Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Solgrin]

He kissed her, dragging his lips over hers as his hand gently grasped at her thighs. "Oh I most definitely will."

There wasn't a question of that, not at his point.

Despite the nightmare going on around them. Despite all the tension and all that was happening in the little village. Serafina and Solgrin slipped into the night like two lovers in a little village. There was never any question of their joy, in fact, most of the Inn would be able to attest to that.

It was a night of remembrance, of joy, of fun, of...everything that would could imagine really. By the time dawn came, Solgrin lay comfortably within the bed. He was half sprawled, in the bed, one leg kicked out beyond the edge of the mattress.

He snoozed quietly, his head lulled on the pillow to the left.

 

[Serafina]

Sera had never felt so... satisfied. She imagined this was how cats felt when they lay stretched out in the sun with that contented look on their faces that was almost a smile. The wine, the fiery night with him, and the soft feather bed after a week of rough terrain were the recipe she needed for a long and deep night sleep. The sounds of a town coming to the peak of the morning rush were what finally dragged her from her sleep and with a yawn and rolled over to the man beside her and the warmth he radiated. Much like that metaphorical cat, Sera stretched herself out against his side and rested her cheek on his chest.

She would have sold everything she had to stay there.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin continued to lay in bed, snoozing and resting comfortably. It was rare that he slept in, rarer still that he would not find himself angry at the fact that he had.

The village would be quiet for some days yet. The Necromancers would take time to find out what had happened here and it was likely that even then another few days would pass before they would send their emissary. They plenty of time to wa-

THUD THUD THUD.

The sound of someone banging on the door made Solgrin snap his eyes open. A groan escaped him, hand dragging pillow over his face.

He frowned, then it came again.

THUD THUD THUD.

"WHAT!?" Solgrin shouted through the door. There was a pause, and then someone called back.

"Sol...they...they're gone! Left in the middle of the night! Einar and Maria!"​

 

[Serafina]

Sera's fingers curled into a fist atop her lovers chest. Just one day. She'd just wanted one day.

"We'll be down in a second, Kai," she said tiredly to the young bandit beyond the door. There was a pause and then the footsteps quick marched away down the corridor and the steps to the lower floor. She sighed, twisting slightly so she was half over him before she leant down and claimed his lips in a slow, leisurely kiss. Just one more second of that perfect night.

"I get one day, before you go," she whispered against his lips and held his gaze. That was her price of repayment. One day. With a grimace of reluctance she then rolled off the bed and hurried to get dressed. Einar missing was not a good thing even if Maria was with him.

 

[Solgrin]

"A day." Solgrin agreed with a nod.

It would have to be enough.

There was many debts to repay, but this one was one that he could at least put at the top of the list. He smiled for a brief moment, and then gave her one soft squeeze before taking a deep breath as she slipped free from him and the bed.

Solgrin quickly followed after her, sliding on his trousers and boots. His cloak was grasped as he walked towards the door, glancing back to make sure Serafina was dressed before pulling open the latch. "Where did they go?"

It was a question he already had an answer to.

"Don't know. Didn't take any wargs or horses so..."​

"Temple." He finished the sentence.

 

[Serafina]

Sera finished braiding her hair whilst she followed Sera back down the stairs. There were no smirks this morning thrown in her direction for their loud exploits. Everyone looked pensive. Concerned. They all knew that no good would come from Einar wandering off in a town like this so close to his daughters body. Even Marion seemed to have caught onto the mood for she kept her head down and went about the morning duties with a sombre expression.

Something about it seemed... odd.

"We sent Scout to look," Scout was the youngest Bandit and found it easy to blend in. But Einar would surely know to be on the look out for him and so Sera frowned.

"And he's not back?" Would Einar kill one of their own? She was sad to realise she didn't know.

 

[Solgrin]

There was a shake of the head.

"Fuck." A groan escaped Solgrin's lips. "Fool is going to get himself killed. Both of them killed."

