Private Tales The Mountains Ahead

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim was not asleep, but instead sitting outside on the small porch like area that had been built in front of the cabin.

In his lap sat the sword that he had taken from the bandits all those months ago, in his hand was a small engraving tool. He'd otten the latter from a group of dwarves, and in truth he had absolutely no idea what it was made out of. The thing could cut steel with enough effort though, and that was what he was using it for.

The Runes on the sword needed to be completed if they were going to go to Minaries. He needed a way to defend himself without dying in the process, and the sword was as good as anything else he could think of.

When Aviana started singing he paused for a second, ears twitching.

A smile touched the Jester's lips, though he made no move to leave the porch or join her. Instead he hunched down and carved the sword, quietly listening to the song as Aviana went about her chores.

It was another sort of comfort, one he couldn't quite describe.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

There was a gentle nudge against the side of her leg which pulled Aviana's attention away from the sorrow that had settled over her. Kiovec looked up at her and chirped once, pawing at her boot. The half-elf laughed quietly and bent down to pat the small creature on the top of his head.

When she went back to her chores, she started to sing once more.

It was almost like being home.

That was the only way she could describe it. She felt at home.

Laundry was hung up to dry and a fresh meal cooked. She'd lost track of the time and wasn't quite sure if lunch or dinner was more appropriate, but she reasoned that they were essentially the same anyways. Kiovec was given a few raw fish that she'd caught while Kasim had been sleeping earlier in the day, while she cooked up the remaining ones for herself and the jester.

Eventually, she brought both plates out onto the porch where Kasim was working and set his down next to him.

"Want me to let you work?" She asked.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"No, that's fine." Before they had entered that dwarven hold it had been almost a nightly ritual for him to carve more runes into the blade.

The task would have been much easier had it not been for the fact that the blade was already made and tempered. He was no blacksmith, but it would have been a lot easier to do it when the blade was heated. Unfortunately, heating it now would ruin the temperament of the blade.

Something he didn't know how to fix.

"Just need to finish this." Kasim told her as he turned the blade to show her. "It's nearly done."

Which was good, considering. "It'll let me do a lot more."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

After that, Aviana let the jester work in relative peace. She didn't leave him alone, of course, but stayed to watch his work. There was a comfortable silence that stretched between them, sitting on that patio in the fading afternoon light. The world beyond was bathed in a golden light as the sun settled ever so slowly below the horizon. Birds sang in the trees below, flittering about the branches like blue and yellow gems.

It was peaceful.

She nestled her head onto his shoulder, watching as the darkness crept over the landscape. Content to listen to the sound of the dwarven tool scraping against the sword while he etched the ruins into the metal blade.

The rest of their time at the abandoned mining facility passed in similar bliss. Aviana explored the facilities and did her best to train Kiovec, which was proving to be surprisingly easier than one would expect training a dragon would be. Meanwhile, Kasim etched his runes and let his wounds mend for a few more days.

When it came time for them to leave, the half-elf was sad to see the mine go. It was the closest glimpse she'd had into what a having normal life could be like. Was it wrong to hope for something so simple? Perhaps not wrong, but it was selfish. She had a duty to carry out back in Minaris, and she couldn't turn away from that.

Riding alongside Kasim, she glanced over towards him out of the corner of her eye. They had been on the road for a few days, but her thoughts were still dwelling back in the cabin. It was likely things would be different once they arrived in Minaris, but she didn't want to lose him.

Her head canted to the side and she smiled slightly. She'd caught the scent of salt in the air. A surge of nostalgia rushed through her and she closed her eyes, turning her face into the wind. "We're getting close... I can smell the ocean."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He smiled.

The ride had been surprisingly pleasant. A part of him had expected that his injuries hadn't healed properly and that there would be pain, but instead of that happening he found himself almost comfortable being back in the saddle. Pair that with having actually been able to relax and spend time with Aviana?

Things had almost been blissful over the last few days of travel. When she spoke up his head swiveled, frowning for a brief moment as he took in a deep breath. His nose crinkled. "If you say so."

He smirked.

"I've never had a good sense of smell." Fingering his reigns slightly he pulled them, slowing his horse as he surveyed the forested area ahead of them. There was a slide incline towards a hilltop to the left, a path that would lead them off the main road.

"Up there." He said. "Let's see if we can't look at whats ahead."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana followed Kasim's gaze up the hill, then she gave a small nod of her head. They would need to get a feel for what they were riding towards, and she didn't want them to accidentally stumble into a town around a corner with a dragon riding on the back of her elk -- that would lead to far too many problems for everyone involved.

She turned the large elk and ambled up the hill as the jester led the way.

