*Sane continued on his way towards his town. As his horse moved foward Sane smiled he would be there soon enough, maybe by next morning if he rode all day. He looks around suddenly aware that the forest was dead quite. Sane pulls the reins on his horse making it come to stop. He listens carefully, still no sound... then out of nowhere a woosh of cold air streaming by his face as an arrow sticks into the tree behind him. Sane kicks his horse into a gallop and speeds off with arrows flying around him from the left and right. Then the inevitable happens, a human road block on the path he was using... Bandits all stading lined up, somehow... They had caught up to him. Sane gets off his horse slowly.*
"s**t..." He mutters under his breath.
::Remeli wandered through the Great Hall, desperately searching for Kari. She stopped a few of the handmaidens and questioned them, but no one had seen Remi's cousin. Finally, the Lady of Velnarre spotted Terah in the halls and stopped her:: Terah!
::The girl stopped and looked to the woman:: Yes, Milady?
::Remi grabbed Terah's shoulders:: Where is Valkrie?!
::Terah shook her head:: I haven't seen Milady Valkrie since early this morning. She was looking for Sir Sane and when I told her of his departure, she hastened off looking rather distrought.
*Sane looked at the bandits that blocked his way he shook his head, there was no way he could take on all of them by himself. Stepped foward and tried to keep his kool.*
"What is goign on here? What do all of you want from me? I did nothing..." Sane says to the crowd.
*The bandits laugh and one of them steps foward, a well built man black hair down to his chin a scar over his right eye... or shoudl we say socket, he wasn't laughing instead on his face was a cold cruel grin.*
"You killed one of my patrols that's what you did." the man mutters.
*Sane shakes his head.*
"No... that wasn't me." Sane says keeping his voice even.
*The man keeps the smile on his face and looks at Sane.*
"Doesn't matter to me if you did or didn't fact is my man is dead so I have to even it out in the world. You can be the victim..." The man says coldness and yet hot anger streamed from his lips.
::Remeli's eyes widened:: Did you not see her at your lesson today?
::Terah sighed, looking saddened:: No...I'm afraid not, Milady. I discarded it on the thought that she had seemed very upset this morning when I saw her.
::Remi sighed, trying to regain her composure:: Thank you Terah. ::The woman moved off down the hall::
*Sane draws out his daggers. If he was goign to die he would die fighting these bastards. THe man smiles and laughs again.*
"Well... well... so the man wants to defend his life. You've got guts kid but that's all I'll give you credit for. Since you are so kind as to try to defend your life, I'll give you a choice... You can choose to fight me and if you win you walk free or... you can join us as a bandit and help us loot a village nearby. Then you will be free to go." The man says.
*Sane scratches his head and ponders a minute... This was a hard choice for him.*
::A few hours later, Kari awoke to find herself washed up on the bank of the river quite a few miles to the northeast of Velnarre. As she came to, she managed to roll over onto her back. Two young children, a boy and a girl, stood over her with wide, curious eyes. She tried to speak, but her lungs were full of water, which she spent the next minute or so coughing up::
*Sane never thought he would do this but he nodded.*
"I'll join you on the raid... if it gets me through this alive." Sane says sighing.
*The man nods and smiles his thin lips pressing together. *
"Good then it's settled... I hope you are reliable. If you pull any funny crap on the way there... I'll have you killed. Understood?" The man says his one eye looking straight at Sane.
*Sane nods and smiles.*
"Crystal."
::Once the half-Elf maiden had recovered from coughing up water, she raised her eyes to the children before her. The boy was clutching a bundle and the girl was holding a ragged doll. The boy, who looked a few years older than the girl, spoke to Kari:: Miss, are you alright?
::Kari looked around, trying to gain her bearings:: Where am I?
::The boy spoke again:: We found you here on the bank. We live in the village Bremer about a mile from here.
::Kari managed to stand:: Bremer?
::The boy nodded:: Yes. My name is Ben, this is my sister Lily.
