Private Tales Falling Snow..

[Ivar]

Ivar splashed in the bath slightly, startled by the soundless wheeze of Willa taking a breath for her laughter. He shifted, more of the water spilling onto the floor as his bull moved around. Lips thinned for a moment as he saw her, though he made no move to get out.

"It's comfortable." The Barbarian grumbled back at her, lips barely above the water as he rebuked her laughter.

The trouble of course was that the tub wasn't actually big enough for him. Most of these southrons tended to be shorter, and he suspected that their amenities were meant for folk like them and not him. It didn't insult him or anything, but it was kind of annoying.

Especially with the size of the beds.

"Did you get any food?"[/color He asked, having long since realized his own hunger while she'd been gone.

 

[Willa]

Willa's lips twisted and she gave a brief nod at him before dragging her eyes away and dropping her gaze to the floor with a silent chuckle. She lifted the tray of food and set it down on his bed and took her own to limp to her own, sitting down to eat. She'd left fresh linen folded next to the hearth for him, and she'd make sure to keep her gaze firmly on her food until he'd covered himself with it.

Willa smiled at the first mouthful of warm stew and she groaned happily to herself..

 

[Ivar]

Drawing himself out of the bath Ivar quickly grabbed up one of the nearby towels.

The room was decently warm with Willa having had the fire going since the morning, but on his moist body the air still felt more than a little cool. Toweling himself off quickly Ivar pulled his clothes back on, drawing his trousers over his legs as he already began to munch on some of the bread.

"So we should talk about where we're going." He began, realizing already that she couldn't really do much talking.

"You don't want to go home." That they had already figured out. "But we should definitely avoid the West."

Anywhere else that Kyslith had influence too. "So right now our options are pretty much south, or East."

He tried to remember what cities lay in that direction as he pulled his shirt over his head.

 

[Willa]

Willa managed to keep her eyes on her bowl, for the most part. She'd have been lying if she said she hadn't snuck a peek as he pulled his clothes on. Her lips twisted and she cleared her throat before busying herself with tearing some bread to soak up some gravy.

She nodded at him, and then shook her head, and then tilted it. Gods the silence was infuriating. She gave him a thoughtful look and bit on her lip, honestly she didn't know these lands at all. Willa sighed and pressed a hand to her chest and then gestured that she would stay here.

If she could speak she'd explain that she didn't want to slow him down or hold him back. He had his freedom to do with as he pleased, and she had to start some sort of new life. She had a lot to learn. Ivar had been kind enough to get her this far, to get her out of Kislyth and putting his own life at risk in the process. But she wasn't his responsibility or burden to bear.

 

[Ivar]

"No no." Ivar said with a frown. "This is far too close to Kyslith."

He told her as he turned around and saw her gestures.

Though her lack of speech was sometimes frustrating, Ivar thought that he was getting the hang of understand her way of communicating. He didn't really quite get it of course, there was some things he still had to puzzle out, but this one was obvious. "Look I don't know what your...situation was."

Other than that she didn't want to be in it.

"But I'm a wanted criminal, and people saw you escape with me which means they'll probably mark you as one too." Something he'd dragged her into. "They'll come through here eventually looking, and if they find you..."

His head shook. "I can't let you stay here."

And he couldn't really let her run off into the woods alone either.

 

[Willa]

Willa’s mouth parted and she mouthed a silent ‘ah’ and gave a slow nod, pushing a chunk of potato around in her bowl in though. He was right, of course, it was only a matter of time before city guards stopped through.

Her situation... Willa’s glacial eyes rose to meet his face and she gave a brief frown. She never wanted to see that place again, and she wasn’t about to risk that possibility. The irrational part of her mind was entirely convinced that Rhist was still alive and would undoubtedly find her. Perhaps, the further she got from Kislyth, the safer she’d feel.

She nodded again, mouthing the word ‘alright’. And drawing a square in the air. ‘We need a map.’ She shrugged.

 

[Ivar]

For a few seconds he frowned, and then he silently nodded. "Yeah."

Ivar agreed with a nod.

They needed a map, but if there was one thing he was sure of it was the fact that finding a map all the way out here would be hard. Towns like this didn't tend to have that sort of thing, especially not when it was this close to a city.

Those were usually taken by the wealthier folk.

"Not sure where we'll find one, but I could ask around." Not that he thought he would get particular luck out of that either. A sigh escaped him. "Elbion would have maps"

He frowned slightly. "But that's more than a weeks travel."

 

[Willa]

Willa let out an exaggerated huff and shrugged at him. Elbion had been her plan - her new start. But she was supposed to have Rob and Rand there with her. She was supposed to build a new life and learn how to hone her magic properly. Now though, she really didn't know where to start.

Willa did as she'd been asked and rested for three days, she re-dressed her wound, and by the morning of the fourth she removed the dressing and smiled to see that it was now healed to nothing more than a thick scar. She rolled out of bed and stood to skip up and down the room and even twirled on her tiptoes without pain, and she grinned as she shook at Ivar to wake him and demonstrate that she could walk with nothing more than a subtle limp.

