Private Tales The Place You Call Home

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"All ears, but make it fast! We're going to have company in a matter of minutes, I'd guess!"

She blinked and looked from him to her ice warriors with an incredulous look... She didn't know she'd have to explain it. "Well... Obviously I just made an equalizer! We don't know how many we're up against, and they probably think there's only two of us. We have a tactical advantage AND reinforcements. So we can just ride in, deal with the bandits, and be on our way!"
She folded her arms and gave the statues an appraising look. Six against however many with the advantage of foreknowledge and planning, plus her magic on top of it... How could they lose?

"Unless you have some further input to offer I suggest you ready yourself for a fight."
She stood up and brushed the folds of her dress down. She could easily use her magic to control the battlefield, she could simultaneously defend and attack and leave the bandits frozen or bleeding with icicles impaling them. Her warriors can defend her as well and deal their own dance of death to whatever they were up against.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

He wasn't sure what he was looking at, to be honest. At first he'd thought they were sculptures, and he didn't see how those were going to be of any held. But they weren't as inert as he thought; They were kneeling perfectly still and awaiting command. His lips purse in a low, impressed whistle. So she wasn't totally bluffing about what she could pull off. "Look at that. All that ice you're carryin' around is good for something after all!"

Magic wasn't all they had, but Cassidy had done well to make sure Helia's eyes hadn't met Damascus, his sword, yet. She'd probably be able to see what it truly was, and he doubted she would approve. Not to imply that he was vying for approval a this point. He turns his head and eyes the sheathed blade with a hum. It would definitely make their lives easier. Finally, he pats the wagon with a hand. "Alright, listen. We don't want to kill them, not if we can avoid it. Just wound em' so they can't do us any harm." He knew as he spoke that she wasn't going to like that 'order'.

His voice caught as he spotted something out of the side of his vision, something that worried him greatly. He'd been expecting a couple of small carts coming at them from the front out of the trees.

So why were there two wagons approaching them from either side?

"HELIA, GET DOWN!"

He leapt from the front seat in the blink of an eye, landing atop of the woman in his charge. He felt the rip of the arrow tear through his jacket and slice his flesh before he'd even landed. He shifts his weight so that he takes most of his impact on the side of the wagon rather than Helia taking his weight. Immediately he grabs his shoulder, a seething hiss escaping his lips. He didn't have an arrow in him, so it must have scraped him. The cut was nasty though, deep. "Are you okay?!" His voice was loud, but that was probably just an alternative to shouting out in pain. "We underestimated them. Two carts from behind... Probably two more coming up front. Bastards must have watched us sleep... Forget what I said, get those ice-heads in gear!"

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

Alright, listen. We don't want to kill them, not if we can avoid it. Just wound em' so they can't do us any harm."

She blinked and looked at him almost in shock, "Wait... What?!"
She moved to the front of the wagon behind him, "If we don't kill them they'll come back and attack somebody else, there's no prisons out here that could hold them. We should look out for ourselves, yes, but we are duty bound to make sure that they don't attack anyone ever again!"

"HELIA, GET DOWN!"

She was about to continue when he shouted at her, and then he jumped on her not unlike one of her knights that would do the same. She heard an arrow connect with flesh and quickly comprehended what was happening.

Are you okay?!" His voice was loud, but that was probably just an alternative to shouting out in pain. "We underestimated them. Two carts from behind... Probably two more coming up front. Bastards must have watched us sleep... Forget what I said, get those ice-heads in gear!"

She nodded, "We agree on something then."
Her eyes suddenly began to glow with a white light that seemed to radiate permafrost. She reached around and grabbed hold of the arrow, she froze the shaft which went down to make a bandage over the wound, then she snapped the haft to get it out of the way till it can be treated.

She remained under him for as long as he presented himself as a shield over her. She activated her golems with a wordless command and the four soldiers rose to their feet, turned and marched out the back of the wagon to engage with the bandits.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

A long groan esaped his throat when he felt the blistering cold cover his wound. Thankfully, there wasn't much actually embedded in him; he'd been grazed, and it was only splinters that would need to be extracted later. He watched through eyes narrowed in pain as the admittedly impressive golems unloaded from the wagon, charging their way towards the wagons chasing them with an impressive speed.

Almost immediately more arrows began to fly from small slots in the walls of the attacking vehicles. True to Helia's claim of strength, the projectiles seemed to do little to affect the golems, their bows trained towards where a heart would be. Enough of them would likely break the ice down, he figured. They needed to move fast, before their attackers thought to go for the head.

He rolled over with another groan of pain, rising to his knees and shimmying himself to the front of the wagon to confirm his suspicion of two wagons approaching from the front as well. He was expecting bad, but what he saw was much more than that. "Four more?!" Helia had only made four golems... and one for each wagon was already pushing it. There was no choice; Cassidy was going to have to get involved.

