(2026-03-16) Houses, Leaders, and Bad Business

Details

Author:	Athena
Summary:	Finley writes Elle back about some of the business of Houses and Leaders of families around them, and oh yeah, don't worry, Finley is fine. No guarding needed here. Ha ha any way. 800~ words. Personal plot.
Rating:	T for Teen

03/16/30

Dear Elle,

I was glad to hear from you. I hope this letter finds you well, wherever you are at the moment. Preferably, not lost in the mountains, even if they’re pretty enough to warrant a wander out into. Otherwise, I'll have to assume that this letter finds you when you get back, and that it isn’t too long from when it’s sent.

I wondered about the mentality of guarding for a lot of years, because of Sir Geoff Somer. Her Grace’s old knight. Old in a lot of ways, both in how long he’d served, and how old he was at the time that she came into his guarding. He’d meant to pass it on to another. They’d been training, but things happened, and he left. So when the time came that Her Grace needed a knight, it was only him to do it. There were times he felt useless, but he never abandoned his post. I never had enough sympathy for him while he was alive at how hard that must have been.

But I have the feeling that it's maybe less about the guarding itself, maybe. Maybe it's more of a question about if you think you're really needed guarding there, or not. When a man doesn't know if he's really needed, it's harder to serve. It doesn’t make the serving less important, because even an unneeded guard can still prove important in the unexpected, but it can grate. I know that myself.

The bad business of the House isn't a problem you can help solve at the moment, but if you can, you can be sure Fallon will call on you all who are allies of the House. There's a family that may mean us harm: the MacBrides. The leader of the family is named Brigitte Green, who might be going by MacBride as well. One of her family members intended a personal evil against us. I stopped it. It wasn't easy, and I got hurt, but Isla fixed it soon after. That's what I meant by now. I haven't been sick. Can't really catch a cold with so many Light healers on the grounds.

I also appreciate you wanting to ask your cousin to look after me, but it’s not necessary. She has so many things that she does already, and she’s a workaholic enough that she might add on another without consideration of what it might cost her, sure that she could do it all. I’m sure she has much bigger, better things to do – and certainly better looking ones to look at – than keep an eye on me. I’ll be fine.

Your Fredrica isn’t someone I know personally, but I know of the House she’s related to, Sterlington, a Westfall Barony from a significant military related bestowing a few kings ago. Her father’s a bit of a social climber, from a third son distance that isn’t likely to inherit the title directly. I have a feeling that if she joined in with you, especially as a regular recruit, she’s maybe not so much like her father, and maybe she sees it as a way out of his schemes.

Her Grace was glad of your congratulations. She’s still very pleased by and grateful for your decision to join the army directly. It’s something of a personal goal of hers, to keep the Alliance militaries strong, and with good, smart people. She sees it as a victory for you and the others to be in Pandaria, leading the vanguard of the Alliance of soldiers, acting as part of the reason why she feels safe here at home to have more children.

Why did Dinnsfield and Miss Kensington-Whit tell you not to speak to Miss Ravendusk, if it’s all right to ask? Is it her connection to Count Amerith, or Lady Ravendusk?

Sincerely,
Finley Boutille

PS – My birthday’s August 28th. Yours?

PPS – Lt. Commander Azuredown used to be Tennerow, from the Redridge House. Second son, who stepped down from succession of his House to join his Quel’dorei wife’s own. Hers was a noble house back when they were part of Quel’thas, but with the split, and her joining the Alliance, it necessitated giving up that foreign title of an enemy state of the Horde. Gossip has it that she’s out to prove herself to King Varian, and earn a granted title of the Alliance. Lt. Commander Azuredown likely has much the same goal in his own way. Her Grace has always liked him, and liked him in the military. I don’t know the man well myself, so I won’t assume ill of him without reason. I just hope that if he is seeking glory for the benefit of his new possible House, he’s doing it with a thought that everyone else gets some, and goes home in the end, too.