Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Serafina]

The roar of her pulse was deafening in Sera's ears as she squeezed her eyes tighter and tried to get her panic under control. Even the comforting hand on her shoulder she barely felt through the storm that raged inside of her mind. All she could think about was how this was going to be her life until that gem was destroyed - if she could destroy it at all. Marcell had tried in order to keep this magic from the world and all he had done was manage to fragment it. What if that was all she could do? What if--

Her breathing began to grow short and ragged and the colour drained from her rosy cheeks as she fell further into the dark tunnel of the future.

She drove the heels of her palms into her eyes as though somehow she could stop herself from seeing and hearing the words that her mind whispered to her. He's the same, you're just a bird in a gilded cage, they're all the same. You'll never be free. Never.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin slipped from his chair.

His arms suddenly enveloped Serafina in his arms. Muscles flexed ever so slightly, bringing her close to him whether that was where she wanted to be or not. He could feel the turmoil within her. The doubt, the fear, the anguish.

All of it was there. He knew the cause, the why. Whatever bond had formed between them made it almost glaringly obvious. "Years end."

He told her softly.

"Years end you'll be free." That was another promise, one that he could keep. One that he was sure of. Spring was here now, and that gave them months to find the other pieces and put and end to all of this.

They could do that.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina's fatal flaw was that she wanted to be loved.

Not the type of love where people threw themselves at your feet and worshipped the ground you walked on. No, Sera wanted that sense of protection, care, safety that came with love. It was why, when Solgrin put his arms around her and despite the voices in her head, she melted into the warm expanse of his chest. She hid her face there and breathed in the scent of pine, fur and steel that was him. It eased the ache in her chest and the panic too. Her tears started slow and then they were a river soaking his shirt.

"What - if - you - go - and - I'm - still - stuck?" she managed to get out in between great gulping sobs.

 

[Solgrin]

"That will not happen." He stated plainly.

There was such authority, such command in his voice that it was hard not to believe him. Solgrin was hardly the authority on the gem, hell on any sort of magic, but that didn't matter much in his mind. Not with this.

"You will take your freedom." Solgrin said quietly. "As I will take mine."

He reinforced. "Magic is finite."

That much even he knew.

"What is locked can be unlocked, and what is hidden can be found." Once the Gem was together that would be easier. "You just have to try."

Solgrin said as though it were that simple.

 

[Serafina]

Sera wanted to believe everything he said to her but her doubt was like a worm eating its way to the core of an apple. Still, she managed to calm herself enough that the tears stopped and the panic attack passed. Whilst he was with her she knew that even if she hadn't wanted what he offered he would make it happen; Sol was as unstoppable as a storm. Nothing could stand in the way of what he wanted and she fully believed he would move mountains to see it come to be. So, for now, she could believe he would get her there.

The problem would be when he left her.

"Sorry," she whispered and drew back slowly, wiping the tears from her cheeks even though they still glimmered in her blue eyes. "I'm just... so scared."

 

[Solgrin]

"There is nothing to fear." He drew back a bit so that she would see his face, the stoicness of it, the way that he held himself in that moment.

It was something he had learned early on, something that he had learned when in front of his men. A general always had to believe he could win. No matter how bad the odds, no matter the terror, the horror. It was his job as a leader to believe.

"You have the potential for this." He told her. "You have been training, practicing."

Solgrin reminded her. "Step by step. That fear will slip away."

His words were soft, quiet. "Just keep going, and you'll find everything you've been scared of was nothing at all."

 

[Serafina]

If a month ago someone had told her that she would one day wish to be like the Bandit Chief who had stolen her from her home and beaten her to within an inch of her life, she would have laughed in their face. Yet today she squared her shoulders like he did, sat up taller and wished with all her heart she could have just a shred of the fearlessness he displayed right then. Doubt still hung at the corners of her eyes like stubborn shadows in the face of midday sun but she did nod at his words and then wipe at her face some more.

At least she was trying.

"We should go... he'll wonder where we are."