Narrowly avoiding another arrow zinging over his head, he rolls over to the sheathed blade he'd been eyeing earlier, staying low as he pulls it from it's covering. Damascus, the sky-blue blade that would have looked at home in the hands of the most powerful of knights and kings, looked quite out of place in Cassidy's grip. "Stay low, Helia. Make sure your golems get to those wagons however you can. I'm going to handle the extras..."

Struggling to his feet, trying with all of his might to ignore the pain that radiated from his shoulder in loud painful waves, he let out a whistle. "Come on, Mar!" With a sharp mewl, the cat bounds to his side, pressing herself to his legs affectionately as it slowly faded from view, disappearing into thin air with nothing but a faint glow left in her wake.

When the cat vanishes, the blue color of Damascus begins to shift rapidly, The golden designs on it's side shift to a deep silver, and it's blue blade quickly reddens to a burning scarlet. Cassidy's wound seems to bother him a deal less as he brandishes the fire-red blade, hopping onto the front of their wagon before jumping down to mount one of the horses that pulled them. He raises Damascus, and with a swipe cuts the harness holding that horse to their vehicle, delivering a kick to his hind as it breaks loose and gallops towards one of the wagons ahead of them.

He was putting his faith in Helia. He could handle one or two of the wagons, but her golems were the deciding factor. Already he saw them, elves clad in black armor poking their heads out from the wagon he approached, readying close combat weapons. The same would likely be true of those behind them, and with one horse their own wagon would slow to a crawl. All six of the wagons full of elven assassins would be empty out and they'd be in a bad way.

Cassidy hoped to take them out before that happened.

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"Stay low, Helia. Make sure your golems get to those wagons however you can. I'm going to handle the extras..."

She didn't need any encouragement, she stayed low in the bottom of the wagon and watched as he revealed his enchanted sword and his feline... Familiar?
He cut away one of the horses and rode off to fight. She was left alone in the wagon.
Her golems attacked the wagons coming up behind them, cutting the horses free and using their animate strength to stop or break the wheels off the wagons chasing them. They engaged with the bandits next while Helia had her own problems to deal with.

The single horse pulling their wagon was struggling. With a brief incantation she was able to summon an ice horse to temporarily keep their speed up, arrows were still ripping through the cloth covering and thunking into the boards barely missing her.
She move to the corner and created an ice wall around herself to block any arrows, then she began a more powerful incantation, chanting in a low repetitive tone that slowly built in force.
her eyes turned into blue orbs and radiated frost again, her tears came and froze her skin in streams wherever they touched, instant frostbite.

The air around the wagon was rapidly growing colder and began whipping around, picking up speed as her voice echoed from the wagon and through the forest and into the sky.
The wind started catching the arrows and adding to the little whirlwind she created.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

Cassidy could feel the bone-chilling winds building behind him, surrounding the cart he rode away from. Coupled with the cracking and crunching of wood in the distance, He figured either the golems were doing a real number on the opposing wagons, or they'd gotten to his wagon first. He didn't take the chance to look back, not when he was on a head on course with the two wagons approaching from the front.

They were sleek vehicles, completely enclosed save for a door on the side, hatches on the roof and small notches to fire from scattered across the entire surface. The elven assassins had already climbed out on top of the leftmost wagon, a pair of them. Cassidy veered his horse in that direction, raising his scarlet blade as they began to fire at him. The arrows would have struck true most assuredly, but as they neared the fiery red head of hair they aimed for, they stopped in midair, hanging in place for a fraction of a second before flying aside uselessly to the ground.

The mercenary felt a little smirk cross his lips as he heard the elven swears from his enemy as they abandoned the ranged attack and prepared their blades just as Ackerson came to pass their left side. They were travelling opposite directions at a considerable speed, so a single pass wouldn't be sufficient. As they crossed paths, Cassidy swung up at the elves on the cart's roof, deflecting a swing from a particularly angry elf, before reaching out and gripping one of the notches in the side of the vehicle, jumping quickly from his horse to the cart.

His feet had no foothold; he relied on the strength of his one armed grip to keep him on the wagon as his other arm swung up at an assassin who'd peeked over the side. The scarlet blade cleaved clean through the creatures neck, and his head and body tumbled off onto the ground. Quickly, he hoists himself up, sweeping his sword out in front of him as he pulls himself onto the roof, slicing the other elf across the chest and sending him down to his knees, heaving in pain. Ackerson doesn't execute him, instead pushing him off of the edge of the cart and onto the ground.

From up on top of the wagon he could see the wagon he'd left Helia in. He had to take a moment, letting his mouth hang open in a silent expression of awe...

Whatever Helia was doing looked incredible; the strange maelstrom of freezing wind that circled her caught any projectiles that were fired her way, and she'd made a horse out of pure ice, making up for the one that he'd taken. Her golems were dismantling the wagons that pursued them, the elves inside helplessly swinging at them, doing little more than taking small chips off of their bodies. She was stronger than he could ever have imagined.

Now he had to keep up his end of the bargain.

He opens the hatch in the roof of the cart, dropping inside. After a few minutes, the left cart would begin to veer off course, the horses carrying it turning sharply veering off course and colliding with the other attacking cart with enough impact to send them both rolling onto their side. It looked to be a nasty crash, but the path ahead of Helia's wagon was clear, and if things kept up with the Ice Golems, the rear would be too.

