Fable - Ask The Tides of Fate

[Kol]

The Sorcerer stared at her. "We go."

His voice was soft, quiet.

It was likely not the answer that she would want to receive, the words that she would want to hear, but Kol knew they were the right ones.

"This isn't a fight we can win." Those were words that she herself had told Sindric, the concern that she had voiced to the others. An army still surrounded them, and even if only a third of the fleet remained it was more than enough to take the island on it's own.

They were outmatched, out numbered. "We have bought them time. Space."

A loud crunch echoed out behind them as Estrid ended yet another life. "But now it is time to go home."

Those still alive would have time to evacuate, to leave the settlement. Without Sindric they might even go. That was why he had left one of his own behind, to urge their escape. "I'll return one day."

He assured her.

"But when I can win." Not when he condemned those who did not need to die. That had never been his way.

First he would get her back to her people, as Jarl, as Suzerain of her own people.

 

[Ruvsá]

"Let's go, then," Ruvsá said quietly, turning away from the battle field. "If we are not going to fight, there is no need to stay and watch."

This had never been her fight, but it still left a foul taste in her mouth the way it had gone, to lead the northmen here, them believing they had a chance, only to be slaughtered by those they believed to be allies.

She trudged quietly back to the shore, not looking back to see if Kol was with her, her knives only still out because she had no desire to be caught off guard by any if Menalus' soldiers who might break through.

She found a quiet spot by an outcropping of stone where she could guard her back easily, sat down, and began to clean her knives.

 

[Kol]

Kol followed after Ruvsa.

He felt not a string of guilt, never had, likely never would. The Sorcerer had always known that it would end this well. Everything they could have done, everything that they could have done...it was all a holding action. There was no winning here.

It was a fact that he was more than sure of, one that they had all known at the end of the day.

He would never try to fool himself otherwise. "Find a ship."

Kol told the other Nordwiir as he broke off from them, following after Ruvsa. His steps were quiet, almost muted as he came upon her. He could practically sense her mood.

"Would you rather spare a thousand lives." He asked. "Or lead them all to a glorious death?"

The Sorcerer's words rang out, his gaze flickering towards the burning fleet in the distance.

 

[Ruvsá]

"A life lost gloriously is still a life lost," Ruvsá answered quietly as she wiped the blood of blight orcs off her blades with a soft cloth she'd tucked away in a pocket.

She wished she could hear the sound of the waves on the shore over the clashing and clanging of weapons and the sounds of dying men. Being in the thick of battle was different than being just outside of it.

And she'd never been caught up in a battle quite this large. Only skirmishes with the rebels in Nordengaard.

"You don't have to worry about me," she told Kol, checking over her blades once more. Then she stood and sheathed them again. "I'll be fine."

She look at him then, though she didn't smile. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I know you spared me from having to slaughter them myself. Thank you."

If she'd done that, she wasn't sure she would have ever been able to look her mother in the eye again.

 

[Kol]

"It's still a life wasted." Kol countered quickly, though he understood the notion, the idea behind it.

In truth he could not fault her for it.

He would rather have died a glorious death than a pale one in the sacrifice for some ritual. It was an impulse that most of the North understood, perhaps even that those of the south understood. Yet he did not regret what he had done for a single second.

He never would. "I would not ask you to pay a toll that is mine."

The Sorcerer said simply.

"That sacrifice is mine to pay." He said simply, quietly. "As it always is."

As it always would be. "Lets get you home."

The Sorcerer said, motioning Ruvsa to the beach below.

 

[Ruvsá]

Home. The word made her think of Hjerim more than Indeholm, and she wasn't fully certain that Indeholm would ever be home, even if... if she took what Queen Maude had offered her.

Either way, she would be grateful to go back to the tundra. It was so hot here.

"What will you do after this?" she asked as they walked down to the beach together. "What's your next step in leading the Nordwiir out of the isles?"

She wanted to avoid thinking about Indeholm as long as possible. Maybe she should just have Kol take her to Hjerim, if she didn't think the ship would be sunk as soon it was spotted approaching.

 

[Kol]

The Sorcerer lingered for a brief seconds as Ruvsa began to make her way down towards the Beach. He watched the fires in the distance, the still sinking ships.

He could imagine the panic running through them all.

After a few seconds more he turned around, his long stride quickly catching up with Ruvsa. He fell into step besides her. "I am not yet sure."

Kol answered quietly.

"I think I will build a few bridges." The cryptic words came as a small smile touched his lips. "Perhaps that will be a start."

He glanced at her. "And you? What will you do? With your new conquest."

The Island that they had taken.

 

[Ruvsá]

"Bridges between islands?" Ruvsá teased, already beginning to feel the drudge of battle falling off her, "or bridges between people?"

She chuckled again, but grew thoughtful when Kol mentioned her conquest.

There was... something about that island. And it wasn't so far from Indeholm that even if she took the position Maude had offered... she could visit, even frequently, without being missed. So long as she didn't get trapped in a dungeon again.

