Every once in a while I end up with a character who puzzles me. I recently began a new process of "interviewing" these individuals. It ends up similar to a short story, but an informative one. Most of the time I have no idea how these characters will respond to the questions until I'm typing out the answers. Another benefit is that it gives me something to hand out to my friends so they can get to know my frustrating musings, as well!
This particular interview is with Saber, one of the current stars of my story Assassin's Dance. Enjoy him! I know I certainly do...
The assassin tower of the Silver Ravens was certainly more intimidating than I had imagined it to be. The stone structure was obviously very old and had seen better days, but it remained sturdy and dependable. Invading vines had snaked their way around it in captive hugs. I stepped inside and went to find my pretty assassin.
Sure enough, he was right where I expected him to be- sprawled out in one of the overstuffed chairs by the hearth, a leg slung over one of the arms, casually. His skin was tanned, but naturally so. It complimented him well. Long red hair draped over the side of the chair that he rested against, streaked with crimson and hints of burgundy. He was the epitome of elven beauty. The most unusual trait about him, however, were the tattoos.
Tribal-like designs decorated his brow in an elegant pattern. Similar markings also decorated his chin, those ones snaking down his neck and onto his exposed chest, revealed through his unbuttoned vest.
He looked up as I walked over and a lick of a grin danced over his lips. “I was beginning to wonder if you would show,” he confessed.
“I actually had a rough time getting here,” I admitted as I pulled one of the other chairs closer, sitting across from him. “This tower is well hidden, you know.”
He chuckled. “You created all of this. I am surprised you would have a problem navigating through it.”
I shook my head in protest. “I never created you. I like to think that my musings simply discovered you and asked me to put it all into written word.”
His lips pursed a little bit as he thought about that statement. His head bobbed once in a nod. “Fair enough.” He leaned back further, propping his arms behind him as he relaxed. “So, you wanted to ask me some questions?”
“I do.” Pulling out my notebook and a pen, I situated myself more comfortably. “You are one of my musings trapped in my mind. I figure its best to get to know you better. Plus, this way I can allow others to see who you are, easier.”
He snorted quietly and grinned. “Because that’s my main goal in life- helping people to understand me…”
I sighed and waved my hand dismissively at the comment, taking the cap off my pen. “So, tell me about yourself?”
His left brow rose, ever so slightly. “What would you like to know?” After he spoke, he reached over and picked up his silver goblet from the stand beside the chair, taking a sip of its contents. Whatever it was had a dark red color to it.
“Well, a name is a good place to start.”
His foot tapped idly at the air. “Saber. Saber Madriel Celirion, to be exact.”
I jotted this down, pleased to finally know his full name. “And where are you from?”
“This tower, as far as I’m concerned,” he said, simply. “Originally, somewhere in the Eastern forests over the mountains, here in Tir’Nall. That part of me has long since vanished, though. The tower is my home. For now.”
I nodded, not really surprised by this answer. “Do you know anything of your parents, though?”
His right shoulder shrugged. “Not really. My mother was a water-wench for the woodsmen. My father was some traveling merchant who probably found her too beautiful to pass up. At least, that’s what I’ve been lead to believe.”
While not knowing who one’s father was would disturb most people, he did not appear overly affected by this. I wrote this information down, then looked for the paper that I’d scribbled some ideas for interesting questions onto. His emerald green eyes watched me with mild amusement.
Aha! There it was. I unfolded the page and read. “Alright. If you could describe yourself in only three words, what would they be?”
His smile grew. “Oh, I like that one. Let’s see… First, definitely alluring…” His smile became a smirk. “And…tempting.”
It wasn’t hard to see how he could come up with that. “So, alluring and tempting? Aren’t those two of the same?”
Saber chuckled. “Yet, they are accurate.”
“You’re very confident in yourself,” I noted, then waited for the third word.
He looked away, thinking. “Lastly… Clever.”
“Always handy,” I nodded and wrote down these answers. “So, what do you do, exactly?”
His demeanor changed to one of defensive secrecy, though his facial expression remained unchanged. “I cannot tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“My line of profession is a very secret organization,” he explained. “I would not want the details of our operation to be exposed.”
“Oh, come on,” I insisted. "Its me. Besides, even if I would show this to others, who in my boring little world is going to use the information against you? So, humor me?”
He reached up and played with a loose strand of his hair, twirling the lock around the tip of his index finger as he watched me. “Well, I suppose. This is an unusual situation. Very well. I am one of the most talented assassins of a group called the Silver Ravens.”
Interesting! “Oh, I see.” A thought struck me. “Why do most assassin guilds include birds in their titles? Especially ones such as ravens and crows?”
Saber laughed, quietly. “I cannot answer that one for you. Though, if I had to guess, it may have something to do with the “assassin’s call” that we sound off to each other in various situations. Ours mimics the cry of a raven.”
“That makes sense.”
“Besides,” he grinned. “Silver Ravens sounds much more phonetically appealing than the Silver Rabbits, wouldn’t you agree?”
Well, when you put it that way… I nodded in complete agreement and scribbled down my information before moving on to the next question.
“What is something that angers you?”
His brow furrowed as he contemplated my question, obviously thinking deeply about this one. It was an unusual question, but one that could reveal much about someone. He took another sip from his goblet, then spoke. “I am not easily angered, regardless of what some around here might say. I may have a short temper and forget to hold my tongue, but few things thoroughly get under my skin.”
“And what sort of things would those be?”
He looked into his cup, slowly swirling the liquid around in it as he rolled his wrist in a circular motion. “Hmm. Ignorant people; those who know not of what they speak. Also, those who disrespect the ones I care for.”
That sounded like a rather honorable response in my opinion. I nodded, pleased. The next question always produced some amusing answers. “And what of sex?”
