The White Lady - Volume 2

The White Lady : Volume 2

Sadirya is a half-fey girl of about the age of 15. Her brother, Olyvier, is a young man of 13 years. Their tale is well known in the residences, although sometimes names and details change as the story is spread. The children lost their mother several years before in a Shaahesk incursion on the city, and recently lost their father during the Elysian siege. He was a Le'Megen regular, and had provided for his family as best as he could.

When the Shaahesk broke into the city from underneath, Sadirya was racing to get home to her brother. As the horde poured forth, however, she was trampled and cut down. The girl did not die, and managed to drag herself to a nearby pile of wreckage, where she laid until found later. She was crippled, now, and comatose. The healers did what they could to ease her pain, but they had little to offer besides returning her to her brother.

Olyvier was devastated by what happened. Furthermore, he was thrust suddenly into great responsibility without having the skills or capabilities necessary to meet them. He grew withdrawn, and took what jobs he could to raise some coin. He did his best to tend to his sister, often asking neighbors for help, but he knew she was fading away. All he could do was watch and make her comfortable.

One night, when Olyvier was returning from a harsh day at a second job, the street was particularly empty. It was overcast, and the humidity dampened the lights from nearby houses. He opened the door, slid inside, and removed his cloak. Something caught his eye. The little house he lived in with his sister was cleaned spotless. The floors had been scrubbed, the laundry had been done, the refuse disposed of. He darted into the back room to see a lamp flickering with light. He had no money for fuel, so he looked closer and found that the lamp was emitting light without a source... some kind of magic, he presumed. His eyes moved across the bed, and came to rest on his sister. She was lying on her stomach, bare to the waist, with her torso wrapped in entirely new and slightly bloodied bandages. Their dressings looked as if there were fresh wounds beneath them, confusing the boy. He checked his sister's breathing, and noted her breath was stronger than before. A pile of fresh bed linens and wound dressings lay at the foot of the bed. A number of gold coins rested on a neatly polished silver tray by the dresser.

There was no sign of forced entry, and no other traces of intruders. Somebody had seen to his sister while he was away, and that was enough for him to sleep well that night.

When he returned the next night, the scene was very much the same! The house had been cleaned anew, his sister had been freshly bandaged, and there were more coins on the dresser. There was even dinner on the table for him, though it looked like a child must have concocted it. He did not mind, as he was famished. All of his coin had gone to supporting his sister, and he had been direly underfed.

He left a note the third day, thanking whoever was helping him and asking them to stay long enough for him to chat. When he returned home from work that third night, his house was filled with the laughter of children. Confused, he entered to see a handful of kids playing and scrubbing his floors clean. The door to his sister's room was closed, but from beneath it he could see a faint blue glow. He cracked open the door, and caught for the briefest moment a glimpse of a woman robed in white, her features heavily concealed, and bathed in a blue glow. His eyes were drawn immediately to his sister, who was conscious and smiling despite being bedridden. Olyvier was so stunned by this that he did not see where the woman in white vanished to; he only noticed that she was no longer in the room. The young man embraced Sadirya as gently and warmly as he could, and looked down to see his sister's eyes sparkle up at him.

The children barged in and cleaned their house every day for the next two weeks, though the Lady in White was not seen again in that household after that night. Sadirya's crippled back had been straightened, and whatever damage done to her had been healed. Within days she was walking again. She never told her brother what words she had exchanged with the White Lady, but something had changed within her. Sadirya looked hopeful and happy, and was frequently found chasing children around the residences and telling them stories of bravery, compassion, and kindness. Her mood was infectious, and soon Olyvier joined her in outlook despite working long hours. Their neighbors grew curious of the events that transpired in that house, and soon the story of Sadirya and Olyvier spread as you hear it now.