Private Tales The Mountains Ahead

[Aviana Sabel]

"Because of the dragon?" She asked softly, glancing up at him as she pressed a clean bandage against the wound. "I figure we could... I don't know, stuff the little guy into a bag and try to keep him hidden? He's small enough now that he might fit."

She reached around Kasim's torso, wrapping a roll of cloth around him to keep the bandage in place. "Then again... I don't know how quickly dragons grow. By the time we get down there, he could be the size of a dog for all I know."

There was a pause in her conjecture as she cinched a small knot in the cloth. "How's that? Too tight?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

"I doubt we'll be able to hide him." Was it a him? Aviana seemed to think so.

He frowned for a moment and then nodded his head. The bandage was not too tight, though despite her best efforts he knew that if he did anything too strenuous it would likely come free. No fault of hers of course, simply the truth of the situation.

"Most merchants and sailors would sell us out in a heartbeat." He told her. "But the Sea Folk will keep a contract once it's made."

That was their nature. Supposedly they were from the islands to the south, the inhabitants of the lands near Cerak At'thul. "Otherwise I'm not much of a sailor."

Kasim commented quietly.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"You don't get sea sick do you?" She asked, moving around behind him to tend to the wound on his shoulder.

He received the same treatment a second time: the wound was flushed with water, wiped clean with a rag, the salve was spread over the wound, and then she carefully put a bandage in place. Only this time, the cloth she used to keep it secure was wrapped diagonally across his chest.

While she was carefully tying the second knot, she tenderly kissed the back of Kasim's neck. "There. Good as new." She whispered softly in his ear. She pulled the gloves from her hands and cautiously placed her fingertips against the cloth that covered the bandage. The magical energy surged forth and she watched in shock as the tips of her fingers glowed a soft, golden light.

It wasn't as if Aviana had stumbled her way into somehow knowing how to cast a spell. Somehow, it knew what she was trying to do. Her brow furrowed slightly and she pulled her hand back, flexing her fingers as she looked down at them. The dragon gave a playful growl from her shoulder.

She hadn't miraculously healed the battered jester. That kind of energy would have left her entirely spent, but she had augmented the salve that she'd placed over the open wounds. It wasn't much, but it should be enough to encourage his healing process along at a quicker pace. Not that she had any idea as to what she had actually done. Just that it felt like the right thing to do.

"So, these Sea Folk, how would we go about finding them?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim wasn't about to pretend to know what happened, he was just glad that his own body hadn't reacted in some unexpected way. Right now, he was as weary of the blood doing something as he was the Naga.

There was no telling what ill-effects The Well could bring, particularly with a Dragon around. That wasn't even to mention whatever Aviana did or now was. A mage? He had absolutely no idea. A voice in the back of his mind nagged at him, mostly the one screaming with curiosity.

"They're in most ports." Kasim said with a shrug.

The Sea Folk weren't particularly special really, just a culture of islanders. They spent most of their lives on board a ship, traversing the oceans of Arethil and moving around as much as anyone could.

"No special way of finding them." The Jester admitted. "Just have to get lucky."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She reached over her head, pulling her hair into a loose bun to keep it out of her face. "Well. If you're worried about not being able to hide the dragon, you could always try to find us passage while I hide outside the port with the little guy?" She suggested.

It was unlikely that Kasim would agree to that idea, seeing as it would require them to split up. But she thought it might be the most logical course of action, aside from trying to smuggle the dragon into the ship.

Not that she was particularly keen on the idea of letting Kasin venture off on his own in his state. Hopefully, he'd be in a better condition by the time they reached the coast.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"It'll have to do." Kasim said blankly, still not in love with the whole idea.

Aviana could handle herself just fine with some villagers, but if anyone caught sight of that Dragon it would be trouble of a sort that they hadn't encountered before.

Besides the obvious magical value, a caged Dragon could probably be sold to any number of nobles for literal tons of gold. It didn't take a bad person to be tempted by that, just a few nights on an empty stomach. Slowly the Jester shook his head, dispelling the pessimism.

