Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Serafina]

"Aye Sir," Einar gave a curt nod. Serafina had time to give her bags one final check before they were off. The wargs burst out of the gates at a break-neck speed and her thighs protested as she clamped down hard upon the leather beneath her. Despite being one of the youngsters and smaller wargs in the pack, Nipper was practically nose to nose with Solgrin's far larger beast. The pair snapped at one another playfully, their happiness at being out of the fortress clear.

Einar pulled up on her other side.

"Have you ever been to Tal Amos?" she called over the frigid wind that whipped at them. Einar shook his head.

"Nae I haven't Lady Marie," he chuckled. It wasn't just Sera who had been getting lessons on how to be a lady. Violet had been teaching the group who would be their guard how to behave around nobility too. Einar thought it was particularly funny. Her lips twitched.

"Do you think the others will follow?" this had been weighing on her mind somewhat for the past few days as the snows melted more and more. If it was easier for them to move it would be easier for their stalkers to move.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin nodded his head. "Eventually."

They would not stay behind at the fortress. None of those who sought Serafina wanted another aging castle, none of them cared about the men that he had left behind. They would sooner leave it all behind than lose a second of the chase.

He had no doubt in his head they would follow.

"It will take them some time to realize where we're going though." He told her. "A week, probably more."

Though Nasar could always use his magic, not that he would let Serafina know that.

There was no reason to worry the girl, particular in that moment.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina looked more than concerned at the prospect of them following in a week though she wisely kept her mouth shut. Instead she bit down on her lower lip and worried at it as they rode

Despite the initial energy of the wargs they grew tired quickly much as she remembered from those long journeys before the fort. It all seemed so long ago now, that night where Sol and his men had quietly slid over the town walls of Yarrin and stolen them away. Sometimes she still found herself daydreaming about life back there. Had Mary taken the breads out for the morning? Was her father cursing Ned for not chopping enough wood even though the baskets were overflowing with it?

"Do you ever think of home?" she asked Violet once, suddenly, when they found themselves together nearer the back. Her friend looked up at her in surprise and then glanced worriedly towards Sol before nodding.

"Of course, they are still my people."

Then why hadn't she left? Maybe they would split ways in Tel Amos once they had horses. Sera felt a pang at the idea but she didn't want her friend dragged further down this road with her.

When they stopped for camp she untacked and snuck her faithful warg a sly bit of jerky before helping to assemble their modest camp.

 

[Solgrin]

They had covered as much ground as he had suspected, though in the back of his head he wished that it was still more.

Tel Amos was still many miles away, and he knew that the more time they wasted on the road the less they would have to do what they needed. As everyone went about setting up tents and digging latrine pits Solgrin sat on a rock.

His chin was cradled in his hand, a frown on his lips.

He knew exactly where they would be going next, mostly because he had sent out ravens to make sure that everything would be prepared. A little village named Selvos. That was where they would buy their armor and the dresses Sera and the girls would wear.

If things went smoothly, they'd then head the rest of the way to Tel Amos.

Simple, really, but he was still worried something would go wrong. It always did.

 

[Serafina]

"Einar!"

The work was winding down and more of the Bandits were focused on setting up their tents or sitting by the fire. A few had settled into their usual huddles of twos and threes but the biggest cluster of four sat around the fire compromising Sera, Einar, Violet and her hulking great protector who was never far away. With the soup bubbling away there wasn't much else for them to do but entertain each other with jokes and song. The Northerner had been telling them a theatrical story of myth from his icy homes and had got to a particularly scary part when he lunged and grabbed a hold of Sera making everyone scream then fall about into fits of laughter.

Sera banged on the mans shoulder over which she had been thrown, though she too was laughing.

"I will litter you in arrows if you don't put me down!"

"I guess that is an actual threat now you can hit a target," which earnt him another thump.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin looked back at the noise, smiling slightly at the sight of Einar practically throwing the girl around.

