Ordell had made his way to the small clearing hours ago upon the request of an old friend and, despite his initial reluctance, he was glad he'd gone. A young daedra woman, Kay, stood on the other side of the clearing. She was examining a leaf, of all things. Her father, Baydrith, the king of the dragons, wanted to speak with him. Now he was here and Ordell found he couldn't pay attention at all. Baydrith was explaining something about the current situation of Laylovahn, but Ordell's attention was instead on the small traces of Kay's energy clinging to his. The woman he'd meet while traveling, now a couple hundred years ago, was right. His Tayvee was standing in front of him, her wings draped behind her. She wasn't even keeping them tucked up anymore, too distracted by what surrounded her to bother with it. He could have just stayed like, watching her for eternity, if Baydrith hadn't called his name.
"What was that?" It was difficult for him to pull his gaze away from Kay and turn back to Baydrith.
"Are you sure you can take care of my daughter?"
"Of course, my friend. You don't have to worry." The heavy feeling of doubt settled in his chest. He knew Baydrith would worry anyway. Kay was all that was left of Ebelle, Baydrith's Tayvee. She had died due to complications during childbirth and it had taken a piece of Baydrith that Ordell knew he would never get back. Ordell silently thanked Alton for Nindan. The dragon queen had probably held her family together by a thread. Who knows what would have happened to Kay if Nindan hadn't been there.
"So what exactly am I meant to do down here?" Kay's voice drifted over. She was sitting on the grass, her head was tilted to the side, peering up at them. She didn't look confused, but maybe... Curious? Her voice made his head spin. Knowing she was there... it was hard to keep himself from crying. Ordell started to answer her but it got stuck in his throat. He swallowed and tried to speak again, but Baydrith's reply came first.
"The Teeveelay are having trouble with a build up of realm energy. They have been for the past few decades, but it has reached an extreme and begun to kill them. You are here to teach them the skills they need to survive." She seemed unbothered by the harsh tone in his voice as she stood and brushed off her robes with gloved hands. He glanced back to Baydrith's hands, marking that he wasn't wearing gloves. He hummed to himself. She must have picked up the Laylish empathy trait. It was hard for him to not grab her hand as approached. To pull her closer. It was hard to convince himself this was better in the long run. He couldn't scare her away.
"So I'm supposed to teach them about magic. Why can't you or Creation do that? Or mother?" There was nothing hard about her voice. She sounded genuinely curious. She did have a point though. There were others that might technically be better suited. Baydrith walked over towards her and held her by the shoulders.
"Nindan and I both have another species to care for and help survive. You, as a Laylotee, are not obligated to do this for the dragons. This makes you the best choice to help the Teeveelay." Baydrith's face softened, a small smile slipped on his lips as he looked at Kay. It was a sort of admiration and care Ordell had only seen on Baydrith once before, when he'd met Ebelle. Baydrith brushed back his daughter's hair. "And Creation will be there. You won't be alone."
He stepped back and turned to Ordell, glaring.
"Keep her safe."
With that he walked away. Ordell stepped forward, beside Kay, watching Baydrith leave.
"So sweetheart," He said, Kay's head turned towards him, her eyes wide. Butterflies filled his stomach and he couldn't keep the smile from slipping onto lips. Her returning smile, while a bit confused, made his heart skip a beat. "First time off the island?"
