Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

Talus offered Zana a nod, It was probably the smarted way to get started.

He turned on his heel as Zana pointed out the boys waiting for him. A smile touched his face briefly, and he motioned for them to step forward.

There were six of them in all, most sixteen to eighteen if he had to guess. He recognized some of them from walking around the Village, and one had even helped him on the House before. Though only very briefly. "Alright, lets do some negotiation, lads."

There was a brief laugh from the gathered boys.

Before long though a price had been settled upon, and tasks were doled out. He told each of them that they would be met up at the house, and that from there they would fan out. Simple, honest work. The kind that he might have done had he not become a Dreadlord.

At least he liked to think so.

 

[Zana]

Zana took some of the herbs from her pouch as Talus' spoke with the boys and carefully put a single leaf on her tongue. She still didn't understand how something like this could be found in nature but the Wise Woman had told her it was a specialty to the spine. A single leaf was enough to numb pain, but three leaves could leave you paralysed for a week. It was all about moderation, she had explained. A soft sigh escaped her as the pain began to ease from her back and she was just about to put the things away when she caught sight of someone across the square.

They were dressed in similar clothes to the other hunters and she stood next to a tall lean looking chestnut mare with a flaxen mane and tail. Truthfully it was the horse she recognised first not the woman, but Dreadlords didn't forget faces. Especially not faces of other Dreadlords. The other woman seemed to spy her at the same time Zana had spied her and the pair stared at each other for a tense moment. Then...

"Bella!" The other Dreadlord had been a rebel just like them and had left not long before Talus and herself had.

 

[Talus]

"Bella?" Talus said in confusion, half turning towards Zana for a moment as if in question.

It was then that he noticed the other Dreadlord.

His eyesbrows shot up in surprise, lips thinning for a brief moment before he noticed the armor and garb that adorned the woman. She was one of them, a tourist, hunter. He supposed that was better than an enemy he would have to kill.

"What are you two doing here!"​

The other Dreadlord called as she rushed up, behind her a man pushing through the crowd.

His clothing was not much different than Bella's, though of less quality. There was a stoicism to his face, his smile bright as he stepped up towards Talus and Zana.

"Major."​

Thawne said with a quick salute. "Talus is fine now. That life is behind me. Us."

The former Dreadlord said with a smile.

 

[Zana]

Zana had scrambled back down from the saddle to an impatient stamp of the hoof from Zandor and the two women embraced warmly, laughing, as Thawne and Talus exchanged greetings.

"Well we're definitely not here for the same reason you two are by the looks of it," she smiled and drew back to hold the girl at arms length, running her eyes over her head to toe then the same to the large soldier that had become her shadow in the last few days of the Rebellion. Her lips twitched knowingly. Bella flushed and flashed her friend a grin and the two women started laughing again.

"Look at you! It must be time soon?" Bella looked between the pair with a bright smile and Zana nodded.

"Another month if we're lucky, but twins often come early so I'm told," she pulled a face. "I didn't take either of you for gold hunters."

 

[Talus]

"No no, not gold. Legends."​

Thawne rebuked quickly, though his voice was nothing but playful. It was clear that this was something of a lark for him, perhaps driven far more by Bella than him. Talus gave him a look, but he just shook his head and shrugged from behind the Dreadlord.

"Not gold!"​

Bella corrected again, on top of what Thawne had said.

"It's a Dwarven hold, but more than that. It's supposed to contain the anvil of Kazad Al'Thur!"​

Talus blinked.

Then he looked towards Zana as if she might have some clue as to what in the hell that actually was. Before she could answer of course Bella filled in the answer.

"It's a magic anvil, said to be capable of forging things beyond the imagination of mortal man."​

Ah. That made sense. Bella was after all a blacksmith. She was the blacksmith, having forged dozens of magical weapons and armors just in the last year. She was a true talent, and it would make sense that she would chase such an item of myth.

 

[Zana]

Zana's eyes danced with her laughter as Bella grinned.

This... This is why we did it.

Bella had been a Dreadlord who had been overlooked, barely considered strong enough to be worthy of a house. Without the revolution she would have continued on the monotonous path she had been on at the bottom of the pile. But now? There was a light in her eyes, a fire that seemed to spurn her on. It made her heart swell with happiness. Even if she was potentially about to upset her in-laws. She glanced over to Talus with a meaningful look before back to their friend.