"It's not all bad." He told her with a smile. "Maybe you'll get to be a Dragon Rider now."

The stories were as old as the world, passing fancies of nobles and children, but fun in a way.

A piece of an older time.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana chuckled softly at the thought, pulling the little dragon from her shoulder and letting it curl up in her lap. She gently brushed her fingers along the creature's spine. A few loose strands of hair slipped from the knot she had tied at the back of her head, and they fell forward to frame her face as she gazed down at the dragonling in her lap.

"Back home, we have legends that tell of something like that." She looked up at him, returning the warm smile.

"Men and women who befriended dragons, fought along side them, even rode them into battle. It is believed that the Kings of Old were all wardens, which is why the throne is technically empty. The Sabel House, my family, act as stewards, more or less." She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment. Perhaps there was more to the legends than she originally thought.

She brushed the stray curls behind her ear, mouth quirked a little to the side. "We were tasked with protecting the city, and the secrets that lay beneath it, generations ago."

A finger lightly booped against the snout of the dragon in her lap. "Like you, little one."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He more than believed the story.

There were more than a few ancient traditions that had to do with Dragons. There were some tribes in the Spine that told of riding them, a few Dwarven holds that were actually designed to keep them. Even the elves had stories like that, though Kasim had never managed to pry much from them.

"Makes me wonder." He mused quietly for a second. "There must be different kinds of Dragons."

It only made sense really. "Those from Minaris can't be the same as what I saw in the Spine."

He thought for a second.

"Nevermind those who roam near The Black Bay." There were stories of Dragons there too, though those legends were far more...dark. They were stories he told only late at night, when the crowd was growing anxious and were easy enough to scare. "I suppose we'll find out as this one grows."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"That wouldn't be so strange. Isolated populations develop differently, after all. Not to mention the variety of subspecies in other animals." She responded, giving a small shrug of her shoulder.

A slight bubble of anxiety churned in her belly as she looked down at the dragon. It had been generations since an egg had hatched. She knew that it was her family's duty to protect the eggs, but the ones secreted away were all dormant. All of them except the egg that had just hatched.

What would happen when she returned with a living, breathing dragon? The creatures were all but revered in her culture. They were woven into so many aspects of Minaris' history, its lore, and daily life.

The muscles in her jaw flexed slightly, and she bit at her bottom lip. Either someone would try to kill her and wrest the dragon from her... Or worse, someone who invoke the ancient laws and name her Queen. The latter frightened her more than someone trying to kill her over the dragon. That was an expected outcome, one she could at least defend herself from; but being thrown into the middle of a political stage that she was not prepared for was an unsettling thought.

"We'll have to name him at some point." She murmured, delicately tracing her fingers along the outer edge of the dragon's colorful wing.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"I'll leave that to you." Kasim said with a smile.

The less he was involved with the creature the better, at least in his mind. Though he felt no temptation, he knew that the Blood already did.

He could control it obviously, but what happened if they got into a fight? What if they met an opponent that he couldn't beat with the runes? What if he called upon the Blood and within his haze he took the beasts life?

It was a quiet concern in the back of his mind, one that he wouldn't voice right now.

"We'll have to start out soon." He told her with a smile. "The Delta's rainy season will hit soon, and the less we travel in that the better."

Oddly enough, he was rather looking forward to the trip. Mostly because it meant they wouldn't have to travel for weeks beneath the mountain. Kasim liked the sun too much to enjoy that.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"We can spend another day here, though. You need your strength and a chance to properly recover." She said sternly, narrowing her pale blue eyes at him though there was a warms mile on her lips.

"Don't try to push yourself too hard. We'll be okay if we rest for a few days. That delta isn't going anywhere. If it rains, it rains." She added with a soft chuckle. "Unless you wanted to get to the next village and rest at an inn... and also hope that they don't try to kill us."

