Private Tales Falling Snow..

[Ivar]

Ivar bit his lower lip for just a few seconds, contemplating, thinking.

There was hesitation that rankled through him, but a little bit of pain was worth the ask. He knew they likely wouldn't have much more opportunity, not after this. "Weapons."

One of the amazonians seemed to step forward towards him, her weapon somewhat raised as to strike. Vela waved her off almost instantly, as if warding off some sort of reaction that she'd known would likely come from her compatriots.

"What?"​

"We could use weapons more than an escort." Ivar glanced at Willa. "An axe, a sword, a bow."

He shrugged. "Anything to defend ourselves with."

Willa had her magics, that odd ability, but Ivar had nothing. Nothing but his rage.

Vela seemed to think on the prospect for a moment, considering, watching. Then she slowly nodded and motioned towards one of the women.

"Give him your bow, and your hatchet. It will have to do."​

The woman seemed incredulous, opening her mouth to argue, but quickly snapping it shut a second later. She stepped over towards Ivar, pulling out what Vela had mentioned and offering it to Ivar with as much of a sour look as the human face was able to offer.

"Head south, and east. That will be the safest route."​

 

[Willa]

Willa tensed at Ivar's request, her gaze shifting between him and Vela and she made a quick step closer to Ivar as he was approached, eyeing the woman cautiously as she moved back. For them to give a male a weapon? She thought he was crazy for asking, and so as Vela instructed the women to grant him his request, her brows rose in silent surprise.

The directions were unexpected too. In honesty, she had expected some sort of hold up, some sort of ploy to keep them here, or to murder them..or at least Ivar. Willa nodded, her stormy gaze narrowing in a soft smile as she dipped her chin to Vela. "Thank you. I won't forget your kindness." she answered. "I wish you and your village good fortune."

 

[Ivar]

Ivar was equally as suspicious as Willa, though he decided to simply take it in stride.

Hatchet was slipped into his belt, bow was slung over his shoulder, and the quiver...he frowned for a moment at the quiver. There were only nine arrows in it. He opened his mouth to ask for more, but quickly snapped his jaws shut.

Best not to push it. "Yes, thank you."

The Barbarian said with a slight incline of his head, as much of a bow as he could manage. Vela simply returned the slight nod, and then stepped out of the way. The flock of Amazonians behind her moved along with her.

Behind them a small path in the wood revealed itself, and Ivar offered Willa one last glance before he stepped forward.

He couldn't wait to get the hell out of here.

 

[Willa]

She was well aware of the eyes on them as they walked away from the group, her body tense with the strange sensation and with the uncertainty that she wasn't about to take an arrow in the back. She glanced to Ivar and took another look over her shoulder with a wary smile.

"Almost there.." she whispered to him as she set her eyes back on the path, her hand reaching to take his in emphasis to those watching, that she felt safe with him.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar could feel the tension in his muscles even as he and Willa made their way down the path. Her touched eased it ever so slightly, kept him from snapping, but the Barbarian knew it wouldn't go away until that village was well out of sight.

As they walked he would cast a glance over his shoulder, look back, dart his eyes through the forest.

He expected an arrow to come down at him, a javelin to fly through the air. When nothing came after the first ten minutes he eased himself slightly, and with each passing step the Barbarian let himself relax. It was not an easy thing to do, but eventually Willa would see him untense. There wasn't a spring in his step, there never had been, but he was no longer wound like a coiled spring.

After an hour Ivar finally spoke. "Well."

He said quietly.

"Survived another one." The Barbarian said with a wry chuckle from his throat. He wondered just how many times the Southlands would get him almost killed. Sometimes it seemed more dangerous than the Tundra.

 

[Willa]

Little by little her worries unfurled, worries for Ivar rather than for herself. She had already lost Rob and Rand, they were the only family she'd had left, the only ones who'd cared an ounce for her and she'd watched them bleed to death before her eyes. Since they'd been in this village, it'd been all she could think of, and though she hadn't wanted to let her anxieties show in front of the women, the moment they were out of range and Ivar chuckled, she rounded on him to throw her arms around his neck, gripping hold of him.