Sha clapped her hands together and gestured for him to get up before grabbing his clothes and throwing them at him. Today she could go outside.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar grabbed his clothes, a groggy hand drawing over his face as he gathered himself. A cool breath filled his lungs, head shaking as he looked over towards Willa who was practically dancing on the other side of the room from him.

He smiled. "Good."

The barbarian said, glancing at her leg for a moment.

"Means you can carry a pack." Ivar joked with a smirk, though he did actually mean it. Back home everyone had to carry their weight, even nobles. That was something his father had told him about the old Warbands. Men and women shared the load, both in battle and on the journey there.

He and Willa weren't going into battle, but it was close enough.

Ivar shifted his weight slightly as he pulled himself out of his bed. The night before he had begun to gather some of the things they would need on their journey, paid for by the silver Willa had provided. He also had the bow from the Innkeep, something he'd earned yesterday from his last kill. "We can eat breakfast, then head out."

He told her with a nod.

 

[Willa]

Willa's cheeks dimpled with a grin at his words but she nodded insistently. She'd share the load, she'd never been above work, wealth didn't matter where she came from in that regard, women of the north worked just as hard as the men and she never wanted to be any different.

She washed, dressed and braided her hair before pulling on her cloak and rushing downstairs to greet the inkeep with a warm smile, accepting his compliments about how much better she looked. She felt it too.

Breakfast was bacon, sausage and eggs with some toasted bread, and Willa all but licked the plate clean. She was going to miss this place.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar ate half while standing, a pack already situated on his back as he spoke with the Innkeeper. The man was as gracious as ever, and when Ivar tried to offer him a few coins for their stay and the trouble they may have caused his head simply shook.

"Keep it lad, the deer you brought in have kept the Tavern full. I can't complain."

The Barbarian nodded his head, though a part of him still feared the idea that soldiers from Kyslith might visit this place in the night. He frowned for a brief moment, but didn't argue any further with the old man. "Thank you."

He offered simply with a nod.

"We'll be headed East." Ivar lied. "Towards the coast, find a ship to take us to Alliria."

The Innkeeper nodded and the two of them made some short pleasantries before Ivar turned away from him and walked over towards Willa. "Ready?"

He asked.

 

[Willa]

Willa washed her food down with a large mug of tea to warm her for the journey, and she nodded at Ivar with a light smile. She said her silent farewells to the innkeeper with tight hug and the man chuckled and gave her a fond hug back. He'd never know how much his kindness and friendly face had meant to her. He reminded her of Rand.

"Take care of yourself lass." the older man nodded and patted at the top of her hand before she turned to leave. Once outside Willa looked to Ivar with a questioning tilt of her head as to the story he'd given the man. 'Alliria?' she mouthed.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar looked at her with a shrug. "Usually not a good idea to tell people where you're going."

That was a trick that he and Braum had learned fairly early on in the Southlands. The people in this village were nice enough, and oddly he trusted them...but it wasn't they whom he was really worried about. Fingers tightened for a moment as he took a breath.

"Here." He said as he hefted his pack and offered her a smaller one that he had been carrying. "This ones for you."

The Barbarian said. "We have a lot of walking to do."

He glanced up at the sky.

"Sun's burning away already." In the Tundra you never wanted to travel at night. The cold and wind made it all but impossible. It was a habit that had stuck with Ivar even down here.

 

[Willa]

'Oh'.. Willa mouthed with a nod and bit down on her lip. It made sense.

She took the pack from him with a smile and pulled it onto her back. Her legs felt good and she's nourished herself on food and tea over the past few days, and so her strength had returned, at least for now. Willa had spent months walking, but she'd always had a horse, and walking long distances on foot was something she was going to have to get used to.

Still, she was keen to get moving and she pulled in a deep breath of air and smiled to herself, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face despite the chill in the air.

 

[Ivar]

The two of them set off down the main road. Initially Ivar lead them east, then after a mile or two he broke off from the main road and showed Willa through the forest, cutting around and doubling back so that they were instead on a path westward.

It was, some might say, paranoid, but Ivar had always been taught to be careful. In the Tundra one did not expect to be hunted by men, at least not usually, but there were all matter of monsters that one had to be careful of.

"Ever seen a Frost Troll?" Ivar asked as they walked, trying to make idle conversation.

He knew that she couldn't answer, but he figured utter silence was as maddening for her as it was for him. He and Braum had always talked as they'd wandered. It was usually one of them gloating about something, then the other ribbing him.

The thought made him miss his friend, and as he stepped over a root he wondered where Braum was in that moment.

 

[Willa]

Willa looked up at his question and her brow rose with a shake of her head. She thought those were just stories.. 'No.. have you?' she asked silently.

The lack of voice was certainly maddening, and she sighed, feeling a little guilty that he had to put up with it too.

'Do you have family?..' she asked, continuing with the curious conversation as she mimed the cradle of a baby with a questioning look on her face.

 

[Ivar]

"Yes." He said almost excitedly. "Three actually."

They usually tended to move around in small 'tribes'. Frost trolls were simple creatures. They could barely manage to speak a tongue if they were taught, but by and large all they cared about was eating, killing, and of course fucking. "They almost threw me into a cookpot."