"Those lands might still belong to the dwarves. I would be..." Zana paused for the right word then wrinkled her nose. "Cautious. Try not to bring the mountain down on those of us down here, hm?"

 

[Talus]

"Dwarves?"​

Thawne said with a slight frown. It was clear that he hadn't really ever considered that possibility. His hand came up to scratch at his now bearded chin.

Talus didn't blame the man. Though he hadn't grown up a Dreadlord, he'd still grown up in Vel Anir. Their home was a human centric one, and rarely were other species considered. Elves had been their enemy, but Dwarves? They hadn't ever been thought about.

"Aye." He said with a nod.

"They might have claims." Talus wanted to make sure his friends didn't run afoul of his adopted family. "You might be best if you encounter any to help them, say you're there to study, not claim."

There was a nod, but before Thawne could speak Bella piped up.

"Claim!? You know me better than that. I'm not there to take anything, I just...want to have a little go. That's all."
​

Thawne only smiled, offering a shrug to Zana behind Bella's back.

 

[Zana]

Zana's shoulders shook with her repressed laughter.

She could just imagine how that conversation would go with some of the blacksmiths amongst Thror's men like the ones who had created Zana's dragon-forged blade. Bella had asked her more than once where she had gotten it because it looked so new and the dragon powered forges were nearly all gone in this Age.

"Why are we standing around here chatting in your state? Why don't we grab some tea from one of the cafes?" Bella glanced up and down the street for a sign and a doorway which didn't look too busy.

"Don't be silly, why don't you come back to ours? I baked fresh cake this morning. We would offer you a roof but the house is a bit of a work in progress..."

 

[Talus]

Talus nodded. "The first floor has a roof."

He contended.

"Though it's made up of the second floor, mostly." Thawne let out a laugh that that, shaking his head but nodding. Bella looked around consideringly for a moment, obviously eager to keep going but split.

Eventually she too nodded.

"Aye, suppose we do need a rest."​

The former Guardsmen let his shoulders sag in relief, his head tipping up as he let out a muttered prayer to some lost Anirian God. Talus could imagine that Bella had likely driven him like yesterday's mule. She'd always been excitable, and something like this...

Well it was certainly interesting. "This way then."

Talus said, pointing up the winding mountain road.

 

[Zana]

Bella boosted Zana back up onto Zandors back; it would take them the rest of the day to walk back if she was on her own feet. The dun was content enough to keep a sedate pace however enabling them to talk as they walked. It all seemed mundane, normal things. Bella asked if they had thought of names and as they drifted on the two women walked ahead to converse about the more intimate details of childbirth and what they knew from old 'magic users'.

Grey appeared before the house did with a low growling bark at the new scents, though any fierce guard-wolf potential melted as Bella dropped to her knees and fussed the great direwolf like any other pup. From there he led the way back up to the nearly finished house at the top of the hill.

Zana slid from her horses back, deftly untacking him and letting him out into the paddock before leading the others through to the large living area she had taken to calling the 'grand hall'.

"Please, sit. I'll grab some tea and the cakes."

 

[Talus]

The Grand hall, was anything but grand. At least not yet. Talus had been working on it, but like everything else in this damned house it took him fifteen tries to figure everything out and actually make it work the way that he wanted it to.

Not that he was going to point that out.

"It's a bit of a project." The Former Dreadlord admitted with a shrug as the two took a seat the table he'd built.

"Aye I can really see how it's coming together."​

Thawne said plainly, clearly meaning it. The man had never known much beyond the Guard, and his words clearly showed that fact. For him it was something of a pique of interest, something he wished he himself could make.

"Could use some metal joist, instead of wood. Might hold the structure better."​

Talus' head slowly swiveled. "Yes...I suppose It would but-"

"No no, I think if you put them here...here...and here."​

Bella began to walk around the structure, pointing to different beams and the junctions that held them. She prattled off a dozen different instructions on how he could 'improve' things.

 

[Zana]

When Zana returned it was to find only Thawne sitting at the table. The large man made the dining table for a family of six seem small and he seemed to realise it from the way he slightly hunched his shoulders. He was daintily setting out the tea cups and cutlery.