"I think I'd like to explore it," she murmured curiously. "That obsidian knife... I think it wants to go back there. I'd like to learn why."

 

[Kol]

"Both." Kol answered simply. "The latter required the former."

The Lost Isles were on a good day difficult to traverse. The waters between each of them was tumultuous at the best of times, deadly during ordinary days, and utterly impassible during the worst. There was a reason his people had remained so splintered.

Well, many reasons. "There are many mysteries in the past."

He told her.

"You'll have to be careful not to get lost in them." Kol had nearly fallen into that mistake himself. More than a few times in fact.

 

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá tipped her head back and laughed. Of course it would be both kinds of bridges, but she nodded at his advice. "I will keep my bearings," she told him, then held back a shiver. "Or try to. At least the dungeon is gone now. I won't be getting lost in there again."

She reached over and clasped Kol's hand for a moment. "You could come back to the island too, sometime," she offered with a slightly flirtatious smile. "There's a lovely hot spring to make use of, after all."

They were approaching the rest of the Nordwiir then, and she let go of his hand.

"How long with the journey back take?" she asked curiously. "I... assume you're not going to do any tricks like you did leaving Sheketh."

 

[Kol]

He chuckled. "There is, perhaps it will ve bery worth a visit."

It was not a place he would soon forget, not the least because of what he had gained there. Power, and a friend, or something more. He smiled for a brief moment more, glancing over towards his kin before his eyes drew back towards Ruvsa. "You'll have to have a palace built."

He told her quietly, before answering her question.

"A week." It struck him how casual they were being now. There was still an army at their backs, likely searching for them that very moment. Not to mention what was left of that fleet. "Perhaps a little less."

He told her. "The journey back doesn't require such tricks. The tides favor us during this time of the year."

Part of the reason why the isle hadn't been reinforced faster from the other Free Cities.

 

[Ruvsá]

"I'm a Nordenfiir," she reminded him with a grin. "The wilderness is my palace. But I'll make sure there's at least a cozy cabin for you to use."

When Kol explained about the tides, she just nodded. Seafaring, obviously, was not something she'd learned much about. The Nordenfiir had a small navy, but her propensity for seasickness had ruled her out of being on anything other than a small rivercraft for short periods of time.

They reached the other Nordwiir then, and Ruvsá looked each of them over with a critical eye.

"Anyone hurt?" she asked. "I'll tend to any wounds that need tending once we're on the ship."

 

[Kol]

"Nothin that won't heal itself."​

It was Estrid that spoke, the chipper of the two sisters giving Ruvsa a smile. She glanced over to the others who had once again gathered on the shore. Most of them seemed rather pleased with themselves, none of them strangers to Kol's tactics.

"Seems most of the fleet was destroyed. Though a few ships managed to get through, three headed this way now."​

It was Bjorn who spoke, causing Kol to nod.

"We should go." He told the others, glancing at Ruvsa. "We'll have time to stop by the island."

The Sorcerer suggested. "Perhaps now they will leave, return to the Tundra."

A small sacrifice would save hundreds. A trade well worth it's weight in Kol's estimation.

 

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá returned Estrid's smile. While some of Kol's methods were certainly questionable, he'd told her enough that she knew he'd done the best with what was available to him. And while he might be a long way yet from his goal to lead the Nordwiir out of the Dark Isles, he'd managed to garner a... somewhat loyal following.

"Let's go then," she agreed with the others. "I don't think the few of us here want to take on three armed fleet ships."

As they boarded the ship, Ruvsá looked around it somewhat skeptically. "Is there just the deck again?" she asked, unsure how much of her seasickness aids had survived the last journey. "Or is there a sheltered spot to sleep?"

 

[Kol]

He chuckled. "When people ask for the differences in you and us."

The Sorcerer said with a shake of his head.

"I now know to tell them that bears do not do well at sea." It still seemed odd to him, but he understood it. The Nordenfiir made their homes in the Tundra, on the land. There had never been much of a need for them to sail.

His own people? The Lost Isles meant they had to be experts in traversing the sea. Even short trips could be deadly, and a good seamaster was worth his weight in gold. "There is a small raised hutch."

He told her as they began to disembark.

"Covered, but not much more than a tent, really." Kol said as he pointed to the small A-frame like tent on the back of the ship just ahead of where the rudder sat.

 

[Ruvsá]

Ruvsá laughed weakly, already feeling her stomach start to flip at the gentle swaying of the boat under her feet. They weren't even moving!

"I honestly don't know if it's all Norden, or just me," she said with a gulp, hoping her face wasn't already turning green. "Queen Maude has some ships, but I'd never set foot on anything bigger than a rowboat before... this."

She eyed the tent at the back of the ship. At least in there, she'd be out of the way and wouldn't embarrass herself too much looking and feeling ill.

"Where might my bags be, if they were retrieved?" she asked Kol. Hopefully the tincture she'd gotten from the apothecary in Sheketh was still there. It was doubtful the moss Kol had given her before was still in good shape.