Solgrin immediately corrected. There was no way in seven hells that Einar would kill Scout, maybe one of the others, but not Scout. More likely he knocked the boy unconscious and threw him behind a boulder somewhere. Not good for the head, but Sol doubted he was dead.

Another curse escaped the Chief's lips. "I'm going after them."

His hand rubbed over his face.

"I need my warg, and..." Fuck, what the hell else did he need? The temple was a few miles away, but Einar and Maria had enough of a head start that he would have to hurry. "Fuck it."

Solgrin said as he cut towards the door.

 

[Serafina]

"I'm coming with you," Sera said as Solgrin stomped towards the door. She was worried too, worried that this situation was about to go sideways quickly and people would get hurt, but also worried that Solgrin wasn't thinking entirely straight. Besides, maybe her magic would be able to be of some use here. A few of the other Bandits were moving too and she didn't try to dissuade them; Einar was a force and it might take more than a few of them to keep him down.

She had to half jog to catch up with him.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin glanced back for a few seconds, mulled it over in his head, and then gave Serafina one quick nod.

Arguing would only delay things more, and there wasn’t any time. If Einar and Maria had set out before dawn they were likely half way there already. The warg would be able to catch up to them, but it would be a race no matter what.

Without another word Solgrin quickly made his way towards the stables where they had kept the beast. His mount picked up his head almost immediately, cocking to the side as he sensed the tension carrying within the Bandit Chief. Feet seemed to pick up for a moment, but Solgrin didn’t even bother throwing a saddle onto the creature.

Instead he grasped at it’s fur and quickly with one sweep pulled himself onto it’s back.

”Come on.” Solgrin urged Serafina as he extended a hand out towards her and quickly pulled her behind himself. Then with one quick kick he launched them out of the barn and sprinting through the middle of town. Rushing out and in the direction of the temple.

 

[Serafina]

Sera had followed Solgrin into the stables and was heading for her own warg when Solgrin simply vaulted onto the back of his. One of the first things he had ever taught her, aside from pain, had been that the saddles were important to ride the beasts correctly. Of course the leather strap around their middles was never removed and ensured they did not go into the frantic blood rage he had warned her about but the saddle protected... well everything. Wargs still had a habit of trying to bite their riders. When Sol offered out his hand however she didn't hesitate. She trusted him completely.

Once seated behind him she wrapped her arms about his waist and kept her legs up as high as she could and tucked behind Solgrin's. With one last apologetic look to Nipper the pair were gone.

 

[Solgrin]

The warg beneath them seemed to strum with life as it jaunted from the barn. Rushing so fast that it might as well have been a spring. The two of them sailed out into the open streets of the town, rushing out past two people who were holding a converastion.

One of them let out a curse, but Solgrin didn't care.

They moved as fast as he could push the creature, his fingers digging into it's fur as Serafina pulled herself tightly behind him. The danger without a saddle never presented itself in his mind, the thought of what could happen never even entering his mind.

All he could think about were his friends.

What they'd gotten themselves into.

Within seconds the two of them rushed out into the field beyond the Town, the Warg loping in great strides as it sprinted forward. Solgrin narrowed his eyes, head swiveling, frantically searching for his companions.

 

[Serafina]

It wasn't long before they saw their first signs of where Einar and Maria had gone.

Scout stepped out onto the dirt road that led from the town to the temple, clutching his head and stumbling as though he were drunk. Being about 12 he of course wasn't - the boy could hold his liquor better than Sera - and the blood gushing from a split in his temple was evident even at this distance. He begun to hold up a hand to flag them down then seemed to realise who they were and began waving more urgently.

"Scout!" Sera gasped when they pulled up alongside the boy. Half his face was covered in bruises.

"He laid a trap for me," he spat like an angry alley cat and rubbed at his battered skin with a wince. Sera thought she could see tear stains down his cheeks. "Said he weren't gonna stop until she were back and every last one of 'em was dead."

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin let out a curse. "The fool."

His head shook for a moment as he looked at Scout, lips thinning for a brief moment as he considered what to do.

