The Knights of Eirelaian

Halfling

Chapter One

Leilani woke up that morning not feeling in the best of forms.  In fact, to be brutally honest, she was in the worst possible form anyone could imagine.  Well, at least, it felt that way to her.  She had slept in half an hour; tripped over her bed covers as she climbed out of bed; and had fallen flat on her face as she tried to put on her slippers.  Not the best way to start your sixteenth birthday.

Trudging down the stairs, Leilani scowled until she reached the bottom stair and rounded the corner to the kitchen: greeting her mother with a face that could put the whole of Mexico into an Artic Winter.  Her mother greeted her with a beaming smile.  "Aloha, Firefly" she said chirply, her dark eyes forming little half moons as she called Leilani by her pet name, "And how do you feel on this beautiful day?"

Leilani didn't hold anything back.  "Why did you let me sleep in??" she wailed at her mother; an attractive cuddly Hawaiian lady with healthy cafe aulait skin, "It's a big turning point in my life and you made me miss half an hour!"

"And a very good morning to you too, Moody Mim" Leilani's mother answered her calmly, "There's cards for you on table."  Without any second thought, Leilani dived into the pile of Birthday Cards; ripping open each decorated envelope with unbridled passion.

Happy Birthday from Aunt Hana; Best Wishes to a wonderful grandaughter from Nana Li and Grandpa; and a beautifully made birthday card with the usual "Dear Leilani, sorry I couldn't be there for your birthday, blah blah blah" letter from her father.  "Typical Dad" Leilani sighed, dropping the letter on the kitchen table along with the rest of her birthday cards and torn envelopes, "Always conveniently away on my birthday."

"Now Firefly," her mother gently chided, "your father loves you very much and would dearly love to be with you on your sixteenth birthday.  It's just unfortunate that he goes away for the whole of winter and that your birthday is during that time."  Leilani wanted to say that it was stupid of her father to go away for the whole of winter, but she thought better of it and began to get her breakfast.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" her mother exclaimed with childlike excitement on her face, "Your father left something for you for your birthday, but the silly man left in the bottom of our bedroom wardrobe along with the rest of his junk.  You can go up and look for it and I'll make you a nice cooked breakfast; my treat for my beautiful daughter on her sixteenth birthday."

The bottom of her parents' wardrobe certainly was an array of junk.  Leilani's father wasn't the type for throwing something away unless it was completely broken and no longer of any good us: a habit which she, herself, had inherited from him.  What Leilani didn't realise was how strange the stuff her father kept was.

An antique looking crossbow with golden bolts; an intracitly carved long bow; and a small bronze dagger.  Was this what her father did during the winter? Played part time mercenary? Leilani shook her dark head.  'Don't be silly, Lei' she chided herself, 'Your dad scream like a girl at the sight of a common grass snake.  No way can he be brave enough to be a mercenary.'  As she was saying this, an ancient looking scroll fell out onto the floor.  Picking it up and opening Leilani discovered that the scroll was actually a letter.  It read:

To Leiutenant Commander Hanlin,

Regards as to the request to sign up an outsider for knight apprenticeship.

The request you sent for knight apprenticeship, did cause a lot of concern. As you know, yourself, it is against Eirelaian Law for an outsider to train to become a Knight of the Fey. However, since your ward is half fey, the Royal Council of Eirelaian has decided to allowed her passageway to Fernlie where she shall begin her knightship with one of our seasoned knights.

Enclosed within the chest is the equipment that your ward will ned for her knightship, as well as a key to the gates of Fernlie. Give these to her on the first day of her seventeenth year and make sure she uses the key on the hour that her sixteenth year ends. Too soon or too late and she'll be locked out from Eirelaian for the rest of her life. I trust that no mistakes will be made.

Signed

Arnell Cloudthorn

Head of The Royal Council of Eirelaian

Leilani had no time to question the letter, or the fact that her father seemed to be an officer in an army she'd never even heard of, for she found at the back of the wardrobe, a big oblong box almost half her size, decorated in delicate white wrapping paper with intricate gold writing and whispy gold ribbon wrapped around it: knotted in a fancy bow in the middle.  Attached to it was a small card reading:

To my beautiful daughter Leilani

You have blessed your mother and I in so many ways.  May the contents of this gift from us bless you on the next part of your journey in life

Love always

from Ginger Pops

Leilani giggled a little.  Ginger Pops was a pet name she had given her father when she was little, because of his red hair, and somehow it had just stayed that way ever since.

After carrying the box to her room Leilani opened it carefully and peeped inside.  She couldn't believe what she saw.  A silver chainmail tunic; a green overtunic with silver thread stitching on the cuffs; a small crossbow with several crossbow bolts; a curved sword made of silver; and a key.