A letter crafted in the middle of the night on Phoenatos 28th, 5121.

>The folded parchment bears no other detail on it except the word “Diamond” in a neat, black ink across the front

I apologize for not writing again since the sentence was commuted. It is difficult to ensure that these will get to you without the risk of any obtrusion. I have found myself in the West for the time being. Making contact with old connections for old purposes.

You were always my council, my heart and head are never to be trusted. I worry that my time away has made me soft and weak. The long years are giving me a desire to resign myself from all this wretched business. Is that pathetic? If I do press forward am I being stubborn? A part of me feels like I have already invested so much, I have to see an end.

Dear, I find myself questioning if I am foolish. What kind of madness am I infected with that I would continue to give myself to this thankless cause? Isn’t everything I lost enough of a reason to abandon my foolish need for closure? For resolution? There is another aspect of all this too, one I dare not even put down on the page lest the documentation of it makes it more real.

I would give anything to be in your radiant presence again but for now your words will more than suffice.

Your Loving Cousin,

Ruby

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A letter crafted in the morning on Eoantos 23rd, 5121.

>Uniana held her quill above the parchment and considered for a moment that she should write the following in their coded hand. Upon further reflection, the nature of the letter spoke to honesty and the absence of clandestine operations in her life, so she wrote freely in Elven.

Beloved Cousin,

I hope this finds you ever radiant and in proud spirits. Vyctus seems to be thriving with his naval endeavors and I hear that Lear is once more the talk of the Ardenai court with his charm and steady aim.

By now you have learned that I have left the Order of the Lily, my last contract fulfilled and myself now retired. My credibility amongst certain circles tarnished after my exposed allegiance during the war, my movements would never hold the power they once did. At least not as a courtesan.

And that brings to the point of this letter. These last few months I have been keeping the company of Lord Teveriel Anduin, who you know to be of good character and renowned as a hero among his house. He has inherited the title and estates of his father after his passing during the war. Some fifteen years ago we were so much in each other’s orbit but now the pull is undeniable. As the matriarch of our house, I seek your blessing if there is the opportunity for a formal alliance.

>The fine scripting on the vellum becomes a bit less neat.

I know I have not always brought honor to our family and so your council in this matter will be heeded.

With Love,

Uniana

>She took great care once more as she addressed the front with “Lady Lysistrata Scio”