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

(Sorry for the delay. I hadn't learned until recently that I could mark messages as unread to find them again, but by then I had long forgotten about this. Apologies!)

From what she could tell from her protected corner in the wagon, things were going well. But even though she commanded her golems to great effect she was hardly steering their wagon. Her ice soldiers effectively crippled the pursuing wagons and were dealing with the occupants, though they were being left behind and would soon be out of range of Helia's sphere of influence the damage had already been done. The bandits couldn't chase them with those wagons.

She heard the screaming of horses and the splintering of wood as the two wagons approaching from ahead of them collided with each other, yet she still didn't dare to expose herself even with her protective whirlwind in place. She could only hope that her guide and protector hadn't gone and gotten himself tangled up in that mess. She was in a runaway wagon with no skill to stop it as they zoomed past the tangle of bandits and wagons and horses.

Adrenaline didn't even kick in with danger all around her, ice seemed to creep through her growing from her heart as she calmly decided to do nothing yet, to protect herself and let her guide take the consequences of his own choices as well.
She kept the ice horse running and made no effort to steer or check their speed.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

The wreckage of the wagons would lay as still as death as the ice-glazed wagon approached the carnage. Neither assassin nor Cassidy. Of course, Helia's stallion of ice moved without guidance, blindly galloping to the opposite wall of trees that would offer them safety and cover from further such attacks. Still, without a guide, she would likely have difficulty completing her journey home. She would, however, escape with her life at least...

Then the door to what had once been the leftmost cart would swing open, and a certain redheaded man with a dirty leather coat and a shimmering blue sword rolled out from the jet black cart onto the ground with a groan. Cassidy had been reckless in his actions, and he was kicking himself for it now. His entire body ached, where he'd been pummeled and jabbed with pointy ends by the elves that had been in the cart he hijacked. Difference is, they were dead or knocked out cold, and Cassidy just had some wounds and a sore back. Not the worst deal, he supposed.

Rolling onto his side, he took note of the carts at their rear also being disabled, the golems Helia had summoned giving those unfortunate would-be assassins a thorough pummeling as their target, Helia herself, rapidly headed towards him on a wagon sparkling with icy magic. He had to hand it to her, she'd handled herself well. Maybe he'd been a bit harsh on her earlier, doubting the magic and all.

Planting his sword in the ground beneath him, he forced himself up to his feet. Wouldn't be any good if she took off without him, would it? He wasn't in any condition to run, either; he needed to get back on the cart or he'd be left way behind. So, swallowing the pain, he doubles back just as the wagon passes him and takes the last leap his body will allow, clinging to the side of the wagon, groaning and swearing as he shimmies around the back to climb in, collapsing into a heap on the floor.

All he could do was laugh when he saw the royalty hiding in the corner.

"Miss me? Damn, that hurt."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

Someone had leapt onto the wagon and was making their way to the back to climb in.
A blade of ice formed in the air in front of her, aimed at the flapping canvas cover at the back of the wagon.
As soon as someone rolled into the floor of the wagon the blade shot forward. But without fear or anxiety driving her actions she quickly recognized her guide, stopping the blade to hover inches from his forehead and then to melt away.

"Miss me? Damn, that hurt."

With the bumping of the road she didn't dare stand up but she regally sat in her corner with a few arrows buried in the ice and wood around her.
"If you were an enemy I wouldn't miss."
Her voice was abnormally chilly and her expression especially apathetic.
She closed her eyes for a moment while she dispelled her icy whirlwind around the wagon.
When she opened her eyes they still radiated puffs of freezing mist, her power brought tears to her eyes which immediately froze.

She put both of her hands forward and caged her fingers like she was holding an invisible ball, she gathered her power in her hands, whirling ice and frost collecting in the air between her hands and she aimed past him and out the back of the wagon at the wreckage behind them.
"Step aside. I'll finish this."

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

Cassidy could only smile as he stared up at the frigid blade hovering inches from his face, a deadly implement that would have struck down anybody unlucky enough to not be on Helia's good side. As it melted, drops of water splashed against his face, and it was actually quite refreshing, considering he was in need of a good bath now. They would have to find a spring or a lake along the way. He was at least glad that Princess had a quick hand. She was beginning to make a habit out of surprising him.

He wasn't shocked by the chilly reception he received though. Even surrounded by the evidence of attacks made on her very life, the only evidence of emotion were the tears that suffered the same fate as everything else she disliked; frozen solid. Something was wrong with this woman, and Cassidy wished there was some way he could help her. Rolling to his side with a groan to climb back onto his knees at the very least, he knew well that Helia didn't want help. Not from Cassidy. "No, I doubt you would. Though I'm beginning to wonder if you're sure who your enemies and who your friends are..." He murmurs.