If she was honest, she was a little afraid to venture back out into the wilds outside of the deep roads. But she was more scared of the oppressive darkness, and the memories of the assassin's attack. The werewolves wouldn't be out during the daylight, at least. And it was unlikely that they would come across as second village that was overrun with blood thirsty monsters.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He considered for a moment. Admittedly another day or so probably wouldn't kill them. The rainy season was coming, but just one more day wouldn't bring it any sooner. Still, he was woe to waste any time at all, especially because of those assassins.

There was no telling if more were coming, nor was there any telling if they had sent for help.

Kasim didn't know much about Minaris politics or their assassin guilds, but it was better to assume that they were just as good as those in Vel Anir. If that was true then more would certainly be on their way, and if they came it would be better not to stay around in the same place.

That was just logic. "An Inn might not be a bad idea."

He said quietly. It was a compromise at least.

"Comfortable beds." Not just a slab of rock. "A hot meal."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"A hot meal that we don't have to cook for ourselves." She corrected, smiling faintly to the jester.

If he felt he was strong enough to ride a horse on his own, Aviana wasn't one to tell him that he couldn't do it. Kasim knew himself, and his limits, far better than she did.

That, and the promise of a comfortable bed was all too sweet. Especially if she was nestled against the jester's warm chest. Her cheeks flushed slightly as the idea came to her unbidden, but she didn't shy away from it.

If they got to Minaris, and things were as bad as she feared; she didn't want to regret not enjoying her time with Kasim while she had the opportunity to. She had no way of knowing what awaited her back on the island, and she was afraid of having her new found freedom taken away from her. Out here, she could do whatever she pleased and be the person she wanted to be. What would happen when she returned?

Not going back was out of the question, it went against her every instinct... But she was still apprehensive. This new individualism was something that she enjoyed, that she revelled in. Returning to her duties almost felt as if she was clipping her own wings.

The dragonling squawked in her lap, pulling her thoughts back down to him. Things would not be the way they once we're, before she had left. Kasim would be at her side, and he would help her. The magic that the little dragon had awoken within her would give her the strength to take a stand.

"Let's head to the next village then. It'll give us a chance to practice our plan of action for concealing the dragon and we can get some real sleep for a change. I'd say we've earned that much." She said finally, looking up from the dragon to meet Kasim's gaze.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Alright." It seemed like a good enough plan at this point.

In truth, the idea that lured him the most was that of a feather bed. Though their little fortress was secure as could be, the stone slab that they had been sleeping on wasn't exactly the lap of luxury. Even with the bedroll his back ached, and with his current injuries...

Well, a proper bed would do him some good.

"We'll take the southern road." Kasim said as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, clearly struggling in effort somewhat as he did so. "Eventually we'll hit a mountain village."

He was more than confident in that fact. Though he had been unsure about using the Deep Roads, there was a sect of people that had no such qualms. Dwarven Merchants often traveled the depths, and they undoubtedly moved along the spine quite often.

More than one village would have sprouted up to take advantage. Just like the village with the wolves had, though for different reasons. "You're going to have to set up the animals, I'm afraid."

Admitting that wasn't easy, but Kasim didn't want to push his own limits.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana had agreed to prep the animals, but she had insisted that Kasim come with her to do so. After the past few days, she was wary of leaving the injured man alone and out of her sight. It didn't seem completely unreasonable to want to stick together, especially down in the unsettling darkness of the Deep Roads. Perhaps once they returned to the surface, she would feel a bit better; or maybe she'd be even more paranoid around other people. She was starting to understand just why Kasim was so paranoid all the time, but she wasn't sure how she felt about that realization.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say. Whoever "they" might be.

She had expected it to be early to late morning when they emerged from beneath the mountain, but her mild shock it was near twilight. Her nose wrinkled slightly and she felt as if the world shifted beneath her.

Just how long were we down there?

