I awoke slowly, everywhere aching from training. Stretching out all of my tender muscles, I stood up. I walked over to my window, seeing that it was now nighttime, the sky pitch dark but alight with millions of little stars. In the city centre, I saw Lark and someone else talking, and I took the initiative to join them.
Not even bothering to change back into formalwear, I sprinted outside instantly regretting not putting on a sweater. The frigid, night air was accompanied with a brisk breeze, feeling severely cold against my skin.
“Is this she?” The figure I could not recognize asked, pointing towards me. Lark nodded in reply, not looking very pleased at my sudden appearance in the middle of their conversation.
“Who are you?” I asked, ignoring Lark entirely. I raised a single eyebrow in questioning, as I was unable to see the figure underneath the shadow his long black cloak cast upon him.
“Curious lass, aren’t you?” The figure replied in question. I was able to decipher the accent as one from England, based on the other English folks in Delhaven. one of which is Lark. Still, I could not see his face.
“Yes, something I believe is a weakness,” Lark declared, still angry at my sudden and uninvited presence.
“Ah, but without curiosity, how does one ask the questions they need to be answered? My name is Alistair,” the figure said, and finally revealed his face. I was very surprised to find that he didn’t look more than a year older than myself.
“You’re, you’re so young!” I said, but Alistair just laughed.
“Ah, one can do so much in fifteen years!” He exclaimed happily. His shaggy hair was dark blonde, and covered with dirt. His eyes were a pale hazel, standing out, even at night, against his olive skin. The first thing that I could gather about his personality is that he seemed very happy.
“Alistair here, is my-”
“Son, I’m his son. He doesn’t like to admit that some outrageously outgoing and adventurous, not to mention not very careful, boy is related to him,” Alistair quickly interrupted. Lark’s son? Lark had never mentioned such a thing, but then again, Lark didn’t tell anybody anything about himself.
Alistair and I shook hands politely, with Lark actually smiling, to an extent of course, beside them. As I looked closer, back and forth between, I started to see similarities between their muscular build. Beyond that, Alistair appeared to be Lark’s exact opposite.
“So, why the sudden appearance?” I asked both of them. Lark looked over at Alistair, giving him a look that probably meant that Alistair should be the one to answer.
“Can’t someone visit their father every once in a while?” Alistair eventually replied, but something about how he said it made me believe that he had some other motive for appearing so suddenly in Delhaven. I knew Lark well enough, and knew Alistair not well enough, to know that I shouldn’t vocalize my suspicions.
“So are you from Delhaven?”
“I was trained as a Warrior for a little while, but then I got distracted and quit.”
“You were allowed to quit?”
“No, not really, I kind of ran off.”
“Well, that explains why you’re turning up in the middle of the night,” I said, as he had proven my suspicions about him.
“Yeah, so, I think it would be best if we keep my presence on the down low,” Alistair replied, shrugging and looking way, embarrassed. That would also probably be a reason that Lark never brought his son up: leaving Delhaven, and your training, is strictly forbidden, and those who attempt such things are either punished severely or outcasted entirely.
“Of course!” I laughed, making sure that this conversation wasn’t going to become awkward. I hated when things got awkward. Not as much as I hated rules, but I did very strongly dislike awkwardness.
“Okay, so, I think you should go back to bed, Kyla. Alistair, you and I should probably continue our discussion elsewhere,” Lark suddenly interjected, and I glared at him. Alistair shrugged, but as he walked away with Lark, he turned back towards me and smiled, a big, crooked smile. I liked him, and how much unlike his father he was.
Ember Bound 