Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Solgrin]

"I will." Solgrin said calmly.

There was a quiet to his voice.

He knew that she wanted to help, and in a way that twisted him further than anything he could have said. He had taken her, broken her, shattered her into pieces. This was what he had wanted, and a part of him despised himself for doing it.

Yet he would have done it again.

Perhaps he was a monster after all. Perhaps all his endeavors were those of a being who did not deserve to live, those that should not survive. As Serafina walked away Solgrin slowly looked down at his hand, disgust flickering over his features.

 

[Serafina]

There was an odd air to the group over the next week.

More watches were set out over the battlements but the blizzard blew on for three whole days. After that the snow was so deep that even the Norden members of the crew warned of wandering too far. Avalanches, they said, would be possible with only the tiniest of raised voices with this much fresh snow. As such most of the time if they weren't on duties, the Bandits found themselves inside which created a gloomy and restless atmosphere. Half of them seemed ready to move on whilst the rest were ready for a fight at the fort. Sera heard the argument more than once when they thought she wasn't within earshot.

It ate her up every day this was because of her.

Still, Sera was true to her words with Sol that night. It took a few days for her to regain her strength but afterwards she returned to working tirelessly with him on their lessons as best they could. When she wasn't with Sol she was with Einar working on her archery, which is where she was that morning.

"Focus, Sera," the norden stood behind her and gently lifted her arm into the right position.

"I'm f-f-freezing," she grumbled but adjusted her footing appropriately.

"You're going to have to fire it when your frozen solid. Now, focus."

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin slowly trudged through the icy snow of the courtyard.

They had managed to clear most of it with shovels, though the members of the Band had complained tirelessly that it wasn't their job to shovel frozen water. It was important though, for movement and defense. The Girls had even used some of it to build a small house within the courtyard.

Einar had helped of course, showing them how such a thing would provide proper warmth even in the coldest environment.

He stepped up behind Serafina and Ein, shifting into place with a crunch of ice beneath his feet that seemed to echo a bit. Einar looked back and shot him a glare, apparently upset that he might disturb Serafina's concentration.

Solgrin shrugged and waited.

 

[Serafina]

Breathe.

Focus.

Release breath.

Fire.

The arrow shot from her bow and thudded squarely into the middle of the target along with four other arrows clustered around the tiny red circle.

"I did it!" she exclaimed and turned around, a brilliant smile lighting up her face. Einar grinned and wrapped his large arms around her waist, plucking her off the ground and spinning her with a laugh. Clearly the two had had some kind of personal bet going on for when she was set back done she punched him in the arm and said, "I won, pay up."

The Norden chuckled again and produced from his pocket a tiny bar of chocolate which she snatched greedily; such a thing was a treat even in Yarrin. She stuffed it into her jackets inside pocket for safe keeping as she noticed Sol.

The grin died down a bit to a shy smile.

"Sorry... am I late for our lesson?"

 

[Solgrin]

He shook his head with a smile. "No."

Solgrin had tried to keep in mind what Serafina had said, what she'd told him. There was always a fine line when it came to information. Who knew what and when, but he figured that this was an important part about feeling 'human'.

Sera did not want to be treated like cargo, like a thing.

So he would tell her a bit more of his plans, of what was happening and when it would. It was a step, a big one for him, and he hoped she would appreciate that fact.

"I know how we will reach Tel Amos." He told her. "And who we will be staying with."

He looked to Einar who only shrugged, clearly not leaving on his own.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina blinked and her lips parted in a silent 'o' of shock. Whilst Solgrin had been gentler with her after their talk, stayed for conversation after their lessons instead of abruptly leaving, and even offered smiles every now and then she hadn't been expecting him to divulge information. For a moment the three of them stood in silence. It was only the gentle wind whispering through the crags and cracks in the stone that filled the void. Then she shook herself and took a step towards him, casting her gaze over to Einar with a sweet smile.

"I'll come find you later?" The Norden had a strange look on his face as she abandoned his side for Sol's but he snapped out of it and nodded before heading back inside. Sera's sweet nature was attracting more than a few of the Bandits to her, like moths to a flame craving something that was so other from what they were used to. She offered sunshine and laughter instead of death and destruction.