 

[Kol]

The ship kicked off from the shore, with the Nordwiir quickly taking to the rudders so that they would not have to lower the sails. He glanced briefly towards the ships still approaching, judging if they would try to come this way.

He doubted it, but there was always the possibility. "At least."

Kol told her. "It's not a slavers ship."

Though perhaps a vessel of that size would have been better for her stomach. At least if she wasn't kept in the bottom with only a bucket.

"It'll be with my things." They were headed to the island first, though their stay would be a short one. "We'll take to land, grab what we need, then leave."

They would need supplies too, but there were few who could object to them taking those.

 

[Ruvsá]

"That hold was awful," Ruvsá commented, wrinkling her nose. She could still recall the stench of it in her nostrils, even though it had been days now since their capture.

She nodded at the rest of what he said. Of course they'd be going back and grabbing their things. The Nordwiir wouldn't have had a chance to retrieve them.

Ruvsá strode over to the railing, watching the ships that Kol kept scrutinizing as she braced against the side and let the air sweep over her. It was filled with the scent of sea and blood and smoke, but occasionally a waft of fresh, clear air would make its way to her, helping to calm her stomach as the longboat lurched beneath her feet.

Between her seasickness and her... utter lack of knowledge about sailing, Ruvsá felt more than a bit useless on a ship.

 

[Kol]

It didn't take them long to cross the small channel, though as they arrived at the dock more than a few dozen people were waiting for them.

Anyone else might have had their heart weigh heavy, might have felt a fraction of guilt. Kol didn't even let a spark of such things touch his soul. There was no regret in what he had done, there never would be. These people would live, if they were smart.

As the ship trailed into the dock the Sorcerer stepped forward. "Grab our things."

The told the others.

"Ruvsa." He glanced at the Nordenfiir. "You can tell them to go home."

His head shook. "As will I, but..."

There was no telling if they would listen.

 

[Ruvsá]

"They have more reason to listen to you than me," Ruvsá said with a frown as she walked next to Kol. "I can't even offer them refuge with the Nordenfiir. I don't have that authority."

Maude may have been working to make the kingdom more open, but true cohabitation with humans and any other species was... quite a long way off. And if... even if she were to take Maude's offer to become Jorn of Indeholm, the people there would likely revolt. They'd had too many trials lately to ask them to extend that type of hospitality.

And they had, after all, been easily swayed to the Usurper's side. It was unlikely they would yield to her leadership without testing it first, since she'd been one of Aggar's jarna.

The thought of it was almost enough to ask Kol to just... keep her on the ship. She'd trained to be a warrior, not a jorn. To advise and fight. Not to lead. But she didn't want to run away either.

"They'll have to decide for themselves," she said with a shrug, talking just as much about herself as their... audience.

 

[Kol]

Kol looked at her for a brief moment. "They have cities to return to."

The people here were not Nordwiir, they were simply men and women of the tundra. A dozen Free Cities spotted the homeland, most of them independent. Large enough to have a few thousand people, that was where these refugees hailed from.

"They will find a place." Kol assured her. "They might listen to me."

He said slowly. "But...I will just as soon as tell them to leave than inspire them. They may heed my call, and they may even survive, yet there is no passion behind what I would say."

The sorcerer wouldn't lie, the truth was that he did not care for these people. They were not Nordwiir, they were not of the Lost Isle. Thus their fate was...inconsequential to him. "But if you wish to stay, then I will bring our things."

 

[Ruvsá]

"I feel sorry for them," Ruvsá admitted, "but many of them would just as soon kill my kind as ally with them. I see no reason to try and persuade them against their wishes. They know how to make their own way home."

She turned away from them, looking in the direction where Kol's companions had gone.

"Wish to stay?" she repeated after him, looking at him curiously, not quite sure what he meant. She grinned and chuckled. "These southern lands are a little too warm for my taste, I think. Does it even snow here?"

 

[Kol]

Kol flashed Ruvsa a smile. "Only when I make it."

The Sorcerer said cryptically, motioning to the other Nordwiir. He told the twins to stay by the boat with the Nordenfiir, mostly in case some of the villagers tried to take it. Then he pulled himself onto the pier and glanced towards the town.

"I'll be back." He told her. "Try not to make any trouble."

Another quick smile, and then Kol headed into town.

As he had suspected much of the village was in disarray. Many were confused at what had happened. Some angry, some crying. Kol did not stop for any of them, but a few times a warrior or mother would step up to him. He was blunt, honest, and before long word of what had happened began to spread throughout the town.

By the time Kol and the other Nordwiir returned to the ship bearing their things the docks were already swarming sigh people. Some had seemingly planned for this, other scrambled to find a ship or some other way off the island.

A small seed of chaos sprung out, one the Dark God's whispered for in delight.

This had not been their design, but they reveled in it nonetheless. "Those three ships will have reached the shore by now."

Kol remarked as he hopped back into the ship.