Private Tales The Legend's Heir

[Solgrin]

"Front." Solgrin answered quickly, his gaze shifting slightly to the smaller warg among the pack.

He would have to watch that.

The creatures respected dominance over most things, but bonds could be formed. That in it of itself wasn't problematic, it might even have been a good thing. Yet if she used it right the Warg presented an opportunity for escape.

That was something Solgrin couldn't allow. He would not go so far as to take the beast away or kill it, but he would have to watch the situation. Just another thing to pay attention to, another thing to add to his growing list.

It was going to be even harder in Illia.

Without waiting for her to say anything Solgrin came up behind the girl and grasped her hips. Like she was made of paper the Bandit Chief lifted her up and onto the Warg, quickly clambering up behind her just a second later.

 

[Serafina]

Sera gave a faint squeak of surprise when he picked her up, her hand having been mid stroke. The smaller warg gave her a dirty look as though it were her fault and then quickly trotted off when the much larger warg snarled at him. She watched it go with a pang, caught Sol's eye and quickly turned back the right way with a branding of red across her cheeks. She didn't need him to know she liked one of them, it would be another thing to kill when he was angry with her.

As usual everyone mounted up once the camp was dropped and set off at that quick odd lope the beasts had. In the cages of his arms Sera could actually worry less about riding the thing and more about taking in where they were.

She hadn't travelled much in her life and when she had it had been in carriages with far more interesting things inside the carriage to keep her occupied. The landscape now was all she had as entertainment for she doubted Sol would talk to her like she had with Violet or like the other Bandits did. So she kept an eye on the horizon and waited for the first view of this city.

 

[Solgrin]

The journey was a long one, as it had been for the last few days.

It took them three days this time, three days of hard riding. Each time they would make camp at night, each time Sol took those he trusted more and put them with the two girls. There were no tents of course, but on the second night Solgrin fashioned something of a sort for Serafina and her friend.

The gesture was one of feigned kindness, care, but he doubted either of the girls would be able to perceive the truth of the motive. More likely they would just be glad for the small reprieve. The other girl, Violet, was still on the edge of death, but she found something close to her voice during the second day.

Her life was important, but only in so far as it affected Serafina.

In the middle of the third day Illia came into view.

The city was not a large one, not like Alliria or Vel Anir, but big enough that it dwarfed the small town Violet and Serafina were from. The great stone walls stood tall, and it's massive cathedral could be seen from even miles away. Ships rested in the harbor, and a steady stream of wagons rolled into the gates. "Alright, everyone knows what to do."

Solgrin said as the Bandit's nodded, two thirds of them suddenly breaking off as the remaining bunch headed towards the main road.

 

[Serafina]

With Sol's kindness, or feigned kindness they should have really known, came the kindness or acceptance from some of the other Bandits too. Sera didn't know of course that he had put more Bandits in charge of their care, it was far more subtle than that. To begin with it was just Maria who chose to sit with the girls and eat rather than the rest of the group, then two others - a brother and sister pair - and a few more. By the last night they made up a group of roughly eight and it felt more... relaxed. She didn't flinch so much when someone moved, she didn't keep her eyes on the ground all the time. On the second night one of the men had even startled a laugh out of her with a joke.

She wouldn't forget what she was here, to him, but she also couldn't forget that conversation in the forest that night. As far as Sera could see she was stuck with him or someone who could be even worse like Ari.

Sera shifted uncomfortably in the saddle on that final day. One of the Bandits - Rob - had given her a pair of his spare breeches to ride in but she had never worn the things before and they still felt wrong. Besides, they were almost so big she could have fit down one leg easily. All of that was forgotten though when the city came into view. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened.

"It's huge..." her voice was hushed with awe. Even Violet seemed to look more alive as she took in the city ahead of them. It relieved her to see her friend sitting up again instead of slumped across Maria's lap. For a brief moment the girls eyes met and Violet mouthed a 'wow'.