He mused with a smile.

"Braum managed to save me though." His friend, the man whom many considered half a Giant. Willa would perhaps know his name, if only because he had been the tallest, and by far largest, man in all of Kjos.

He looked down at Willa when she asked her question, his head shaking.

"No. My fathers exile followed me." Ivar told her quietly. "Braum was really the only one who would associate with me for long."

 

[Willa]

Willa's eyes widened slightly at his experience with frost trolls and she warily glanced over her shoulder in either direction.

'Your friend?..' she asked as he mentioned Braum, but her smile turned to sadness. She reached to settle her hand on his forearm with a gentle squeeze, a silent apology on her face. It didn't sit right with her that the families of the shamed had to suffer the same judgement, it wasn't fair, and Ivar was a good man as far as she was concerned. If she'd been where she was supposed to have been she'd have changed things, but there was little point thinking about that. She'd worry about dealing with her own fate first.

 

[Ivar]

He shrugged his shoulders in response to the quiet apology.

What was he to do about it now? The past was the past, and he had left Kjos behind in search of something more. It had not worked out the way that either him or Braum had planned, but it was happening nonetheless. What was he to change?

"Aye, my friend." He said with a nod, clearly far more eager to talk about Braum than he was his fathers Exile and what it had done to him.

"He's here in the Southlands somewhere too." Ivar explained. "We had to part ways in the Blight."

He smiled at her briefly. "But I'm sure we'll meet again."

That sort of friendship was impossible to break, even with thousands of miles.

 

[Willa]

Willa's smile brightened again and she nodded. She hoped he would, he deserved friends, and she knew she'd give anything to have hers back. It was difficult not to feel her heart break a little every time she thought of Rob, the boy she'd grown up with, she couldn't remember a single day of her life that he hadn't been a part of. And Rand, a second father to her.

She sighed and returned her attention to the path ahead, and she paused for a moment as a shadow caught her eye through the trees up ahead. Her brow furrowed, and when there seemed to be nothing there she shook her head and put it down to paranoia. Rhist was dead..

She carried on with a glance at Ivar and an awkward smile in apology. Still, a shiver ran over her spine, and her icy gaze wandered the trees warily as they continued on..

 

[Ivar]

Ivar let his eyes wander to where Willa looked, not noticing anything within the trees but frowning for a few moments.

After a second passed he shrugged his shoulders, figuring that perhaps she was still just not used to being outside after everything that had happened. He took in a breath, wandering besides her in silence for some time.

He did not notice the shadows watching them in the wood.

"We should find shelter soon." Ivar said eventually as he looked up into the sky, noting the dark gray storm clouds that had taken up residence above their heads.

 

[Willa]

She had, whether he'd noticed or not, moved closer to him as they walked. She was on edge, flinching at every sound, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched by something. Sleeping certainly wasn't going to be easy, particularly with her past experiences, she doubted she'd sleep in the forest at all.

She looked at him as he spoke and followed his gaze to the moody sky with a sigh and a nod in agreement. There was nothing but trees and hills up ahead for miles and it was getting dark quickly. Suddenly, Willa's head whipped around at the sound of a snapping twig and her heart pitched to frantic. All she could see was shadow, but she knew they weren't alone.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar looked over towards the snapping twig, his lips thinning for a few moments as he slowly reached down and pulled a knife from his belt.

The blade was quickly flipped around in his hand and he offered the blade to Willa in silence.

At the same time his other hand drew the bow from his back. He was not exactly the best with such a weapon, not in a fight. His father had taught him how to use a sword for combat and a bow to hunt. Hitting a man running at you with an arrow was much more difficult than a deer.

Still, he would make due. "This way."

He told her quietly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder after she took the Knife and leading her towards a nearby hill.

If they were going to settle somewhere during the night, it would be somewhere with better visibility.

 

[Willa]

Willa glanced down at the blade and her brow knit. How many times had she been so desperate to hold a weapon while in Rhist's company and now that she did it made her feel more frightened than empowered. She watched him draw his bow, and took another step closer to him as she returned her blue gaze to watch the forest for any signs of movement.

Nothing..

She let Ivar lead her, but she looked over her shoulder most of the way. Another snap of twig, and now she was certain they were being followed, she wasn't imagining it. On the hill they were surrounded by thick copses of trees on either side, but at least there was less of a chance of anything sneaking up on them.

 

[Ivar]

They continued to walk, and they continued to be followed.

Ivar began to look over his shoulder as they wandered, his eyes scanning the woods and tracking what was around them. At first he thought it might have been a person, clumsy and inexperienced at following, but when they crested the hilltop he realized that he was wrong.

As the two came to a stop Ivar glanced back into a dark patch of shrubbery, spotting the mark of two beady yellow eyes peering through the dark of the slowly setting sun. He would have missed them were it not for the bare reflection of light, but they were there.

"Wolves." He said softly.

A part of him felt almost relieved at the prospect of something so ordinary hunting them, and another felt all-together disturbed. Why were they being followed by wolves?

Something else was wrong.