His attention perked and he smiled. “What of it? Other than the fact that it happens to be one of my favorite activities to partake in...”
“Well, what is it that you fancy, exactly?”
He laughed then, eyes full of mirth. “I fancy many things. Are you asking for your own preferences?”
I chuckled, a bit nervously. He was such a flirt. “No, no. Merely for records…”
“Mhm,” his eyes clearly showed that he doubted my answer, but he let it slide. “Someone I know made a fantastic reference to this topic once- sex should only have one rule, that being that it done well and enjoyably so.”
“Oh?” I grinned. “That sounds like a reasonable rule to me. This person… Was it a friend of yours?”
Saber sat his goblet down and ran his fingertip in circles along the rim of it, smiling. “A friend. A warm body in my bed. Call him what you will.”
“I see.” I wrote this down, amused. “I’ll assume you have had more than your fair share of lovers?”
His voice literally purred, sending a chill down my spine. “Oh, darling. You have no idea…”
I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Actually, I think I have an idea.” I shifted in my seat, then cleared my throat and moved on. “Is there anything specifically that attracts you to someone?”
He stood up and leaned over, his face very close to mine as he reached for a bottle of what appeared to be brandy which sat in the table next to my seat. He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and I could see silver streaks darting through that deep green. He smirked and lingered there for an extra moment before picking up the bottle and sitting back down.
I looked away as my pulse raced. It was clear that he understood just how powerful his attractiveness and charisma could be. I wondered how many times he had used that to his advantage in his life.
“Many things,” he finally answered. “It really depends on the individual. With some, it is simply an appreciation of their form. Then there are others who capture me with a charming smile or a beautiful set of eyes.”
With a nod, I jotted this down as he refilled his goblet. A sweet and floral smell drifted in my direction as he did so. It was definitely some sort of brandy that he was drinking, and likely well aged.
“What next?” He sat back and took a long drink, sighing in content afterward.
I smiled and motioned to the bottle he’d poured from. “What are you drinking there?”
“Heaven in a bottle,” he said with praise. “The rarest brandy around, brought from the vineyards of Southern Danavere. Would you like to try some?”
“Thank you, very much. I’ll have to pass, though. I don’t need any more reasons to get lost in the forests around here when I leave.”
He nodded and sipped with a smile. “Fine. More for me.”
I looked through my papers, curiously. I didn’t have a lot of time left for this little meeting of ours, so I had to choose my next few questions carefully. I could tell which ones he enjoyed answering the most, but there were some others of a more serious variety that I was very curious about. “Okay.” I got my pad ready. “Tell me, Saber. What is your biggest regret?”
His brows rose after I asked. “Well, that is quite a deep question.”
“It is,” I said with a nod. “It’s for that reason that I’d like to know the answer. I hope you don’t mind?”
He looked pensively into his cup, as if debating on whether or not he wanted he wanted to answer this one. Finally, he took a long gulp of his drink, then spoke, looking away, somewhat distantly. “It is a bit of a story, actually.” He sighed, softly. “I took on a mission, many years back. It was a rather dangerous job- slaying a noble Lord with a very protective force of guards. I took along with me this young woman that I was seeing at the time, Dalayna.” A nostalgic smile played at his lips. “She was…so amazing; raven-haired, bold and strong. Her personality and confidence were as intense as fire. Our worlds practically revolved around one another.” His smile slowly slid into a small frown. “That was the problem, though. We were too reckless. We completed the mission with ease, but then we were chased. Too focused on revelries, we didn’t even notice. “
I could see the pained expression growing on his face and almost regretted asking this question. Almost.
He continued. “They came upon us while we were in a very…vulnerable state. They’d never even seen her before, never knew she was even part of this job. They knew I was, though.” He hesitated for a moment, his voice lowering. “They killed her, simply because she was with me. They forced me to watch as they did so.”
My heart felt like it caught in my throat as he spoke this. “Oh. I’m so sorry…”
He shook his head and waved a hand, briefly. “No. Its fine. It was my foolishness that allowed it to happen. I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I just…” He stopped himself and eyed his goblet. “The blasted brandy is loosening my lips, it seems.”
“It does that,” I said with a soft smile. I wanted to hug him. He looked like he needed it. Unfortunately, he also seemed like the sort of person that might stab someone just for leading them into showing an immense sign of weakness.
“Indeed.” He sat back in the chair and looked at me, expectantly. “That was your answer, though. Do you have another question?”
It was obvious he was anxious to move away from this topic. I couldn’t say as I blamed him. I nodded and let my eyes skim over the paper, trying to find something less as intense to ask about. I spotted one question that a friend had actually requested. Perfect. “Alright. Boxers or briefs.”
It worked. His lips twitched to a smirk. “Now there’s a fun one. Would you like to see?”
Was that a trick question? “I…well… It’s actually from one of your fans who wants to know.”
He smiled wide, showing of a set of perfect white teeth- except for one gold tooth on his right side that stood out. I would have to ask him about that one of these days. “A fan, hmm?” He chuckled. “Is she beautiful? Maybe I should suggest that if she wants to know the answer, she should come and see for herself.”
While I was sure my friend would love the idea of that, I wasn’t going to tell him this. His self-confidence was already swelling the room enough as it was. “I’ll make sure she hears that offer.”
I made sure I had all the answers that I needed, then reached over to shake his hand. “I think that’s everything. Thank you for letting me meet with you, Saber. This will help out a lot.”
He took my hand, then brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of my fingertips. The action made my cheeks blush a little. “The pleasure is mine, m’Lady. Please, feel free to come and visit again, whenever you like…”
I cleared my throat and stood. “Um. Yes. Of course.” I smiled. “Take care.” Slightly flustered, I headed out of the tower, pleased at what I’d discovered.
