Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Serafina]

"Dancing is very fun when my partner isn't looking at me like this," Sera did her best impression of Solgrin's signature scowl. One of the bandits dancing past caught the look and burst out laughing, clearly impressed with the likeness. She took his hands and put them firmly on her hips before winding her own around his neck. She knew he was tense, could feel it in the subtle movement of every muscle, like a lion ready to pounce on its prey. She supposed it was just how soldiers were but she wished she could make him forget about what he was, what he had been, for at least an hour.

"Maaaaybe some wine would loosen you up too," she grinned mischievously.

 

[Solgrin]

He smiled. "Maybe."

The trouble was that someone had to remain sober. Solgrin knew that better than most. He had won a battle or two simply because the other side had decided it was important to get drunk the night before. Silly as it was, that still stuck in his mind.

It would be days before anything could go awry, but he couldn't keep such things form his head.

That was what made him good, or perhaps that had ruined him for any semblance of a normal life. Solgrin wasn't sure which.

"I did have an ale." He countered. "But Someone dragged me to dance before I could even touch it."

The Bandit Chief reminded her.

 

[Serafina]

"You should drink quicker then, old man," she retorted with a quirked brow and a playful smile.

She didn't let him go back to the ale though. Instead they danced and swayed, spun and twirled in tune to the new song. The band seemed to be enjoying having appreciative members of the audience to play for for once and the bandits seemed more than happy to relax for once. This time, however, when the song came to a stop Sera made sure to take Sol with her back to the bar, plopping herself down into the stall to sip some more of her wine whilst pushing the ale over to Sol with raised brows.

 

[Solgrin]

As Serafina pushed over his mug of ale he pushed back with a glass of water.

The sign was not exactly a subtle one.

She could always drink as much as she wanted to, of course, but he wasn't going to stop looking out for her at this point.

Fingers wrapped around the mug of ale, his nose catching a whiff of it's scent. A crinkle appeared within his forehead, lips thinning. "Maybe it'd be smarter to have the wine."

The bandit chief said quietly as he took a long draught of the ale.

It's taste was something between hops and...well whatever vile water happened to run through this accursed town. He was pretty sure he'd had better ale in the sewers of Alliria. Not that he was about to say that out loud. Not the least cause the Innkeeper was nearby.

 

[Serafina]

Sera stared at the glass of water mournfully but at the mention of wine her eyes flickered up with hope.

"Yes! Try the wine - Marion!" she called to her newfound friend. The innkeeper finished serving one of the other bandits before sidling along to where the two were sat. Again she gave Solgrin a slow once over before turning to Sera with a warm smile. "Can we get a bottle of that wine please?"

"Of course, Sugar," the woman's smile broadened before she turned to fetch another bottle of red. She returned quickly with another glass for Solgrin which she then filled in front of him. She left the bottle before moving off to deal with another and Sera topped up her own glass, ignoring the water.

 

[Solgrin]

Once upon a time, when he'd been young, drinking a whole bottle of wine had been like pissing into the ocean.

That was to say it hadn't really made much of a difference at all.

He hadn't been sure then if it was part of the curse or something else all together. Now he knew that it was simply the aptitude of youthfulness that had allowed him to drink so much. It had come in handy then, though he was sure it might have now as well.

"The wine is a bit better." Solgrin admitted finally as he took a deep sip of the drink.

"I'm guessing the ale i-" He cut himself off as he caught Marion staring from the corner of her eyes. "Good wine..."

The Bandit Chief just said.

 

[Serafina]

Sera sniggered into her wine cup at the look Marion was casting in his direction.

"You're going to get us kicked out and you're not even drunk!" she giggled and shook her head. The other woman sniffed and went on to serve someone else. It was probably the best night of business she had had in a long time. Maybe she had wanted to know how long they were staying so she could work out how long the stream of money would last for.

"It's Oban wine, see," she turned the bottle round so he could see the seal. It wasn't the best but it was certainly still a good wine.

 

[Solgrin]

"Ah." Well that explained it. Oban did tend to make good wine, not his favorite, no that came from fields out near Mallian. That wasn't to say that many would agree with him, in fact his tastes were probably more eclectic than not.

