Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Solgrin]

Solgrin threw the other girl away like she was a broken toy.

The moment that the shard did not react to her, the very second that not even a single thing happened he knew. Serafina did not even need to scream for him to understand, she could have made not a single sound at all and he would have known.

He bowed his head as soon as her wordless scream echoed out passed the gag within her mouth, his boot suddenly raising from her face as he reached and grasped her throat. Without even a second of hesitation he dragged her to her feet and above.

A hand came across the opposite side of her bruised face. "QUIET!"

His voice bellowed out loud enough that the Bandits behind him seemed to freeze. The Gem in his palm seemed to pulse, and suddenly Serafina would feel a silence fall over her mind.

All dominated by the man who held her like a doll.

 

[Serafina]

Great wracking sobs shook her body as she hung limply in his grasp. Part of it was relief the noise had stopped, another part was pain from the slap across her face and the rest of it was utter fear. Her hands dropped from where they had been trying to cover and claw her ears at the same time and blood ran down her jaw from where her nails had dug into her skin in the pure agony she had just felt. Oddly, the longer she hung there the more calm she felt as the adrenaline and shock wore off of her. In the end she even managed to get her sobs under control turning them to small hiccups and shaky breaths.

Eventually she managed to open her eyes again and look at the man who held her. Sera's hands came up to lightly paw at his wrist as her single worry became the constricting supply of oxygen.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin turned her with a flick of his wrist, and before she knew what was going on Serafina would find her self pressed against the bark of a tree.

The fingers around her throat would ease up, just enough to allow her a breath, just enough to allow her a few words. His other hand drew up, his palm revealing itself with the gem inside of it. There was a pulse that ran through it.

"Do you know what this?" His voice was that same rasp.

Lips were turned into a scowl as he looked down at her, eyes wandering her form as he studied just what she was. "Tell me."

Solgrin said as he leaned in and whispered.

"Or I'll make you." The words sang in her ear.

 

[Serafina]

Her father had never liked to talk about her mother much. The memories brought up the painful fact that she was no longer with them and it destroyed him all over again as badly as it had when Amaryst Marcell had passed away in her childbirth bed. So when he did talk about her, or share a little story, Sera had clung to it like a drowning man out at sea in the desperate hope these little scraps would help her form some sort of picture of who her mother had been. One of those stories had been to do with her surname.

"Listen child. Now, usually when a man and a woman wed the woman takes on her husbands last name. Now mine was rather boring ye see and one day your ma told me the legend about where her surname came from. It's believed it was to pay homage to the famous Mage Marcell, yes that's the one, from the stories in the Age of Legends. The man who managed to capture dragons fire in a gemstone he apparently wore on his ring - ah ha ha no lass I don't have such a ring neither did ye mother - but she did have his name. And his blood. She had something about her... well she bewitched me didn't she?"

"It's just a myth..." Sera spoke in a tiny voice but her eyes never left the gem. In his palm it was a beautiful orange red and for a moment, a split second, her own eyes turned a similar shade. Then she blinked and it was gone. The girl swallowed painfully and quickly covered up her words with the answer out of fear of another slap. "The Soulshard." An amulet said to unleash powers so great the mage himself had destroyed it

 

[Solgrin]

The name, he knew.

He knew it all in fact. Solgrin had known since he'd heard the court mages talk about it, since the Maestar's and Elbion had come to visit. He could still hear their voices tell the story, could still hear them whispering in the ears of the King.

A smile pulled at his lips. He had done it. He had found her. Thousands of miles. Hundreds of rumors, and finally her was here. The other hand that had been resting at his side reached out and grabbed her chin. There was no gentleness to his touch, no softness as he slowly turned her head.

The Bandit Chief almost seemed to inspect her.

Lips thinned for a brief moment as he looked her over, thumb tightening on her throat ever so slightly as his other hand reached out and drew through the locks of her hair. "It's her."

He said quietly, though the scarred man behind him clearly heard.

A sick, broken sort of smile drew across the other mans face.

"What do you want to do with the other one?"

"Kill her." Solgrin said simply. "I only have to break this one."

 

[Serafina]

Serafina flinched as he raised his hand, expecting another retribution for speaking wrong the first time and not obeying straight away, but when he just grasped her chin her body sagged in relief. Her eyes closed as he turned her face this way and that so that the tears forming in her eyes didn't show. She felt like a horse at the market. Something to buy. To own.

