IA: A Teacher for Laynie

[Rystil Arden]

"I figured you'd think it a joke. As to who, it is...somewhat complicated. It is actually possible that you might not have noticed for a while, but you'll be meeting her eventually, and it would have seemed pretty weird until you figured it out."

 

[Bront]

"Bah, I read ma...men all the time. Part of what you learn traveling."

"But, anyway, how much of the trial are we allowed to talk about after? Truman might be interested in some of what happened, as would you."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"You read ma-men? Anyway, you can talk about the trial all you like, just not to those who haven't taken the exams yet."

 

[Bront]

"It's a time honored skill," Vanitri says with a wink.

"Well, I should ask, what do you know of Elayna Lyrue the Second?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

"I'm afraid I don't know what a ma-men is," Elektra shrugs, "As for Elayna Lyrue the Second, she was apparently a bit of a disappointment to her mother for her disobedience for much of her early life. Then she was thought to have been murdered by the Freefolk until she reappeared, having apparently gone undercover to unearth a plot by the dark elves in the intervening time. She averted some sort of dark ritual and then was apparently killed during the fighting, as she was never seen again. As the Mage Queen's sole child before her husband died, the direct line died with her, and though some of her more distant relatives scrambled to try to pick up the throne at that point, they were fairly ineffectual and were overthrown by a charismatic general, thus relegating the Mage Queen's dynasty to the history books and rendering her attempt to install a matrilineal descent of heirs short-lived indeed, dying with the Mage Queen after she was assassinated by jealous foreigners."

 

[Bront]

"Interesting. I met her in one of my trials, such a shame history remembers her as such. I did manage to get an Elayna Lyrue scholarship later as well, so I figured that might have been connected. I also hapened to earn the Elayna Valsice scholarship, which apparently isn't all that common." Vanitri says. "But, anyway, you and Truman were in my final test, perhaps you'd both be interested in the results."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Ah, so she was different, then? I wouldn't be surprised. History does tend to gloss things over."

"Elayna Valsice? No one has ever won that scholarship, although admittedly it hasn't been around for as long as many of the others."

"Ah, yes. That was what Truman was hoping--normally he wouldn't have mentioned such things to a non-student, but he was hoping to draw you in enough by telling you that it would create a possible future where you were involved and possibly divine him some answers."

 

[Bront]

"Well, I think she chose to disapear with the freefolk. I wouldn't be supprised if she had fallen for my namesake in fact."

"Yeah, I think Mistress Valpyren mentioned it when she offered me a Sice scholarship. It was tempting to take the money, but Laynie reminded me to be true to myself. It was tempting though."

"Ahh, I see. Well, shall we find him and I can tell you both at the same time? Or would you rather hear first?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Ah, I see. Whether or not that is true, I'm sure the history books wouldn't have been kind to her for that anyway. They would probably consider it the ultimately selfish act to live the privileged life of a princess and then shirk the responsibility to her people and her family that such a life entails."

"Well, there are a few nice people in Sice, but it really doesn't seem the place for you. I would be surprised that they even tried to convince you to go there, but I guess it must be the Elayna Valsice scholarship. I hear Professor Valpyren thought the world of her."

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find Truman, but then again, if you found something, I'm not sure that I want to wait to find out. So shall you spill the beans?"

 

[Bront]

"Well, it involves something about snakes, a blood stone, and some dark lord. I should probably wait for Truman, since he was in it."