"Poor Talus," she said as she set down the tray of freshly brewed tea and still-warm cake. "I fear Bella might keep him occupied for hours about how metal can improve the house." Thawne looked up and gave a proud, toothy grin then stood to help her spread out the treats.

"You should sit, Zana. You're always moving," he pulled a chair out which - she spied - had had a cushion added to it. Her eyes narrowed briefly at the other soldier but her smile was warm and she sat much to his relief.

"Moving helps. When Bella has a child you'll understand," the statement made the other turn a beetroot red.

 

[Talus]

"Oh gods."​

Thawne said with a shudder, clearly not having quite thought of that option just yet. It was clear that the Guardsmen was not ready for that step, not in the least. He frowned at Zana, almost as if he were wondering if she could be serious.

The very thought made him nervous.

"I don't think...She's more focused on the anvil right now."​

Which would probably be for the best.

"NO BELLA! I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA!" Talus' words rang through the expanse of the house. "BECAUSE! THERE'S GOING TO BE CHILDREN HERE! WE DON'T NEED BOOBY-TRAPS!"

Thawne gave Zana a shy smile.

 

[Zana]

Zana threw back her head and laughed.

It was easy to forget sometimes what this house was going to be to many people one day: a home. For their children, yes, but before losing her magic she had seen many of their friends visiting and sometimes staying for long periods of time to rest and escape from their own lives. She wondered if the future had changed now she couldn't see it but she prayed not. At least, not when it came to this. When she finally stopped laughing and wiped the tears from her eyes Bella came back round the corner with a pout.

"I'm just saying... from what Zana's told me maybe your house need some protection. We could make them child-safe traps!"

Zana raised both brows.

 

[Talus]

"No!" Talus shouted back at Bella.

The blacksmith had always been over-enthusiastic when it came to certain topics. Like most Dreadlords, Bella had been beaten down, nearly broken down. The minders of the Academy had seen to that. To them she had been weak, not capable of becoming what all 'Dreadlords' should have been.

Yet they had been wrong.

The moment she'd had a project to latch onto. The second she'd found something to devote herself to Bella had become a whirlwind of enthusiasm and power. She was something else, a gift to the world. Talus saw her for that, and so did Thawne.

"She just gets...excited."​

The former Lieutenant pointed out.

"Tends to happen when she figures out a new plan...or two."​

 

[Zana]

Zana laughed into her cup.

"Before you give my husband a heart attack imagining his children in iron boxes, why don't you sit down and have some cake?" she raised both brows and threw Thawnes a bemused smile. Yes, heaven help the man if Bella ever did think of having children. The man seemed to read he thought for he went equal parts pale and red. The other Dreadlord, meanwhile, sulked back to the table and accepted the cup of tea moodily.

"It could be cozy with blankets in th---" she cut off when she caught Talus' expression and wisely focused on drinking her tea. After a bite of cake she groaned. "I missed your cooking. How is he not fat yet eating this all the time?" both women turned to give Talus an accusatory look.

 

[Talus]

"Because I've been building a house." Talus bantered back.

Plus, he had always been naturally slim.

There wasn't really any special explanation to it. Every morning he still saw to himself, every morning he ensured that he did the workout he could. In a way there was almost something meditative about it, the routine that he had been taught.

Some might have seen that as wrong, a call back to his previous life. Talus however knew that he could never throwaway everything of what he had been, not if he was going to be a better man.

"Besides." He smiled. "I've always eaten more than double my fill."

Perhaps thrice.

 

[Zana]

Zana snorted.

"More like ten times," she threw her husband a playful grin before glancing back to Bella. "I'm convinced he's got hollow bones. It's quite unfair," the other woman patted her hand sympathetically. Thawne made a huffing noise that might have been a laugh but he covered it up promptly with a cough which Bella seemed to choose to ignore.

After that, the rest of the afternoon seemed to go on like something out of a dream.

The four talked about all manner of things from more about the twos planned adventures, to what Talus and Zana had thought about as names for the twins with both their friends throwing in their own suggestions. The sun was beginning to set when Thawne cleared his throat and Bella stood with a flushed smile.

