Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 02 Pt. 01

He looked at Brannar, "You think you could kill your sister?"

Brannar moved his head and Jarron followed him outside. There was a boulder near the pool of water. Brannar looked at him, "Is that boulder important?"

He shook his head, "A bit of a nuisance why?"

Brannar stepped away from him and flew 10 feet in the air and had his staff in hand. He pointed it toward the boulder and launched a massive lightning bolt. The boulder shattered into thousands if not millions of pieces. He floated back to the ground.

He looked at Jarron, "Could? Yes! Would? Only if given no other choice. That still was not a heightened spell."

Silver Rose approached, "Destroying boulders?"

He shrugged, "I have to get my rocks off somehow. It is not like the beautiful Rose is letting her guard down with me; yet. You get to keep your squad."

She looked at Jarron who nodded.

Brannar looked at her, "I have some issues with the Dragons that have to be resolved. I am going on this mission working for the Queen and the Elven Court, not the Knights as I won't take direction from any Knight at this point, including you. Silver Moon will have another caster and it deals with my family. I will at least take suggestions from her. We have history."

She smiled, "It takes a lot more than that to get my guard down."

Brannar smiled, "That much harder to get your pants down then?"

She laughed at him, "Yeah, way harder."

He smiled, "I can do harder. Harder is NOT the problem."

Jarron laughed at Brannar, "IF he is a tenth of the man his father was, I can believe that. You have to gather your guys. You will be teleported out with him in a few minutes. She looked at Brannar, "Where are we going?"

Brannar smiled, "The Royal Elven Palace and then Jarron has agreed to let me take you home to Silvertree Estates in the Elven Capital. Silver Moon is taking the others to an inn. She knows House Silvertree. She will get the rest of us tomorrow. We will be picking up 12 suits of leather armor. For your boat anchors, so you can swim instead of sink when thrown off the ship."

She shook her head, "I expect my own room."

Brannar smiled, "I fully agree you have to keep up appearances."

She laughed and ran off. He looked at Jarron, "Talented fighter?"

He shook his head, "Talented Paladin."

Brannar sighed, "Do you know if her order requires a vow of chastity?"

He shook his head. "No idea but you know how to pick them."

Brannar looked at him, "Send messages and let me know who all I am meeting." He nodded. "Also, I want to see a contract in writing from you. Exercising no attempts to try and control or restrain me while on this mission."

Jarron rolled his eyes. 20 minutes later Silver Rose and her men arrive in their heavy armor. All the armor matched but one of the men had a different weapon. A giant mace.

Brannar looked at them, "I have a couple of comments. For heavy armor, it does look nice. You cannot wear it aboard a ship. You will become ship anchors if knocked over the side. Be it by the sea or an enemy. I have leather armor being brought to us for you to wear while we are on the ship. I am assuming you are all paladins?"

One of the men raised his hand, "I am a cleric."

Brannar smiled, "Good to know. Now I had a group of dwarves dressed like you a few years back as we moved a caravan along the border. We got attacked by a round of crossbow bolts and those men proceeded to move back into the woods. Several died from the first volley of bolts that were poisoned. They went to charge after them on foot. I rode around from my front scout position on the other side of the caravan.

I saw arrows being lit up. I threw four spells, two chain lightning, and two fireballs. Alternating between them. After the first chain lightning, the dwarves had stopped. After the second chain lightning, they went into full retreat as the trees went exploding into the air for 100 feet. The fourth spell ensured no more missiles were shot at us while I got everyone to the other side of the wagon and undercover. I killed 182 orcs and ogres.

When I tell you to back away or stop your advance, I am not doing it to make you look like cowards. Those men would have been dead as they ran into an ambush. Also, my spells would cook or fry you in that armor. Especially the lightning. It would hit one then come back for second and third strikes attracted to that armor. I am a Storm Battle Mage. I know your strength is the thick of a fight. Mine is in decreasing and weakening those numbers.

