, though he always kept his club on his hip, his shield strapped to his back.

[Xander Andaris]

Xander was unaware of the crowd of serving staff that had appeared, his tunnel vision obscuring the less important things around him. Of course when he was approached by the stableman and guard of Celeste, Torqin, he was snapped into focus. His emotions still ran wild but he looked up at the large man. His face a contorted mix of sadness and anger, the thoughts of revenge already creeping into his mind.

The Baron cleared his throat, rubbing his forehead before taking the hand offered to him and standing. He took a deep breathe, fighting the bubbling rage in his stomach. "Come with me." Xander's hands balled into fists as he walked quickly across the driveway and up to the door. "Celeste and the babies Torqin, they have been taken, kidnapped." His voice caught in his throat slightly as they ascended the stairs towards the nursery. He entered the room first and gestured to the feathers on the wall, suspended by cobwebs.

"Webspinners." The word was spoken clearly and left a vile taste in Xander's mouth. "They have taken her for my part in an operation I assisted in against one of their agents." The wolf walked closer to the web, jaw tight as he turned to the bodyguard. "I have to get them back Torqin, all this means nothing." He looked around him at the nursery and out of the webbed up window. "It is nothing without them. I have to go to Ivorian."

He stepped towards the Lotharro, he had sworn to serve Celeste, or so he had been told. The wolf wondered just how far he would go to honour that Oath. "Do you know of the webspinners?" He was quite sure the answer would be no, there were few that truly knew of their actual existence and the true extent of their manipulation. He only knew as he had been told by Vericus, he would likely have been none the wiser had the son of Ethelynda not informed him.

"They are a secret organisation lead by the immortal Sintra. They manipulate the people around them and worm their way into society hiding in plain site in order to influence events around Idalos." Xander looked into the empty crib, gripping the finely carved wood. His fingers turned white as he stared into the empty sheets. "They are the ones, I know it." The Baron looked to the Knight, face serious.

He stepped closer and joined his hands in front of himself."Will you honour your pledge Ser Torqin, to protect Celeste? Will you help me?" In truth the two had few shared experiences but Xander felt he could trust the man, Celeste had and so would he.

[Torqin]

The waves crashed around the Wheezing Gull, departing from Rynmere in the wee morning hours, before the sun had yet to rise. Torqin looked out over the rail from the stern of the ship, seeing the fading flames of Rynmere's lanterns and torches and candles fade away. It had been an... intense night. Lady Celeste and her children were gone, taken. That much was obvious. Torqin had seen the webs in the room, the estate guard hadn't found her, or even any clues as to how anyone got in, nor how they got them out. And despite the reports from them, the staff, from Xander himself, Torqin searched every room himself, trying to find the woman he'd given his life to protect.

He hadn't even managed to do it for an entire season. Failed right out the gate. Xander had been in a state, a worried frenzy, to Torqin at least. The man spoke of some group known as webspinners. Torqin had told the man he'd not heard of them. A secret organization to Sintra? Of course he'd not heard of them. It was concerning how Xander had managed to get involved with them. Reckless. Why would he expose his loved ones by interacting with such a group? In Torqin's mind, this was was Xander's fault, but his own failing. They'd both let Celeste down. But the Lotharro kept his opinion to himself, of course. And when Xander asked him if he'd honor his pledge to protect Celeste, there wasn't a moment's hesitation.

"Always."

~~Many trials later~~

Torqin walked down the gangplank, his armor in his heavy sack slung over his shoulder, his shield under his cloak on his back, his club swinging heavily from his mace. When they'd planned to leave Rynmere, Torqin insisted they travel upon the same ship as strangers to one another. Xander would have Al'ani with him, Torqin by himself. The bodyguard didn't know what these Webspinners knew, nor where their eyes were. But he was certain that the message was left for Xander. Which meant they'd be expecting him. But if Torqin were a silent partner in this venture, or as much as he could be, perhaps that could give them an advantage. He'd suggested the meet at the first inn with a bar they could find, Torqin would get there first, find a spot at the bar. Xander could go get a room for him and Al'ani, and then come find Torqin for a drink. That's when they could form their plan, with the journey spent clearing their minds, steeling their nerves.

And so, Torqin found himself upon a stool, leaning on his elbows at the bar of the World's Beginning. There was a plate of some bird and potatoes in front of him, a glass of red wine. He flipped his room's skeleton key over and over in his and as he idly sipped at the wine. Ivorian Empire seemed nice so far, this inn was pleasant. His eyes wandered about, and the bartender approached, an older, portly man, "Movin' in or jus' visitin'?"

Torqin smiled, trying to be friendly, though his heart really wasn't in it. "I'll let you know when I do." He drank down the wine, and set his cup forward for another, which was filled with the house red. He began to eat, not sure what he was going to do now. Clearly this secret group was dangerous, and skilled. That meant saying their name, in a place that was their turf, would be inviting a knife to the back. And there were no other clues to go on. Ivorian Empire was huge, and Celeste could be anywhere here, if she even was here. What if it was just a way to bait Xander to look in the wrong place? But it was the only lead they had to go on.

