Lore: Whenever an enlisted Protector (an elven soldier) decides they want to become an officer, they give their issued sword to their commanding officer, for safekeeping. Should they pass the training and become commissioned, the trainee's commander returns their sword to them, but now embellished with the gems and gold that an officer's sword always has. This process is known as "turning in one's sword".
When Mikansia heard that Krakeru was in Elfharrow she let out an audible gasp and grew pale. After a few seconds she got her composure back, but the damage was done; everyone else in her military formation noticed, particularly Captain Akseli. He asked for volunteers to go down to the surface and root the dark elves out of Elfharrow. Mikansia volunteered. After formation he asked to speak with Mikansia, in private. He asked if everything was OK with her, since Mikansia had quite the reaction. Captain Akseli needed to know what was going on, for the security of their unit. Mikansia tried to lie, telling Captain Akseli that she was upset about the continuing existence of the dark elves. Captain Akseli saw right through her and grew angry; she had lied to a commanding officer! He commanded she show up the next morning, after the morning formation, to discuss disciplinary measures, for putting the rest of the group at risk.
That night Mikansia had a dream. She was standing in a field in high summer, bright with all the colors one could imagine. A twelve foot figure approached her. It was scaly, with bright feathers coming out the back of its helmed head. It pulled out a scroll and unrolled it with its talons. It was an order from the High King, honorably releasing Mikansia from the Sword Singers, signed and sealed. Rolling it up, the creature pointed at the ground. A sword, plain but lovely, came up out of the ground. It belonged to Jabez, one of her fellow sword singers. Mikansia woke up, afraid.
Unable to sleep, Mikansia left her room and went into the courtyard, where the guards stood by a fire. Jabez was out at the fire, sword betwixt his knees, as he looked deep into the flame. A bit shaken, Mikansia sat down beside him and asked how he was doing.
Jabez stared happily into the flames for a moment.
He had just had the most wonderful dream: that he had been handed back his sword, and that it had been made into an officer's sword. He could still feel the gem-encrusted sword in his hands. Jabez couldn't sleep, he was so excited. He was going to turn in his sword. He was going to become an officer. He just knew it.
Jabez asked Mikansia if she could hold onto his sword for a few minutes; he needed to go to the bathroom and didn't want to bring it with him. Mikansia agreed. The instant he left Mikansia felt exhausted. it was a weariness so overwhelming that she only noticed she was going to bed when her hand touched her door. She stared at the door, deliberating a moment. But she dragged her exhausted body, step by step, back to the fire pit. Somehow she stayed awake until Jabez returned, apologizing for taking so long.
Jabez asked Mikansia if she was alright from earlier, both at the ending formation and afterwards, with Captain Akseli. Mikansia tried to play it off, but that frustrated Jabez, who complained that Mikansia was closed off. For over eight years he'd known her, from the time of their admission into the Protectors, and no one knew anything about her. Sure, he knew her parents had been killed by dark elves (which was a blatant lie), but that was literally anything anyone knew about her. Why did she join? Why had she shown up for preliminary training in more fur than most had seen in their entire lives? Mikansia replied sheepishly that she had joined to protect everyone, hadn't everyone else? Jabez said hardly anyone could say that with a straight face; he, for example, had joined because of his family's military roots. He wanted to do his father proud. Mikansia told Jabez that Krakeru was responsible for the death of her family, and that she wanted to bring him to justice. Jabez offered to go with Mikansia to see Captain Akseli the next day. Mikansia was hesitant, but Jabez insisted. Captain Akseli was Jabez's mentor and he might be able to explain the situation better than her. Mikansia finally agreed. They both went to their respective rooms, to go to sleep Somewhere, deep down, Mikansia knew she had missed an opportunity to go to the surface on her own terms. Sorrow enveloped her. She found herself singing a lament to cope.
She didn't go back to sleep.
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