She tucked a strand of gold behind her ear and looked up at him from beneath her hood, oblivious to it all.

"Go on," soft encouragement in the form of a smile.

 

[Solgrin]

”When the storm cleared I sent a Raven to an old...friend.” Solgrin did not have friends, not really, but there were a few people who could call themselves such. This man was one of those people.

Tel Amos was a different world from the ones that they had experienced so far. Different than Illya and certainly different than the Maw. They would need a guide to see them through, despite what Solgrin already knew about the place. His hand scratched slowly at his beard.

”When the snow clear we’ll head down the mountain on the east side.” He told her. ”Half the band will stay here, half will come with us.”

Those that stayed behind would slip out later. ”When we get to Tel Amos You, Violet, and Nyx will pose as nobles from Aarara, a city in Cortos.”

He paused for a second.

”It’s a province in the far east, many different Free Cities.” Solgrin had never been there, but he’d met many explorers from the land.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina kept them walking in order to keep the warmth from fleeing her limbs more than anything, but the subtle crunch of snow under their boots was a pleasant backdrop to the topic of conversation. She listened enraptured to the information he gave her and drunk it in as though her life depended on it. She knew so little of her future that she clutched this small piece like a woman in the midst of drowning.

"Cortos?" That was extremely far south from what she knew. Yarrin occasionally had spices imported from there which they brought at the big markets. "Won't my... accent give me away?" Along with her colouring. Nyx certainly fit the bill with her tanned skin and dark eyes, like two perfect slices of midnight. Violet could at least act like a noble. Sera... it was clear she was nervous.

"What about you?"

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin shook his head. "From what I understand Cortos is pretty diverse."

He did not know much about the place, but he had met people of all sorts from the land. The accents were always along the same lines, but some had lost it and some had not. They were a clever people, but from what he could tell the only similarity many of them had was the land they were from.

The Free Cities were as diverse as could be, apart from that odd Church they all seemed to either love or despise. Depending from which city they called home.

"I'll be acting as your escort." He told her. "They know what...I used to be, and it's a believable enough lie."

Most would never care. "Most nobles aren't half as clever as they think they are, Sera."

 

[Serafina]

She blinked at the use of her name; it was the first time she had ever heard it from his lips. At times she had even wondered if he had remembered it after she told him, shivering in that dark forest so many months ago now. The surprise was almost enough to make her forget what it was they were talking about.

Serafina gave him a coy little smile.

"That, I did know. I was a maid for my whole life," and she had witnessed first hand what little the upper crust of society knew. As much as she loved Violet the girl couldn't cook, clean, and she had struggled to dress herself the first few days they were given proper clothes. She was better now but she had made Sera look wise in comparison.

"I've been trying to take lessons from Lillien but they're not going so well," she grimaced and ducked her head in embarrassment.

 

[Solgrin]

He smiled. "You've plenty of time yet."

Lilien was one of those that Solgrin trusted. She had always been a smart girl, and a good at what she did. There was no doubt that with enough time she would be able to teach Sera everything that she would need to know.

"Snows won't melt for another month at least." Before then it would be hopeless. "Plus, some...groundwork needs to be put in place before we can get to Tel Amos."

Meaning bribes.

There were still some people who wanted Solgrin dead there, others who would see him arrested. A well placed bribe or two would see that disappear, or see the men who wanted him gone disappear. Either way it would work. "Don't rush, take your time."

He mused.

"Perhaps we'll think of your cover now, give you time to get used to it." He said with a smile.

 

[Serafina]

Don't rush, time to get used to it, plenty of time.

Sera peered up at him through the thick furry hood. He wasn't at all acting like himself and she wondered if something had happened to put him in such a good mood or whether he really was intending to follow through on his promise to try. After he had rejected her offer of help she had left behind all notion anything between them would really change. But now...

"You want me to start bossing you around?" her eyebrows rose and a playful smile tugged at her lips, dimpling her cheek in the process. It was the one piece of being a noble that Lilien hadn't had to drum in to her though she still struggled not to say please. "I suppose I should use a different name, Nasaar knew mine so the others might."