"Are we allowed to know the plan now?" it had been kept from them for obvious reasons - the more they knew the more they could plan an escape. Yet, in truth, escape had been far from her mind. Violet needed medical help and whilst she was sick Sera wouldn't even entertain the idea of leaving.

 

[Solgrin]

"Illia is a proper city." Solgrin said as though that were almost enough of an explanation in it of itself, though he added on. "Things have to be handled more carefully."

Of course he had to put this to Serafina in a certain way, explain to her in such a manner that she would not get any ideas in her head.

"The City Watch will expect bribes. The governor will watch for anyone with influence. People will try to rob and steal." Surprisingly most of that wasn't actually a lie.

Illia ran on bribery and corruption.

There were not more many good men in Illia than one could find in Solgrin's band. Those in charge were out for themselves and little more. They cared for how they made their coin, not how they could help the common people.

"If we stay in smaller groups people will pay us less mind." Solgrin explained, then added. "And we'll be able to find a doctor for Violet more quickly."

That was a lie of course, but Serafina wouldn't know.

 

[Serafina]

A lie that would keep her on his leash.

"Okay," Sera nodded almost with determination and then glanced across at Violet. She was still watching the city but the excitement had passed and she looked tired and ill once more. The way she leaned back into Maria was for support and not comfort. Sera bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from spiralling into worry again then looked back ahead of them between the wargs ears.

Sol's description of the city had dampened her expectations. She had thought that the city would be... well like her home was. She missed it so much and thought something akin to it would lessen the homesickness a little. But he was right. As they drew closer she could see it was nothing like her home. For one, there were armed guards on the walls who looked as though they wanted an excuse to fire an arrow. Then as they moved further on into the city it was the people as well. Nobody called to one another or spoke more than they needed to. Sera shrank back against Sol subconsciously. It was clear she wouldn't be leaving his side of her own choice here.

"Maybe we don't need doctors..." she said quietly, hopefully. Maria dispelled that in an instance.

"Don't forget what I told you about not dying."

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin didn't say anything for what seemed like a long while after Maria spoke, though he finally answered. "She needs one."

It was a truth, though the truth of it was that Solgrin would not have cared if the other girl died if Serafina hadn't. He would have slit Violet's throat himself if she was not Sera's friend. Right now the girl was little more than a tool to him.

Another way to manipulate and twist the situation to what he desired.

"Not everyone here is bad." The Bandit Chief said, offering a small length of safety towards the girl. "It is just finding the ones who aren't that is the problem."

His tongue clicked, and the Warg they rode upon shifted and moved towards a road on the left. Most people practically ran away from them, clearly eager to avoid the great beasts. Eventually they reached a small building on a corner.

A sign hung just above the door, one depicting herbs and a strange surgical tool.

Solgrin slipped from the saddle without a word, gently grabbing Serafina and pulling her into his arms as Maria did the same with Violet.

 

[Serafina]

Despite Sol's words of reassurance Sera's young mind was running rampant with all the things a crooked doctor could do to both her and her friend without them even knowing. Once, when she was younger, she had suffered from the scarlet fever and she remembered vividly the assortment of gruesome tools the doctor had carried with him as though just waiting for an excuse to cleave her open. As they drew closer to the door she pressed herself closer against his chest as though she could somehow vanish altogether.

Inside the open plan dwelling was surprisingly big for a city home though the amount of things crammed into it made it feel cramped and in keeping with the narrow alleys they had passed. One side of the room was taken up with the usual things one expected of a doctors; a couple of tables with instruments set out on the wall. At least it looked spotless and as if to prove it when they entered a girl was busy mopping. On the other side it looked far less like a doctors and more like an alchemists with odd tubes of liquids and jars of organs. It looked like something out of a horror story.