His conversation with his man sounded muted and far away as her mind spun with this new revelation. She had read about the amulet of course along with many other creations the man had made, had even wondered what it would be like to go on a great adventure to reunite all the pieces one day. But then she had grown up. Marcell had thought it was too powerful and it was best left broken.

As his hand ran through her hair she shuddered. It wasn't a gentle touch but the mockery of a gesture that usually meant love made her stomach turn. As did his next words. Sera's eyes snapped open and looked directly at the chief in a state of panic before looking to her friend.

"No! No you can't!" The scarred man had already drawn his blade, a fistful of Violets hair in his other as he bared her throat. She was screaming and kicking desperately and Sera suddenly dropped to her knees to beg. "Please don't... please sir if you let her go I'll... I'll behave. I'll do what you want just let her go. The men from our town won't stop looking for her and if they find her dead they'll come for vengeance. If it's just me..." she took a shaky breath. "If it's just me gone they won't care."

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin frowned for a second as he looked back, Sera's begging whines echoing I'm his ears as he watched the scarred man drag Violet back up from where she'd been thrown and put a knife to her throat.

He'd trained his men well. None of them second guessed him. None of them balked and killing either girl as long as it was what would most help the cause. A certain amount of pride rose in his chest, though it was hard to concentrate on it with the other girl practically screaming in his ear.

He now regretted removing the gag.

With a wave of his hand he motioned to the Scarred Man, the other bandit staying his blade on Violets neck. Some of the other men were watching now, though most of them were still breaking up the camp. In the peripheral, if she was not so focused on the sight in front of her, Sera would be able to see that the bandits were not entirely made up of just men.

Solgrin's gaze cast back to Sera, looking down at her as she clasped her hands together. His fingers jutted out, grasping her chin tightly and pressing his thumb over her lip hard enough to hurt in order to at least bring some measure of silence. He held her in place firmly for a second, then looked to Violet. "You'll behave huh?"

The bandit chief mused.

"Are you sure about that?" Solgrin said as he dragged his thumb away from her lips.

 

[Serafina]

Violet went quiet as cold steel pressed against her throat though the tears poured freely and her mouth moved silently in a prayer. Sera dragged her eyes from the woman she considered a sister back to the Bandit chief. On her knees she had to tilt her head back even further to meet his gaze though he roughly helped her along in the matter by grasping her chin hard between rough fingers.

Sensing his irritation at the noise and her begs, when he removed his thumb by dragging it across her lower lip she only nodded in agreement to begin with. When he continued to look at her with those hard, uncaring eyes she whispered.

"Yes, Sir."

 

[Solgrin]

He was not a foolish man. Though his life had been a caucophony of murder and injustice Solgrin well understood the minds of regular folk. He knew that in some way he was broken, shattered in such a way that most people simply...didn't matter.

Even his men, those whom he'd trained and spent the last three year with meant little to him.

They were tools at the end of the day, no different than his sword of the knife. No different than she would be. Yet he understood this was not the way of others, knew that it wasn't like that for everyone. He'd seen it among the other bandits, the comraderie, the friendship.

Sol knew that many would die for one another if they had too, and he could see that it was the same for these girls.

That was useful. "Let's see then."

The Bandit Chief said as he cast his mind back towards what he'd over heard yesterday. He briefly offered a glance towards the scarred man, smiling slightly as if he had thought of a funny joke.

"Relieve yourself." The words came back as he looked down at Sera again, and instantly the scarred man let out a bark of a laugh. His head shook and the laughter spread among the other men, the knife on Violet's throat shifting slightly as her captor shook with a sickening mirth.

 

[Serafina]

Sera froze.

The laughter that spread around the camp, she saw now as she looked around, from both men and women, made her cheeks burn. She had half forgotten her bladder since she had asked the day before and exhaustion had outweighed need enough for her to sleep. Now it was brought back to attention she realised she did still desperately need to go.

But in front of them all?

Her eyes landed on Violet who was looking at her with pity and love. Sera took a deep breath and shut her eyes for the briefest of seconds before shifting into a crouched position. Everything hurt as she moved but she stubbornly kept her mouth shut; no need to give them any more satisfaction.

She lifted up her night dress so it didnt get splashed, pooling it around her waist and then finally let herself go.

 

[Solgrin]

There was laughter, a scattering of jokes, and a few looks of scorn. Yet the knife slipped away from Violet's throat and Solgrin released Sera's chin. He took one step back away from her and chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "Good girl."

The Bandit Chief said as he turned away and entirely ignored her.

Satisfied with the fact that she had listened at all, Sol motioned towards the scarred man who was still holding Violet but had let his knife fall to his side.

