Interlude

  INTERLUDE:

  Stories from Tranquility

  By Krista D. Ball

  Copyright 2015 by Krista D. Ball

  Cover by www.goonwrite.com

  Layout by http://skyladawncameron.com/indigochickdesigns/

  Tranquility Series

  Blaze

  Grief

  Interlude (short stories)

  Fury (coming May 10, 2015)

  Table of Contents

  Love Notes

  ’Knight’s Day Off

  First Day on the Job

  Fury Excerpt

  Love Notes

  (Takes place during Blaze)

  I’ve often regretted the several-month jump in Blaze. If I had my time back, I would split Blaze into two shorter books, and spend more time developing the relationship between Arrago and Bethany. I’ve always felt a little bad that their early days were never shown on page.

  I wanted to write a short story about their budding friendship in a way that shows how well they work together. Both of them have strengths and weaknesses, and both of them are funny in their own way. This was a chance for Arrago to tease Bethany far more than he got to in the book, and for Bethany to practice her flirting skills, which were admittedly very poor.

  Week 1

  Tuesday, 8pm.

  Arrago let out a pleased grunt. It had taken him two days, but he’d successfully organized all of the letters, papers, and ledgers in Lady Bethany’s storage room. Some of the letters were dated six months before. Had her previous aides even tried to help her, or had her abrupt manners left them cowering under the desk?

  Well, he was determined to be the best aide she’d ever known. Not only had she given him a position at the Temple—a dream come true!—but she’d also agreed to sponsor him to be an apprentice for the next training class. She’d teach him everything he needed. In exchange, he’d help organize her life.

  He’d thought he’d gotten the better part of the deal, though the looks of pity all day did quell some of his enthusiasm. But he wasn’t afraid of her. He’d lived in a monastery with dozens of celibate men. He could handle one high-strung half-elf.

  He’d not seen her since the morning when she came to warn him she’d rarely be in her study. No doubt she would be busy. He could only imagine how much work the Lady Champion would have to do. As he glanced at the mountain of paperwork on her desk, he guessed: a lot.

  He pulled out a sheet of paper from Bethany’s desk drawer and wrote:

  Lady Bethany,

  I’ve organized all of the papers in your office. This is how I’ll lay out everything from now on. The basket tied with blue ribbon contains all outstanding correspondence. Some of these letters are months old and require your response. I have organized them by importance to maximize your time. I can write the replies on your behalf if you include notes for each. We can go over them tomorrow at our meeting, if you wish.

  The three stacks tied with red ribbon all require your signature. Some of those are for pay increases for regulars and servants, so I’ve placed those on the tops of the piles. The fastest way to deal with those is to skim them and sign.

  The pile in the middle of your desk that’s taking up the bulk of your workspace is what I need signed and/or responded to by the end of the week. They need to be done as quickly as you can.

  When you’re done, simply move the items to my desk and I’ll deal with sending them to messengers. If it’s confidential, please put it in the basket with the green ribbon.

  I trust this new system works for you.

  Arrago

  ***

  Tuesday, 11pm

  Bethany stumbled into her office to grab the bottle of wine she’d left on her desk. She yawned into the back of her hand. She’d been running training drills with some of the apprentice knights and was sore all over. All she wanted to do was have a couple of glasses of wine, read a book, and pass out for several hours.

  The candlelight reflected off several neat stacks of paper. She did a double take, thinking she’d walked into the wrong office. No, it was her’s. The opened bottle of wine was still in its same spot, though it was besieged by the paper enemy.

  Arrago had dealt with some of the paperwork while they were in the office together, but this...She thought he was just going to dump the baskets somewhere out of sight. Instead, he’d labeled everything. There were neat piles and boxes and baskets in every corner. Arrago had taken every single bundle and parcel in her study and had organized it. Like some kind of organizing machine. Rebecca, her last aide, hadn’t even managed to get through the new stuff, let alone pull out all of the outstanding letters.

  She read his note, which was written in a neat hand. It was obvious he’d been educated by elven monks; she’d been, too. At least she’d hired someone who could keep up with the snobbery of the other aides.

  She snorted at the idea of getting most of this done by the end of the week. This was her busiest time of the year. She knew she wouldn’t be free until the afternoon, so she decided to leave Arrago his own message. She flipped the sheet of paper over and wrote:

  Arrago – end of the week? You do realize the week is half over, right? How in Apexia’s name did you even manage to sort all of this mess?

  And ribbons? Seriously? We’re using ribbons?

  Bethany

  ***

  Wednesday, 5am

  Three letters. The woman had signed three letters for him. At this rate, it would take her the next decade to catch up on this work. At least she’d signed three of the documents approving a pay increase for the personal servants of three senior knights.

  Arrago snorted when he read Bethany’s chicken scratches. For a woman supposedly raised by the clergy, she had atrocious penmanship. He was from the backwaters of Taftlin and even he could manage proper cursive writing. No wonder it took her so long to finish her paperwork, if that was how she wrote.