Upon entering the girl looked up with a bored expression which quickly changed when she saw the group. Sera and Violet whilst having gotten a few days respite still looked like they had suffered horrific things. Violet had slipped back into sleep with her odd erratic breathing and Sera's multitude of bruises were still purple with a few more muted green ones. She dropped a curtsy.

"Let me fetch the master, please, come in and set them on the tables," and then she was off up the stairs at a run.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin nodded, jerkin his head towards Maria so that she would but Violet on the closer of the two tables.

The Bandit Chief let his gaze flicker over the room, his lips thinning slightly as he saw the different chemicals and tubes that seemed to slowly be distilling over flames. He did not know much of alchemy, but he knew enough to recognize it when he saw it.

Without a word he walked over towards the farther table and put Serafina down.

A few moments passed before the doctor appeared.

He was an elderly man, probably pushing into his seventies. A strange pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, an odd sort of magnifying glass set on the right side of it. He looked at the gathered party for a moment, raising an eyebrow before slowly stepping inside.

"Well isn't this a strange party."​

He commented, walking over towards Violet who was obviously the more pressing of the two girls. "An infection."

Solgrin offered.

"Yes, I can see that. Has she been given anything?"​

"Yral root, other than that. No." The Old man nodded, either knowing not to ask more...personal questions or simply saving them for later.

 

[Serafina]

Violet's eyes fluttered open when she was placed down and her vision swam in and out of focus as she looked at the doctor. Unlike Sera she hadn't heard the plan and being a little older than her she was also not so easily won around. Perhaps she might have been if she knew what had happened to her friend that night but Sera had kept quiet about it in an effort not to worry her friend about more than simply getting better. She let out a quiet whimper as he began to undo the bandage about her thigh. Beneath the skin looked an almost sickly green and it oozed pus like a gaping wound would ooze blood.

"Help... us..." she croaked.

Sera paled slightly and hoped the doctor would simply think she meant help in regards to their wounds. The tables were close enough together she could reach out and take her friends hand.

"Sssh... Vi, he's going to make you better," she soothed, aware of the way Maria's fingers had drifted to the hilt of her blade. The poor serving girl hovered anxiously and glanced from one to the other of the Bandits then back to Sera or Violet.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin did not seem concerned in the least. He moved towards the doorway and leaned on it's frame, crossing his arms and gazing at the Doctor as he began his work.

For whatever it was worth the man seemed almost consumed by his task, focusing on Violets wound and pulling out several small tools from his satchel. He went about slowly cleaning the wound, calling to his assistant several times to fetch one poultice or another.

In all truth it was rather impressive.

The Bandit Chief had met a few men who claimed to be doctors. Some were better than others, but this man seemed to take a particular care.

"There is a chance she will lose the leg."​

The old man said as though he were speaking of getting some lunch.

"The infection has not carried into the blood, but some of her muscles have been damaged too far. I will do what I can, but..."​

"Save it if you can." Solgrin stated plainly. Dragging around a one legged girl would be...inconvenient.

 

[Serafina]

Sera struggled into a sitting position from where she had been left on the table only to be sternly shoved back down by the shoulders by the assistant.

"You'll be losing your leg too if you don't stay still," it was hard to take her stern words seriously with her button nose with their spattering of freckles and curls of mousy brown hair tumbling about her face, especially after the man she had been dealing with for the past week or so. Sera blew out an exasperated breath but maintained the position on her back, turning her head instead to focus on Violet and what was being done to her.

The assistant poured another concoction down her throat causing her to cough and splutter, but she held her shoulders up and supported her with tender care to ensure she didn't choke to death. The doctor barely seemed to pay much mind but worked diligently instead on the leg. Clumps of blood were carefully pulled and set into a tray along with torn bits of skin which hadn't been cleaned properly. Violet every now and then would issue a sharp cry and try to fling herself from his grip but in her weakened state even the 70 year old was able to keep her in place with barely an effort. Once he was done he nodded his head and washed his hands.