Her heart was racing, despite the cool, calm demeanour she'd adopted, and she let out a few shaky breaths as she clung tightly to him. Without him she'd be entirely alone, and that thought frightened her more than anything. Thoughts of people like Rhist, frightened her more than anything. She didn't speak for a long moment, she just needed a moment to settle to the fact that they were both safe..

"Lets get very, very far away from here." she mumbled finally.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar embraced Willa, squeezing her gently. "Aye."

He agreed.

The woman had told them the exact direction they should head in, but a part of him wondered if it was advice they should follow. Lips thinned for a brief moment as he peered over Willa's head, staring in the direction that they'd been told.

"Only problem is whereto." He said softly.

They still had the coin he had earned in the previous village, along with the bow and axe that the amazons had given them. That didn't leave them much for resources, though it was enough to at least survive for a while.

"Elbion?" That had been their original heading. "Or somewhere...more quiet?"

A part of him simply wished for home, something familiar. Something where he wouldn't feel like he'd be wandering around in the dark.

 

[Willa]

The silver-haired woman took a few deep and steadying breaths as she held onto him. He was safe, they were safe.

She looked up at him, catching him gazing off into the distance, just as lost as she was. She too longed for the cold and ice, where people spoke like they did and were not as strange to her. It was a vast place, and she considered for a moment that perhaps over time she'd be forgotten and until then she could blend in and go unnoticed.

"Home?.." she asked quietly.. "Since I've come here I.." she frowned, thinking back a little too far. "I've lost everything, the only family I had left died trying to get me to Elbion, and even they couldn't protect me here. I hate these lands, I hate these people, and if I'm fated to die I'd rather die in the snow than hiding in a place so terrible."

 

[Ivar]

Home.

It seemed like an age since he'd seen the Tundra. He didn't know exactly when he'd left, but he could see it in his minds eye. The attack in the Blight. The Raid in the Gulf, that incident on Teth and everything else inbetween. It was all so clear.

Yet it seemed like it had taken place for decades.

Despite that he could still see his home, could still feel the cold crisp air, could still smell Kjos in the morning. It was a strange feeling, a longing, but also a pain that settled within his chest. Slowly he took a breath, head dipping in a nod. "Aye."

He said softly.

"Home." Ivar agreed. "We could manage that."

It was a world away. Three oceans, two continents, but they could make it. "We could manage that."

He repeated as he looked down at her.

 

[Willa]

Willa felt the tension in her muscles loosen with his agreement and she looked up at him, the warmth in her smile thawing the icy cold of her eyes. Something had shifted, as though the sense of direction and purpose and given her the drive to keep going. She wasn't alone, and they had a destination. She could leave this place and all of its misery behind her, one day at a time.

"Alright then." she sighed deeply and stepped out of his embrace. "I suppose, we should get going." she smirked, and started walking.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar pulled back, smiling and dipping his head in a nod.

They had an end goal at least, that was something. It would feel good to go back to the Tundra. Despite what he had grown up in Ivar knew to his core that he craved what he had left behind. That the cold winds and the icy plains were his home

It was where he belonged.

The problem would be in getting there. They needed a direction, they needed a ship, and...well they probably needed gold still. Getting back home would not be easy, that much he already knew off the top of his head. "Lets."

Ivar agreed with a nod of his head.

It was a statement of determination, one that broke through the haze of doubt in his head. Slowly the Barbarian stepped forward, and the two travelers broke down the dirt path.

They headed East, in the direction of the rising sun. It took them nearly three days to clear the forest, and another before they could see smoke rising in the distance. The ground around them had turned from a dense wood to rolling hills of green which seemed to turn into a valley ahead.

 

[Willa]

As much as the idea of a soft bed and warm bath appealed to her, Willa couldn't help but feel anxious at the sight of smoke. She'd grown accustomed to Ivar's company. She felt safe in it. But her experience of Kislyth and the wild women were hard lessons learned, that not everyone was as welcoming as she hoped they would be.

She adjusted her hood and cast her companion a sideways glance, her lips thin with apprehension. "One of these days, we'll see the ocean over one of these hills.." she sighed. Her own home wouldn't welcome her back, she knew that, but she craved something familiar.

 

[Ivar]

"One day." He repeated with a smile.

Ivar hadn't really realized how much he had missed the ocean. It was one of those things that you didn't really think about until someone else mentioned it. His head shook for a brief moment, dispelling rueful thoughts. "But for now."