"Well." He wondered briefly how Marion had managed to get ahold of something of that quality in a town like this. "I suppose I best drink it then."

Solgrin said as he tipped the chalice back. "Lest it go to waste."

A smile touched his face. Maybe just this once he could play along. Relaxing for someone like him did not come easily, or naturally, but he supposed that every one in a while everyone needed to do it.

Even him.

 

[Serafina]

Drinking, it turned out, was almost as fun as dancing.

Three bottles of wine later and Sera was arguing about having to go to bed. Most of the others had drifted off to the haylofts or the bedrooms upstairs in a cheery manner. There were a few brave souls still lingering downstairs playing a game of cards or finishing up a pint but even the band were packing up to head to their homes with yawns and quite plump purses. It had been a successful night for all.

"One more dance, please?" she begged.

 

[Solgrin]

"No no." She had fallen behind on their bargain, way behind.

"You didn't drink any water." As it turned out, a natural constitution for drink kept the swimming of his head at bay, though he could tell that he was about as drunk as he'd been in years. He frowned for a moment. "Needed more water."

The Bandit Chief reminded her, pressing his finger to the tip of her nose. "Had more than enough dances."

And drinks, for that matter.

 

[Serafina]

Sera went cross-eyed as the followed the finger to her nose then pouted.

"Wine is basically -hic- water, you -hic- agreed!" She whined and folded her arms over her chest stubbornly. And she had drunken more than enough of that to have earnt another dance though her feet throbbed in protest. When they hadn't been drinking they had been dancing. She spied the band quietly exiting.

"Oh no, please don't go!" she made to start after them.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin shook his head as the band made their way out of the hall. She couldn't hold it against Serafina, not really. There had been so very little joy for her in the last few months. Nothing to celebrate, nothing to really look forward to.

Even as the band stepped out of the room Solgrin reached out and gently caught her arm.

It was late, those men were probably tired, and he didn't want to force them to stay later than they actually wanted to. "One more dance."

He told her.

"I'll sing." Solgrin told her softly.

 

[Serafina]

"You'll... sing?" Sera asked in a tiny voice of utter awe.

Perhaps it was just what she had seen of him over the last year but singing wasn't something that she would have ever imagined Solgrin having a talent for. Almost shyly she nodded and let him tug her back towards him and into his embrace. She leant her head against his chest and shut her eyes as they begun to sway and she waited for him to sing.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin nodded his head. "Yes."

There were a few talents that he'd always had. The ability to sing was one that he had all but forgotten. It was something he didn't have cause to use, not often anymore, but that didn't meant it had gone away. He took in a slow breath.

Then he began to sing.

It was a slow song, a soft song. It seemed to echo out in the tavern better than one might have come to expect. It's sound carrying just loud enough for the two of them to dance along to.

His arms wrapped around her loosely as the song continued, even as the moon rose well into the sky.

 

[Serafina]

If the seeds hadn't sprouted long ago, Sera thought she would have fallen in love with him that night.

Dancing to the soft lull of his song just the two of them, the other bandits slipping away as though sensing the intimacy of the moment... Sera couldn't have cared less. About any of it. About any of them. She just never wanted to leave the feeling of his arms in that moment. She strained to commit every single second to her memory so she would have it even when he was gone. The thought of him leaving made her tighten her grip a little but she kept her face turned away, lost herself in the song.

When it finally came to an end she sighed and stopped. Sober and yet not.

"That was beautiful," she whispered and finally looked up at him, a tear rolling down her cheek.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin smiled for a few seconds, the time seemed to have gone on without much of a thought at all. It seemed to have slipped through their fingers without much of a thought at all. His fingers laced over her for a brief moment more.

"I suppose." He mused quietly. "Seems I haven't quite lost the talent just yet."

His head shook. "A surprise for us both."

For some reason he had thought that perhaps he'd have slipped, or forgotten some of the words. It had all come flowing back to him though. Every word fell into line, every thrum of his throat. "We should get to bed."

Solgrin mused quietly.