Finally pulling himself up to his feet, he limped to the front of the wagon, peering down at the horse made of pure ice, assisting their lone surviving horse in carrying them. Damn, she was good. "Helia..." He turned his head to her. "How long will this guy last, you think?" Quickly, he grabbed at his arm. The sharp pain of the arrow wound in his shoulder wasn't doing much to help him think, and the ice she'd put over it to help the pain was beginning to melt. "Damn, that smarts..."

He refocused on Helia in time to see her forming some sort of an attack between her hands, aiming out towards what was left of their would-be assassins. With a frown, the red-headed mercenary stepped forward, "No! They're already pummeled and defeated. They can't follow us, and they won't make it anywhere without their carts for days. We don't need to kill them!"

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"No, I doubt you would. Though I'm beginning to wonder if you're sure who your enemies and who your friends are..." He murmurs.

She pointedly ignored that comment.
She watched him make his way to the front of the wagon.

Helia..." He turned his head to her. "How long will this guy last, you think?"

She pondered for a moment, "Until I release it from my focus. It's magical ice so it won't melt by any regular heat or warm temperatures."
She began dispelling her shields around her and plucking arrows out of the woodwork, purposely saving the heads and shafts to be reused if needed.
His wounds started getting to him again but she remained focused on her tasks until she began focusing her power for the finishing blow that would freeze the bandits through flesh and bone, turning them into crystalized corpses to be shattered by a stiff wind.

"No! They're already pummeled and defeated. They can't follow us, and they won't make it anywhere without their carts for days. We don't need to kill them!"

Anger rose in her chest as he stepped forward to block her spell. She didn't divert her aim from where it was even with him standing there. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed into a glare made all the more imposing by the frost radiating from her eyes.
"They are beaten, but not punished. Assassination of a princess is a heinous crime and the sentence is death whether they are successful or not!"
Her anger provided more power to her spell and the swirling orb of cold magic surged.
"What do you know of such things? They won't reform after a single thrashing! They will recover and return to their ways as soon as their cuts scab over!"
Suddenly her anger vanished and her face was suddenly devoid of anything but the ice in her eyes and the frozen trails from her eyes down her cheeks.
This sudden loss of emotion seemed to cause another surge far more powerful than the last as her spell continued to charge in her hands.
"Step aside, Mister Ackerson. Don't give your life for those scum."

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

Cassidy had a sneaking suspicion that Helia wasn't going to take too kindly to his intervening in her execution of their attackers. He'd been hoping she'd let it go and not make some attempt to settle the score with them over this, but the chill he felt against his abdomen as he stood in the way of her spell told him that maybe he should have known better. This was Helia, after all. Despite his efforts, she hadn't thawed a bit.

All he could do was stare back at her, the ice in her glare meeting with the fire in his eyes. Both of them were indomitable, unyielding to the other. "We aren't in your kingdom, Princess. You ain't the judge. They've got no ride to get home, and they've been beaten half to death already by your golems. That's enough." Her emotions were boiling over, anger apparent where she was usually so adept at concealing it. Would she shoot him? Was she that far gone?

He could understand, from her perspective, why she was so concerned with his objections. She was right in that there were souls who would never change their ways, who would always return to crime and degeneracy no matter how many times they were chastised. It wasn't Cassidy, nor Helia's place to make that choice, however.

He wasn't particularly worried until the emotion faded from her face, leaving only a blank stare back up at him, swirling with mist, ice and frost as she demanded his withdrawal one last time. Helia didn't give a damn about him. He was a tool, and he was getting in her way. He scowled back at his charge, eyes narrowing. If she was going to shoot him, then he was going to make his thoughts known.

"Are you that callous? You're going to kill the man who just saved your life because I won't let you throw a tantrum like you're some child? You're a princess, Helia. At least, that's what you've told me, but ever since we got on the road all I've seen is a brat who mistakes being a leader for being heartless. Yeah, feelings hurt. Trust me, I know. But if you can't control yourself? If you can't care about anything? You ain't ready to be a leader, Helia. Stop the spell."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"We aren't in your kingdom, Princess. You ain't the judge. They've got no ride to get home, and they've been beaten half to death already by your golems. That's enough."

If she isn't to be the judge, then who will? If she wasn't the one to stop them, then who else could?
Beaten? They were bested at the most, worse for wear at the least... But they could still stand, they could still walk, they could still recover, and eventually they could kill again.
In her eyes that was hardly enough, not even close.

He was tenacious, she'll give him that. She was staring right at him so she couldn't miss the fire in his eyes. For some reason this was very important to him. Was this the guilt of his noble upbringing? Did he pity them because he saw them as underprivileged and downtrodden, desperate men in a desperate world. Whatever the reason, he refused to move.

Are you that callous? You're going to kill the man who just saved your life because I won't let you throw a tantrum like you're some child? You're a princess, Helia. At least, that's what you've told me, but ever since we got on the road all I've seen is a brat who mistakes being a leader for being heartless. Yeah, feelings hurt. Trust me, I know. But if you can't control yourself? If you can't care about anything? You ain't ready to be a leader, Helia. Stop the spell."