"Get new bindings for them both." A trick he had learned many years ago. If the same bindings were used day in and day out they could eventually be worn through, replacing them would keep the girls bound.

"We're taking them both?"​

An unfamiliar voice asked, and Sol nodded in response. "Aye. We keep them both."

Solgrin looked back towards Sera.

"For now." The threat was clear at least, the obedience she had shown now expected. The scarred man quickly pulled free more rope for Violet while one of the other men wandered over towards Sera with little regard for the display she'd put on.

 

[Serafina]

Sera stood once he released her chin with her cheeks still a scarlet red. She couldn't meet Violets gaze but she did see the knife drop to the man's side at the very least and breathed put a sigh of relief. Relief that was quickly dashed as the Chief informed the group both girls were being taken with them. Sera went to open her mouth and protest, stepping forward after Sol with anger in her eyes, but froze when he turned and fixed her with that warning glare.

Her shoulders slumped. Her words, her actions, they hadn't saved her friend they had condemned her.

Both girls stood still and downcast as their bonds were cut from their wrists which had already begun to blister underneath.

"I'm sorry Violet," she murmured quietly over the bulky mans shoulder as he begun to rebind her wrists.

 

[Solgrin]

The rope was tied once more, with Sol helping pull apart the camp as both girls were secured.

Perhaps much to their shock, they were also each given a cloak of heavy fur. Though it was not so much granted with a patient hand as it was simply tossed over their shoulders. One of the other men then motion for the two girls to move towards the gathered wargs.

"Ye can either ride, or tossed over again."

It was the first choice they had actually been given in their day with the bandits.

The Wargs seemed to sniff the air, snapping their jaws every few seconds as if trying to get a bad taste out of their mouth. The twisted creatures seemed ornary, angry, but the Bandit Chief walked among them with no concern. Oddly enough the beasts seemed to shirk away from him, stepping aside as he made his way to the largest one.

Without waiting for an answer the man besides the two girls grabbed their arms roughly, pulling them forward and towards the Wargs. Neither were gagged this time, though perhaps that was just a trap to lead them to further punishment later.

 

[Serafina]

A sigh of gratitude escaped her as the cloak was thrown about her shoulders. The journey through the night and then sleeping for a day outside in the elements nowhere near the fire had ensure the autumnal cold had settled deep into her bones. Even if it was probably only given to her so she lived rather than kindness, Sera didn't care. As best she could with bound hands she tugged it around her until all that could be seen was her face and toes.

Neither of the two young women wanted to go anywhere near the Wargs.

Violet stepped backwards until her back came up against the scarred man who had bound her a moment ago but she preferred the threat of his hand to the teeth of the monsters in front of them. Sera's gaze followed the Chief. She thought the animals reactions told her more about the man than anything else - she was always wary of people who even animals shied away from.

It was the man who had bound Sera who began to drag them forward. They went, albeit reluctantly.

"We'll ride..." Sera said quietly. Violet nodded. At least they would be together. Perhaps there would even be a way to figure out how to control the beast and make their way back home.

 

[Solgrin]

Just because the girls had shown momentary cooperation did not mean they were treated any more gently than before. The man who had been gripping their arms let out a sharp whistle.

One of the Wargs instantly bent low, it's tongue hanging from it's maw as it slobbered onto the ground. With a wrenching grasp the man practically yanked Violet forward and I to the beast, tossing her up into the strange leather saddle that was tied to the creatures back. A second later he did the same to Sera.

There was no regard for either of them.

At least not from the man that had bound them. He turned away and began to walk towards his own creature, the scarred man coming up alongside both the girls. Violet would feel the pressure of cold steel against her bare outer thigh followed by a leather strap. "Carefully, sweethearts."

Rough calloused hands ran over Sera's skin for a flicker followed by leather that buckled her onto the saddle.

"Wargs like to eat what falls off of them." There was a rash of laughter, it was hard to tell if he was being serious. The glint in his eyes did not speak of humor, but something far more sinister.

 

[Serafina]

Violet nearly snapped at the man as she was thrown onto the beasts back. She had been a Lady her whole life and was used to a certain standard of living. Considering they were showing nothing but obedience and how they had humiliated her friend she saw no reason for their continued roughness. Sera stopped her tongue and probably spared her a beating too with a sharp shake of her head.

"Excuse me," Violet gasped as she felt the leather on her thighs and shot the man a dark look for having touched her to intimately. Sera likewise flinched and squeaked as callused hands gripped her thighs and stroked, she thought, unnecessarily higher for a moment.