Once at the top of the hill, she swung one leg off the side of the saddle and hopped down. Kiovec picked his head up and huffed, hopping down to the ground to walk alongside Aviana. The dragon's shoulders were now above the half-elf's knees, already too big to comfortably ride around on her shoulders.

Peering off into the distance, Aviana squinted slightly in the sunlight. Along the horizon, she could see the stark blue line of the ocean stretching off into oblivion. She could see the main road snaking through the forest towards a town that was nestled against the coastline amongst the hills.

"See. I told you." She murmured with a fairly smug smirk, pointing towards the small settlement.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Yeah yeah." Kasim said jokingly as he slid out of his saddle and began to dig through one of his bags. After a moment he pulled a spyglass free from the canvas sack, inspecting it for a few seconds before he extended it and walked over towards Aviana.

He studied the town in silence, watching a few people walk around the town square before panning his view over towards a small set of docks that had been built. He frowned, not seeing a single ship moored there save for a few small fishing villages.

There were a significantly longer pier at the middle of everything, clearly where Larger ships were docked when they came into port. The Jester shook his head. "I suppose it would have been a bit much to ask for a ship to already be there."

He mused for a second.

"We'll need to find a place to hide him." Kasim said as he pointed to the Dragon, putting the spyglass to his eye again and panning his view down the side of the shore. "Maybe one of those caverns?"

He asked quietly.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"That could work, though I worry about the tide coming in. See any that aren't directly on the shoreline?" She asked him, looking to him since he was the one with the spyglass. While her eyesight had improved rather remarkably after her... transformation, it was not as powerful as a proper spyglass.

She wasn't sure how much Kasim knew about the ocean. He was a well traveled man, to be sure, but that didn't mean he was familiar with water. If the ride rose while they were in town, and the dragon was hidden away in the wrong cavern, the creature would either drown or be trapped down there until the waters receded.

Her fingers ran through her hair, feeling the sharp tips of the horns that had started to emerge from the knots in her skull. It wasn't painful, but it itched like the devil. She still hadn't mentioned them to Kasim, and her thick hair did a surprisingly good job of hiding them.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"There's a few." He commented quietly, panning the spyglass to the left and then fixing on a large cliff-side that hung to the left of the village.

It would be somewhat of a chore to get there, but if it meant they could safely hide Aviana's Dragon? It would be worth it. There certainly wouldn't be any complaints from him.

Not serious ones anyway.

"How about those." Kasim said as he pointed and offered Aviana the spyglass. "I'm not a naval expert, but I dont think the ocean will reach those."

Even during a full moon. "Plus you'll be able to get up there fairly easily to visit and feed him."

The dragon seemed to chirp slightly at the mention of food.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana took the offered spyglass and turned it in the general direction that Kasim had indicated. It took her a moment to find the caverns that he was talking about, but after a few seconds she managed. She chewed on her bottom lip as she watched the waves splash against the shoreline beneath the cliff, considering the paths that would be available to her when the waters rose. It was difficult to tell from this far away, but it looked like there were a few footholds that would allow her to walk along the cliffside during high tide.

"Mmm. Yeah, those should work." She said, lowering the spyglass and handing it back to the jester with a smile.

"Might be a bit slippery on the way up during high tide, but should be manageable. Did you want me to go hide him first and meet you in the village, or stay together?"

While she wasn't fond of the idea of separating, she knew that it would save them some time.

 

[Kasim Areth]

His head shook. "Best not to separate."

It might have been faster, but it wasn't like they were in a hurry. They needed a ship, but none in the harbor would be able to carry them where they needed to go. If there was a vessel that looked like it was about to take off he might have argued for splitting up, but as things were?

Better to take things slow.

"I doubt there's anything in those caves." He told her quietly. "But i'd rather you not go by yourself."

They hadn't encountered any more assassins since the Dwarven Gate, but Kasim didn't want to chance it. It was a paranoia that clung to him. It was why he'd spent so much time since then preparing, why the sword was now finished and why he'd quietly carved another rune or two into his flesh.

He wanted to be ready, for her.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Kiovec nuzzled at Kasim's palm, looking for a treat after the man had mentioned food and then failed to produce a treat for the dragon. The dragonling huffed eagerly as his attention shifted to the jester's pockets.

"Alright. We can skirt around the town and cut through the forest then to get to the cliffs. Just have to hope that we don't encounter anyone on the way to the caves." She knelt down and scooped up the dragon into her arms, who squeaked softly as he was lifted off the ground. He was considerably heavier now, getting to the point where Aviana actually had to strain herself to pick him up. It was probably only a matter of days before she wouldn't be able to lift him anymore.