::She smiled:: My name is...Trynn. ::She thought it best not to reveal her Elvish name before she evaluated her situation. Trynn was the name she had aquired in the Western lands::
::Ben looked to the setting sun, still clutching the bundle in his arms:: We should get back home before dark, or father will be angry.
*Sane gets back on his horse and shakes his head, he knew this whole thing was wrong. Yet he also knew that his life was at risk if he didn't go. Sane turns to the man with the black hair and one eye and smirks.*
"May I at least know the naem of the person who is leading me to a life in crime?" Sane mutters to the man.
*The man looks at him and laughs shaking his head.*
"The name's Dustin... But everyone calls me Ice because I never show my true emotions of what I'm feeling." The man says smiling.
*Sane nods and looks ahead.*
"My name's Sane but you probably don't care." Sane says.
"Not true Sane... I do care, as long as you dont screw me over." Ice says a sly tone to his voice.
::Kari followed the children to their village, limping all the way. She found she had numerous cuts and bruises all over her body, and she assumed her leg was broken. She had used a simple healing charm to mend the worst of the damage to her leg before setting out. They arrived at the children's home, a small wooden house with a thatched roof. A woman greeted them and sat Kari down in a chair at the table. She spoke kindly:: Dear me, what in the heavens happened to you, miss?
::Ben spoke up:: We found her washed up on the riverbank. She says her name is Trynn. Sounds like a Westerner's name to me.
::Kari smiled to Ben:: Yes, that is my name in the West lands. You are a very bright boy.
::Lily got up on one of the chairs behind Kari and began combing Kari's hair, which was now quite long. The woman protested:: Lily!
::Kari cut in:: No, it's alright. I'm sure I look a mess.
"So Ice... When are we going to reach this village?" Sane asks thinking to himself the faster they got through it the better.
*Ice looks at Sane and smiles.*
"Don't worry about it Sane, we'll get there sooner or later. We'll need to make a stop and set up camp in a bit the soldiers might track us so we'll has Westelly our light rider cover our tracks." Ice says looking ahead not even facing Sane.
*Sane nods and smiles he didn't want soldiers finding him... they would prabably kill him thining he was actually a permanent member of this troop.*
::As Lily brushed through Kari's hair, the knots came out fairly easily since her hair was still somewhat wet. Her locks parted around her ears and the woman's eyes drifted to them, causing her to gasp:: Oh my!
::Kari looked up at her:: What is it, madam?
::She gestured nervously to the girl's ears:: You're an Elf?
::Kari smiled:: Yes, madam. I hail from Velnarre.
::She seemed to relax a little:: Velnarre? That is miles from here. but then again, the river is vicious.
::Kari's smile faded as she corrected the woman:: Not vicious, madam. The river is never vicious. It carried me for miles, keeping me from harm. And it delivered me to your children's care, did it not?
::The woman blushed a little, slightly embarassed:: Yes, of course. You must forgive me, Trynn. I often speak before thinking.
*Ice looks around and holds up a hand stopping the whle moevment of men. He points to place behind some trees and the men scurry removing branches to make into existence a sort of door in the dirt, as Ice opened the door it gave birth to a tunnel sytem which consisted of a large space for sleeping quarters.*
"So Sane... do you like it? This is where we shall spend the night tonight." Ice says a smile coming to his face.
"Yes, intresting... this is why the soldiers are never able to find you... You have a tunnel system." Sane says returning Ice's smile, he was begining to feel alot more comfortable around these bandits.
::The woman smiled:: Oh, my name is Olivia. My husband, Jack, should be home soon. In the meantime, we should probably take a look at those wounds...
::Kari grinned:: Thank you...
::The woman looked at Kari's leg and came to the conclusion that it was only a mild fracture, most likely due to Kari's healing charm earlier. Olivia then saw the slashes on the Elf maiden's torso and turned to Ben:: You need to leave, son. Go find your father for me down at the smithy. ::The boy nodded and left. Olivia turned back to Kari:: Alright, let's take a look at those cuts. Kari nodded, managing to get her shirt off, leaving her in a bloody chestcloth. The human woman gasped, examining the wounds:: Dear child...how did this happen?