She shuddered as the Warg turned its head back to snarl at them both and clung in preparation to the horn of the saddle in front of her.

 

[Solgrin]

The scarred man looked back for a moment, hand reaching out to stroke over Violet's thigh higher, reaching far above the strap as his index pressed against his lips.

"Quiet down, Darling." the scarred man said on a low voice. Looking at Sera. "I could be doing a lot worse."

There was an edge to his voice. "To both of you."

The words seemed to hang in the air with no small amount of of implication to them. The scar on his throat was a deep red, and his eyes sat on the girls like a predatory hawk looked at a field mouse. He carried a sword in his back, and the knife he'd pressed to Violet's throat rested on his hip.

As he stood there the other Bandits mounted up, some casting a glance towards him before a voice broke through the milling.

"Ari. Quit playing and mount up. We have miles to cover." Solgrin spoke with little patience. "There'll be time when we get to the maw."

The scarred man, Ari, smiled at the two girls, then slowly stepped away and towards his own warg.

 

[Serafina]

"Gods he scares me," Violet said quietly as the man, Ari, moved off. Sera cast a glance at him over her shoulder and was glad to see that he was towards the back of the pack and not near them. She shuddered and nodded in agreement with her friend.

"If they don't intend for us to freeze maybe they will give us some clothes," she tugged her cloak tighter around her as best she could and could feel Violet do the same. She was even more aware that the only thing she wore was a flimsy night dress thin enough that timagination was not entirely necessary. The pair barely spoke above a whisper to keep attention away from them. Vi pressed her face into Seras back and let out a shuddering sigh.

This was all her fault, Sera thought glumly.

With everyone mounted the Wargs shot off with a lurch and she grasped the horn of the saddle in a white knuckle grip. It was nothing like riding a horse even sitting up and every time she accidentally squeezed her legs like she would on a horse the thing turns and snarled at her.

 

[Solgrin]

The bandits moved fast, and for good reason.

Behind them, a day's ride or so, came some of the militia from Violet and Sera's home. They had sent our scouts along the split path, looking for signs of the girls and searching for any hint of them. By midnight those scouts would find the previous day's camp, and there they would find the bindings that had been carelessly left behind by Sol's men.

It would take the militia time yet to catch up to the Bandits, but eventually they would. Wargs were faster, but they could not ride as long or as far as horses without rest. Something that the girls would notice.

Eventually the monstrous mounts began to snarl and clasp their jaws, biting even at the more experienced riders as they grew more and more tired. Once, the beast the two girls were on nearly stopped, reaching back to snap it's jaws at Sera's thigh, and had she not been bound with the leather strap it would have been likely the creature would have captured her dangling leg.

On the sixth hour, deep in the forest they came to a stop, Solgrin slipping from his mount. "We stop here."

The Bandit Chief growled.

"No fire." His voice was loud, and was immediately followed by a quip from a disembodied voice.

"That's alright. I call dibs on them for warmth."

Laughter broke out again, no question of who "them" was.

 

[Serafina]

Despite the fear and dread which gnawed at her stomach, Sera sat up straight and watched with curiosity how the group worked. It was the polar opposite to Vi who kept her head buried in her friends shoulder and focused on the important job of not being sick. The Wargs were not smooth like a horse and it left the whole body weary and sore.

The group itself seemed to have a clear routine. She thought they must have been together for a while as without signals people seemed to break off or switch places. There was also a lot of banter back and forth when the wind and speed allowed it. She found her eyes every now and then going to Sol. She could still feel the gem on his person. It wasn't an itch like before but rather a warm yearning in the pit of her stomach. She kept having flashes of thought of her touching it, holding the whole thing... and that was when she would tear her eyes away and shudder.

Sera tried a few more times to try and work out how the riders moved the beasts but when her leg was nearly bitten off she decided to leave it and spent the second half of the trip watching the things sharp teeth. By the time they called a stop she was rigid and white as a sheet.

When her thigh bands were undone she practically lept into the persons arms who had freed her from the thing and could have kissed the ground.

"I never want to see one of those things again after this," Violet whispered as she joined Sera and the blonde nodded vigorously.

 

[Solgrin]

The bandit that had taken Sera off the warg grabbed her, by the arm. By now bruises would be forming on her arm where they had wrenched her around so much. None of their touches had been particularly soft nor gentle, a fact that didn't seem to be changing any time soon.

Violet received the same treatment, grabbed by Ari and dragged along with Sera.

