[Solo] Of Tragedy and Loss...

[Nosdyn]

A month later...

Xyllea was beginning to understand her Demon. He might never fully recover from the loss of Illsandra. But his tribe, his people...were warriors. They had the warrior's blood in them. Given everything that had transpired since the loss of Illsandra...Xyllea understood more clearly what The Lady had been trying to teach her. She'd gotten to him...she saw more than a war-scarred Demon. She saw past that, and saw him somehow. They stood at The Assembly, in front of a group of Dark Elfs that day. No one present stared at Nosdyn with any malice.

He represented hope...hope for their two great people.

Xyllea had instructed him to the best of her capacity, and he'd been an eager student. Thirsty for knowledge, always wanting more and more. She smiled at him, he wore Dark Elf attire that day. Xyllea finally understood...The Demon had accepted their ways. Completely, without prejudice or bias.

The ceremony was the first portion of many such ceremonies. It would last a month in it's entirety.

When the first session was over, Nosdyn, Xyllea and Lancaster were alone in Lancaster's office.

"You did very well." Lancaster said calmly.

Nosdyn had been a nervous wreck the entire time, he didn't want to mess up or fumble any of his words. He'd memorized everything he could of the teachings, the principles of Dark Elf law. "I was nervous." He said calmly, being honest.

Lancaster raised an eyebrow at that point. "You fought a Senator, by yourself...walked away from that and THIS made you nervous?" Lancaster was being kind though, there was no malice in his voice.

"It was the people...speaking in front of so many people." Nosdyn closed his eyes for a moment. Then opened them again. "I think she would have been proud." Nosdyn said.

Lancaster nodded softly. "Aye. She would have, Nosdyn...you're a good man never forget that. Never loose sight of yourself."

***

Outside on The Lancaster Estate, Nosdyn looked at Xyllea. "You helped more than you would ever know. Had it not been for you...I would have botched everything up."

She looked at her Demon. "You did very well." She said to him. "She really would have been proud you know."

[Nosdyn]

Many years later...

By that point, Llukai Lancaster was already becoming a man of his people. As Nosdyn had taught him, he was already leading the children of the slums. He'd never be incredibly intelligent because of his learning deficit...but he'd learned because of Nosdyn, they all had. Much to Nosdyn's pleasant surprise, Llukai had developed his own leadership skills because of him. Because of the teachings of his Father. Llukai was fifteen at that point. By then, Nosdyn did in fact marry Xyllea. It had taken a long time for him to find the courage to do so.

But even then, and for the rest of his life, he was haunted. When he would be alone in the late hours of night...always he would think of the one he lost. Xyllea had become aware of that fact. But did not shy away from it, she wanted to help him heal.

***

The next day...

Llukai Lancaster had memorized all aspects of Nosdyn's teachings and become a skilled sword-arm in his own right. He, and the other children of the slums...the older ones...looked at Nosdyn. Llukai spoke first, he was already becoming a fine young man. "General Nosdyn." He said calmly.

By then, Nosdyn had in fact become inducted into The Academy as one of her instructors by Lancaster's request. Nosdyn nodded calmly at his brother. He saw The Dark Elf people as his own family at that point. "Llukai." He said. He looked at the student calmly. "State the precepts of House Krotar, student." He said calmly.

And so it went...year after year...lesson after lesson.

Xyllea observed how far her Demon had come. By that point she had given him their first son. She also thought of Illsandra a lot at that point, but not in the same way Nosdyn did. There was pain in Nosdyn's heart...pain that would never heal. She observed her husband quietly. We did it, Illsandra. Me and you did this together, we changed him.

To the end of his days...Nosdyn would never forget the one he lost.

-The End.-