  He sat in her chair for a moment, pondering how best to reply. From what Lord Kiner had told him, Lady Bethany’s previous aides were genuinely scared of her. Perhaps she was the type who didn’t like people cowering around her. She’d want someone with a little backbone who, while not disrespecting her, could stand up to her.

  Lady Bethany,

  Yes, we’re using ribbons. I had to devise a system that would help us get past this initial mountain of work. If you can suggest a better system, I’ll happily implement it.

  Also, where did you put the work you did yesterday? I only found three letters on my desk when I arrived this morning. I’d ask when you get in, but I have a meeting with the other senior staff’s aides to discuss how best to organize the workload we are sharing. Would you like to meet for dinner to discuss this? If so, I’ll be in the initiate’s dining hall at three this afternoon.

  Arrago

  ***

  Wednesday, 4pm

  Bethany poked her head into the office. Arrago wasn’t there. Crap. She’d been rushing around the temple for almost two hours trying to make his dinner meeting and yet she’d missed him.

  That’s what she got for not leaving a note asking him to wait, but she thought she’d be back in time to talk to him. No such luck. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Shit, she was going to be late for her meeting with Allric. She had an all-nighter to pull and, at the current rate, was not going to have any time to catch a nap.

  Bethany dug around her desk with one hand for some paper while using the other to flap the neck of her tunic in a failed attempt to cool herself.

  Arrago – I looked for you. You weren’t there. Next time, eat in the blasted staff wing with the other aides so that I don’t have to walk to the other side of the temple, only to discover you are not there, and now I’ve lost hours in which I could have been signing your stupid letters.
>
  I’m eating breakfast at six in the senior staff’s dining hall, assuming I’m still awake. Come by. Use soap.

  The stupid ribbons are fine.

  You’re lucky you got three letters out of me. I had a guard evaluation last night and another tonight. I haven’t slept in over a day.

  Bethany

  ***

  Thursday, 5pm

  Arrago was disappointed, but not surprised, that he didn’t see Bethany after their breakfast together. She was probably sleeping off the double shifts she was pulling. He’d not even considered that Bethany would take such an active role in training. He’d just assumed she’d push paper around all day and wave a sword on occasion.

  But Bethany was a working knight. The others were, too, but he’d discovered that Bethany took on work from Jovan and Allric. She loved training and evaluating. He’d heard from Jovan’s assistant that Bethany sometimes took guard duty! Guard duty! Why in Apexia’s name would the third in command of the elven forces take guard duty? She must really miss that life.

  What’s more, she’d stayed up to meet him for breakfast. She was barely conscious, but she answered his questions through her yawns. A couple of times she even nodded off while he spoke and he had to repeat himself. Once, he had to poke her forearm to wake her up. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so guilty.

  Arrago put the leather-bound book on Bethany’s desk. He hoped she’d like his new idea. First, a little sucking up. He opened the cover and wrote on the first blank page:

  Lady Bethany,

  I didn’t properly thank you for the meeting this morning. I had no notion of how busy your schedule truly is. I am even more grateful that you’ve taken my training. I will do everything I can to make your office work smoother. My goal is to make your paperwork as easy as possible.

  I was thinking after breakfast that we are often not in the study together. Instead of random notes back and forth, let’s use this ledger instead. It will save on paper usage, and if we need to look back on a response, it will be in the book. Provided you don’t throw out the book, we don’t have to worry about losing previous notes.

  If you see this before training practice tonight, let’s meet in your study for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll bring the food. You bring the ink. Let’s get you caught up with at least three months’ work.

  Arrago

  Week 2

  Sunday, 1pm

  The servants had finally hauled all of the backlog of work from the east tower. There was so much, some of it from two and three years before. He sat at his desk and threw out most of it. So much of this seemed useless. Did she really need to be consulted on all of these things? There were lower-ranking knights in Wyllow. Why didn’t they handle the non-critical work?

  Working with Bethany was going amazingly smoothly. In fact, she had quite a sense of humor once she loosened up a bit. Maybe it was the exhaustion affecting her, but she’d laughed at his jokes and had even teased him a few times.

  They’d had a bad night of training, when he’d received news about his mentor’s death. There had been some awkwardness, but it faded. It wasn’t friendship, but it was...something.

  He was calling her Bethany now. At her insistence, but nevertheless. Bethany. What an odd circumstance he’d landed himself into. Maybe with time she would see him as—well, not an equal, but someone worth her respect. Friendship was well beyond his hopes, of course, but respect would be nice.

  He wrote in the office diary the things they’d discussed at breakfast that morning. She’d signed documents he’d read and paraphrased for her. Most she didn’t have an option on, so those she signed immediately. She’d gotten through nearly fifty letters by the time they were done. Some she had opinions on: aggressive, vulgar, yelling opinions. Those he left her to deal with on her own time.

  Bethany, here are the things we discussed this morning. Please address them tomorrow in your senior staff meeting.

  Bethany to do

  Speak with Lord Allric to put off guard evaluations, just until Elven Council correspondence is caught up – about two weeks.

  Speak to Lord Jovan to ask him to stop sending fake letters, as this slows down everyone’s day. (Also, doesn’t he have his own work? Shouldn’t he be doing that instead of bugging you?)