If I call for you to hold you can listen like the dwarves or suffer like the orcs, ogres, and all of the trees in the 800-foot area I obliterated. In your order, you are probably all knights. I was knighted by the Elven Queen for my actions on the field that day. That is what happens when 4 of the dwarves are nobles. One died in the volley of poisoned bolts. You can be formal and call me Sir Silvertree or you can call me what the dwarves call me which is Storm Wraith, or simply Brannar.

We will be traveling to the Elven Capital just outside the Royal Palace. I have to go inside and pick up some paperwork. When I come out a guard from the Silvertree Estate should have horses waiting for you. We will ride to House Silvertree where you will be my guest for the evening.

In the morning, the six of you, my Elven War Horse Zea'Trans, Silver Moon and I will teleport out to where she is taking the rest of the group who all have horses. If we go into Jarron's office we can gather and get to the Palace."

One of the others raised a hand, "What about your horse?"

Brannar smiled, "He is smart enough to already be in Jarron's office."

They chuckled until they walked in and they saw his massive Elven War Horse in the center of the room. "One more thing. This is an Elven War Horse that is imprinted on me. He responds to verbal commands in elven. He knows 36 commands. Can and will crush anyone who attempts to take the reins, attempts to ride, or even thinks about raising a crop or weapon toward him. Gather around and we will be off."

Everyone gathered together. He landed them in front of the Palace. The groom saw them appear. He stood fast. His father trained them years ago not to go near the horses. He looked at the Royal Guards. "They will wait here with Zea'Trans. When the House Silvertree guard arrives with horses, they should start working on getting into the saddles. That might take 20 minutes just to get in the saddle, for each of them. I should be back shortly. The Guard looked at Brannar and smiled, "Yes, Sir Silvertree."

He went inside and the court was in session. He saw the Queen and walked straight toward her Audience Chamber. He waited at the door. She arrived a few minutes later and they stepped inside. She looked at Brannar, "That was quite a hole you put in the wall."

Brannar nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty. I do not like being imprisoned, especially by those who had a role, even an indirect role, in the death of my mother and brother."

She nodded, "You needed to get away before you did that to our guests."

Brannar nodded, "If you had not been in the room, I would have been tempted to throw everything I had at Lord Prick, Your Majesty."

She chuckled, "He is a King on the Council of Nine, you would have seriously hurt him and he would have killed you. That would have been bad for our relationship."

Brannar sighed, "I would have likely killed him if I hit him with a heightened version of what I hit the wall with. I know you have your reasons for having to deal with them. I cannot see how my father tolerated them, Your Majesty."

She sighed, "Your father had a lot more respect for them. It went down as time went along after his father was killed. He knew the greater risk and he kept his eye on that."

Brannar nodded to her, "I have thus far refused to work within the confines of the Knights. I do not trust them at all. Between being imprisoned to attempts made to poison me. They have not endeared themselves to me. I agreed to go on this mission in support of you and the Elven Kingdom. Only because it deals with missing family, Your Majesty."

She looked at Brannar, "Who tried to poison you?"

He looked at her, "Some of Jarron's men. I assume to try and capture me, Your Majesty."

She sighed, "I will have words with Jarron about that! I know how your mother Staria died. I am glad to see you showed some restraint and did not kill them all."

She handed him the orders with the diplomatic paperwork. She looked at him, "Dame Silver Moon has the same. You are envoys meeting with distant kingdoms to determine if formal relations should be established. Even if it is for trade purposes only."

He nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

She looked at Brannar, "They will want you to travel, with you drawing as little attention as possible. Until your attention is needed of course."

Brannar chuckled. "What they want means little to me. If Silver Moon is working for them then I will make that call myself when the time is right, Your Majesty. As to these broken treaties, I compile the evidence and I will bring them down and have them create new treaties, one way or another.

Right now all I have is hearsay. What I have heard does not bode well as I am looking at three missions. One is this lich, the other is missing family. The last is to destroy this paper shield they hide behind."

She looked at Brannar and sighed, "I know this has not started off as well as it should have. My orders, do not expose them. Treaties are between kingdoms, not your personal vendetta. Those would be my call. I have Lord Regal paying for that wall. He was shocked by what extremes you went to escape the room."