This time the camp that the men organized did not seem to have any of the same structure as the one the day before.

Things were more scattered, the Wargs were kept separate, and as per the Chiefs orders no fire was made. The trees above blocked the moonlight from seeping through the forest floor, and there was a darkness that lingered around the wood making it hard to see even your hand before your face.

The only light seemed to come from Solgrin's palm, a bare glow that could barely be seen through the dark.

"Bring her here." Solgrin's voice broke through the camp, and the man that had been clutching Sera happily dragged her away from her friend, practically throwing her onto the ground in front of Solgrin.

The bandit chief looked above her for a moment, then slowly squatted down in front of her.

"Here she is." It was hard not to hear the condescension in his voice. "The obedient little girl."

He smiled and reached out to gently grasp her chin, running a thumb over the bruise on her cheek before slowly turning her head. "Teach your friend that trick too?"

Sol glanced through the dark towards Violet, Ari was standing behind her. His fingers threaded through the woman's hair.

 

[Serafina]

Sera stumbled and nearly fell in the darkness as she was dragged across the camp. Her bare feet were cut and bruised from the past few days but she barely noticed it when the rest of her body felt the same. The worst was still the side of her face where Sol had first hit her. Her cheek was so swollen it had begun to hurt to even talk. She landed with a soft hiss on her hands and knees in front of him, head bent. Her hair had come out of its braid long ago and fell in curls around her face to touch the floor. She could feel blood seeping through her torn dress from her fresh new knee cuts.

A soft whimper escaped her lips as he grabbed a hold of her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. It was the gentlest anyone here has touched her which was a testament to just how much pain her face was in as his thumb ran over her cheek. She winced and tried to pull back but he forced her to turn and look at Violet. Her stomach churned to see Ari with his hand in her dark ebony hair.

"I said I would obey if you let her go," Sera said quietly, a hint of anger in her eyes.

 

[Solgrin]

A mocking gasp of shock passed through his lips, eyes focusing on Violet for a brief moment before he slowly looked back towards Sera. A smile flickered over his features. There was a cruelty to that smile.

"Ah I see." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

There was a game that needed to be played here. One that he had to maneuver through carefully. He was not blind to Ari, nor was he fool enough to ignore some of the other men...and women for that matter, among his band.

"Shame." His head shook. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to teach you any lessons."

The hand on her chin slid slowly across her cheek, and she would feel the warmth of that gem caress her skin before his hand slipped into her hair and suddenly balled Into a fist to yank her head back.

 

[Serafina]

Anger, pain, frustration and more welled up in Sera as he caressed her cheek like a twisted lover. Her eyes shut and her face twisted into an unhappy grimace as he yanked her head back but her jaw was set stubbornly. She wouldn't cry out. She wouldn't beg or plead. Last time it had gotten her a twisted version of what she had asked for and she wouldn't suffer the laughter again. With the gem pressed against her skin and then hidden in her hair it might have gone unnoticed it began to glow brighter.

Then her eyes snapped open. Gone was the gorgeous blue and instead a deep amber leeched across her eyes obscuring blue, black and white entirely. It was the only warning he would have gotten, that any of them would have gotten. The sky suddenly ripped in two and from the clouds came lightning. One strike hit dangerously close to Ari, another three rapid ones close to the Wargs, one even close to Sol and Sera themselves. Until he removed the gem from contact with her it would continue and ramp up in intensity.

 

[Solgrin]

Shock colored Sol's face as lightning began to fall.

The Wargs began to bark and whimper in fear, Ari wrenched Violet to the side, grabbing her violently and throwing her to the ground and quickly falling on top of her in an oddly protective gesture. Then the lightning struck down right besides the Bandit Chief and his unwilling ward.

His eyes pulsed slightly, and the hand in her hair suddenly jerked away as if he had been burnt. She would see him quickly rise to his feet just as the clouds above smashed together once more. His boot raised, and then kicked Serafina directly in the chest.

The lightning rushed down at the same time, striking the bandit chief and rushing over his flesh.

It crackled down and over his form, surging through him and seeming to rush to his boots before it suddenly resounded through his arm and pooled within his hand. it crackled over the gem, Solgrin barring his teeth and then his hand extending back towards the sky.

Lightning exploded outward, rushing into the air and breaking through the clouds far above.

For a few seconds silence reigned in the wood, heavy breathing, whining of the wargs was all that could be heard.

Then it started to rain. "Looks like I'll have to teach you a few lessons after all."

Solgrin said as his smoldering form stood in the rain.