Private Tales The Sound of Steel

[Kaius]

The rush of guilt was instantaneous but he hid any semblance of it from his expression as he watched the prince fall. The moment Kaius stopped moving, the pain set in and he pressed a hand to the ribs that Riz had broken. He was sweat-drenched and dizzy, dragging air back into his starving lungs and his exhaustion was pulling him rapidly to the limits of consciousness. It took everything not to give any of them the satisfaction of watching the 'old man' keel over.

A few of the men took a few steps forward with the intention of rushing to Arwyl's aid, but they stopped in their tracks as Kaius held out a hand to halt them, and instead they simply stared with expressions warped by concern. Kaius and Arwyl could be as stubborn as one another, and regardless of how much he wanted to throw down his weapon and storm off to brood somewhere, he couldn't. His jaw clenched and he tried not to stagger as he walked to stand over the prince with a huff and held out his hand to help him up.

 

[Arwyl Minras]

It took a few seconds for the world to stop spinning. Bad enough to have been put on his back, it would have looked even worse to miss when reaching for Kaius' hand.

Arwyl didn't really know what he had been trying to achieve by winding up Kaius. His anger had been directed at Arwyl and taken out on the band. Some part of Arwyl had known he deserved to have it directed his way.

Arwyl didn't know what to say as he reached up and took Kaius' hand. He was hefted quite easily to his feet.

"Maybe if I'd let you fight a few more people first..." he said, loud enough for the nearest to hear.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius's jaw clenched and his lips pressed thinly as he tried to disguise the effort it took to help him up. His eyes were blinking heavily at the elf and he let out a reluctant, husky laugh under his breath. He dropped the training sword, and lifted his hand to pat the prince firmly on the side of his face. It was as much praise for his efforts as he was going to get, and he decided to leave the criticisms alone. He knew why he'd ended up on his back. And Kaius knew he'd overdone it.

"Riz.." he called out to the orc who came stomping over, and Kaius turned to grab onto him. He tried to make it look like a friendly pat on the back, but as the orc walked him from the training ground it was clear he was taking most of Kai's weight.

 

[Sylmara]

"Boys." Sylmara said with a roll of her eyes.

It seemed no matter the species or introduction to the Wilds they were all the same. At least from this little interaction. She had watched the fight closely, and could really only guess at what the motivations behind all of it were.

To her it was all rather foolish, reminding her of the scuffles she had watched her brothers get into before the war.

Lips thinned for a brief second, head shaking as she watched an Orc pull Kaius to his feet and help escort him from the battleground. Captain Filven stepped forward, but Sylmara raised a hand and stopped him from rushing to his friend. "Bring him here."

She said with a gesture towards the bench.

"Idiots." The Princess grumbled quietly, then gestured to the Prince. "Him too."

There were more important things to do still.

 

[Riley]

A groan of satisfaction left her lips as she sunk into the warm waters of the bath-house.

Oh gods. She needed this.

Head tipped back and her eyes closed as she floated on her back, ears tipping beneath the water effectively shutting out the sounds from beyond the doors.

 

[Arwyl Minras]

Arwyl decided to stand very still. That way he wouldn't put his slowly returning sense of balance to the test.

"The Princess would like a discussion with you both," asked the captain. It was not really an 'ask' as much as a strong suggestion.

"Of course," replied Arwyl. He could see the captain clearly, but his image kept shifting to the side.

He took a deep breath and staggered to the bench, glad of its support when he sat down.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius tried his best not to let out a groan as the Captain stopped them, instead he sighed given the look on the man's face and gave him a respectful nod. He let go of Riz and gave the orc a pat on the shoulder. He was a little unsteady on his feet, and with every step he took back toward the princess he risked his legs buckling underneath him. Riz followed relatively close behind him as though anticipating the need to catch him.

He stood in front of the princess and bowed his head. "Your Highness." he spoke quietly, his voice strained by a pained breath and his hand pressed over his ribs again.

 

[Sylmara]

She looked the two of them up and down for a moment, pressing her lips thin before slowly folding her eyes closed. Suddenly the ground beneath them seemed to quiver for a second, her fingers twitching, thing vines grew and laced themselves around their boots.

"What exactly did that prove?" Her hands shot out, one grasping Arwyl's shoulder, the other Kaius. "What exactly was the point?"