Tantrum? Like some child? A brat? Heartless. Cruel. Uncaring. Insensitive... Cold... In her mind she saw her servants, rival politicians, her father, suitors of noble birth echoing those same sentiments throughout her life.
Nothing new.
"Other leaders care about lining their pockets with gold, other leaders care about mercy towards their enemies, other leaders care about themselves and comfortable lives, I do not care about anything. Other leaders, other people, lose control... I do not. I don't feel, Mister Ackerson. Only numbness. Feelings are inconvenient, blinding, they cause wars and destroy lives.
Because I don't feel I never simply react like some child."

There was a bend in the road and the living horse was able to turn them just enough to make it.
The assassins were out of sight.
She looked over his shoulder and grimaced.
"There... They've been spared... Are you happy?"
She began to slowly dissipate the massive amount of power she'd gathered and refused to look at him, her expression blank and unchastened as her eyes slowly returned to normal and her tears slowly melted and stung her cheeks, but she wasn't crying.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

Cassidy was getting right sick of this woman's attitude. For all the disdain she showed towards the leaders of the world, she was proving to be every bit as flawed as they were. She was cold, callous, and thought that she knew better than everybody else merely due to her status. He'd hoped she'd prove different, that perhaps there was a shred of humanity in her. Thus far she'd only succeeded in making him feel pity for the people she was to rule.

She didn't spare him her anger, her words were sharp as razors leaving her tongue. That he dared to stand in her way truly had enraged her, it seemed. The injured redhead stood firm in front of her, arms outstretched as far as they could be with his wounds still burning and sore. With every breath, he winced. It would have been easy for her to merely push him aside; he was ready to collapse from exhaustion anyways.

So when their wagon finally turned the bend, entering the forest on the other side of the clearing and hiding their assailants from them at last, Ackerson almost immediately dropped to his hands and knees, coughing and wheezing in some attempt to catch his breath. He'd overdone it, almost to the point of doing severe damage to himself. He wasn't sure what was more frustrating; that he'd lost control, or that he'd done it for such an ungrateful little bi--

Another twinge of pain caused him to clutch at his shoulder, teeth clenching as he chokes down a groan. She just stood there, looking angry and offended that he'd defended their defenseless attackers. Of course, she didn't understand... "No, I'm not happy." He hissed, rolling to sit on the floor of the wagon. "Because I was a big enough fool to risk my life for somebody who I now see would never do the same for anybody." He made an attempt to work his jacket off, the bit of ice that she'd left on his shoulder biting at his skin. "Being ambivalent and uncaring doesn't make you a good leader, Helia. It makes you a monster. The evils that other people commit aren't an excuse for you to pretend that your lack of a heart makes you any better."

He couldn't hold his groan. This job wasn't worth this... Not when she was ready to kill him for disobeying her. "I'm getting off at the next town. If you want to be alone so bad, you can take the wagon the rest of the way by your own damned self..."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"No, I'm not happy." He hissed, rolling to sit on the floor of the wagon. "Because I was a big enough fool to risk my life for somebody who I now see would never do the same for anybody." He made an attempt to work his jacket off, the bit of ice that she'd left on his shoulder biting at his skin. "Being ambivalent and uncaring doesn't make you a good leader, Helia. It makes you a monster. The evils that other people commit aren't an excuse for you to pretend that your lack of a heart makes you any better."

She was silent as he ranted at her, still not looking at him. She sat down in the cart and tucked her skirts around herself.
She didn't understand, he didn't understand... How could two people with such polarized thought processes understand why the other did the things that they did? He had a working heart that could feel and influence his decisions for better or worse, people who tried could probably understand him and maybe even sympathize. Nobody understood how she thought, why she did the things she did. Were her thoughts really so alien to everyone else? Of course she's the anomaly in the world, not everyone freezes their hearts as a child. But this anomaly has brought her success thus far, greater success than her peers.
Her clarity of thought had only been a blessing, yet it was easily clouded by anger and wrath, it took her years but she tamed her temper and now it is her weapon...

But why the heck wasn't he happy?! He got what he wanted, didn't he? He has a heart so he can feel happiness, right? The bandits will live and now have a seventy percent chance of harming or killing someone else, isn't that what he wanted?
No, he wasn't happy and it's because of her, is it just because she's the only one who can see things clearly because she can't feel? Or is she the one missing something...?

"I'm getting off at the next town. If you want to be alone so bad, you can take the wagon the rest of the way by your own damned self..."

"Will you please tell me why? Will you tell me why their lives were so important? And don't give me any of that pious nonsense about 'all life is precious',"
She looked him in the eye and stood up in spite of the bumpy road.
"Tell me why it's so important to you that you would give up the massive award you agreed upon to return me home. Is it just to make a point? Did you owe them something? Have your wounds addled your mind? Or is this guilt for the privileges of your birth?"

There was no anger. Again she showed nothing on her face. Only the questions hung in the air.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

Cassidy had been trying to empathize with Helia, to understand her plight and help her from the moment he agreed to take her home. He figured it would pay well, and at the very least he'd have some company on the road, usually long and lonely. This woman had proven time and time again though that she felt nothing. Every pore of her body seemed to spill nothing but bitterness and spite, and Cassidy felt more isolated trying to communicate with her than he did traveling alone.