"Stop being rude, little man." She muttered to the dragon, then looked to Kasim with a warm smile.

"I trust you can get us to the cliffs through the woods? Wouldn't want us to get lost without a road."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim flipped the spyglass in his hand, smirking at the Dragon who had just been trying to ruffle through his pockets. The thing was really very much like a large scaly dog. One wouldn't have expected that from a Dragon, and he suspected it would be a lot less cute when he was the size of a House, but for now it didn't bother him too much.

In a weird way he'd almost grown fond of the thing. "We'll make it."

The Jester said as he peered up towards the sky for a brief moment. The sun was still in the middle of it's zenith, but by the time they skirted around the town and made it to the cliffs it would be well after mid-day. Luckily it was still summer, otherwise they'd be making that climb in the dark.

"We'll have to walk." He told her. "Don't think our...mounts will like us riding through the roots."

A part of him had still wanted to say "horses", but that would've been wrong.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"Mmm..." Aviana paused, having been about to put Kiovec onto Erodin's back. She glanced over her shoulder to Kasim, a small smile at the corner of her mouth. Carefully, she bent over to put the dragon on the ground once more, then she pulled the scabbard free from the saddle and buckled it to her belt. From there, she grabbed her shield and swung it onto her back.

"A walk through the woods sounds lovely." She said brightly.

Kiovec seemed to understand that the group was about set off and he scampered over to the other side of the hill. His dark scales glittered in the bright sunlight.

Aviana walked over to Kasim and crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you need to tie your horse down so that it doesn't wander off?"

She needn't bother with the elk. The beast would stay close by so long as she told it to stay put. It may wander a bit, but would stay well within earshot. The horse that Kasim rode, however, was not as well trained.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Probably." He said quietly, glancing at the beast as he grabbed it's reigns and gently lead it over towards one of the thicker branches.

The Jester patted the steed on the side of it's neck, frowning for a brief moment. A thought occurred to him as he did so, lips thinning.

"I should probably sell her in town." He hadn't really thought about it until now. "We'd have to pay for her passage, and I doubt I'll need a horse when we get to Minaris."

They were going directly to the city, wouldn't be much riding there.

He of course did not expect the same of Aviana, her own mount was something unique all it's own and selling that was out of the question. His mount had served him well over the last few months, but it wasn't like he was particularly attached in any way. Plus, the money would be good.

Turning away from the steed Kasim motioned for Aviana to start

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"I'll be able to get you a proper elk." She called over her shoulder with a goodnatured laugh as she started to make her way down the hill.

It was fairly steep, but she managed it easily enough. Kiovec, on the other hand, was charging down the hill and squawking happily as he went. Tall grasses swept up to her hip, high enough to cover the black dragon until he leaped forward and spread his wings, gliding down along the slope of the hill. He wasn't quite flying yet, but he was getting close.

She slowed down somewhat, waiting for Kasim to catch up to her. "He's growing so quickly. Look at him go." She murmured, smiling as she watched the dragon soar towards the bottom of the hill on his flame colored wings. In the sunlight, they seemed to actually glow like embers.

"Won't be long until he's figured out how to actually fly..."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He smiled, though in truth Kasim wasn't entirely sure that he wanted and elk.

The Jester had never really been one for cavalry action. His brother had been the horsemen, hell his sister was better at caring for the beasts than he was. The Elk was even more work.

He preferred his own two feet. They were reliable, trustworthy, and wouldn't go running off a cliff when you weren't looking. Not that the Elk would per-say, but you could never really trust an animal. "He grew quickly."

Kasim agreed quietly as they walked.

"Though, maybe that's normal?" A frown touched his lips.

They really didn't know much about dragons in general, and Kiovec's sort in particular.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She moved to walk alongside the jester, smiling a little as the sunlight washed over them. Her hand idly reached over to brush against the back of his, almost as if she wanted to hold his hand but she didn't quite take it. Just the simple touch was enough to make her smile a little more and she glanced up at his handsome face out of the corner of her eyes.

Kiovec reached the bottom of the hill, stumbling to a jarring halt as he hadn't quite mastered the skill of landing. His wings flapped a few times, shaking the dirt and grass off his glittering scales. The creature's head turned to look back at the pair as they followed along down the hill. His long tongue flicked out from his mouth and then he raised his snout to sniff the crisp morning air.

"He's never smelled the sea before." She said quietly, able to feel the dragon's curiosity through the strange link that they seemed to share. A small frown flickered across her features and she glanced down at the tall grasses that swept against her waist. "A shame... that should be his home."

 

[Kasim Areth]

"It will be." Kasim said calmly, glancing at the sea for a moment.