 

[Serafina]

"We should," didn't necessarily mean they would or wanted to. Sera slid one of her hands up his chest and round the back of his neck then, slowly, rocked onto the balls of her feet and tugged him down into a slow kiss. Her eyes slid shut as she enjoyed the moment, the feeling making butterflies flutter in her gut and her toes curl. She let her lips linger near his even after the kiss ended before slowly dropping back to her feet and looking up at him, biting her bottom lip. It had been days since she had told him she loved him in a fit of emotional despair. He hadn't seen a thing in return but she was beyond caring, her conscious clear.

"But do you want to?"

 

[Solgrin]

There were a thousand thoughts in his head.

Most of them were of misery. Most of them were of the things that he deserved and didn't know in this world. Solgrin knew what he had done in this world. What he deserved, what fate awaited him even after all of this was done.

Even without the curse he knew it. "It's hardly ever wanted what I wanted."

Solgrin said softly.

"Not in a long time." At least it felt that way. "But I suppose I don't."

The Bandit Chief finally said in answer to her.

 

[Serafina]

Sera tried not to let it sting like she always did when he did not return the emotions that she felt. She knew that they were born from a dark place but she chose to ignore them. The cage might have been left open but perhaps she was content to stay in there herself. So she just let the serenity of the moment smooth over the bump as she continued to run her thumb along his bearded jaw. Her eyes followed the flow of her fingers before returning to his eyes.

"What do you want to do?"

 

[Solgrin]

For a few seconds Solgrin simply let the silence linger within the room. They were alone here, the place was practically empty.

He wondered if it was always like this, quiet at the end of the day. The town was small, and there were hardly any visitors. So maybe it was so. Not that it mattered in the least, not now. He smiled down at Serafina, taking a breath.

"Well." Solgrin said softly. "See if you can guess."

Then without another word he suddenly grabbed Serafina and hoisted her into the air.

With one swift motion he pulled her up and over his shoulder, taking half a dozen steps towards and up the staircase at the other end of the Inn.

 

[Serafina]

Sera let out a small squeak as she was plucked from the ground and thrown over his shoulder like a burlap sack. But then she begun to laugh a breathless kind of giddy laugh.

"Are we going to play drinking games?" she asked, feigning innocence. She snagged a bottle as they strode past a table with one on anyway, just in case.

 

[Solgrin]

The sound of Serafina's shrieking would probably wake up half the Inn, if not the town, but Solgrin was far from caring. He wrapped his arm tightly around her waist so that she wouldn't fall from his arm, and then began to walk up the stairs.

"Shh." He said, quieting her.

"You'll wake up the whole damn town." Though he didn't sound all that concerned. "Won't be no games at all if they come running."

That was certainly true.

Though he doubted that anyone in this town was ready to come running for...well pretty much anyone.

 

[Serafina]

Telling a drunk person to be quiet had never gone well. In fact, if Sera had shut her mouth and actually gone silent, Solgrin would have found a cluster of historians on his doorstep the next morning jibbering to record the phenomenon. What the Bandit Chief got instead was a series of snorts and giggles as the drunk woman tried to hush herself and failed spectacularly.

"Has anyone told you, Chief, that you have a really nice butt?" to demonstrate her point, she pinched it.

 

[Solgrin]

Just as Serafina pinched his bottom Solgrin kicked open the door to their room, a smart yelp echoing from his lips. "Ey!"

He called out to her, his voice louder than hers had been.

The Bandit Chief took two quickened steps into the room, and then with a lurch tossed Serafina onto the large featherbed that sat in the center of the room. It looked to be on the more comfortable side, with far more blankets than it had any right to need.

"Watch it." He told her as he walked over and sparked his hand onto her bottom. "Or else, miss."

Solgrin said with a click of his tongue.

 

[Serafina]

The reaction only elicited more sniggering from the woman slung over his shoulder and she took a swig of the bottle she had snagged from the table on the way up. It was lucky she had just removed it from her lips when Solgrin threw her bodily onto the bed. Another squeal came and wine sloshed over her hand though thankfully only a few flecks stained the sheets. She threw him a pout and a frown for nearly wasting her wine which earnt her a firm smack.

A sly grin curled her lips and she set the wine firmly to the side.

"Or else what?" she purred and gently tugged his shirt free of his trousers and tugged him onto the bed with her. "I think you best show me," she whispered when he was close enough to kiss.