"We best me off. The night is quieter to travel by and when did the dark ever scare people like us?" she laughed.

 

[Talus]

Talus glanced out the window.

The day had gone by quite quickly. Quietly he wondered if those boys he had hired ended up doing the job he'd laid out for them. Perhaps he would find out tomorrow, though he expected there to be a pile of lumber already waiting.

Or rather, he hoped. "Aye, probably for the best."

The Dreadlord agreed.

"Don't want any of those ponces beating you to the prize as it were." He said with a chuckle. "Just remember what I said about the dwarves."

Thawne and Bella both nodded in unison. "They're a stern bunch, but if you're respectful they won't attack first."

At least...most of them.

 

[Zana]

Zana watched as the pair set off down the track chattering away. Well. Bella spoke and Thawne seemed to just be nodding at certain spots where he felt he needed to. Her lips twitched into a smile and once they were out of sight, she shut the large oak door on the night. Grey was sprawled by the large fireplace in the 'Great' Hall which Thawne had helpfully started before leaving. Zana added another log and settled down onto one of the few bits of furniture they had, stretched out her feet towards the flames with a sigh.

"That was a wonderful surprise," she smiled when Grey put his head up and then wriggled over to put his head in her lap. She stroked between his ears.

"Maybe we should introduce them to your family one day, I think Bella would love to see the forges."

 

[Talus]

Talus nodded his head in agreement. It was nice seeing old friends. Once it had seemed impossible that he could call anyone from Vel Anir, anyone but those he had grown up with.

Now it was all different.

The other three were gone. Dead, lost, or hidden. He could not blame anyone for such a thing, they had each reached the gate which had been dealt to him. Yet encountering friends like Thawne, like Bella by random chance was bittersweet in a way.

"Yes." He agreed with a nod. "It was nice seeing them."

A reminder that not everything within their last was to be forgotten.

He smiled as Zana mentioned his father and the others. "Yes, well hopefully they don't run afoul of each other before then."

The former Dreadlord offered in quiet jest.

 

[Zana]

Zana patted the space on the deep seated couch beside her as she propped her swollen feet up on the small fur covered stool.

"Do you still want to go exploring tomorrow?" today had been a lot more exciting than either of them had anticipated and it hadn't escaped her notice Talus had asked some of the local lads for help with the timber. She thought he deserved a break but she knew her husband's heart well and how much he enjoyed working on their home. She wouldn't begrudge him the time he wanted for his passion project.

"Or have the treasure hunters made you even more determined to never leave the house again?" she teased.

 

[Talus]

He smiled. "We can still explore."

There was much work to do on the house still, but in order to do...well anything at all on the house they would need to have supplies. There were scant few left, and even if the lads he'd hired today worked all throughout the night there wouldn't be enough to really get anything started.

Better to build up a base of everything he needed, then he wouldn't have to stop and wait.

"It'll take a while yet for the boys to get everything together." He told Zana. "Plus it'll be good not to be surrounded by..."

Talus glanced around, gesturing. "The project."

Perhaps he could lay it out better in his mind if he wasn't looking at it the whole time.

 

[Zana]

Zana nodded and then leaned her head on his shoulder once he was settled beside her on the couch.

"I'll make up a picnic for us to take," she said with a yawn which she tried to smother but failed to. Through half lidded eyes she watched the fire and wondered if there would ever be a time in her life from now on she didn't feel exhausted. Grey gave a small contented huff as her fingers stroked lazily over his thick fur.

"I think we should find the river and follow it, see if it leads anywhere," perhaps there was a wider bit that the children could swim in when they were older, or something more exciting. This far into the Spine anything was possible.

 

[Talus]

"That's a good idea." Talus said with a nod. The River seemed to run down the mountain somewhere, probably leading eventually to the oceans.

When they'd first seen it Talus had been able to establish that the summer melts likely saw it widen half a dozen times over, though it was nowhere near the house and thus wouldn't be a problem. He supposed such things were probably common enough on the spine.

"Up or down river?" He mused. "Down might be easier on the way there, but harder on the way back up."

A chuckle escaped him, realizing how obvious what he'd just said was. "God maybe I'm already turning into a dad."

Talus said, rubbing his face.