Note: this is a one-off that belongs in my continuing Tales of Ralleah series. If you haven't read my previous entry, Archer Prince, or my currently-running serial Stench From the South, you won't understand the setting at all, so maybe consider taking a peek at those first if you're the sort of person who appreciates context. Just a friendly heads-up!
And, of course, everyone involved in this tale is over the age of eighteen. Enjoy!
*****
If there was one thing about Master Abelina that could be said with absolute certainty, it was that she lived for her work in the Braelon Keep Library. She wouldn't have worked to become the youngest Master Librarian in Rallean history otherwise.
By now, everyone in the Keep, along with anyone throughout the entirety of the Western Kingdoms who was invested in the accumulation of knowledge, knew better than to underestimate her expertise. Not that they had ever had cause to do so; her aptitude for and devotion to her profession had become clear to everyone almost as soon as she'd begun her Acolyte training at the age of thirteen. In the years since, she'd more than delivered on her initial potential, working tirelessly to ensure that anyone who sought the Library's resources would receive only the clearest, most up-to-date, and accurate information possible on any given subject. With that sort of determination, she'd shot through the ranks like a crossbow bolt, outperforming her contemporaries to become Master Librarian in an almost unprecedentedly short timespan. In other words, the Library was her domain; it may as well have been a Kingdom of her very own, as her staff, fellow academics, and even the Crown had become fond of saying.
Were anyone to have asked her, however, she would have simply shrugged before claiming that she was merely a servant of all good folk who sought to learn and would go to any lengths to help them understand whatever it was they sought to understand. This directly contradicted the supposition that the uninitiated visitor might have held before meeting Master Abelina, that she might be consumed by the egotism that so often accompanies any position of authority. Nothing could have been further from the truth, however. While her appearance could certainly have been misconstrued as severe-jet-black hair tied up in a tight bun above a pair of bright, piercing eyes that stared knowingly from behind a pair of copper wire-framed spectacles, and a head that was always held high enough to make her seem taller than even the Kingdom's largest knights (even though she was almost diminutive, in a physical sense)-she would, in fact, break out into a smile as warm as the Sun as soon as an inquirer approached her. Her voice was always soft, her tone patient, her words reassuring and free of judgment. She was self-assured but never arrogant or condescending, speaking intelligently without making others feel foolish, and kept to rational, measured responses in response to even the most outlandish or ridiculous claims and questions. Ultimately, any resident of the Western Kingdoms would be hard-pressed to come to any other conclusion upon meeting the Master Librarian that was not along the lines of 'there is no topic that this woman cannot elaborate upon, nor any problem she cannot solve with a book or her mind'-and to think, she was only thirty now!
Lately, however, she'd found herself dealing with a problem of her own-one that went beyond simply reading a few pages of text printed upon the pages of an old tome. It was nothing life-threatening, but it tended to distract her from her work all the same, and she could not have that. Interestingly enough, this 'distraction', as it were, had a name: Acolyte Tillett.
It had been a few years since Tillett had begun his tenure as an Acolyte for the Braelon Keep Library, and he'd proven himself an exemplary pupil every step of the way. Rarely had Abelina-or any of the other Librarians, really-ever found themselves having to correct him; he was one of those people who just seemed to have a knack for the position, throwing himself into whatever task he was assigned without complaint. He'd learned to navigate the Library with ease, absorbing the facets of its' cataloging system with impressive speed and enthusiasm. He'd proven himself to be an apt researcher, as well-almost as meticulous as Abelina had been at his age, if she were honest with herself. On the occasion that something proved to be too much for him to handle on his own, he was never afraid to ask for help-a rare trait in an Acolyte, most of whom were typically chomping at the bit to prove to their superiors that they could handle anything on their lonesome. No, Tillett seemed to understand that it was his job to learn above all else, and that he could only accomplish this through paying attention to the lessons that she and the other Librarians imparted upon him. All of this combined meant that he was well on his way to becoming a Librarian proper, and in Abelina's opinion, he'd have more than earned the title when that day came.
Yet, despite his obvious potential, he still drove Abelina absolutely mad-but for entirely different reasons than an Acolyte typically might.
At twenty years old, standing at exactly six feet tall, sporting a crop of poorly-behaved light brown hair that just begged to be played with, expressive hazel eyes that she felt she could stare into for hours, lips that she desperately needed to be upon her own (as well as...other places), and a shy, sweet demeanor, he was a textbook example of the kind of man who was wholly unaware of his appeal to a woman like her. She had surmised upon meeting him that he'd never been particularly successful with women-primarily due to nerves, she guessed-and had therefore retreated into his work in order to avoid thinking about or confronting that fact. This much had been obvious to Abelina in how he acted toward his female colleagues, whom he rarely made eye contact with and tended to be particularly soft-spoken around. Ultimately, however, Abelina believed that his 'problem' could be easily corrected with nothing more than consistent female attention and (much more importantly) affection. He just needed a woman willing to give those things to him, and little did the sweet young Acolyte know that he worked with one who was chomping at the bit to do so.
For the few years that he'd been a part of the Acolytes, Abelina had kept her desires in check, never making a move on the tender, naïve young man. It had taken more self-control than expected, but like a predator who stalks a prey beast, there comes a time when, eventually, the strike must come. So, on that particular evening, as warm autumn rain pattered softly against the high, ornate stained glass windows of the Library, the Master Librarian of Braelon Keep decided that she could stalk no longer. She had a plan, and it began with Acolyte Miki and Librarian Joqe.
*****
"Miki, there you are!"
The stout, red-haired young woman turned to face Abelina after placing a large, dark green volume onto the shelf she was facing. She smiled at her superior, her eyes giving away her desire to please the Master Librarian.
"Good evening, Master Abelina! Did you need something from me?"
"Good evening! And no, not currently, but I did want to let you know that I've decided to close the Library a little earlier than usual tonight. You're free to go!"
"Oh, lovely! I still have a few selections left to replace," she said, nodding at the half-dozen remaining books in her arms, "but after I-"
"No need, darling," Abelina smiled. "Just set them on the table over there and I'll re-shelve them myself."
"Are you sure, Master? I can-"
Abelina chuckled warmly. "I'm more than capable of finishing up, my dear. I wouldn't be the Master Librarian otherwise. Now run along!"
"I-well, all right then, Master Abelina, thank you very much," the Acolyte said with a shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, then!"
Acolyte Miki turned and strode over to the nearby table, gently setting the tomes she had been holding down upon its' aged surface. She turned, giving Master Abelina a slight bow and another smile.
"Good night, Master Abelina!"
Abelina smiled warmly at her Acolyte in return. "Sleep well, Miki."