It was easier now than it had been.

The 'control' that he'd needed to exert over Serafina had eased. It wasn't about leading her by the nose anymore, forcing her to do as he wanted. Now it was more about making sure that she stayed in the headspace that she was in.

In a strange sort of way he had laid the ground work for this already, weeks ago when he had first shifted her thoughts and her mind. He watched for a moment, then stood.

"Best put her down Einar." He called, his voice jovial. "She's likely to put an arrow in your ass."

The northerner laughed.

"That is my one weak spot."​

There was a round of raucous joy, and Solgrin grinned.

 

[Serafina]

Despite his words Einar did, eventually, set her back down on the ground in a slightly rumpled state.

"You better sleep with your eyes open," the slip of a girl warned which only brought about more laughter. In comparison to the giant Northerner she didn't look much of a threat; in fact she looked very much like a twig that would break under a little pressure from a well placed boot. Despite that, there wasn't a meanness to the laughter but an odd warmth, as though everyone would quite enjoy watching the young girl get one over on the seasoned warrior.

Sera stalked back to the fire to check on the fire, her dimpled smile dampening the effect of her threat somewhat, and after a taste and a little more seasoning she announced dinner was ready. There was a sudden rush of movement as peopled lined up for their serving.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin let the others eat first, he always did.

It was a part of the Band, letting others enjoy their meal and making sure that they got their fill before he ever did. The gesture was a small one, but it was enough that many had appreciated over the years. Especially when times were more lean.

Eventually things began to settle down.

Everyone had their meal, everyone was sitting near the fire, and a certain calm descended over the camp. Solgrin watched things quietly, sitting on a rock as he slowly ran a hand through his hair.

When Sera came wandering over Solgrin addressed her. "We'll be in the village soon, Tel Amos not long after that."

He told her quietly, keeping his voice down as others were falling asleep around them.

 

[Serafina]

Her father had always taught her a good cook cleaned up before she ate, which was why she was finding a spot to eat whilst others were thinking of sleep. She had intended to go sit with Nipper but paused when Solgrin spoke and, taking the unspoken offer she scrambled up on to the rock and ate quietly as he spoke.

"Do you want me to start acting in the village?" she asked after swallowing a mouthful of stew in a dainty manner that spoke of her upbringing and not her current situation. With a chunk of bread she soaked up the last of the juices around the bowl and then popped it into her mouth, savouring the taste. "Or will your connections there keep our secret?" she licked her finger and glanced up at him. The moonlight bleached her blonde hair almost white in its rays and her eyes truly did sparkle like sapphires as they caught the glint of stars.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin nodded his head. "You and the other girls will have to start acting."

There was no doubt some people would be suspicious, especially considering that they were buying armor and the like, but...there was no other choice. Those who saw them would just have to be fooled, or paid off. Either way it would behoove them to get more practice anyway.

"I have a few friends, but even I'm not charismatic enough to charm a whole village." He chuckled dryly.

"The lower our profile the better." He told her. "We'll be getting some horses too, at least for you three."

They looked better than the Wargs.

 

[Serafina]

Sera's lips curled into a whisper of a smile at his self deprecating joke but she didn't move to point out it was not usually his charisma that silenced towns.

"As much as I've grown to like Nipper I am quite glad to be getting on a horse again," she sighed and leant back on her elbows. It forced her to tilt her chin up and she took the opportunity to admire the sky as she lounged there. For a moment or two she was quiet and contemplative though her silence might have been mistaken for quiet joy at the sight before her. When she spoke it was hesitant and slow.

"I'm still not sure I'll pass for a lady," a frown puckered her brow.

 

[Solgrin]

"You'll do fine." Solgrin assured her.

Like he has said, it would be easier than she assumed. There wasn't really much to acting like a "noble", just having your chin held high and your attitude like no one would ever truly stand against you. That was the mark of a noble.

At least from his experience. "The Village will be good practice."