Now he was at his limit. Helia had been fully prepared to blast him if it meant getting an act of final revenge against their attackers after he'd taken an arrow for her. Even then, it wasn't just because of her behavior, of her coldness towards him that he was fed up. As Helia stood and balked down at him emotionlessly, Cassidy couldn't help being reminded of somebody...

"It's not even that their lives were important... It's about honor., about being human." He spoke softly at first to her, leaning back as he seethed in pain. "Nobles... Royalty... they don't know any better but to kick people when they're down, killing their foes who're already defeated. They're all the same, they don't spare a thought to the emotions of others." He closes his eyes, the adrenaline of the battle he'd fought finally wearing off. "That's why I never want to go back to Oban. All of those hypocrites with no sense of humanity... No heart." His breathing grew heavier, his voice fading a bit as he fought sleep. "All you do is remind me of home, where they don't know how to feel."

He wasn't angry with her, he wasn't even disappointed. No, Cassidy pitied Helia. He was so sure that there was a wonderful, passionate woman somewhere under all that nonsense. She just needed somebody to show her that there was another, less lonely way to live. "Pain is inevitable. To close yourself off in hopes of avoiding it is a fool's errand. It's selfish." He shifted to sit up, shaking the sleep from his head. He needed to stay alert. "If you were willing to blast me with that ice just to kill those men, who's to say you won't dispose of me the second I'm not useful to you anymore? You've said it yourself, you don't feel."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"It's not even that their lives were important... It's about honor., about being human." He spoke softly at first to her, leaning back as he seethed in pain. "Nobles... Royalty... they don't know any better but to kick people when they're down, killing their foes who're already defeated. They're all the same, they don't spare a thought to the emotions of others." He closes his eyes, the adrenaline of the battle he'd fought finally wearing off. "That's why I never want to go back to Oban. All of those hypocrites with no sense of humanity... No heart." His breathing grew heavier, his voice fading a bit as he fought sleep. "All you do is remind me of home, where they don't know how to feel."

"Spare a thought to the emotions of criminals? Waste honor and humanity on those who have shown none to their victims? Those bandits were well equipped, prepared, and they gave no thought not only to the emotions of those they waylay, but also had a disregard for the lives of those they attack.
They would have killed us if we proved too much to keep alive if they had the skill to do so, they more than likely have killed others and for less, forgive my lack of pity for criminals, Mister Ackerson.
And before you compare me to them, Just execution is a far cry from cold blooded murder for personal gain on the side of the road."
She had to bite that out first since it was the start of this argument, she would not budge on this point, but the core of this dispute now had nothing to do with the bandits.

"Pain is inevitable. To close yourself off in hopes of avoiding it is a fool's errand. It's selfish." He shifted to sit up, shaking the sleep from his head. He needed to stay alert. "If you were willing to blast me with that ice just to kill those men, who's to say you won't dispose of me the second I'm not useful to you anymore? You've said it yourself, you don't feel."

"I hired you to get me home, not to try to fix me... You cannot undo this curse, not even I can."
She looked away from him to the floor in a gesture that she understood as one that showed chastening.
"... But you are correct, you are useful to me. I suppose I cannot deny your reasoning for thinking I would have killed you, If I did kill you I doubt I would have felt a single thing. In that light I can see it as a flaw..."
The wagon slowed down considerably as the horse began to tire, but when they hit another bump in the road she sat down to keep from falling.
"Understand that I don't ask for pity because of my condition... But I will ask for your forgiveness, I understand how I have been in the wrong in this situation."
She still didn't look up, purposely not meeting his gaze to show him as sincerely as she could that she at the very least regretted how she treated him.
"If you let me, I will tend your wounds once we stop."

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

It was the first time Cassidy had seen Helia admit she was wrong about anything since they'd begun. Despite the heated argument they'd just had, he found it made him smile, just a little. She was a human under all of that. There was a heart there somewhere. Shifting against the wall of the wagon, he looked up for a moment as he considered her words. "I don't expect to change you. What made you who you are is so much bigger than me, Helia. I'm just a little blip in the story of your life. Maybe not even that."

There was no point in continuing to argue his point, and he knew that. The both of them simply saw the world differently from one another. Maybe Cassidy had just hoped to offer a fresh perspective. Maybe that was foolish or naive of him. He had to hold back a chuckle at the thought. "If you think all criminals such scum, am I looped in with that group? I'm a sellsword, surely you can imagine I've had to do things outside of law and morals... But listen to us, arguing over a few beaten and bloodied blades-for-hire." He squeezed his shoulder a bit as they hit a bump. "I'm not asking you to change, Princess. Just asking you to remember who your enemies and allies are right now. Okay?"

