CALLI E-K: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW PT. 3
To really understand someone, you need to know where they came from. Finding out key defining moments in their lives can give you insight into their behaviour.
Time passed, and Calliandra was ready to rejoin normal life. Her parents did not agree. The compromise was Nightingale. He was reassigned to be her personal bodyguard and would shadow her whenever she wanted to move out and about in the world. With one move they'd effectively ensured she'd be physically safe, and mentally reminded at all times that actions had consequences. In the beginning she found it cruel. She wasn't sure how to act around him. If she was too happy, was it rubbing it in his face? If she was too sad, was it insulting to his actual loss? She tried to argue to her parents that assigning him of all people would hinder his ability to heal and move on. They'd shocked her by revealing he'd asked for the job. He practically demanded it. They'd had a trusted caster called in to ensure his intentions were good, and he really did just want to make sure if anything befell her again that he'd be there to stop it. Her heart ached and she filled pages of her journal trying to work through the complicated beginnings of their relationship.
He was stern and over protective for their first year together. She was able to bear it only because having a personal guard had elevated her status among her peers considerably. She would not admit she also was grateful for the excuse to avoid late night gatherings until the idea of travelling in the dark was less haunted. They got more comfortable with each other and the awkwardness melted away as the unsure became familiar. But then Archie turned 18 and she was not allowed to go see him. Father had gone, but Mother was caught up in negotiations and unable to make the trip. Apparently there had been things planned that were going to keep the men very busy, and so without Mother she'd be unescorted in an unfamiliar place. Calli made life hell for the household that week. Emboldened by this slight, she began testing the limits of her companion.
The second year with Nightingale was full of volatile clashes as she learned he was well aware of all her favourite ways to sneak around. She had to come up with more and more convoluted plans to try and slip his watch, sometimes drafting her friends into the charade. It rarely worked. However the end of her 16th year saw her dedication to her music really pay off. She had always been a musical child, it was her greatest joy, and a great comfort since the unpleasantness with Archie had turned her life upside down. But somehow her skill with music became actual magic. Suddenly she had a few new tricks up her exquisitely tailored sleeves.
The third year started with an argument, and another compromise. She didn't know why her parents still insisted on her having a bodyguard. At seventeen she was much more responsible and capable than she had been as a child. Calli managed to charm him long enough for her to get away, so he was ready to make a deal. He said he'd give her some breathing room only if he knew she could keep herself safe long enough for him to get to her side should something happen. Rapier lessons were added to her daily schedule. He started treating her less like a child, and more like his trainee. She began confiding in him more, and she realized he’d filled the hole in her life that Rose had left. Once he was sure she wasn't going to cut her own fingers off, they began discussing ways to stay armed in all levels of society. It was a happy accident when she was too focused on gossiping and grabbed his sword cane instead of her parasol out of the vase by the door. They looked at each other, then down at the two items, and smiled.
Calliandra Eudicot-Kalissreavil made it to 18 years old with only minor incidents since that bloody night in the carriage, and most of them were just her snooping where she shouldn't have been. For her birthday she told her parents she wanted her brother to come home, if even just for her party. It had been years, she'd been a very good girl, she was well liked and respected, and having had to miss his 18th had been awful enough. To her horror they'd said no. She'd had years of practice at this point, so it was easy to show only an acceptable level of disappointment as they admitted Gaedren was still a very real threat and had been causing more trouble than she knew. They did not elaborate. She heard the blood throbbing in her ears as the rage pulsed inside her. She couldn't understand why he was still alive. Why he was still a problem after all these years. Someone had to stop him. And she needed to get out of this beautiful cage she lived in.
Playing her parents' game had taken years and gotten her no closer to anything she wanted. Not ending Gaedren, not returning Archie, not even visiting court! It was a small yet persistent stone in her shoe that her parents had refused to take her along to any of the royal engagements. Calli doesn't think they trusted her not to beg the king to intercede, and maybe they were right. But as the years went by and more and more of her friends had their official introductions she felt the lack most keenly. She wanted to prove herself capable of making it on her own terms. She'd drop her family name since they were so concerned with their image, and she'd pursue her future as a bard! While she adored the intrigue and battle of wits that being a diplomat offered, a good deal of the role was endless meetings, paperwork, and a shocking amount of maths. So she told Nightingale she was planning on leaving, and he could help her or start looking for a new job. After all she was going to be an adult soon, and would have rights to refuse his protection. This had hurt her to do, she’d grown very fond of her protector, and was secretly afraid of stepping out on her own after a lifetime of shelter.
He'd surprised her by not trying to talk her out of it at all! Instead they came up with a plan. He convinced her not to quit school outright, just delay entry for a few weeks to test the waters. Letters were forged from her "parents" to the school to grant the unusual start date. She purchased a magic hairpin that allowed her minor disguise abilities to not just conceal her port-wine birthmark, but also reshape her face to a degree and change whatever colours she desired. (One of the perks of having Oriel Jeggare as one of her besties is access to otherwise difficult-to-get treasures.) Nightingale spent time visiting places around the city and planning their route. He acted as her manager, booking rooms to sleep and locations to perform, all the while doing basic security recon to ensure it would be safe enough. Everything was set. Time to shine.
And only a few days in to their journey, things got weird. While brushing through her wild curls, a Harrow card tumbled out of her hair, with an anonymous note saying they know Gaedren had wronged us, and that they wanted to help. The flood of emotions was overwhelming. Fear came first: How had they gotten this into her hair while she slept? How did they know who she even was? Someone dies every time Gaedren has turned up in her life. But the fear gave way to resolve. She was tired of him lurking in the shadows of her life. He needed to be dealt with. She allowed herself excitement. This is their chance. Either it's a trap, in which case she had no doubt Gale would have a plan, or it's real, and they were going to be heroes. What a song this would make!