Lightstar Family/Xarnelf/Roleplay 20

Blessing from the Lady

"Xaaarrnnee...aarrree...yoou...aalll..riiight...?" Xarnelf heard as if from a distance while he slowly regained consciousness. He blinked his eyes open, and tried to figure out where he lay. Above him he saw the familiar, worried face of his captain Urjintah Feralgem, who crouched by his side in the cobble-stoned street.

"Urrgh..I think I slipped and fell, silly me.." the young knight replied with a grimace. "Am I bleeding? It feels like someone swung a mace at my head."

"Well, if you are, then it is not much. I do not see any signs of blood on the ground. Here, let me help you up and take a closer look." Urjintah gently lifted Xarnelf by the shoulders into a sitting position and proceeded to examine the back of his head. "Xarne, you need to take more care. It seems that lately, I cannot leave you alone to yourself, else you would find some way or another to get hurt," he chuckled to his childhood friend. "Perhaps I should start calling you by the name of Sir Clumsystar."

The young knight grimaced again, but this time due more in part to his friend's lighthearted jest than to any lingering feelings of pain, "Yes, I seem to be experiencing a streak of misfortune. It turns out that I am two gold short of what I owe the men," Xarnelf sighed in dejection. He asked almost rhetorically with pleading eyes, "Oh, what am I going to do?"

"Worry not, my friend, for I do believe that the angels may have sent you a blessing."

The Lightstar scion turned his head at this with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.

"Perhaps they pitied your maladroitness, or mayhaps they have a plan in store for you. Here, a messenger brought this," Captain Feralgem remarked as he reached into his jerkin to remove a sealed note, "from the Pontifex while you were daydreaming on the street."

Xarnelf tentatively took the letter and opened it. After reading for a few moments, his countenance gradually brightened up, and he said under his breath, "Bless her heart.."

He looked back to Urjintah. "I can scarcely believe this! Our Lady Arella has seemingly divined my great need and has supplied me with the means to continue." Xarnelf closed his eyes in relief. "Now I won't have to disband the Farsighters as I'd feared I must."

"Good to hear, Xarne. Will you be safe by yourself now? I should really go check on the men to make sure they are not participating in any mischief due to their grumpiness at having to wait eight days this time around for their weekly pay."

The young noble nodded.

"You are fortunate that I had taken a stroll earlier through the streets of Nahad, or else I may not have found you lying there on the side of the road. Please take more care, my friend. I will see you at the appointed rendezvous in two hours' time after I have gathered the men." Captain Feralgem saluted with a wave and set off to complete his objective.

Xarnelf smiled to himself as he replayed the recent events in his mind. Then it hit him, but less literally this time. His attention was diverted to one of the last things his friend had said: 'I should really go check on the men to make sure they are not participating in any mischief due to their grumpiness at having to wait eight days this time around for their weekly pay.'

Ah-ha! So that was it then. The last time I paid them, I had enough to spare because I only waited seven days, but for this past week, I unwittingly delayed another day in Larmebsi. I really must be more careful as he says.

Getting up from the ground, the knight brushed himself off and headed in the direction of the bank. I must thank this wonderful lady, he thought as he passed through the doors.