 

[Solgrin]

"Take a breath." Solgrin told her softly.

There wasn't any need to rush.

Tellim was a patient man, and he would not question any sort of time that they took. At least not if he knew what was good for him anyway. "There isn't any pressure here."

There wouldn't be until the morning.

Sometimes it would not due to rush these things. He would not push her into the same room as a man slowly being pulled by temptation. Not until he was ready. He doubted that his old Lieutenant would make a move, at least while he was there, but he would not discount the possibility either.

It was better to wait until she was ready.

 

[Serafina]

Sera followed his order and her chest rose with a deep in take of breath, and then fell as she released it in a slow and controlled manner. It was a gesture she repeated twice more before she felt a little more stable in her mind and was able to look down at the journal between them. She needed a distraction from her worries and as always the temptation of learning something new drew her out of her cloud of depression.

She pushed the book towards him, left open on the page she had found. Carefully sketched was none other than the woman from her dreams right down to the ring on her finger.

"Mistress Bel, she's a singer in the court circles and performs at large events," she wiped absentmindedly at her still damp cheeks as she read from the page.

 

[Solgrin]

He nodded his head. "That's good to know."

Mistress Bel.

Why did that name seem familiar? He glanced down at the image for a moment, frowning as he tried to drag up some ancient memory that was now long past. Lips thinned for a moment, but for some strange reason he couldn't quite recall.

"She'll be at the Gala." He said confidently. If he could be sure of anything, he could be sure of that. "Performing most likely."

Which gave them a nice opening. "A good find."

He assured her with a smile.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina answered with her own smile and a slight reddening of her cheeks: she still wasn't used to getting compliments from him.

"Thank you. I have to hand it to your man, he is very thorough with his assignments," she leafed through a few more pages which were full of similarly detailed descriptions of the nobility and key figures of note. She stopped in a helpful family tree which showed how they were all related to one another in some way or other. It was always the way with nobility in her experience.

"The Gala is tomorrow night so we should have enough time to arrive there in the morning, settle in then go that evening. It'll appear as though we've come just for the event," which was less suspicious.

 

[Solgrin]

He nodded his head. "Good."

The timing worked out, it was just their arrival that they would have to get right. Everything was set, but plans rarely ever worked out the way that you wanted to. Specifically when they became larger and with more moving parts.

"The Boys should be dressed up by then." His hand drew over his beard for a brief moment. "We'll have to set everything into place."

For a moment more he considered, then he slowly stood. "Right, I think we've let Tellim wait long enough."

He took a breath.

"Plus, I could use a meal." Solgrin said with a soft smile.

 

[Serafina]

"It will be nice not to cook," Sera admitted with her own answering smile. It wasn't that she minded cooking but it was always nice to have it done for you. She supposed for the next few days she would have to get used to the jarring change of pace of being waited on rather than doing the serving. As she stood she gathered up the journal and hugged it to her chest.

Servants pointed them in the direction they needed to go with a surprised look at every automatic thank you she murmured. When they finally reached the Winter Gardens their host had decided to eat in he rose to greet them with a worried expression.

"My lady Sera I really did not mean..."

She shook her head politely and offered a small reassuring smile.

"There's no harm in curiosity, please, it's forgotten. You had best feed Sol before he eats someone though," she joked playfully, glancing up at the Chief. For a moment Tellim looked shocked at the casualties of how she spoke to him but then he too laughed and motioned for them to sit.

 

[Solgrin]

Tellim had always enjoyed the finer things in life, and it seemed that now was no different than that. The table they were seated at appeared to be from the Falwood, and the china was equally rich. "You've done well for yourself."

He commented with a smile.

"Yes I took the gold we earned and invested heavily in Alum from the Spine. The Dwarves have been excellent business partners."​

Solgrin dipped his head in a nod. The world of business was not something he knew much about, though Tellim had always had a mind for such things. He had started in the army as a quartermaster, being an expert of logistics.

That was why Sol had contacted him for the armor.

