Fable - Ask Campfire Tales: Whisky Worries

[Rûhn]

The army moved slowly. From the skies it looked like a swollen snake that wound it's way slowly through the vast Falwoods. Elves of all kinds including Aerai and Avariels, humans, dwarves, orcs - even a few giants - marched together under various colourful banners that stood out against the green foliage. Despite the various units and species that made up the army its quarry was the same; the demon Arkhivom. He sat like a spider in his dark web deep within the forest and whilst his attention for the moment was focused on his ancient enemy, the Aerai, the beings of the Falwood knew full well that should they fall the rest of the Falwood would too. Then, the rest of the world. That knowledge cast a grim feeling across the army.

Each night the slow moving snake would stop and along its length campfires sprang up. It was around these fires that the grim realities of what they marched to were put aside as friends and strangers found themselves drawn to the warmth of the fires. Every one seemed to be different; around one a person might discuss politics or the philosophy of ethics. Around another a soldier could listen to ghostly stories from across the world. Others chose to simply drink or played games that usually resulted in the grumbled exchanging of coins.

For the seasoned warrior, this had become the most dreaded part of his day.

Rûhn watched as his daughter quietly slipped away from their fire to go seek her next adventure. He was proud and more than a little envious of her ability to make friends so easily wherever she ended up, but he also worried that she might stumble upon one fire that was not so welcoming. He had taught her enough that she could take care of herself but she was more than just one of his soldiers and a father would never stop worrying. It was not the safety of his daughter that made him so tense during the night. His eyes scanned the darkness around them with the old habits of a soldier used to ambushes. If he were this demon, he would attack during the conditions that he was strongest in.

A gentle cough made him look up as one of the others who had joined their fire passed him a bottle of Whisky.

“Thank you,” he murmured then raised it to his lips to take a sip. “Old habits.”

 

[Vailë]

"I understand," came her soft reply, smiling as he took the bottle from her hand, "it has been so long since these lands have seen peace. If your eyes did not wander, I would worry more."

Vailë looked at him with a somewhat obvious sense of admiration, but the same could be said for each of the Aerai among them. There were ancient, sacred bonds that were spoken of regarding the winged folk and their kind, and throughout the ages had their paths aligned. To see them standing here in the flesh was, to some, like standing in the legends of old they spoke and sung of. To Vailë, this was very much how it seemed, and Rûhn himself had an air about him, as though those ancient legends of old had indeed come to be amongst them. His stature was one of a great champion, and though his wings were of a remarkable beauty, he humbly tucked them against himself.

"There are still tales told of your kind in Sharyrdaes," she said, looking up at him, "and whispers of your return in the north, quiet melodies in the midst of our song-" she stopped herself, unsure of how privy the Avariel people had remained of the Aerai's collective. Her eyes cast down, "forgive me, I mean to say, we'd heard word of the Avariels' returning, but we were not certain."

 

[Talien]

Talien had been quietly watching the fire dance, watched the embers spiral with every crack of wood in the flame. There were those that were celebratory despite the lack of winning anything. She was frustrated, she wanted to get to it already. The nights spent around a fire, with hoards of people just made her feathers ruffle.

The redhead looked up as Rûhn spoke, there was a woman here the Avariel had not acquainted herself with yet. In fact, she had made little effort to get to know anyone, what was the point?

She snorted to herself as the land elf corrected herself. She had hoped Rûhn hadn't caught the little slip, Talien was having a very hard time adjusting to their new way of life after so long. Hopefully he'd cut her some slack.

 

[Rûhn]

Rûhn's smile warmed his golden eyes and creased them slightly at the corners. He took a second sip after his first and then offered it on to Talien. He had noted her snort but did not pass comment on it; the younger Avariel was always frosty to newcomers. Once he had asked Tara to take the girl with her on one of her meanders about the army but she had merely said Talien could not be forced into making friends.

"Caliane," Rûhn nodded at the Aerai's words. "She has made quite a name for herself since she left Thyasari. If rumours are to be believed she found her mate amongst your own kind," it was hard to believe several of the stories he had heard of a child he had seen cry over torn butterfly wings. "If it is true it does not surprise me she has made it into your songs."

 

[Vailë]

Vaile was both surprised and curious with Rûhn's response. Not only was it by name that he could assume of whom she spoke of, but of more detail than they had ever been made aware of. There was at one time a number of their Swords who operated up in the northern lands, but after a great battle many of them had fallen silent. And so she wondered then of who it was that this Caliane may have bonded with, for there was no mention of her by name through the melodies of their joined minds - only broken images of wings and fire.