*The Bandits set up the camp inside tieing the horses behind a set of bushes and trees that had been stratigically placed as to not have the horses seen at night time. There was of course a man on watch. Ice leaned against the dirt wall of the tunnel and took out a small flute begining to play it. Sane watched him and raised his eyebrow, for an outlaw this Bandit was well educated in music and speech.*
"Ice... I want to ask you something... Are you noble born?" Sane asks
*Ice looks at him pausing from playing the instrument in his hands. He looks at Sane and smiles.*
"What ever would give you that idea kid?" Ice retaliates with a question of his own.
*Sane shrugged and smiled.*
"I don't know Ice... Just... Oh its nothing." Sane says
*Ice smiles and returning to playing his flute.*
::Kari's eyes hazed over at the question and her smile faded. She didn't know how to explain. SHe just picked the simplest answer she could:: I was in a battle...
::Olivia watched the Elf maiden's eyes for a moment before speaking as she cleaned and dressed the wounds:: You're a fighter?
::She nodded:: Yes...
::Lily kept combing Kari's hair:: Are you a good fighter?
::Kari looked to the girl, surprised because this was the first time she had heard the child speak:: Yes, I was well-trained...
::Olivia finished bandaging the Elf up and straightened with a smile:: Well for the day you've had, I'm sure you could use a good supper. I'm sorry we don't have much, but we'll make due.
::Kari looked past the woman to see a very small piece of meat and two or three carrots set out on the counter. It was then that she realized how poor these people must be. She spoke up in protest:: No, Olivia. You have been very kind to me. I wish to repay you. I will arrange a dinner this evening for my patence.
*Sane smiles as Ice plays. Suddenly Ice stops and grabs Sane by the shirt dragging him outside under a tree he spits on the ground and smirks.*
"Sane... How the hell did you know I was noble born?" Ice asks.
*Sane shrugs.*
"You are very well spoken... and you seem to carry a noble air about you." Sane anwsers. "But I'm wondering what happened for you to choose this life over a noblemen's."
"Long story..." Ice mutters, "Than again it's a long night so sit down and let me tell you how it happened."
*They both sit Ice handing Sane a skin of wine who takes a sip from it and listens as Ice starts.*
::Kari stood, pulling her shirt back on over the bandages, and turned to the table. She held out her hands, palms facing down, over the surface of the wooden table. After a moment, she passed her hands over the wood, leaving a trail of trays of food. There was a large turkey, a whole loaf of Elvish feast bread, vegetables, and a pitcher of pure water. Kari stepped back, breathing thickly. Sitting down again, she caught her breath as Jack and Ben walked through the door. THey gasped when they saw the feast on the table. Jack, Ben's father, spoke in disbelief:: What....what on earth is this? How...What....Where.... ::he stuttered::
::Olivia laughed happily, her eyes glossy:: It was Trynn's doing! She's an Elf of Velnarre!
::The five of them sat down to eat and enjoyed a marvelous feast. After, Kari helped Olivia clean up while Lily played on the floor and Jack and Ben fed their workhorse outside::
*Ice sets off in a lonely tone.*
"I was born to a one of the kings cousins. That was my father, my mother came from a noble family close to my father, both of my parents loved each other very dearly. Then my father... He went to war... The king forced him into it... My father knew that he would not return yet he did not know his home was going to be infilrated by a b*****d beyond wonder. My uncle Gergory whiel my father was away came he took over our property and bedded his sister my mother... A sick sadistic man he was, he threw me out and told me to go make a living for myself, that is when I stumbled upon this life style. It has earned me a great deal of money and it is all I know... That is my story."
View User's Journal
These journals are backwards, so if you want to read the story start to finish, go to the Archive and start at the bottom!
 |