"If you don't mind my asking, you don't intend to...do the usual to Tel Amos?"​

Solgrin perked an eyebrow for a moment, then shook his head.

"No." He said as he glanced at Serafina. "We will just be visiting and attending the Gala, like I told you. Everyone will be on their best behaviour."

It was easy to tell that Tellim likely had business in the city, and didn't want it to be ruined.

"Good, goo-aahhh here comes the food. I hope you enjoy it I had it picked out especially for tonight."​

 

[Serafina]

Serafina tried to hide her smile at Tellims comment; it was something she hadn't been convinced of either for quite some time when Sol had first mentioned this plan. All she had ever known with him was violence. But he was letting her have this chance to prove it could be done without bloodshed.

"Wow," she breathed as the food begun to appear. Once it started it didn't seem to end. There was shellfish and sizzling flamegrilled beef, pork that seemed to fall off the bone, vegetables she had never seen before, rices in a rainbow of colours and more. Far more than three could eat surely.

For a moment she sat stunned and then realised a servant was asking her what she wanted. Soon she found her plate piled high and she took an experimental bite.

"Mmmf. I need to get this recipe."

 

[Solgrin]

As the meal began Solgrin ate in a surprisingly delicate manner.

Unlike when they were around the Campfire, the Bandit chief seemed to almost eat like a King. Every fork was properly used, the knife was held in the right manner, and everything was carefully set in it's place. Just from the way he ate it was obvious that Solgrin had spent years among the nobility.

Tellim was much the same, though there was an awkwardness to the way he did it. For Sol it almost seemed natural, for his old friend it was a learned thing that was still being practiced.

"It is quite excellent." Solgrin said in agreement with Serafina.

"Thank you, I'll have to let the cook know. He will be well pleased with the praise."​

After that the conversation turned surprisingly innane, common. Tellim spoke of crops, trade, and Solgrin asked some questions about the local Lords and who he had to pay taxes to.

It was strange, almost too strange, given the experience Serafina had with Sol up until now.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina was less well versed with the different forks and knives than even their host. She could have told both men where they went in the kitchens down below but she had never had a reason to know what they all did. At each new course she would steal a glance at the two men and follow their lead in which utensil to pick up, mentally noting it would be best not to be caught eating at one of these events when she was pretending to be a lady.

They would discover her lies immediately.

Sitting quietly whilst men talked of business, however, she was used to and she fell into it quite contently even if it was a bizzare scenario. The Bandits hadn't cared for formal eating nor such polite conversation which is all she had associated with Sol. This was a different man.

"Are you going to the gala, Tellim?" she asked politely when the conversation seemed to run dry.

 

[Solgrin]

The former Lieutenant let out a bark of a laugh.

"No."​

He did not mean to insult Serafina of course, and thus he quickly addressed why he had laughed in the first place.

"Tel Amos does business with me, but I am...not of station enough to actually attend one of their great parties. The fact that Solgrin managed to even snag an invitation shows just how deep his connections still run."​

For a second Tellim looked at his old General with what might have been interpreted as a hint of jealousy. There was something about it that spoke volumes, though it quickly disappeared. "It's because they're afraid, not because they respect me."

Sol mentioned, trying to brush off the moment. He could read Tellim better than most.

"They think if they said no I would rampage through their little city." Tellim offered a smile, though it was clear there was some bitterness behind it.

 

[Serafina]

There was an odd tension that hung in the room as Sera's eyes flickered between the two men at either end of the table. It was like watching two predators circle each other in a wary dance where neither wanted to truly fight but couldn't hide their strength.

"I've never been to one before," Sera said in to the uneasy silence drawing Tellim's gaze. There was curiosity there. Clearly he didn't know a lot about her origins and she smiled faintly. "I was a servant, when Sol found me," curiosity turned to surprise as the lieutenant looked to his general and somehow it seemed to ease the bitterness.

"Well... let me tell you what I know, outsider to outsider," he smiled.

 

[Solgrin]

"Tel Amos is very rigid, structured."