He told her.

"They won't know what to look for, and if they don't believe." Solgrin shrugged. It wouldn't really matter all that much in the end.

 

[Serafina]

The young girl didn't look convinced but neither did she push the matter. It was one thing to watch nobility and how they acted, another to be that way herself. Instead she watched the stars twinkling high above them and listened to the soft noises of sleeping men about them.

"I know you don't want to tell me your greater plans yet, but... what do you want to do after?" Sera asked the night. She didn't dare look at him in case he chose not to answer. If he slipped away then all she would have to do was pretend she was talking to the stars and not a person. She lay further back on the rock and twined her fingers together to form a cushion against the rough stone. Her hair pooled about her like a white halo that gave off a soft glow as it caught the rays of the moonlight.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin considered for a moment.

Did he want to share his whole plan with her? No. Did she deserve to know? He wasn't entirely sure about that either. The plot was a careful one, something that most everyone in his Band didn't even know. "It depends."

He said, offering a snippet of truth.

"How powerful the gem is, which one of them catches up." Solgrin did not have to tell her which 'them' he spoke of. "Ideally I would find another piece of the gem."

There were two other pieces, two other parts that they still had to hunt out. "But that may not be possible."

Especially if the others were close.

 

[Serafina]

A faint smile touched her lips and slowly she turned her face towards him though it seemed an effort to tear her gaze away from the star studded sky.

"No, I mean... after," she made a gesture that suggested she meant everything. The gem hunting, the fight, his mission. When it was all done and dusted whatever it may be, what would he do? "What will you do with your freedom?" For the moment she chose to believe he would keep his word and the pair would part ways once he was done with her. She had her own ideas, barely formed out of fear he would change his mind, but the fact she had been able to ponder them had made her think about what it was he would do too.

"Travel... settle down... take up farming?"

 

[Solgrin]

He smiled softly at her.

There was an optimism to ignorance, one that he wished that he could still hold. It was something that he had seen in her from the beginning, and something that he couldn't really hold against her either. He had never felt it himself, though he wish he had.

Solgrin pondered for a moment, wondering if he should tell her the truth or if he should simply keep it to himself.

After a moment he took a breath. "I will be dead."

He said in simple answer.

That was why what he had told her was not a lie, why it had always been so easy to speak of her freedom. He was under no illusion of time, of what was pressing in on him. He knew the weight that was settling down upon him.

"There is a reason my body heals so quickly." Solgrin explained. "And it means my life is much shorter than most."

 

[Serafina]

His answer was like have a bucket of ice cold water thrown over her. She sat up abruptly, the pleasure and serenity that she had been taking from their surroundings and the lull in the day was gone. Instead as always with Serafina a million emotions played themselves out across her face like a complicated play. She bit the inside of her cheek, worried at her lower lip. Confusion, disbelief, even a spark of anger all swam in her eyes. There were a thousand questions she wanted to ask but which one first?

"Why are you doing this then?" she breathed, eventually. "This is all... for... nothing?" her brows pulled down into a confused frown. If he believed he was going to die then... then why bother? Why did he seek to be a free man? Death, at the end of the day, was the ultimate freedom from this world. The thought made her feel sick. Had she truly been put through all of this for a man's dying wish, one that he wouldn't even be able to enjoy the fruits of?

 

[Solgrin]

He smiled slightly, noting the slight breathlessness to her voice. "Freedom comes in many forms."

There was something left unsaid there, though it was not because he wanted to keep more secrets from her. There was a...lack of understanding there, something that in truth he did not really understand either. An aspect of his curse that was hidden.

He took a breath.

"What gives me life, what lets me stay here, is a curse." Solgrin said simply. "My freedom comes from when this curse is gone. That is what I want. What I need."

Otherwise he would find a fate far worse than this world. "I want to die."

Because he could not.

 

[Serafina]

"And you need this magic to break the curse..."