She asked them as her eyes opened.

The odd speckled sea of green seemed to have a glow to it, a hazy wash of color that pulsed through them. Her fingers clenched on both of the men, the vines holding them in place. Then they would feel a wash of soothing magics slowly flow over them.

Ache's disappeared, bruises flow away, and broken flesh knit together. "Fools, the both of you. Like children fighting over who has the bigger stick."

She eyed the two of them.

 

[Riley]

Riley took a breath and submerged beneath the warm waters, not being offered a magical alternative to soothe her sore muscles.

 

[Arwyl Minras]

"Magic healing trees? Well that's fucking handy," sighed Arwyl.

In his head, his conscience - which always sounded like Kaius - cleared its throat.

"I am terribly sorry for letting that get out of hand. Were you to travel with the band for a few weeks, I feel that food fights and sparring angry would be the least of your concerns when it came to our behaviour.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius flinched at the shuddering ground and his brow knit as he watched the vines snake their way around his feet.

His attention snapped upward as the hand grabbed his shoulder and he frowned at the woman. He was far too respectful to offer any sort of retort, but he would've put his coin on Arwyl having some sort of smart answer, and so when he apologised Kaius' brows rose in mute surprise.

He hadn't felt like a child in a very, very long time, but in that moment he felt like he was being reprimanded by his mother and managed to look even more ashamed as his gaze dropped to feet once again as he listened to her. He could feel the woman's magic coursing through him, every ache and sting in his muscles seemed to melt away, even the broken ribs knit themselves back and his wounds stopped bleeding.

"Thank you..." he sighed and took a moment to drag a few deep breaths into his lungs now that he could do so without pain.

It was the second time he was finding himself owing the Princess apology, and he mentally kicked himself for allowing himself to appear as foolish as he did. It wasn't in his character to be a troublemaker, that was Arwyl... It was far too complex a situation to explain to someone who didn't know them.

"No excuse would be sufficient, Your Highness. I only hope you'll accept my apology for a second time." he dipped his chin.

 

[Riley]

Riley surfaced and began swimming toward the lip of the large bath, snagging a towel as she teetered up the wide steps. Bruises speckled her skin where she took some of the blows from training. Looking down the towel she'd wrapped around her torso, she fingered one just above her chest.

"Fuk, I need some armor."

Sighing, she looked toward where she'd piled her dirty clothes. But they were gone.

"Witless fuking cockwomble," Riley groaned. Head swiveled around the empty bathhouse, looking for signs of an interloper. Maybe that elf from earlier.

"Seriously?" She called out.

 

[Sylmara]

"We are not savages brutalizing each other on the woods." She hissed, clearly not yet done with her repute of the both of them.

She had been alive during the Third Elven war, the last great conflict with Vel Anir. Unlike her brothers she had not fought, but through her connection with the Falwood she and seen it all. Sylmara well knew the savagery of war, the duplicity and violence, the hatred that could grow.

The Princess had even seen it in her own brothers. "Even if we spend years in the wilds."

Her fingers pulled away from them both, the small vines withdrawing from them as her healing ebbed away.

"That is what they would make of us." She not need to say who she meant by 'they'. The Anirians for years had tried to paint them as savages, backwards, renegades and murderers. Many of their people had been executed with such excuses. "Try to remember that when we meet them in battle on the coming days."

Her voice was low then, but she turned around and began to walk away.

 

[Arwyl Minras]

His head still reeling, Arwyl leaned into Kaius' shoulder so he could whisper quietly: "I like her."

More than that, he was thinking about Jasper Vance. The noble brat known for torching elves alive.

Kaius warned him time and again against becoming a creature driven only be revenge. In this instance no calming words would turn him from this cause.

Vance deserved to die painfully. Arwyl would settle for a quick death.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius lifted his chin and kept his eyes forward as the woman continued with her scolding. He endured, his jaw clenched tight shut. His orders, as much as he argued with them, came from Arwyl, but royalty was royalty and Kaius had been a diplomat as well as a commander. Here, he fell under Sylmara's rule unless Arwyl told him otherwise.

He was patiently waiting to be released and dismissed, until the moment she mentioned battle and he looked at her, his lips parting but no words came forth. Another battle... another opportunity to die. At least this time they had an army, he supposed, and Jasper Vance was as good a reason to go to battle as any.

