History
Among the Dawn Elves, green eyes are a rare trait and considered a sign of a truly gifted future cultivator; a profession, or at least hobby, that most Dawn Elves pursue. Faris was never drawn to nurturing plants despite the fact that his mother was the head horticulturist in the palace of the Dawn Elves. His father, an alchemical mage, even tended lovingly to his garden of rare plants that fueled his study. They called him their ’little wanderer’ when he began to show signs that his path in life wildly diverged from most of his kin. They were both incredibly proud of him despite that, supportive of his endeavours and goals.
From a young age he was entranced by the knights and warriors that made up the Royal Guard of Kheiron. A group of men and women of all the races that shared between them the safety and security of the four palaces, the Library of Thrasos and all who dwelled within. He was determined to become one of the elite among them, tasked with the direct guardianship of one of the royal families. Faris became one of only a handful of Dawn Elves to graduate into their ranks. He was highly regarded by his peers for his fighting prowess and loyalty.
He cut a dashing figure and was both proper and engaging in formal affairs, easily moving among royalty and nobles. A fitting companion for anyone of high station. Very quickly it became clear that he was ideal for the position he’d been striving toward and was assigned to one royal as their personal guardian.
Faris is utterly devoted to his ward. He very rarely takes personal time away and acts as a companion and advisor as much as a body guard. Recently, he’s struggled with perhaps becoming too close to his ward. He finds himself watching them when they are distracted elsewhere or letting his hand linger for a half second longer than it should. He knows his place is one step behind them and not beside them, not like that anyway. He also knows that someday they will marry another noble. It’s the way of royalty. He dreads that day, not only because it will remove the chance of claiming them as his own, a reality that he doesn’t even allow himself to entertain, but because it generally means a shift in guard. The structure of safety around a royal couple or family is different from the one-on-one guardianship of a prince or princess. But that’s a problem for a later time and for now he’s content to simply bask in their presence. He would sacrifice anything for them, including his own happiness.
The morning of the Last Day Faris hadn’t been present in the Council with the first Devourer attacked and killed four people; the human king and three of his fellow Royal Guard. He’d seen the corpse for himself and saw that it was clearly dead, but for some reason his gut refused to settle. Unease prickled at him until he couldn’t resist the urge to act. He tried to convince his ward’s parents to let him take them away from Kheiron until it was safe. They’d assured him the terrible event was indeed over, but they’d eventually relented. A vacation for their child to shake off the horror of the attack would do them good.
Faris had watched them pack, casual and unhurried, all the while his unease was growing. Every odd noise or unfamiliar sight put him on edge. The normally reserved and steady Royal Guard had snapped and shoved practical boots into their arms, ordering them to put them on. They were leaving. Now. His ward was clearly confused, scared more, perhaps, by his fear than anything else the morning had brought. Ultimately, they’d relented, leaving behind their luggage. The screams started in earnest when he readied their horses and he bodily lifted his ward into their saddle, grabbing the lead of their horse and taking them through the streets of Kheiron at a reckless pace. Even after they passed through the gates, Faris didn’t slow. Not until hours later when they looked back at Kheiron, billowing smoke and radiating death. He’d listened to his instinct and it saved the life of the one he was sworn to protect, but he had no idea what to do next. The world would never be the same, but his vows wouldn’t change.