Lucky

It’s been… fruitless. These last few months.

There is not much more preparation to be done that doesn’t simply involve waiting and mind-numbing work. You, and your men, are stationed as close to the Lost City as they possibly can be. You have it locked down tight; the paths in and out of the Jewel are now tightly patrolled by your soldiers, and as far as you can tell, the King’s ascension has slowly ground to a halt as he hits the limits on what he, and his mages, can do as mortals.

As the rest of the world forgets he exists, and ceases to fear him.

Yet, each excursion into the Jewel ends in failure. You have to be certain that you’ll be able to even so much as reach his chamber when you make that fateful journey, and so far the indications are poor. The shades are relentless, violent, eager to rip through any ward and all but impossible to keep at bay, to say nothing of the King’s twisted guardship.

So… you wait. You spend each day toiling over some method to keep the shades back, rethinking your planned route through the city, and running through your encounter with the King in your head, again and again. You’ve deliberated most of your non-military duties to trusted architects and community planners, and you didn’t realize just how much you’d rather be doing anything other than this.

Maybe you’re just putting off—

A knock comes at your door. You sit up, glancing over, not expecting it. There’s an abandoned town’s worth of guards between this tower and the outside world, and so whoever’s knocking has… probably been cleared. Still, visitors at this hour…

When you open the door, you have to look down to actually see the person you opened it for—even moreso than usual. It’s a tiny Druwan, in strange-looking garb. Small shorts, a bra, a transparent red shawl, thigh-highs and detached sleeves to match, with a big smile on their young face. Surely an adult, despite their size, but not a particularly old one.

“Hello! How lucky I am to have gotten all the way up here!” they chime. You tilt your head, but then notice the pendant around their neck… three little gold coins, containing four-point stars.

“How lucky indeed… are you who I think you are?” A smile starts to spread across your face. What a strange occurrence this is. You step back, offering for them to head further into the little tower perch. It’s a small room, encircled by one large window that gives a wonderful view of the forest below, lit warmly by candlelight.

They just prance right in, a bounce in their step, turning on their heel once inside to look up at you again. They have the good graces not to peek at any of the important things you have lying about. “Are you suspecting I’m a high priestess of Myrian, miss Orrari?”

“And how’d you know that?” What an infectious smile they have; it’s starting to spread across your face too, clearly entertained by this priestess’ antics.

“Call it a lucky guess! I came a really long way, but to be fair it wasn’t all that bad. Lots of people were kind enough to help me, and the weather was really nice the whole way. They knew this was a very important mission.”

Aw. You sit down on your bed so as not to be so much taller than this poor Druwan, folding your hands in your lap as you regard them with humor. “What did you come all this way to do, then?”

“Spread blessings, of course! With the one person who I thought could really use them.” They reach behind their back, and produce a handful of pendants just like the ones around their neck. Grinning from ear to ear, you lean down gracefully, so that they can slip them over your head. “There you go!”

You sit back up. “You came all this way just to give me a blessing? From Woodveil, I’m guessing?” They nod in response, your face flushing a gentle red. People express their admiration for you often, but actions speak louder than words, and to cross hundreds of miles…

“I guess we can consider it a mutual blessing, miss Orrari. I’ve always wanted to meet you! You do important work. So, it’s kind of a trade, really. And, you know, when you’re in my line of work, there’s something to be said for efficiency! After all, if I bless you, you’ll probably help a lot more people with it than most!”

You nod. “Can’t argue with that, I suppose… still. I appreciate it. What’s your name?”

“Halley.” They stick out a hand for you. You do have to be … a bit careful with their hand as you give it a firm shake.

“Halley, I’m not sure you know just how much I needed this gesture today,” you speak, your voice getting a bit quieter. They look at you with a tinge of concern, and squeeze your hand softly.

“Well, lucky I showed up now, huh?”

Of course, you can’t help but smile at that joke. You sit yourself up a bit more, and clear your throat. “Well. I’m sure you’ve got a long journey ahead of you, but… why don’t you stay and talk for a bit? I can make you some tea.”

“I’d love that!” They grin!

…

You stand, as the sun sets over the Lost City, its crawling corpse outlined against the glare of the Architect in the distance. You’re alone, again, to contemplate your mission.

This time, though, you look down at the pendants currently wound tightly in your hand. You clutch your fist, nodding.

Hey. Luck’s on your side, now.