The barbarian glanced at Willa.

"We'll make due with a couple of beds." He offered her a smile. "A warm meal, and maybe a mug of ale."

Not that it would be any good compared to what they got at home. "That'll just have to do."

He tried to keep some cheer in his voice, if only just for her.

 

[Willa]

Willa offered a tight smile in return, but she failed miserably to hide her apprehension as she nodded. "Well.. I hope that's what we get.." she murmured, and continued on.

Her limp always became more obvious the longer she walked on it, and the colder it became. By now they'd been walking for hours and night was falling, and a chill with it, and so she clenched her jaw against the pain in her leg as she continued down into the valley.

The settlement was only just large enough to be called a town, and thankfully it seemed quaint and quiet. Those still in the streets paid them little enough attention to tell her that they were used to people passing through, and by that she hoped they weren't too far from the coast.

The door to one of the larger buildings opened and a few drunkards spilled into the street, full of mischief and merriment, and Willa felt her anxieties ease a little further. "Looks like we found the tavern." she said as she looked up at the windows above.

"Perhaps they'll have a room for a night or two.."

 

[Ivar]

As they walked into town Ivar noted the slight limp beginning in Willa's leg. Gently he leaned into her, half reaching out and offering his arm so that she could take it if she wished.

"Oh I'm sure they will." Ivar said with a smile.

Their journey was a long one, and there were many days ahead, so he knew how important it was to simply stay...optimistic. They had already seen so much misery on this trip, had started out in...well had started out in chains.

Both of them in their own way.

Ivar had enough of that.

"Maybe some soup." He told her as they moved towards the entrance of the tavern, Ivar taking a wide berth of the drunken louts who waved a friendly hello at the two strangers. "Or even a-"

The Barbarians words were drowned out as a sudden loud roar was thrown over them. The sound of a cheer that burst out of the tavern and through the doorway the two northerners were standing in.

"ANOTHER!"​

A man in the midst of a large crowd of revelers called out. He was a large man, almost as big as Ivar. Long blonde hair pulled down to his shoulders, bright green eyes flickering only briefly towards the two newcommers before he pointed and called out.

"AND A ROUND FOR MY FRIENDS!"​

There was a cheer that echoed out, and Ivar glanced at Willa in confusion.

 

[Willa]

Willa had gladly taken the subtle offer of support, her arm curling around Ivar's, though she tried not to lean too much on him.

"Hmm.." she smiled at his mention of soup, her cheek against his shoulder. The warmth that hit them in the tavern's doorway was a pleasant one, and although the place was loud, it seemed cheery. Her gaze settled on the one at the centre of it all and her brow quirked. He was undoubtedly of the north.

"AND A ROUND FOR MY FRIENDS!"​

She chuckled, looking up at Ivar with a shrug. "I suppose we found a friend" she smirked.

 

[Ivar]

There was something about their people that was almost instantly recognizable. Maybe it was how they dressed, or maybe it was just...just their demeanor all together. Ivar had no idea what, but he couldn't help but smile.

"Suppose we have." He said to Willa, shaking his head.

A part of him was still paranoid, suspect. After all they had been through the Barbarian wanted nothing less than to keep Willa safe. Anyone who claimed to be a friend...well that could just as easily be a foe. So he had to be careful.

Without scaring her.

She didn't deserve that either. "Let's go meet him, then."

He said with a smile, gently guiding the two of them over towards the table.

"Move move! Let the lady sit!"​

The man called as Willa and Ivar approached, the Barbarian letting her slip free to sit on the stool that was quickly vacated at the behest of the blonde haired northman.

 

[Willa]

She offered the northman a warm smile and dipped her chin in thanks to the man who'd given up his seat. She'd never been so grateful to sit, and she couldn't help but grimace slightly as she did so.

"Thank you.. What might we call you, friend?" Willa asked, holding her cloak tightly around her as the warmth slowly soaked into it.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar stood behind Willa like a statue, his gaze flickering between those at the table. If he had to guess most of them were probably locals, though a few had the look of soldiers. A frown touched his lips, but he didn't speak as Willa asked her question.