"Sera." He knew that she wouldn't want to leave. Knew that she would want to go and stop Einar with him...but the Bandit Chief couldn't leave Scout here. Not in the state that he was in. His head shook for a moment, and he gave her the most pleading look she would ever have seen him don. "I need you to look after Scout."

Solgrin said quietly, not loud enough for the boy to hear. "I can't leave him here like this..."

The words were a whisper.

 

[Serafina]

Sera's gaze flickered between his with a torn look of her own. Of course she agreed with him that Scout couldn't be left on his own but Solgrin couldn't go charging off to see Einar and a whole host of necromancers on his own either. She warred with her decision but eventually she caved and nodded, sliding off the wargs back and quickly taking a step out of the range of the beasts bite. She collected Scout close to her and the boy, despite the pain, manage to look rather smug as he nestled against her side. Then gave Sol a rather innocent look.

"Just... be careful," she pleaded. "If you can't do it on your own, come back."

 

[Solgrin]

"I will." Solgrin said, and oddly enough, meant it too. He knew Einar, he knew Maria. The two of them together could overpower him easily enough. Neither was capable of killing him, but they wouldn't need to.

But Solgrin didn't plan to fight them. "Stay safe."

The Bandit Chief said as he nudged the warg forward and the two of them shot off like a bolt of lightning. Within seconds they crested down the hill and rushed into the open plains. Miles ahead he could see the Temple, and he knew that somewhere Einar and Maria were close.

His gaze flickered, searching.

It took ten, fifteen minutes, and then he spotted them.

They were moving along the ridge-line, cloaking themselves within the rocks. He only saw them because of a glint of light. He banked to the left, and then quickly rushed the warg towards the far rocks, playing what he'd say in his head over and over again.

 

[Serafina]

Sera watched him go with a tightening feeling in her chest. She was still staring long after he had vanished from view and the dust that the warg had kicked up in its flurry had settled. Scout tugged on her arm to get her attention.

"We should go back, Miss," he said softly and she tore her eyes from the horizon to look down at the young boy. Scout had a wormed his way into a soft spot in Sera's heart and whilst Solgrin held it, she couldn't deny the child either. Especially not with a battered face. She sighed and dropped to a crouch in front of him.

"Let me see if I can patch you up a little bit first."

 

[Solgrin]

An hour passed.

A long hour.

Time seemed to drag on. As though it were playing some sort of cruel trick upon Serafina. Every minute was a heavy weight. Every second was an age. It all seemed to take longer than it should have. All seemed to last far more than it should have.

Then finally Solgrin came back into view.

He was on foot now, Maria walking beside him. Across the back of the warg lay a figure, his body slung into place and unmoving save for a slow rise and fall of his chest. The Bandit Chief had torn clothing, his cloak ripped, and his hair unkempt and out of it's tie.

Yet he seemed to be smiling, though only a little bit as he approached Serafina.

 

[Serafina]

It was Scout who spotted the group approaching first. Looking practically brand new after Sera's magic had healed the worst, he had been content to be the centre of attention and piled with food but he had still insisted on sitting by the window to the front of the inn so he could watch the road.

"They're back!" he proclaimed excitedly, jumping to his feet. Sera and the others glanced at one another, some with grim set jaws - nobody knew what state any of the three were going to come back in. Standing slowly she hesitantly went to the door then forgot all decorum at the state Solgrin appeared to be in.

"Sol," she breathed and rushed out to fling her arms around him. Convincing herself she was whole she moved her hands from around his waist to his cheeks, searching his eyes. "Are you okay?" A stupid question for a man who could heal himself she knew but... "Is everyone okay?" her eyes flickered to Maria and Einar.

 

[Solgrin]

Maria looked bashedly onto the floor, trying not to meet scouts eyes or Serafina’s. Her cheeks were colored red, though clearly out of embarrassment.

”Everyone is fine.” Solgrin said softly. His arms pressed around Sera for a brief moment before he drew back, glancing towards Einar and the Warg. His head shook and he let out a long sigh. ”He’ll have a headache.”