Brannar looked at her, "If I had wanted to cause maximum damage, I could have done far worse. I stopped when I had the way out. I also did not enhance the spell. I wanted the Palace to remain standing. As to the treaties, I find the information and you fail to consider it, then I will get our allies to consider it. Then to every nation around the globe. You can call it a personal vendetta if you wish, just because I am not a champion does not mean I have not received any guidance in this matter, Your Majesty."

She looked at him and could tell that he was deadly serious. Then she remembered what Zaria said they had to do to the Academy. She looked concerned, "Thank you for the measured response. As to treaties, Give me a chance to review anything you find before going off and being labeled a loose cannon.

If there are grounds, I will strongly consider what you find. Lord Regal already believes you are a loose cannon. I am asking you not to be. Now you should probably get going as your sister is probably out front. Yes, I heard what she tried to do!"

He bowed to her and got the door for her, "Your father did that as well. Getting the door for me. I will miss him."

Brannar looked at her, "You knew him better than I did. Two hours a year is not a lot of time, Your Majesty."

She stopped, "I know he spent a lot of time with his family."

Brannar sighed, "Maybe his wives, consorts, and those he did not have locked in an Academy prison for 63 years. No disrespect but you have no idea as to my relationship with my father if you could call it that. I know he was supposedly better than a lot of fathers with the other children he had, but he kept me at a distance and isolated. I figured he regretted the fact I lived when my mother did not, Your Majesty. His letter did little to alleviate those thoughts. If anything they reinforced them in many ways."

She shook her head, "I am sorry your relationship was not as good as your siblings."

She left her office and he headed for the door and ran into his sister coming into the Palace, "The horses are here. They for the tin cans outside?"

He nodded. "We will be traveling by ship. They will sink in that crap if we are attacked at sea. They told you I agreed to go because we have missing family members. The only reason I gave him a chance to plead his case to me.

I refused to go as a Knight on this mission or under anyone's command besides the Queen, which especially includes you. I wish I had never heard of them. I do not trust those who try to imprison and poison me. That was your mistake last night."

She looked at him, "I know we did not spend a lot of time together growing up."

He cut her off, "You add up all of the time you spent with me. Then add half to that. You now know how much time our father spent with me. The longest period we spent was weapons training which you helped me with. He probably spent more time with you in a day than he did with me in a year. I was...I am the danger he wanted to keep away from everyone."

She sighed, "I do not know what was going through his mind."

He cut her off and shoved a piece of paper in her hand. He took the crystal from her, "It is right there in his letter to me! Read it for yourself if you can stomach it."

---

The Queen went off to a side room and contacted Jarron. She sighed but almost growled out, "You had your men try to poison him?"

Jarron sighed, "We did not know if he would be a loose cannon and I tried to contain him..."

The Queen cut him off, "That is the last time I want to hear of you trying to contain, imprison, or attempt to control him. He is working for me on this. I gave him orders not to expose the Knights but given your attack on him, what Lord Regal did yesterday, and his sister last night I am beginning to think those who get into the Knights have lost their fucking minds!

His mother was poisoned. I think he did very well in restraining his anger and not killing all involved in that attempt. He has added a mission to destroy the Dragon Wars Treaty if he finds the evidence to support it. I told him it was his personal vendetta but he said if he found it and I refused to act upon the information he would ensure our allies got it.

You need to find a way to gain favor with him. You will advise your knights in charge of this mission they are to try and work with him and not try and control him. He is angry at his father and the dragons. His sister and you.

You need him for this and if the Lady of Dreams has some mission for him dealing with this escaped lich then by god support him or stay out of his way! Remember the last sword ceremony. Corellon Larethian told you flat out. 'If everyone fails to play by the rules? Then it is time to create new rules.' I think he has been put on that mission."

She ended the comms and went to her throne.