 

[Solgrin]

"You can try." He told her. "But wards don't generally get to boss around those whose charge they are."

At least not in any circumstance he had ever seen.

Bossing people around was all well and good, but there was also a thin line of respect that had to be kept up everywhere. Tel Amos was very stringent when it came to that sort of thing. Everything and everyone had it's place.

"A new name would be good." He told her with a nod.

"Something southern." Solgrin said as he scratched his beard. "Nyx might have some ideas."

 

[Serafina]

"Marie," Serafina said without a seconds hesitation. When he looked surprised her cheeks coloured and she looked away awkwardly. "It was my mothers name."

Marie Marcell had been from warmer climates as had most of her family. She had had dark eyes and hair that had the colourings of a ravens wing from her fathers descriptions. Sera had inherited nothing of her and had taken after her father entirely. It was as though something had wanted to spare her father the pain of looking at a reminder of what he had lost. Or, as she would one day find out, it was the magics way of protecting itself and making it harder for those who searched for it to find.

"Besides," Sera brought the conversation away from painful thoughts. "You said you would be my escort, and an escort would listen to orders as you would be hired. If I am to be your ward then that's a very different thing. So which are you?"

 

[Solgrin]

He considered for a moment.

"I'm not sure." It was a good point, and not one that he could really answer. Solgrin was not well trusted in Tel Amos, and it would likely be more difficult than not if he showed up and claimed to be the Guardian of the girls.

Lips thinned a moment, hand stroking over his bear. "Escort."

He would have to ask Lilien, but he was pretty sure that would be the better options. At least the one that would draw less suspicion.

"It will work better." Solgrin had to stifle a loud sigh.

 

[Serafina]

A healthy amount of smugness seeped through Sera's entire body at being right about something. She tried to hide it but did an awful job of it - it was so very hard to stop grinning when you found yourself in the right for once.

"Excellent," she sniffed, adding a certain air to her words she associated with the nobility. It wasn't a mask she could hold in place for long and was soon giggling over the own ridiculousness of herself. "You shouldn't look so annoyed at the idea of me ordering you around, it's Violet who's really going to enjoy this," she put a hand over her mouth to cover up her smile as she shot him a playful look.

They had walked all the way around the courtyard now to the little igloo she and Violet had built.

"The Wargs won't really suit a noblewoman and her escort either - will we steal horses?"

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin made a face for a second, though didn't say anything. It wasn't the thought of Violet bossing him around that bothered him, it was the fact that he would have to watch himself around the Nobles in Tel Amos.

He'd not needed to be so careful in a long time.

"We'll buy some when we get closer." Her assumption was not a terrible one, and the instinct was spot on. Stealing would have been less expensive of course, but...they needed to behave when they were nearby Tel Amos. "We'll need some armor too."

Solgrin explained. "So we look proper."

Meaning they would be spending a lot of money.

 

[Serafina]

Was that a touch of surprise she heard in his tone and the flicker of his gaze towards her? As though he couldn't quite comprehend that she, Serafina, had come up with the suggestion? It was a struggle to keep her lips from curling up into a smirk as she leant back against the icy house where they had stopped. She folded her arms across her chest more to hug the warmth to her than anything else. It had gone past the warmest part of the day and the evening chill was beginning to settle in amongst the stone walls.

"I guess that means new dresses?" what her and Violet had brought in the town before coming here had been practical things for riding and keeping warm up in the snowy mountain tops. They were certainly not built for court. "I'm sure Lillian will know what fashions they wear," Sera doubted it was anything like what they wore in Yarrin or the tiny kingdom it belonged to.

"Is there anything else?" her sapphire eyes rose to meet his solemnly.

 

[Solgrin]

"A few." He said.

Though the Band had plenty of gold, they still had to watch how they spent it. It wouldn't due to have them go completely bankrupt just for some clothing. They had to be a bit more...conservative if they were going to survive.

At least until they went on another raid.

He took in a breath as he considered her question, stroking his fingers over his beard. "I'm sure there will be more."

Solgrin said.