"Orest!"​

The man said as he lifted his mug of ale, downing the thing in one great swig just as the waitress came offering three cups of the same. She placed two in front of Willa, one clearly for Ivar, and the last in front of Orest. "You're a Northman."

It wasn't a question.

"Oh I most certainly am, from Skien."​

The man said with a wide grin.

Ivar knew of Skien, he'd even visited it once. The city was high up in the frost moors, dug into the earth itself and constantly covered in a thick sheen of ice. It was known for it's connection with the Frost Giants of old, and for the strength of it's mercenaries.

"Something we have in common, I suspect. Where are you from?"​

 

[Willa]

Orest's grin was infectious, his uplifting demeanour melting any trepidation she'd had about the town. She felt herself physically ease and reached to take the mug of ale, lifting it to him in thanks before she took a long drink.

"Skien!" she blurted and licked the froth from her lips. Just hearing the name of something familiar to her was comforting, she'd never been, but she knew where it was, and it was as close to home as she'd felt in some time.

She looked up at Ivar as the question was posed to them. She had to remind herself that some people still wanted her dead, and so she thought better of telling the truth. "Ah, little fishing village on the south coast, Tarvan." she smiled.

"What brings you to the Southlands?"

 

[Ivar]

Ah so they were lying.

Ivar was glad that he'd let Willa answer before him, because he was fully ready to blurt out the truth. A smile touched his face instead, his hand reaching to wrap around the mug to pluck it off of the table.

"War. Battle. The usual."​

Orest said, taking another swig. "Ah. The trade of us all down here."

The Barbarian cut in before Willa had to answer what they were here for. It wasn't even technically a lie. He had originally come South in in order to become a mercenary. It just so happened that...well a thousand stories had wrapped around him before he'd had much of a chance.

"Ha! Seems the only thing we're good for with these southerners, but I suppose it's not too bad! Ale is cheaper than at home."​

He let out a bark of a laugh. "Seems so, friend. I'm Ivar."

The Barbarian offered finally, taking a long drought of his ale.

 

[Willa]

Willa grinned over the rim of her cup at the friendly banter between the two, letting the warm atmosphere soak into her aching bones.

"Willa." she introduced after Ivar with a dip of her chin and a warm smile. "Have you been here long?" she asked with a look around the tavern. "We were hoping to get a couple of nights' rest.."

 

[Ivar]

"This littal' town? No no, not long just a three or four days!"​

Orest kept up his warm, and rather boisterous tone throughout the entire conversation. Ivar wondered if he was always like this, or if it was an act he kept up for those around him. He wouldn't have been surprised either way.

There was something about selling yourself to the southerners, but at the same time people from the Tundra tended to be a tad...more than others.

"You'll not find finer beds than Lady Guthrows goose downs!"​

Orest said with a laugh, then quickly winked.

"Specially shared ones."​

The other northman looked at Willa and Ivar, offering a wink and a smirk.

 

[Willa]

Willa's cheeks dimpled as she grinned at Orest and quickly glanced at Ivar. She'd been about to correct the northman, though she thought better of it and chuckled warmly. "Yes, well. I am sure we'll be very comfortable." she answered. Perhaps it was better to let people think Ivar was her husband, he wasn't exactly a man that many would choose to cross, and she felt a little safer at that thought. Besides, she didn't want a room to herself.

By the time she finally saw the bottom of her mug, it had already been refilled four times. She had to settle her hand across it when the woman came to refill it a fifth. "No, thank you." she smiled and made a poor attempt at hiding her hiccups.

"S'enough.." she slurred.

 

[Ivar]

Ivar only smiled, not commenting on Orest's jest and instead just taking a deep drought of his ale.

Then, over what must have been at least an hour the three northerners began to talk. They spoke of home. They spoke of some of their journeys through the southlands, but most of all they simply jested and joked. It felt...good. Shockingly so.

Ivar had always been an exile in Kjos, living on the outside of town and rarely venturing inside. He'd had friends, but...most of their time was spent out in the tundra or elsewhere. Rare were the times where he'd gotten to sit in a tavern and drink.

It was nice. Plain and simple.

By the time Willa rejected her fifth drink, Ivar and Orest had poured double that down their gullet.

"Isss g-good...hiccup...to talk to snormal people again."​

Orest said, leaning back in his chair. "Oh aye. It is."

Ivar said with a nod.