  Speak to Lord Kiner to see if he’s willing to share one of his new apprentice knights to be a message runner between the senior staff and their aides.

  Not mock Arrago for struggling to breathe after bruising his ribs and breaking two fingers.

  Arrago to do

  Liaise with Aneese’s senior aide (Bethany – do you know her name?). There must be a better way to organize the internal correspondence from the clergy, too.

  Buy padded gloves.

  ***

  Sunday, 3pm

  Bethany found her office empty. She collapsed in the chair and began pulling letters from the pile that needed immediate attention. She faded in and out several times, fatigued from the night work and additional training. She loved it, but she also needed sleep.

  Bethany managed to read four letters before her eyes glazed over. She had to go see Aneese, in any case. Four letters were better than no letters. She was loath to admit Arrago was right, but he was right; the more she caught up, the better she felt.

  She opened the journal they kept to see if he’d left her any messages. She snorted at his edicts. She was a grown woman; she didn’t need reminders for everything. Apexia’s grace, she was just tired. In another week, the extra hours would be over for a few months. He’d just started at the wrong time.

  She glanced at the clock. There was a little time.

  Arrago to do, addendum:

  Stop being a bossy ass

  Learn that a shield is not a turtle’s shell

  Burn all the ribbons

  ***

  Sunday, 3:30pm

  The arrival of four new letters in his basket meant that Bethany had come and gone while he was out. Of course, she’d put them into the wrong basket, which made him smile. She was so incredibly stubborn about the ribbons.

  He was disappointed, as he’d have liked to discuss whether it was really acceptable for him to be in the senior staff dining hall for meals. It was her idea, but he felt uncomfortable all the same. It was the closest to their office, which saved time, and it gave him the opportunity to speak to the other assistants and administrators. Still, he was just an aide, and brand new. He felt awkward going in there.

  He checked the diary to see if she’d left him a message, and snorted when he read her addendum. Yes, he did need to learn how to hold a shield. That was how she caught him in the ribs; she’d kicked the shield into them.

  Arrago pondered for a few moments on how best to respond. He didn’t know her well enough for some of the snippier comments that came to mind. Then he smiled.

  Additional items for Lady Bethany:

  Sign more than four letters a day.

  ***

  Sunday, 5pm

  Bethany had missed Arrago again. Well, shit. Allric had given Jovan an earful when she’d told Jovan to piss off with the fake letters. He was going to get her back for that, but at least it would make Arrago’s job easier for a couple of weeks.

  She burst into laughter, genuine belly laughter, when she read Arrago’s little quip. She absolutely deserved the comment; she was notoriously horrible about paperwork and part of her used that reputation to get out of a lot of the mundane work dropped in her lap. Arrago was the first aide to call her on it. Well, she couldn’t let him get away with that.

  ***

  Sunday, 6pm

  Arrago came back to the office with Edmund Greyfeather, his friend from training, and asked him to wait a moment. They were going into Orchard Park to a tavern popular with initiates, but he’d forgotten to tell Bethany that Mother Aneese wanted to see her “immediately.”

  Edmund asked, “Can you hurry up? That bitch terrifies me.”

  “Don’t call her that,” Arrago said ab
sently.

  “She broke two of my ribs!”

  “She was just doing her job,” Arrago said. “What did you expect someone in her position to do? Invite Magi over for tea and crumpets?”

  He stared at the image drawn on the page. He tried not to laugh, he really did, but he couldn’t help it.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He couldn’t pull his gaze away from the crude drawing of a stick figure being cut in half by what he guessed was a sword. Or maybe a candle? A penis? Considering the artist, sword was most likely.

  He picked up his quill.

  Hmm. Surely a woman of your education, experience, and advanced years could manage a more detailed image than a stick man with a giant penis. However, thank you for making it so monumentally huge. I had no idea you thought that about me.

  Since we are sharing our artistic talent, turn the page for my rebuttal.

  Twenty minutes later, Edmund was leaning over his shoulder. He whistled. “She is so going to murder you.”

  ***

  Sunday, 9pm

  “Where’s the brandy, Beth?” Jovan asked, digging through her office.

  “Are you blind?” Kiner asked. “I have the bottle in my hand.”

  “Pfft, the three of us can finish off a bottle each. That’s not enough. Arg! Where is it?”

  Bethany ignored Jovan and grabbed the leather purse of coins she kept locked in her desk for when she played cards with the other knights. Eight of them were meeting in Jovan’s quarters to play and gamble. Her coin purse was significantly lighter than usual, having been almost completely cleaned out two weeks ago by Kiner and Jovan, her oldest friends. The jackasses.

  “Kiner, bring the candle here. I want to see if Arrago’s left me a message.”

  “How’s that working?” Kiner asked as he walked over to stand next to her. “I’ve never seen your study so...tidy.”

  “It’s creepy,” Jovan said, still digging around for bottles of liquor. She’d hidden her three good bottles of imported brandy and there was no way she’d let Jovan get at them. “I came in here a couple of days ago and thought I was in the wrong office.”