In some ways, he understood why she was so on edge. She was royalty in a strange place that she had little to no experience with. In her eyes, everything would be seen as a possible threat. If Cass hadn't made himself trustworthy by now though, he never would. The wagon was slowing now, and it was as good a time as any. His arm was throbbing, and he needed to get it taken care of. Some sleep definitely couldn't hurt either. Even if their attackers had taken after them on foot, they wouldn't catch up for quite some time.

"But..." He began, using his good arm to brush some hair from his face. "I suppose that probably wasn't a great time to go all noble on you, too. I accept your apology, so long as you can accept mine."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"I don't expect to change you. What made you who you are is so much bigger than me, Helia. I'm just a little blip in the story of your life. Maybe not even that."

She couldn't argue or refute his logic, maybe he was right about that as well. Once they make it back to Mardania they will go their separate ways and probably never see each other again.

"If you think all criminals such scum, am I looped in with that group? I'm a sellsword, surely you can imagine I've had to do things outside of law and morals... But listen to us, arguing over a few beaten and bloodied blades-for-hire." He squeezed his shoulder a bit as they hit a bump. "I'm not asking you to change, Princess. Just asking you to remember who your enemies and allies are right now. Okay?"

"A sellsword and a bandit are hardly a comparison, Mister Ackerson. Yet both reap the consequences of their actions when what they have done finally catches up with them. If you had committed crimes against Mardania as a sellsword I would most certainly hold you accountable."
She let out a calming breath as she went on, "But I understand that you are not my enemy. I will try to be mindful of your emotions from now on."

"But..." He began, using his good arm to brush some hair from his face. "I suppose that probably wasn't a great time to go all noble on you, too. I accept your apology, so long as you can accept mine."

She nodded slowly, "Very well, I will accept your apology if that is the price you ask for mine."

As the wagon finally clattered to a halt she dispelled the ice horse with a wave of her hand and looked up at him.
"Will you allow me to tend your wounds? I assure you that I have been well tutored in the arts of medicine."

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

For the first time since they'd begun their journey, it appeared they'd reach an understanding. It wasn't a breakthrough, but Cassidy felt like the two of them could understand each other a good deal better now that they'd nearly come to blows. Funny how conflict can bring people together. The wagon came to a full stop in the shade of the trees overhead, and if anything stopping their journey made his pain lessen just a tad.

"And I will make more attempt to leave you to your own devices if that is what you desire." He replies. It had probably been a bit presumptuous of him to attempt to open her up the way he'd been doing; she'd made it clear she wasn't in the market for friends. Cassidy had a good-hearted, friendly nature to him though. It was a lesson to learn that not everybody would be so receptive to such a mindset.

This would be a fine place for camp tonight, but... He raised a hand to grip at his wound once again. "It would be much appreciated, Helia. The ice helped, but it stings like hell." The flesh was thawed and red, the arrow had ripped through his shoulder cleanly, but at least there was only a sliver of shaft that had embedded itself in his body as opposed to the entire arrow. On the whole, he'd been lucky.

"Lucky for us they didn't think to use poison, else you'd be on your own right about now. Guess whoever hired them cheaped out a little..."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"It would be much appreciated, Helia. The ice helped, but it stings like hell." The flesh was thawed and red, the arrow had ripped through his shoulder cleanly, but at least there was only a sliver of shaft that had embedded itself in his body as opposed to the entire arrow. On the whole, he'd been lucky.

"Lucky for us they didn't think to use poison, else you'd be on your own right about now. Guess whoever hired them cheaped out a little..."

"Provided they were hired at all and not mere bandits... I think assassins hired to hunt me down would at least be somewhat prepared with knowledge to face me."
She stood up and led him to sit down in the back of the wagon, she examined the wound first before doing some preliminary first aid.
The shards of the arrow were long and easy enough to remove. "This will hurt." She warned before going to work pulling out the shards as gently as she could, trying her best not to aggravate the wound further but inevitably more blood leaked out of the deep injury.
Heedless of the blood staining her hands she worked over the shards until she was sure she got them all.

"Take off your shirt." She stated simply. She needed better access than the simple pinhole in his sleeve to treat the wound. Her fingers were cool to the touch against his arm but not unpleasantly so.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

"Yeah, but I also think regular bandits wouldn't all be elves and ridden in on all black covered wagons with matching uniforms. This wasn't a random attack, they had to know something." He muttered back as Helia helped him to his feet and walked him to the back of the wagon to better access his wound. Cassidy was already tensed up, expecting the pain before it hit when she began extracting the long slivers of arrow from his flesh.

"Gaaah! Fucking shit! You aren't kidding!" He growled loudly, his opposite hand clutching at his leg to stop himself from darting it up to his wound reflexively. The mercenary grit his teeth and dealt with the pain though, this was far from the worst injury he'd been afflicted with in the past. Still, the sweat that beaded on his skin was instantly chilled just by being in Helia's presence, and Cass shivered with the sensation.

The red-head nearly scoffed at her order to remove his shirt. Easier said than done, with a wound like the one he was sporting. He made a few clumsy attempts to raise his arm high enough to slide his shirt off, but the pain grew far too intense each time. Oh, well with it. Drawing the small knife from his hip, he carefully begins cutting the fabric of the shirt. It was old and replaceable, his shoulder was not.