"For generations we have remembered. All we knew now of the Avariel was that they had shown themselves once more, we've not heard her name..."

She went on to explain how there were some of their order who had gone to the orc stronghold of Bhathairk and defended it, and that it was there where the tales of the Avariel had come.

"But of all the Swords who were there that day, none have ever returned or been heard of. I do not know who this mate of hers could be... it is curious."

Her eyes drifted between Rûhn and Talien, hardly allowing the quieter of the two to go unnoticed.

---

Rûhn | Talien ​

 

[Talien]

Talien met the eyes of the older Avariel as she took the offered drink. She gave him a silent apology but no more before bringing the bottle to her lips.

She looked up to Rûhn, many did. Though he was much friendlier than she, there was a spark he gave that made her want to do better. Perhaps one day she wouldn't freeze everyone out, today was not that day.

Talien did grow curious of the woman and her story, a little bit more for her to tuck away. She offered the drink to Vaile, the closest to amicable she could muster currently. "I would like to meet them." It was abrupt and she added no more. It was merely curiosity, seeing an Avariel mated to one not of their own.

Rûhn Vailë

 

[Rûhn]

Rûhn listened with interested. He had not been able to speak to Caliane herself about her battles and had heard most of what he knew from her own father. His old friend had spoken of her with the pride of a father who had always hoped his child would one day follow in his footsteps. Knowing how that felt he knew it was possible some of it would be exaggerated, but the tale Vailë spoke was similar, if not even more fantastical than the version he had heard.

"I am afraid to say her father did not mention a name to me or I would pass it on. I know she intends on joining this fight soon, though. Perhaps he will come with her as this is his home too," he knew Tára would be overjoyed to see her oldest friend once more. He took back the bottle when it was passed by them again and took another sip, combing through the conversation for anything else that might help her identify one of her own but he came up blank. Instead he said.

"There are songs song of the Aerai too, back in Thyasari. Your people were not forgotten by us."

 

[Vailë]

It did not take much for Vailë to detect the youth, so she smiled to Talien as she offered her the drink, taking it in her gentle grasp as she replied, saying, "I would also like to meet them, perhaps we will find the opportunity together."

He nodded along as Rûhn explained that he too was unaware of who this individual might be. She held out her own hopes, but she could not utter them for fear that such hope would be unfounded. If there were any out there who still lived, yet to return home in their darkest hour, then their coming would be not but a joy regardless of whom it may be. And if what was known of this... fire angel from the north was true, then her coming alone would be a great aid to them.

"Someday," she sipped from the drink before passing it along to Rûhn again, "I hope to hear those songs for myself."

 

[Talien]

Talien listened intently, though her expression stayed the same. It seemed odd to her that they had found each other as mates. One winged, one not. Could one seriously be happy like that? It was of keen interest for her to see for herself.

She looked to Rûhn silently, he was much friendlier than she was. Well, she was probably the least friendly of the Thirteen altogether. She knew she should try harder, but she just didn't want to.

At this, she looked to Vaile, searching for words to fill the quiet companionship. "Have you met any of the others that have come? I've heard the dwarves are heavy drinkers." Perhaps she might test that, she definitely could hold her own in a drinking contest.


Vailë Rûhn

 

[Rûhn]

Rûhn inclined his head in agreement. If his wife had still been alive, she would have leaped to offer up those songs to this stranger without a second thought. He had always loved listening to her sing. The way her voice could carry every emotion the writer had poured into those words, as if she herself had lived through their story. He swallowed the lump that always formed when he thought of his mate and took another, longer drink of the whisky.

Surprise cut through the cloud of grief that never seemed to end when Talien asked her question of the stranger and he raised a silver brow. He did not interrupt or berate however, rather he sat quietly and let the stranger speak.

 

[Vailë]

She did not know, nor could not tell exactly what it was, but she saw something cross Rûhn's features. She wondered what exactly she'd invoked in him, but he was sturdy and difficult to read for one even so keen as an Aerai. Her eyes descended for a moment and a half smile crossed her lips. She'd thought of them with an almost childlike wonder, so enamoured with the stories of old. She'd once held a similar regard to the greatest of her own kind, but the winged elves had always seemed like something of such myth. They seemed, now, a little more real. A little more like herself.

She looked to Talien with a smile and nodded, "yes, I have met several who had come. And, you have heard correctly. We Aerai do not stumble easily, but none has ever outdone a dwarf."

It almost sounded as though she spoke from experience.