It couldn't have been more than a couple of days, but it was startling to have her sense of time so off-kilter. Her and Kasim must have slept longer than she originally thought. That wasn't much a of surprise though, given their injuries and whatever transformation that Aviana had undergone.

She reached up and idly scratched at one of the knots at the top of her head, frowning. The pain had shifted to something closer to irritation and a dull ache that itched deep in her skull.

Perched on her shoulder, the still nameless dragonling squawked happily at the vast sky that stretched over head. The little creature scrambled partially up onto Aviana's head, as if trying to get as close to the sky as possible. His leathery wings draping down on either side of her face, not having quite figured out what he was supposed to do with the ungainly appendages.

The half-elf laughed at the absurdity of the creature's antics, reaching up to pull the dragon down into her lap in a more stable position.

"Okay... so we just follow the road south then, yes?" She asked, turning her bright blue gaze to Kasim.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Pretty much." Kasim said with a shrug, immediately regretting it as the pain shot through him. A slight bit of horror crossed his features, but he tried to hide the pain as much as he could.

He knew that if he showed too much hurt Aviana would want to turn straight around and get back to doing nothing for the next few hours.

That was not something he wanted to do. "There will be a village eventually, I'm pretty confident of that."

There was a certain clarity that came with having a Dwarven tunnel entrance being nearby. Merchants passed through here all the time, and after the Roads they needed a place to rest. A village naturally sprouted up due to that, money to be made from providing lodging and a warm meal.

"Should take a day or two." He told her. "Not too long."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The pained grimace that passed over Kasim's features was difficult to ignore. It went against Aviana's better judgement to let him keep pressing; but she could tell that the man just wanted to be on the road. He was the sort that didn't like lounging around and waiting, or being useless. Not that she could blame him, she was much the same way.

Instead of raising the issue, she merely gave him a knowing look before she turned Erodin down the road and set the elk off at a leisurely pace. Trotting would be too jarring for Kasim, and anything faster than that she worried about him being able to keep his seat. What could have been a journey of just a few hours, ended up taking considerably longer.



Darkness had long since fallen over the landscape by the time the little village came into view. It was late, and the sliver of a moon was already high in the sky.

Aviana pulled Erodin up short at the crest of the hill, looking down at the soft lights of the village. It was still a ways off, but it was still comforting to know that they would reach it well before sunrise.

"I know you don't want to go traipsing into a village with this little guy in my arms, so how do you want to go about getting ourselves a place to sleep?" She asked, shifting slightly in the saddle.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim considered for a moment, wondering exactly how they were going to manage this. Slowly his fingers stroked over his chin and the small amount of stubble that had grown there over the course of their journey. His eyes floated over the village in the valley below, it's soft light seeming to flicker.

"For now he's small enough to fit under a robe." If he could hold still anyway. He had noticed over the last few hours that the Dragon liked to move around and wriggle as much as possible, at least unless it was sleeping. He frowned for a moment and then nodded.

There was only really one way they could do this.

"I'll have to pretend to be your servant." His ego was not so high that he was incapable. "You'll stay outside until I get you a room."

Them a room really, they didn't have the money for two. "Then you just move through the common area and avoid everyone."

He shrugged. She'd have to act like royalty.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana gave a small nod of her head in agreement.

"Sounds simple enough." She replied, already drawing her cloak around her form. It would be bulky enough to cover any lumps that would otherwise be present beneath her tunic. The injuries on her arms would also be hidden away as well, which would help with selling the idea that she was a noble woman.

A faint smile flitted across her features. Of course, she was a noble. Though she had been on the road long enough now that it would not have been difficult to convince someone that she was just a commoner. Even with her delicate features and soft hands.

"Hopefully, it's late enough that everyone will be so far in their drink that they won't notice... or better yet, asleep."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He nodded, having hoped much the same as her. "We'll see."

Waling into a village like this with a Dragon was not something he was all too eager for. The idea itself wasn't too horrifying, but the thought of what could happen...well that was something he didn't really want to deal with.