"Now... what's wrong with you?" he fixed his eye's on Sera. The young girl swallowed and quickly lay back down.

"Just a broken leg... I... my mount fell on it in a riding accident," the doctor made a noise that suggested he didn't entirely believe her but said nothing more, though his eyes lingered on the severe bruising.

"Amy get the salve for her bruises and get something for her to bite down on this is going to hurt."

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin watched more carefully now.

Violet was really only important as a tool to gain Serafin's trust. Sera herself was what mattered to him, and as the physician began to attend her Solgrin began to pay closer attention to what he actually did. Unsurprisingly, the man did nothing unscrupulous.

He inspected the leg, waited for the assistant to come back with a strap of leather, and then motioned for Maria. The other Bandit looked towards Solgrin who simply gave a nod.

"Hold her down."​

The Doctor demanded as he gently grabbed Sera's leg.

There was a grimace on his face, and before he did anything at all he toold her quietly to brace herself. There was a pause, and then suddenly a loud snap as the doctor put the bone back into place and then almost immediately wrapped an odd sort of brace around the wounded leg.

 

[Serafina]

If it had been painful when Maria had straightened her leg in the forest then there were not words to describe the searing agony that ripped through her body then. A scream tore through her throat so hard it rounded off into coughing and spluttering she tore her chords so hard. Her whole back came off the table and even Maria gave a startled noise to hold her in place. In the end the assistant had to also step in to hold down her other side but between them the women managed to keep her down. If Sol was paying attention he might even sense the gem suddenly glow and grow hot as her mind flung itself out subconsciously to seek anything to end her pain. Tears eked their way out of her tightly screwed shut eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Amy stroked the girls hair and offered gentle words of comfort.

"It's okay, that's the worst... ssshh, here drink this," she lifted the girls head and coaxed the liquid down her throat. Her body quickly grew limp and Maria stepped back with a grimace. Amy carefully set the girls head back down and let her sleep. "It is best whilst master finishes the process, if she moves too much it can set wrong," she explained to the others in the room and then went back to carefully taking the crude stitches out of the cut on her head and redoing them neatly.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin tightened his fist, feeling the pulse run from the gem.

The last thing he needed was for the alchemist to see it, to ask questions. Didn't matter if the man had no knowledge of magic, he seemed learned, that was enough to make the Bandit Chief more than a little weary of him.

His head nodded as the assistant spoke of sleep. "So be it."

He said simply.

"But we won't be leaving their side." Solgrin added, Maria quickly nodding as he let go of Sera and took up a place between the two girls. For a few seconds the Doctor looked at him, and then slowly nodded.

"How...attentive. You know them well?"

Solgrin shrugged his shoulders. "Found them on the road a few days passed."

Not true but still.

"Near the Maw." The Bandit Chief grew a little more grim. "Not exactly the type of place for this sort."

The Doctor paled slightly, and then nodded as though he understood a little more.

 

[Serafina]

The assistant, however, still looked a little unconvinced.

It was dusk before Sera opened her eyes blearily. Everything felt numb thanks to the salve on her skin for the bruises which had been accelerated in their healing and were now a more faded yellow. She raised a hand sluggishly to touch her cheek and almost smeared her whole face in it. Amy was there quickly though to take her hand and guide it away with words of explanation. Sera turned her face to the side and frowned when she saw Violet sitting up looking far more awake than she had in days. She was cradling a cup between her hands and sipping on the tea casting Sol and Maria worried looks. When she saw Sera awake she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hey you..." Sera slurred and gave a lopsided smile, trying to sit up. Amy grimaced and helped her. Violet stifled a laugh.

"Hey you."

"The drugs will be in her system for the next twelve hours," she explained, giving Sol another doubtful look. "I've included a bit extra in the pouch with the other Misses medicines in case the pain gets too bad, it will be sore for the next six weeks whilst it sets," the last bit she said more to Sera who looked at her blankly.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin nodded his head.