The rest of his body looked to be in immaculate shape, but then one would have to assume that's what a life of running would offer you. Despite his fitness, one could tell from his shape he'd grown up quite thin and lean. Plus, the rest of his skin was a slight shade paler. "Let's get this over with, then I'll set up camp for us..."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"Yeah, but I also think regular bandits wouldn't all be elves and ridden in on all black covered wagons with matching uniforms. This wasn't a random attack, they had to know something."

He had a point there; she hadn't actually gotten to see their assailants very clearly from inside the wagon so she hadn't noticed any uniforms, or the fact that they were all elves... But it also had troubling connotations... What assassins would dress in a uniform to take out their targets? Unless they were trying to frame another faction for the attempt... Or it was another faction, someone who didn't want her to make it home...

"Gaaah! Fucking shit! You aren't kidding!"

"It'll hurt worse if you thrash around, be my guest." She replied sarcastically as she continued to methodically work over the shattered arrow.
Once his shirt was off, she could properly see his wound.

"Let's get this over with, then I'll set up camp for us..."

"You'll lay down and recover from your injury before I let you lift a finger again. You can't protect me if you're wounded or dead." She replied sternly, but still with an edge of sarcasm.
With his wound visible she was able to see the extent of the damage, he had taken that arrow for her, it was the least she could do.
She cleaned the wound with melted snow she summoned in her hands, then she placed her hands directly over the wound. Muttering arcane words her hands began to glow white, they grew colder and colder making the area numb and the spell began knitting to flesh together.

 

[Cassidy Ackerson]

It didn't really matter who had tried to kill the both of them. The only important thing was that they'd survived, albeit not without some bruises. Still, there was one thing Helia had suggested that did stick in Cassidy's mind; there was a non-zero chance they weren't the only ones coming for them. It made sense enough, Helia hadn't said much of the political climate of her kingdom beyond what he needed to know. She could have any number of enemies that Cassidy wasn't aware of.

Once she had his shirt off to work on his wound more thoroughly, the pain of it died down to a more reasonable level. His shoulder ached more than it stung as Helia washed it clean and covered it with her hands. Peering up at her, a thin smile crosses his lips. "You know, it's almost cute when you care." He teased, and immediately regretted it. Why did he feel the need to antagonize her when she had her hands over an open wound? Was he begging for a case of frostbite?

Regardless, by the time she had finished with him, he was more than happy to call it a day. He'd expended far too much of his limited magical power on that stunt and it was coming back to haunt him now. Mar still hadn't reformed yet, and Damascus was a dim and pale shade compared to its normally brilliant blue. Whatever Helia had done worked; his shoulder was as sore as could be, but the wound was closed up. Moving his arm experimentally, he muttered. "That's incredible... I wish I'd found a knack for things like that, honestly. With a groan, he set about laying out the sleeping mats on the ground beside where the wagon had stopped, along the side of the forest path.

Cassidy took a moment to circle around to their remaining horse, exhausted and lying on the ground. The mercenary brought his hand out to stroke the poor creature's mane, cooing softly at it. "You did great, boy. Get some rest now..." He reached into the small metal box bolted to the side of the wagon and retrieved a carrot, laying it in front of the horse before hobbling over to his bedmat.

"Hope you don't mind if I forgo a fire tonight. I can barely stand up."

Helia Glacies Kyxo

 

[Helia Glacies Kyxo]

"You know, it's almost cute when you care."

She arched an eyebrow at him. It's almost like he had short term memory loss or something, he seemed to forget already that she felt nothing but cold and cruelty.
"Do I seem "cute"? I'm surprised, I usually have to pretend in order to get that reaction."
She managed to finish her work without giving him frostbite. She tried to alter it to be more ice based, but the magic required was of a different type than her affinity, so it took more out of her.

"That's incredible... I wish I'd found a knack for things like that, honestly.

"I was born with ice magic. Near as anyone can figure out, there might have been a white dragon somewhere in the Kyzo lineage.
Sometimes magic can be taught to those without a magical bloodline. Most common people have some sort of affinity or hidden talent and schools that teach magic are practically devoted to awakening magic in such people."
She wrapped his arm with a length of cloth as a bandage and cleaned her hands off with melted ice.
"If you have the ability to manipulate magic, then you technically have the ability to use any form of magic if you know the proper spells. I know some healing magic even though it is not my affinity."

She climbed down out of the wagon and took the bed mats out of his hands before he could push himself any further. She spoke up again as he went around to check on the remaining horse.
"We should see if we can't find another horse soon, perhaps one that's fled the battle? I can only maintain a summon for a few hours at a time."

"Hope you don't mind if I forgo a fire tonight. I can barely stand up."

She shook her head, "Lay yourself down and don't worry, the cold never bothered me anyways. If you get cold I'll build a fire."
She spoke confidently, as if she knew how to build a fire without help... Which she absolutely did not.