Villagers spooked by a dragon would either get feral or greedy, and Kasim didn't want to see either of thsoe outcomes. Shifting in his saddle he lead Aviana down into the village below, the soft light of torches illuminating them. Once or twice someone would look up at them, a few people waved.

"Place seems nice enough." Kasim said quietly as they rode into the town square. "Bigger than I thought it would be."

That was good, meant nobody would stare.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Before they arrived in the village, Aviana took the time to carefully tuck the dragon beneath her tunic and cradled it against her chest. The heavy cloak that she wore covering much of her form entirely. Pressed against her flesh, the warmth of the little dragon soaked into her. To some people, he might have even been hot to the touch.

Her shoulders were pulled back and her head held high, taking care to maintain an air of aloofness that was expected of higher-borne individuals.

"Better than a small hovel, that's for sure." She murmured back to him, sweeping her eyes over the streets.

Whenever one of the pedestrians waved, Aviana would offer an elegant incline of her head in response.

She halted Erodin outside of the inn and forced herself to stay in the saddle. If she was supposed to be traveling with a servant, he would be expected to help her out of the saddle.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim slipped off of his horse with a surprisingly smooth motion, pain shooting up his spine as he did so.

There was a wince that carried through his body for just a second but a deep breath managed to cut it down. He turned to Aviana with a smile, taking a step and offering her a hand. "Stay out here for a second."

It would be best for her to wait.

The streets were mostly empty right now, and if someone approached her she could...hit them or something. Either way he wasn't too concerned, all he had to do was go inside and speak with the Innkeeper, get them a room and that would be the end of that.

Simple.

"I'll take care of everything." He heard the Dragon clicking a few times beneath her robe.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Beneath her cloak, Aviana wrapped one arm over her chest to cradle the dragon against her; and she hummed softly in an attempt to soothe the creature. She moved over to stand in front of Erodin, so that it would seem more like she was trying to calm the elk instead of murmuring to herself.

Her free hand idly brushed against the elk's snout, speaking quietly in a soothing voice. The elk's fuzzy lips lightly played with the tips of Aviana's fingers, and she smiled at the sensation.

Were this a smaller village, it might have been possible for Aviana to avoid any passerby entirely. Since this place was slightly larger, there were still pedestrians idling about the streets on occasion. A few eyed the elk and noble-looking half-elf with muted curiosity and waved hello; and Aviana would offer a warm, but shy, smile in response.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim was only inside the Inn for about ten minutes, perhaps less. Talk with the Innkeeper had gone pretty fast once he'd launched into a spiel about how Aviana was foreign royalty.

That mixed with a little bit of coin and an explanation of who he himself was allowed the man to be about as plied as Kasim needed him to be. Within just a few minutes he had secured them a private room on the top floor of the Inn, one that held its own bathroom and even a standing mirror.

Big deal in these parts.

"Got what we need." Kasim said as he ducked out of the Inn and smiled at Aviana, glancing around to see if anyone had approached her.

"I'll need to play a few songs in the common room." He shrugged. "But that won't be an issue."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

While Kasim had been inside securing a room for the both of them, Aviana had arranged for the stable boy to take the animals and tend to them for the night. Everyone in their little travel party was in need of a well-deserved rest, beasts-of-burden included.

She wondered if the jester was in any physical shape to be doing a performance, but she wasn't going to argue with him on the matter. "Just don't get too carried away, Mr. Areth."

The dragon shifted against her chest, chittering quietly as he started to squirm. Aviana cleared her throat and hefted the little ball of scales slightly to readjust him. "As much as I'd enjoy seeing your perform... I'm not sure I'll be able to tonight, I'm exhausted. Could you take me up to the room, please?"

Her voice was a sweet utterance, but her expression was rather impassive. Briefly, her thoughts drifted back to the night in the werewolf village; when her and Kasim had teased one another for the sake of the front that they were putting on. It was almost a shame that they hadn't used the same story, she would have liked to revisit that idea.