As Arwyl leaned close to him, Kaius scowled and pressed his lips into a thin line as a huff escaped his nose. "Can't imagine why..." he muttered to him as the princess walked away. He shot a glance to Arwyl and turned, making sure to bump his shoulder against him as he shoved past to take himself away before he caused any more of a scene.

He took himself to the bath house, now in no need of any support to get there.

"Who are you yelling at?.." Kaius asked as he quirked a brow at the disgruntled human. He couldn't help but smirk in enjoyment of her choice of attire.

 

[Riley]

Riley spun around, nearly losing her towel in the process. Armpits clinched to her sides more tightly, fingers of one hand going to keep the corners tucked in. Wet hair clung to her damp skin.

"To whoever the goddamned clothes thief is," she breathed. Free hand pointed to the deck, near the steps. "I put them right there and I went under for one minute and they're gone."

Riley sniffed, squaring her shoulders.

Riley caught the twinkle of amusement in the elf's verdant eyes.

"This. Isn't. Funny."

Teeth clenched, the hand that pointed balling up into a feisty fist at her side. Blinking, she took more of him in. "Well you certainly look better than you did a bit ago. Get all your manly angst out?" Her lips twitched, just slightly.

 

[Sylmara]

Sylmara stepped away from the other elves and their pet, deciding that it was best to distance herself for a few moments as they worked things through.

She sat herself down in the gardens just outside the training grounds, pinching the bridge of her nose and muttering a silent curse. Briefly she wondered if this was the sort of thing her father had needed to deal with during the war, or if it was even more petty.

Her lips thinned, and she let out another sigh.

Whatever was to come over the next few days, she had suddenly realized that it would likely be a hell of a lot harder than she had first thought it would be.

 

[Arwyl Minras]

There was not much for them to work out. Arwyl winced as Kaius bumped his shoulder as he left. The old man was taking a little bit of that satisfaction at downing him away again. One day that challenge would go the other way. Little by little the gap between them closed.

Not yet.

The world wasn't spinning any more. It wasn't spinning as much anyway. He pushed himself to his feet and walked slowly after the princess. He found her in a wide garden. He still hadn't asked why her eyes were the colour of the meadow. Another time.

"So we will? Meet them in battle?"

 

[Kaius]

Kai's cheeks dimpled in a grin as she almost lost her towel, though, joking aside, it was difficult not to let his gaze linger. "It's definitely a little funny." he commented quietly with a bob of his head and a light shrug.

"Perhaps Princess Sylmara will help you out with a pretty dress." he mused as he lifted off his bloodied shirt and tossed it in a basin. His wounds had healed and the blood he'd spilled was dry, but he inspected the Princess' work, quietly impressed. It done nothing for his lethargy, however, and he intended on bathing and sleeping off his foul mood. Riley's predicament had admittedly helped a little with that.

"Is that what you think it is? 'Manly angst'?" Kaius arched a brow at her and shook his head as he undid his belt. "It's a little more complicated than that." he muttered dryly and only just stopped himself from baring his arse. She was a lady, after all.He tilted his head at her and swirled his finger in the air, gesturing for her to turn around.

 

[Riley]

A small snort at his dress comment.

"The princess barely acknowledges me and more importantly, a dress is a horrible thing to fight in."

As he stripped away his dirty clothes, Riley couldn't help but let her eyes drift. Taking in his form. Flickering to the muscles and lines of his chest. Scars there. There was no denying that he was attractive.

Oh fuk.

Frustration and a flash of amusement flickered in her eyes as she snapped them back to his face. More amusement rippled on her face as her brows lofted. "Really? I've seen naked men before...," voice trailed off, a lopsided and impish grin briefly settling on her lips as she slowly turned.

"Why don't you explain it to me then?" Despite her previous smile, her voice was quiet and not mocking. He said it was more complicated than manly angst.

 

[Sylmara]

Sylmara took in a breath as Arwyl spoke. "Yes."

She supposed that it was typical of men, to think only of battle even after they had just been beaten to a pulp. Her lips thinned for a moment, and she slowly looked over to him. Her eyes swam with that odd green light, entirely consumed by the color.