Tellim probably knew more about the city than Solgrin did at this point. He had been there half a dozen times and rampaged through it's streets, but he'd never much been involved with the politics of the place. He mused for a moment as he listened, watching Serafina's reaction.

"There's a structure to things. Everyone has their place and their allowances. What they can and can't do. As your cover you'll be in the highest ranks of society."

Sol had known that much.

It was why he had picked it in the first place and why he'd insisted Nix and Violet joined in the cover. The trio would blend in perfectly well with those that surrounded them at the party.

"People will gossip."

Solgrin smirked.

"A lot. Women will ask about the men interested in your hand. Who at court has caught your eyes. What it's like back home. Even some of the men as well."

Nobles never changed. No matter where they were from.

"That's really what most of these Gala's are for. A chance for the Nobles and rich to talk and share information, and sometimes find suitors."

Though of course he added there would be dancing, eating, and several performers throughout the night.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina looked as uncomfortable as anyone would probably guess a servant would look if presented with this structured, confining way of living. For even though people looked down upon the cooks and the cleaners, the maids and the footmen, at least they had... freedom. In a sense. Their hearts were their own, they could cleave a path for themselves and decide what to do with their lives. It might not be comfortable and they might find themselves in jobs along the way they hated but...

"Who should I say I'm interested in?" she glanced to the book in front of her and pointedly not at Solgrin.

"I've made a note of a few in there," he nodded towards the book even as his eyes flickered between the two. Curiosity and... wariness there too. Perhaps he was wondering the same as her; would he be able to control his temper if she found herself with another man on the dancefloor?

Sera blew out a breath and slumped in her seat. Full and suddenly tired.

"You are both welcome to stay here the night if you wish..." he offered politely, noting the sudden change over his guest.

 

[Solgrin]

His head shook. "No."

Solgrin answered simply.

"We have rooms with the others." At least a few of them. There was no hostility to his words, no push back, just common logic. "You understand."

Tellim did not seem outwardly offended, only shrugging his shoulders as though the matter had simply been an offer. A smile crossed his lips and he slowly looked at the two of them.

"Perhaps it is best to call it a night then."​

The man offered, with Solgrin slowly pushing his chair back and nodding. "Aye. We'll meet before our departure tomorrow."

He was sure of that.

 

[Serafina]

"It was nice to meet you," Serafina said with a warm smile as she stood, even as the shadows clung to her eyes. Tellim returned the smile and took her hands in his to press kisses to both.

"The pleasure has been mine, sweet Sera," he held her gaze and added with a wicked smile. "If you ever get bored of him, you know where I am," she laughed softly, her cheeks taking on a soft pink hue before dropping his hands.

"I'll keep that in mind," she turned and picked up the journal before heading to the door to leave the two men to say their goodbyes.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin said his goodbye with the shake of a hand and a softly whispered threat.

They were words that came without remorse or thought. Tellim had been a good lieutenant, a loyal man, but he had abandoned the Band. That was all that really mattered to Solgrin in the end. He was not one of them, not one to be trusted.

Not that everyone in the Band could be trusted either. "That was a pleasant dinner."

He mused for a moment.

"Though I suppose in a few days you'll be eating nothing but the richest cooked goose." Solgrin said as they stepped onto the pathway and headed back towards the road. "Better start learning those forks."

He teased.

 

[Serafina]

Serafina's whole face went crimson.

"They weren't things we had in the mountains... so I guess Nyx couldn't really teach them to me," she said awkwardly. She wasn't sure if they would find them at the inn they were staying at either but maybe they could draw her a diagram. "Or maybe I just won't eat in front of other nobility whilst we're there..." she grimaced, debating whether or not she would even be able to keep the food down if she did.

As they wandered back down the gently sloping path to the town Sera rearranged her mask, the one Violet and Nyx had schooled into her, and casually looped Solgrin's arm through her own as though he were some common lackey and not a man who would take everything from her at one wrong move.

"Your friend was helpful, at the least," she looked to the journal in her other hand thoughtfully.