He was still of half a mind that he would have to kill both the doctor and the Assistant, but his had was stayed for now. The Doctor and him had held a small conversation about Illia and the local Merchant Lords, his work, and how trade was going.

The talk had been mostly inane, but the man at least seemed to trust him now. At least more than he had at the beginning of all this. A few gold coins helped with that as well, they always did. "We'll take them back to an Inn then."

Solgrin told the Assistant with a smile, something that appeared genuinely warm.

"Let them rest for a few days." The Bandit Chief continued, as if he actually cared about that sort of thing. "Maria?"

He said, glancing towards Violet.

The Bandit woman moved immediately towards the girl to gingerly pick her up.

 

[Serafina]

Violet watched the woman warily as she approached but didn't make a fuss when she was picked up despite the slight wince when her thigh was jostled. Her eyes flickered from her to Sol then Sera. Larges gaps of her memory were missing from her time slipping in and out of consciousness. The last thing she truly remembered vividly was the group being attacked in the Maw and the crushing weight of the warg falling on top of them. Sera had taken the brunt for her but it had still been agonising on top of her stab wound. Maria's face she remembered in her moments of clarity and from around the fire. She threw her friend a questioning look. Sera didn't look concerned when Sol stepped forward to collect the bag of treatments and take the girl into his arms. He even seemed to do it with care.

What had she missed?

Sera barely registered her friend apart from a childish wave as Sol strode past Maria and went for the door. Then, with a deep sigh, she collapsed against his chest.

"Thank you for savingm'frien'," the last bit of the sentence slurred altogether before she looked up at him and offered, for the first time, a genuine smile to the Bandit Chief. She then leant forward and kissed his cheek before slumping against his shoulder with deep even and sleepy breaths.

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin looked down at Sera, nodding his head in affirmation of what she had said.

He could not have cared less about Violet of course. She was of little concern for him past the fact that Sera cared about her well being. Beyond that he would have slit her throat days ago if the choice had been truly up to him.

Yet the small sign of affection told him that his plan was working, enough so that he would allow a little more of this game to play out. "You two need rest."

Solgrin said plainly.

"Come on." The Bandit Chief said with one last glance towards the assistant and doctor, still wondering if they would give it away.

After a few seconds he wandered out with Maria, marching towards one of the inns that was located on the other side of Illia. It was a place he had used before, the Drunken Carnivore. Nice enough place, and most important didn't ask any questions.

Solgrin, Maria, and Violet found themselves in a large room, the two bandits gently settling the two girls down on a large king bed.

 

[Serafina]

Sera sighed blissfully as she was laid down on the comfortable bed. It wasn't the feather mattress of home but it wasn't the hard cot they had had in the Maw either. She dramatically flung her arms out and luxuricated in it, fingers curling into the sheets and pillow to draw them close against her skin. She was murmuring something in a language Violet didn't know and she cast her eyes from Sol to Sera and back again. Now she was getting more of her coherent mind back she was beginning to understand why she was alive at all. The way he looked at her...

She shuddered.

Violet had been about to speak when Sera did instead and her heart sank. He would never let her go after this.

"It's so close... so close I can hear it singing..."

 

[Solgrin]

Solgrin did not answer, neither did Maria. The two shared a quick, silent gaze, and then they turned to leave the room.

The room that he had chosen for them was on the third story of the Inn. There were several windows, but neither of the girls were in the shape to go climbing out on the side wall, and the fall would kill both of them quite quickly.

A gilded cage, but a cage nonetheless.

"I'll get Laura and Lilla to Guard the door." He thought it best for now that the two girls be guarded by female members of the Band. After what had happened with Ari it might make them feel slightly more safe.

There was a new game to be played now. "Get some rest."

He said, urging Maria towards another door down the hall.