"Captain Filven is gathering his men." It would be the first time that Saen had struck out against Vel Anir in almost two hundred years.

Her father would no doubt disapprove, but he was in Fal'Addas. She might have sent word to her brother but...well even he would likely say no. It was best to beg for forgiveness rather than ask permission she had decided.

"The Anirians are moving along the Velhar River." Sylmara said softly. "In two days time they will reach Belathins Plateau. With your and Kaius' input, I suggest we meet them there."

They had maps they would need to go over, but Filven had told her that it would be the best spot.

Sylmara was no general, and she would not pretend to be. Such decisions should be made by those who had experience.

Slowly the Princess gazed at him, her expression indecipherable.

 

[Arwyl Minras]

Arwyl grinned. He knew that she was taking a risk with this move. Her captain clearly didn't approve.

"How flat is this plateau?" He asked, wasting no time in getting to business. "He's a cunt of a man, bus Jasper Vance is always surrounded by a cadre of foot knights. Arrows won't touch their armour and flat and firm ground is the last place you want to engage them."

Arwyl didn't like attributing prowess to the human forces. Having had his entire city torched to the ground, with his own people used for the bonfire, he had lost the luxury of dismissing them.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius snorted. "Aye, better she doesn't acknowledge you than scolds you for being a savage or a child." he muttered as he rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, his jaw clenched irritably.

He stripped off the rest of his clothes with a light smirk as she turned around, and walked into the steaming hot pool with a groan as he sat himself against the wall of it to wash the blood from his face.. "Have you now?.. And if I were to let my eyes roam over your naked self I'd be called lecherous. Women can be lecherous too, I don't go around showing my arse off to anybody." he huffed at her with amusement.

The amusement was quickly wiped from his face however and he sighed, letting his head fall back against the edge of the bath. "It's a long story, lass..and difficult to explain." he frowned. "Arwyl likes to think he knows it all. I'm older than he is and despite having led his parents armies and seen kingdoms rise and fall, I'm just an 'old man' who doesn't know what he's talking about. He's like a petulant child who knows I don't have any real power over him an he uses it to his advantage, and I take all the bullshit..but I can't abide being ridiculed.. I just wanted to prove a point. Older, particularly amongst elves, doesn't always mean weaker. In fact it means he should fucking listen to me once in a while."

 

[Riley]

A half-smirk at his lecherous comment. A quick glance over her shoulder, making a point to keep her eyes above the water and on his face. Walking to the steps but keeping her face pointedly turned away from him, she sat on the deck and carefully let her legs dip into the warm water.

If she needed some goddamned clothes, she might as well keep warm until she could figure it out. Besides, she found herself at ease around Kaius. There was something about him...

She pinched the towel around herself a little tighter.

She took a breath, letting the silence between them stretch a little after Kaius finished speaking. One hand reached down to the water, letting her fingertips twirl within the warmth. "I know I haven't been with you all long but I could tell when I first met you how much Arwyl cares about you. He might not show it with words and not all the time with actions but I can tell he looks up to you. And the others respect you a great deal too."

She paused and let loose a low, light chuckle.

"Hell, you scared most of 'em today. I doubt any of the ones you fought are gonna be walking straight for awhile." She let her chuckle die. "I don't know much about you all other than you want to stick it to the Anirians as much as I do. Well, some of you do." Hazels flickered back to Kaius' face.

"What happened...how Arwyl, your group become rebels? You said you have all this experience leading armies and watching kingdoms rise and fall. I'm assuming that means Arwyl doesn't?"

Riley had a good idea. But she wasn't sure the timing of it all.

"I mean...you don't have to tell me." Riley didn't want to overstep. Hell, just being human and an Anirian was overstepping enough.

 

[Sylmara]

She considered for a moment, pursing her lips. "It is mostly flat, but overgrown."

Sylmara had seen the place through the eyes of a Hawk. Their vision was...warped, though more accurate than the sight of any living creature she had ever touched upon. Describing what she had seen proved more difficult than she had thought it would.

This really was not her forte.

"The forest is thick, and they will have trouble marching in any sort of real formation." She told him. "I think a...strike from above might be best."

Her lips thinned for a brief moment. "Either way, their footing will be far from sure, but they cannot avoid the Plateau if they wish to return to Vel Anir."