"Half the time any plan you make will fall into disaster the moment it starts." He chuckled. "Give some more thought to it."

He told her. "See what ideas you can come up with."

 

[Serafina]

"You... want to hear my ideas?" like most emotions the shock was as clear as day in her bright blue eyes. He really was trying like he had said he would. For a brief moment her eyes welled with tears and then she looked away; kindness from him was so rare that it invoked a far greater emotional response than it should have done. Thankfully it didn't take long for her to get her composure back.

"Well... I did think that it might make more sense... if I was to try and befriend the woman in my dreams," it felt in a way like Serafina already knew her. The amount of times the stone called to her across leagues and gave her visions of what the woman was doing in her own life... Well. Sometimes she didn't want to wake up because the noblewoman's life seemed so much more interesting than her own. "I think she's some kind of performer not just nobility. Maybe we can bond a little easier than... you... and her..." the only way she could see him getting close to a woman was an... uncomfortable image to Sera. His hands on another woman, his lips... She swallowed as a blush crawled up her neck and cheeks.

"I dunno, just a thought..."

 

[Solgrin]

He shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't particularly matter how we get close."

Solgrin wasn't blind of course.

He noticed the slight shade of pink on her cheeks, the trickle of emotion on that connection. It was ignored, pushed aside. Teasing her about it, asking, would only make things work. Perhaps a few weeks ago he might have taken advantage of the fact, but now? Now he knew better than that.

Best to work with it, not against it.

"If you think you can do it best." He shrugged. "Then that is how we will do it."

It was not as though Serafina could use the gem on her own, and more importantly...that roots had already set into place with him.

She would not run now.

Sol was confident in that.

 

[Serafina]

"O-okay," the poor girl stammered, equal parts dumbstruck that he was agreeing to her idea and excited to prove to him that she could... that she could do this. He was treating her like a part of the team rather than a tool for the team to use and she didn't want to let him down or give him a chance to point out the reasons why her status was so low. A breathless smile was flashed in his direction before she stamped her feet in the snow and rubbed at her arms. The light had vanished and the cold was really setting in.

"I should go, I said I would do the cooking tonight," her eyes flickered away from him to the doorway and the inviting signs of a fire. It wouldn't take long for her to warm up standing over the large stone oven.

"Is there anything else?" she looked back up to him.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin shook his head. "No."

There wasn't much else to plan for now. They would have to discuss more, get information, but that wouldn't be until later. It would be weeks yet until the snows began to melt, and once that happened things woulds move more quickly.

"There will be more later." He told her.

This was part of what she had wanted. Being treated like a human, being shown the way of what she had to do and the decisions that were laid out before her. Solgrin would keep his word.

"But we have time yet." He gestured towards the door. "Go cook. I'll be in soon."

A smile touched his lips.

 

[Serafina]

It was another month before Einar declared that the snow was beginning to thaw and two weeks after that that it was finally safe for the Bandit's to travel down from the mountain peaks. There was a certain sense of sadness at leaving; the group had grown close and the fortress had come to feel like home. Many were already discussing the possibility of returning and what new improvements they could do to the place if it were a little warmer and travel was easier.

The wargs were eager to get going though. Their breaths fogged the air and saliva dripped down their muzzles as they chomped at the bit. Whilst they had been exercised as much as possible during their stay they hadn't had a good run for months. With spring in the air they could scent the possibilities.

"Tel Amos is a good weeks ride," Einar explained as he drew up alongside Serafina when the group began to roll out. "We'll have some good opportunities to teach you know to fire from your mounts back."

 

[Solgrin]

"Take care of them, watch for those who follow after." Solgrin said to Thel, the man who would be taking charge of those who were being left behind at the Fortress.

It had been part of his plan to only take a certain number with them to Tel Amos. Their whole force was a small army, not a guard of honor. Plus, they couldn't really afford to buy full armor for everyone that they had within the Band.

So they were taking only ten, not counting himself and the two girls.

It was enough to protect most anyone, especially since he was taking the best of the fighters. Not that those who stayed behind couldn't handle themselves. "We ready?"

He called to those already mounted up, making his way towards his own beast and quickly vaulting into the saddle.