He said. ”But that’s the worst of it.”

Slowly Sol looked over towards Maria.

”Might have been worse if Maria hadn’t been there.” He knew instantly why she had gone with the other man. Why the two of them had gone, and had also counted on the fact that she would be the first to see reason.

“I just didn’t want him to get himself killed.”

She muttered quietly, finally looking up at the others.

 

[Serafina]

Sera let go of Sol to go and throw her arms around Maria. The woman blinked in surprise but returned the hug slowly, then a bit more tightly.

"As long as you're all okay," she said sincerely. Maria nodded and then glanced over at Solgrin with a wobbly smile; the open show of emotions had never been the Bandits way. Not before Serafina. Eventually she let go of her friend and stepped back.

"Marion has made food for everyone, come in," some other bandits stepped forward to help move Einar from the wargs back back to his room and Sera looped her arms around one of Maria's and one of Sol's to drag them inside. "What happened?"

 

[Solgrin]

Maria glanced awkwardly at Solgrin for a few seconds.

It was more than clear that she did not necessarily want to speak about what happened, and there was good reason for that. She was embarrassed, though there was little to no reason for that. "Einar decided he couldn't wait."

The Bandit chief said simply.

"Maria went with him to make sure he didn't get himself killed." That was at least what Maria had said, and he believed her. "When I got there Einar..."

He frowned, glancing at the unconscious man. "Didn't want to go back."

That was putting it lightly.

"So I convinced him, helpfully." Solgrin said with a shrug as they were pulled by Sera to a nearby table. "He'll be alright, just a bit angry."

 

[Serafina]

Sera's eyes were nothing but sympathy and understanding for the troublesome spot Maria was in.

"At least no realm harm was done," that plan hadn't been ruined. Einar would still be able to get his daughter back and the town would wind up in a better place than it was now under the thumb of the necromancers. Marion arrived not long after they'd sat down with some food and wine which was when Sera spotted Maria's own bruises.

"Oh! Let me," she smiled, so full of pride at what she had learnt when fixing Scout. She leant over and the soft golden magic that was still alien to her bloomed on the other woman's cheek. Bruises and cuts vanished almost like Solgrin's did.

"I can make sure Einar doesn't have too bad of a headache when he wakes."

 

[Solgrin]

"Let him keep it."​

Maria cut in before Solgrin could.

He hadn't been about to comment on Einar though, mostly on the step Serafina had taken with her magic. They were abilities that had shifted, changed, and improved for the better. He was proud in a way, though he supposed now wasn't the time to voice that thought.

"Might be a lesson for him."​

Solgrin glanced at her with a brief smile. "Might be."

The Bandit Chief agreed.

"Not that I can blame him much." He said ruefully.

 

[Serafina]

Sera exchanged a glance with Solgrin when Maria harshly put in her two cents. She looked about to continue on the argument and press her point at Sol's words but Sera gently put a hand on her forearm and drew the other woman's attention to her instead.

"You're tired, and you're angry - rightly so," she added quickly when Maria opened her mouth. It shut with a click. "Why don't you go lay down? We've got a few days yet, you've earnt a rest," it was hard to tell if Sera was weaving some other magic or if it was just her nature; soft, gentle, kind. Either way it worked for Maria's body suddenly slumped and she nodded, tiredness evident in every line of her face.

"I think... that's best," she stood and picked up the bowl of stew, then took it up to her room.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin watched for a brief moment, his head shaking. The situation was an utter mess, and he couldn’t help but wonder what everything else would turn into. There were still so many promises to fulfill, things to see to.

It would never end if it all went like this. At least not before he…his head shook. ”He’s right, in a way.”

Solgrin said softly.

”This isn’t going quickly enough.” It seemed silly for him to say, given everything he had spoken of on the virtue of patience. It was the right thing to do tactically, but…he would never last long enough to fulfill even half his word.

”I have to…” He looked at Serafina. ”I have to find a way to do this faster.”

The Chief gestured. ”All of this.”