Sera finished in a quiet whisper. She searched his eyes for a moment longer then let her gaze draw away to look anywhere but at his face. The emotions that churned inside of her were hard to make any sense of not least of all because they were emotions she hadn't expected to feel. First came a sense of being adrift suddenly. Before she had thought that he were aiming to do something grand like seize land or titles, then as she had grown to know him she had thought it was about revenge. Now... now there was no big daring fight to be had. It repulsed her, too, in a way. She might have wished it but to now know her destiny... her purpose was to kill him made her feel sick.

She didn't want to do it.

"Why... why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me believe..." that he was a monster?

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin considered for a few seconds. "It is a truth that not many know."

In fact, there was only one other who knew the truth about what his curse was, and that man was now his enemy. A hand gently ran through his beard, scratching at it as though a motion made in anxiousness. A feeling that utterly foreign to him.

He breathed for a second.

"It did not seem relevant." Solgrin said quietly. "My promise was that you would be free, and it will be so."

He explained. "I have lived a violent life, Serafina."

Solgrin said quietly.

"Death is the least of what I deserve." His words were near a whisper.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina opened her mouth to protest but the words dried on her lips. The truth was she knew what he was - what he had done - and his sentencing was just. Many might call it a mercy for the troubles he had caused over the years. Yet... yet there wasn't all darkness inside of him. He had allowed her to glimpse it a few times and the Bandits too had shared their stories over the winter months. It seemed to her as though he had simply forgotten to see how his actions were sometimes not wrong. Perhaps born out of selfish reasons but in the end life saving. No fewer than a dozen had told her they owed their lives to him.

Instead of speaking her fingers gently soothed the anxious scratching tick and then leaned forward. Her kiss was as soft as a butterflies wings; hesitant and yet as sweet as honey.

"Thank you for telling me," because now she understood, even if she didn't necessarily like what it meant for their future. They were bound now in more ways than one.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin smiled softly at her.

There was nothing left to say, nothing that he could add which would give her some hidden insight or fact that she did not already know. His death was inevitable, as sure as the sun rising on the next day. He had never doubted such a thing, and now neither would she.

It was something he had come to accept, something that he had known would happen for years now. It was why he had done what he did, why he had taken her. His death was assured as soon as the curse was broken.

It was the only thing he desired.

"I'll ask you not to tell the others." Solgrin said simply, knowing that if the knowledge spread it would quickly pass to the others. He did not need them to try and save them, did not need them wondering or concerned.

Their focus was more important than that.

 

[Serafina]

"I promise."

It was a nice moment, just the two of them in the middle of their sleeping band of men and women. She knew that each of them would have rather died than allow what Sol wanted come to pass but Serafina understood. In fact, she felt like she understood him far more than she had before. The passionate drive he had for this mission, the relentless way he drove them - herself included - it all made sense now. This was beyond simple revenge and freedom from the men who still stalked them. This was freedom from something far greater.

"What if it doesn't work?" there was no record of the full extent of the gems power. Marcell had died with the secret intentionally and the legends that had sprung up since were based only on rumour.

 

[Solgrin]

He considered the question for a moment. "Then."

What then?

It was a good question, and one he did not really have an answer for. Perhaps he would get what he deserved. Perhaps the curse would take him and the brand upon his soul would swallow him just as had been promised.

Many would be gleeful at the very prospect.

"Then I suffer for my crimes." He said quietly. "Instead of escaping them."

Solgrin sounded almost resigned.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina's eyes flickered between his own, searching, hunting for something in those deep amber hues. She wasn't sure what it was though. Hope? A flicker of doubt? Some sort of sense that he didn't want to go through with this? It seemed death was better than death by this curse and to ask him to live was to ask him to suffer it.

"We'll find a way to break it," she promised with the innocence and conviction of a youth who only knew hope and not despair. Her fingers brushed across his cheek.

"We should sleep, tomorrow is a big day."