There was no small amount of determination in the Jester's voice. He had set them upon this path in a way, he had stoked the flame of this return in Aviana. He meant to see it through.

It was why he had spent nearly every night training with the sword, why he'd been sketching in a small booklet as he developed new runes. It was important to him that Aviana got what she...well what she deserved. Her home was what she needed, what she wanted, and he wanted her to have it back.

That was as important to him as returning to Vel Anir.

"Or it will be." He assured her. "When we get you both back to Minaris."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She met the Jester's gaze when he looked at her, mouth quirked slightly to the side. His words carried the weight of determination and truth behind them. Her eyes lingered on his handsome features, as though trying to commit every last detail to memory -- which is exactly what she was trying to do.

"And what happens to us?" She asked, pulling at her bottom lip with her teeth.

The question had been troubling her for some time, not wanting to give up Kasim. He'd given her a freedom that she'd never known before, an independence that she'd come to love almost as much as him.

She paused midstep on the hill, turning her eyes out to the ocean on the horizon. Had she just admitted that to herself?

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she quickly shook her head, moving to catch up with Kasim before she fell too far behind.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He frowned for a brief moment. "I don't know."

Kasim wasn't about to lie to her, that was something he'd stopped doing...what seemed like for ever ago now. Most of him had been hidden for so long, for good reason, but he wanted to be open with Aviana.

Lying now would only break that.

"My family knows I'm alive." He hadn't talked about it since the night that he'd revealed everything to her, had tried to stay away from the topic as best as he could, but he figured now would be as good a time as any. "My sister will come after me eventually, if not my father."

He paused. "Even Minaris isn't far enough to keep them away."

Not with the power he was still leeching away.

"But." He began. "I'll see this through until the end, at your side. With you."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She processed the words carefully, turning them over in her mind as she considered the different possibilities of what the jester had meant. By now, they'd caught up with Kiovec and the young dragon pranced between them. Her hand absently reached down to rub the back of the creature's head as the silence stretched for a few moments.

"And when it comes time for you to face your family" She started, tilting her head to look up at Kasim with a soft smile.

"I'll stay by your side, and see it through with you. Until the end." Her words were genuine, determined.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He smiled, though it was a forced expression.

Though he knew it was just as dangerous, if not more so, the thought of going back to Vel Anir was daunting compared to going to Minaris. Death might come to him in Aviana's home, but his family?

His family could do so much worse. "I know."

Kasim said quietly, though he hoped it was many years from now.

He knew that he had to go back, he knew that he would go back, but now...with her, he wanted to enjoy living first. There was no question that he would have to return, that he would have to face what he was, but he could give himself time. If only to enjoy it with her.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The journey to the cave along the coast was a surprisingly uneventful one. Aside from when Kiovec caught sight of a deer and chased after it for a short while -- if Aviana hadn't called him back, he likely would have caught the nimble creature.

By the time they reached the coast, the sun was starting to hang low in the sky as the afternoon passed. Fortunately, the tide was out, revealing a narrow pathway that wound its way up the cliff side. As they scaled the narrow path, Aviana paid careful attention to the rocks, stopping every so often to inspect them more carefully. She was checking to see where the water line was. Once they'd climbed high enough, she stopped checking.

The cave itself was fairly shallow. It reached just far enough into the rock face to be dry inside. The fading sunlight couldn't quite penetrate the darkness in the far reaches of the space.

"This should be fine. It's dry and above the tide line." She gestured to a spot nestled between a few large boulders and knelt down, laying a blanket down on the rock floor. Several strips of dried meat were produced from her pocket and she laid them out on the floor in front of the blanket.

She looked to Kiovec with a sad smile, rubbing the dragons head and scratching beneath his chin. "You need to stay here for a while, little man. We'll be back in the morning to check on you."

Kiovec squawked at her, spreading his wings out slightly and nuzzled into her palm, as if he understood what she'd said.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The Dragon was clever, certainly more so than any pet he'd ever had.

Briefly he wondered if that was true of all Dragons. Kasim knew that there were different sorts, mostly from legends, but also because of the fact that he had seen others who did not hold a resemblance to Kiovec. Sure they had wings, large reptiles, but the features were...different.

His lips thinned for a moment as he thought, and he found himself lamenting once more than he was not more educated in scholarly ways. It would have come in handy a dozen times over the last few months.

"We should try to get to town before sundown." Plus they had to fetch the horses...mounts before they actually got there.

Appearances would matter.

He smiled at Aviana, then at Kiovec, and gently took her hand. The trip back down to their horses was as uneventful as the journey up, and before long they were once again mounted upon elk and Horse.