---

Jarron looked at Lady Silver Hair and groaned, "He is an unknown and we have not helped in winning him over. If those things had been done to me when I was recruited, I would probably be of the same mindset on the matter. I worried about the warning I got from his father.

That sword ceremony, 'If everyone fails to play by the rules? Then it is time to create new rules.' To say Corellon Larethian scared the hell out of me when he said that would be an understatement.

His father's letter to me told me Brannar would be difficult to control. Comparing him to trying to ride a horse inside of a tornado. His father said he had visions concerning him. Said he would challenge the Knights to grow even more to protect the people.

To trust that he knew what he was doing even if I doubted his attitude on things. It was for the best. To build his trust, because I would not want him as an enemy. To prove his point on the visions. He listed the day he would die in his message to me. He also called out having 12 more of his own children on the way."

Lady Silver Hair sighed, "I still worry about what he might do."

Jarron nodded, "Avoiding pissing him off further would be a good start. Else he will likely follow through on that promise when and if he finds something. That means keeping Lord Regal away from him if at all possible."

Lady Silver Hair groaned, "He is not happy with your Queen right now."

Jarron nodded, "She is not happy with any of us right now. That should be a bigger concern as she could break this group apart by simply nullifying the treaty that your kind has had problems enforcing. Then what would you have?"

Lady Silver Hair sighed, "What you are saying is we have a bunch of potential loose cannons and our actions have lit the fuse on all of them."

Jarron nodded at her.

---

Zaria stared at the passage she kept re-reading. "Yes, I worked to restrain you and keep you out of tournaments and harm's way, not because you were incapable. Because you lacked control and could and would likely kill someone in those tournaments or who just pissed you off enough to push you over the edge. You were angry as a child and that never went away. I never tried to address it and I blame myself for that failing.

I wanted you to be ready to face the Lich as it is your destiny but feared what you would do to others in the elven society if you went off on them. I had visions about you having lighting arc off of you and threatening to kill Jarron. They always end there. I never saw you hurt him but the future is uncertain.

Your attitude at the Academy in getting into every magical book you could get your hands on only heightened my fears of what you would do in the future. Especially when you started damaging the facilities. I was told to support you by the Gods, I tried to do so from a distance. I was too controlling because I felt you had no control.

I feared, at times, your anger would lead you to attack me if I pushed the issues too far. I don't understand how you survived the strike that killed your mother and brother, that does not mean I do not wish you were born. It just means I am concerned you will feel that you are indestructible, which is further from the truth. Powerful, Gods yes.

Scary powerful and you will need to work to focus your rage into being constructive instead of destructive in order to succeed. I hope you find it within you. Of all my children, I fear I failed you the most.

Your Father, Eldar."

She looked at it and thought, "He never said he loved him in his letter like he did mine. Not once! I have no response to this rambling second page of the letter. He said he was proud of him for the arcane powerhouse he became and then THIS?! No wonder he's pissed off at father, now at me too because I aided in holding him back."

---

The Lady of Dreams was angered by that letter as well. She spoke with Eldar about it, but he simply felt he had failed with Brannar and he blamed her for allowing death to take Astra that way. He could not bring himself to say he loved him when instead he feared him because of the visions he got.

He worked to caution those he knew would be in harm's way to give him a wide berth and not to piss him off instead. Because he felt, rightfully so, he failed Brannar as a father. Brannar needed love and she saw it for the first time in him in this Silver Rose. He was not a champion and she was not allowed to interfere in the heart or fate of his relationship.

There were many unknowns and she hoped the sword would help to keep him focused as well. Right now he was simply angry at the world and there were so many things that could happen to him that could derail his efforts. Many things could go horribly wrong. Yet she could not aid him and his father did not set him up for success the way they hoped he would.

---

Brannar walked outside and she trailed at a distance and she finished reading it as he mounted up. The last of the Knights was still working on getting on a horse.

She looked at him speechless. "I will see you at House Silvertree when you find the words come to talk to me. I assume the armor is there?" She nodded. "Zea'Trans Filarna (faster or double time). He got to the end of the long path and slowed down for his heavily armored companions."