So go on it they would. Torqin mused on how to find someone without anyone knowing he was looking for them. For surely, if a man no one knew asked about Celeste Andaris, again, there'd be a knife in his back. But for the moment, he was at a loss. How do you find someone without letting on you're looking for them? They were grasping at straws, trying to catch smoke. This truly was an impossible task. And so, he ripped the flesh from the bird's leg, and drank his wine, waiting for his companion to arrive. Hopefully the lord had a better plan than Torqin, or they truly had nothing.

[Xander Andaris]

Torqin had chosen to keep his oath, an answer Xander was pleased to hear. The webspinners could be anywhere and so the help of the Lothar would be accepted. The Baron had quickly moved to get his affairs in order and they had left shortly after doing so. The noble brought little with him besides his belongings and Celeste's valuables too.

Ala'ni had refused to leave Xander's side for the majority of the journey there. She had clung to him as if he were going to be kidnapped and taken from her any second too. It was a struggle for him to reassure her that everything would be okay especially with his own lack of certainty.

Still they eventually arrived at Ivorian and the two men remained appart in order to keep up the appearance of not knowing one another. Both taking a room for themselves and avoiding clear appearances together in public.

Ala'ni was asleep in the bed in his room and so locking the door behind him he headed down to where he could find Torqin. The man was already eating and drinking when Xander found him. Alcohol in his glass, one of the many vices Xander refused in his life. Retrieving a glass of water first he then moved over to sit by Torqin not facing him as he spoke.

"I'm not spy it detective but our best choice is to search separately, we'll cover more ground that way." Xander sipped his water and looked around the bar, wondering if any of them were there now, the spiders of Sintra. "She could be anywhere so I know the plan seems stupid but honestly I'm not sure how else to proceed, I could scream it from the roof tops but that seems like a bad idea with them potentially anywhere."

The ex-noble tapped his glass, the soft ting lost in the sound of the people around them. "Keep our ears open and check everywhere we can. From Inns to the sewers, if she's here we will find her." He sighed and cleared his throat. "I hope at least."

[Torqin]

"We will find her."

With those final words, Torqin set down his cup, and retired to his room upstairs. He stripped out of his salt stained clothes and looked down at his body. His chest was covered in long scars, from the lashes he'd received in the territories. He knew his back was worse off. They no longer physically hurt, and he only occasionally noticed the tightness they caused in his skin. They were payment for still being alive, when by all rights he should've died in those woods with Celeste.

But he hadn't. Which meant his life belonged to hers. And if she died, that made his life meaningless. He lived for her now. And he would find her. He would save her. He hadn't slept much on the journey here, always awake and wondering where she was, what had happened to her. But tomorrow was the first day on their search. He needed to sleep, and sleep deep. And so, he set out on the path of wearing himself out, so that no matter how much guilt ate at him, he could sleep.

He started with simple push ups. Feet out beneath him, holding him on his long toes, hands directly beneath his shoulders, he set himself to work. He lowered his weight down slowly, so his nose touched the wood of the floor, then exploded his way back upwards. Over and over he repeated this, and each time he lowered himself, he saw her face in his eyelids. He opened them, focusing on a spot in the wood. He continued, increasing his pace, his breathing growing rapid as he did.

And still, his mind wandered, not down the path of guilt as it had been as of late. No, down another entirely that Torqin had not expected. Each time he lowered himself, he saw her beneath him, her eyes locked on him, her breath as exerted as his own. He tried to shake the image of it, of her accepting him as more than just her night. He kept trying to shut it out, but all he saw was her naked form beneath him, her breath lusting for him in his ear.

He pushed himself upright, and slamming his fist into the wooden wall of his room. The board cracked, and pain shot through his arm. But those thoughts finally fled from him. He went to the wash bowl and splashed his face with the cold water. He had to get a grip. Those were not his thoughts to have, not anyone's. She was his charge, to be protected. From all of her enemies, all dangers. And that included him, and his own longings. Deep down he knew it wasn't physical. He loved Celeste. But he could never show it, never act on it. She needed to be protected from that too.

So he sat back down on the wood, beginning sit ups, his knees bent before him, touching his elbow to the opposite knee as he went. He continued with a renewed vigor that he knew would leave him sore in the morning. He fought against those baser instincts. And still, her form was there taunting him, riding upon him this time, a teasing smile on her face. He powered through, trying to force away the improper thoughts, she was too good for him. No one should ever think of her in that way. She was the savior of his world, the only leader he would ever follow. And he was just a lowly bodyguard, a life meant to serve at her leisure.

Eventually he collapsed against the floor, barely able to move. He wiped himself off with a towel, and slumped into bed, body and mind exhausted. And still, his heart taunted him one last time, before finally allowing him to drift a sleep. He heard the imagined words in her voice. "I love you too."