 

[Serafina]

Sera nodded docilly at the retreating Bandit Chief and medic before letting her head flop back against the pillows. Violet watched for the door to lock shut before scrambling off the bed and pressing her ear up against the wood. The pairs retreating footfalls were muffled and grew fainter the further they got from the door until the only thing Violet could hear was her own breathing. After the count of ten she creaked open the door.

"Do you need something?" Violet froze as she came face to face with one of the other Bandits. The woman had close cropped brown hair and a smattering of freckles framed wish washy green eyes. They reminded her of the muddy puddles that formed along the riverbank after a particularly bad storm. She swallowed and shook her head before shutting the door with an exasperated sigh. Her eyes fell on Sera and tracked the gentle rise and fall of her friends chest.

"Oh Sera, why did you have to speak?" she rubbed a hand over her face before limping her way back to the bed. Sera's eyes flickered open with visible effort and she managed to give her friend another smile. It broke Violet's heart and tugged at her braid. "Tell me what happened Ser, what did I miss?" The blonde sighed and it clearly took effort to arrange her thoughts but slowly she began to tell her friend about the last few days.

 

[Solgrin]

For Solgrin the night was spent mostly in no small amount of Paranoia.

Illia was a city, one rife with corruption, but a city nonetheless. Those in charge did not like people like him. Trouble makers, murderers, the sort of folk who could cause issues even on their best of days. He knew that, and it was why they needed to keep such a low profile.

Sleep did not come with the night.

Instead Solgrin spent his hours watching out the window for any sights of soldiers. Most would have called him a paranoid fool, looking for something that surely was not there.

Yet those same people would not have caught the three men cycling through a watch point across the street.

He caught sight of them around midnight for the first time, then noticed them switching off every hour so as to appear like it was now someone else. He did not know if they were there for him, but the fact that they were there was enough.

Extra care would have to be taken in the morning.

 

[Serafina]

The two girls fell asleep soon after Sera had recounted the trials she had faced in the last few days whilst Violet battled with her infection. There had been a few tears, tight hugs and murmured words of comfort shared. In the end however the mix of exhaustion, of their bodies attempting to heal their wounds, and of the drugs the doctor had given them to ease their various pains and ailments, they soon fell asleep. For Violet her sleep was deep and peaceful, almost devoid of dreams altogether. It was the type of sleep she needed to speed up her recovery. For Sera it was different.

The man in her dream wore his piece of the gem around his neck like a pretty and unusual necklace. It was a sliver, long and jagged, that almost looked like a knife. At the top it was a deep burnt orange that faded down towards the tip into a soft lemony yellow that seemed to glow like the heart of a firestone. She knew how it would fit against Sol's piece perfectly leaving only four more pieces to be found. She knew that in this sliver it was more than just lightning but the power of fire itself that she would be able to hold within her hands--

Sera tossed and turned in her sleep, mumbling quietly in incoherent sentences.

He wore a dark green cloak with the hood pulled up and he rode a dark mare, her fetlock almost obscuring her obsidian eyes. People's eyes seemed to almost slide off him as though their eyes didn't quite want to register what it was they were seeing. They shrunk into the shadows, turned down alleys, took alternative paths all to avoid him as his horse strode slowly and purposefully towards the inn --

 

[Solgrin]

It was quiet.

Dawn had not yet touched the horizon, and dark gray clouds above ensured that even the moons did not shed light onto the the city of Illia.

Solgrin was still sitting in his room, one hand idly playing with a long knife while the other rested on his leg. He watched the street outside, his eyes wandering once again to that place. Those who had been watching were gone, having slunk away just a few minutes ago.

They usually returned quickly enough.

The Bandit Chief watched quietly, never noticing the black cloaked man approaching from the opposite side of the building, never seeing the four men who slipped into the building ahead of him. It was the sound of a creaking floor that alerted him, the noise above.

His head turned, and he slowly stood. His own room was just below Sera and Violets, and he quickly headed towards the door. "Laura, Lillia?"

He called out to the two women, no answer coming, their throats already cut.