Fable - Ask The Toll

[Zinnia]

So tired...Zinnia just wanted to sleep. She hurt everywhere: her skin, her muscles, her ribs, her head...especially her head. Was that Kristen's voice? Zinnia hoped she was okay. She sounded worried. They'd all been fighting her cousin just before, right?

A low croak rose in Zinnia's throat that progressively became a "Ngghh..."

One eye fluttered partway open, the other wedged tightly shut as blood dried atop it. A rounded pupil adjusted in the low light and sought for a familiar face.
"Kristen?...D...did we g-get him?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

The men from the town, peering out from their vantage, saw Alistair's waving arm and heard his shout. When the sound of battle with the Mad Legion had faded, their hearts had been filled with a cautious hope; when the final silence following the battle with Redoran came about the periphery of Bluecott, that hope swelled. Seeing now the victorious Dreadlords cast a wave of elation that ran from the foremost of the men back to their wives and their children behind them, and hurriedly did some of these men leap into action, coming through the ruined barricade and beginning their rush toward Alistair to help in whatever manner they could.

Redoran, distant from the helping hands on approach from Bluecott, looked up to Alistair as said in a croaking voice, "You could have become...so much more...under Velkath's leadership..."

And Kristen, more distant still, breathed out in pure elation the breath she had been holding when Zinnia gave sign of her, relatively, stable well-being. "We did! Yes, Zinnia, we did. He is down."

The question of Zinnia's transformation lingered about, subtle as a spider the size of a cat dangling from the corner of a room, but now was not the time for it—that Zinnia was well was good enough. And so Kristen, acting during what she hoped was still the grogginess of coming round from unconsciousness, adjusted Zinnia's hood as much as she could while smoothing her hair, all done as a seeming matter of course. Soon, a more fitting time would come to speak on the strange transformation. But for now...

Kristen glanced back over her shoulder, and then looked back down to Zinnia, "Now, I must see to it that he receives the punishment he deserves."

One of an ancient and terrible severity, dating back to the earliest days of House Pirian.

Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair could feel more of the tension in his shoulders release the closer the townspeople got to them. Just having the option to hand off some of his worries to other people. However, his focus never left Redoran, as he nearly stabbed the man when he began to speak.

"Funny, you didn't go that far."

That confident reply may have sounded good, but there were still so many questions that Alistair needed to answer from this incident.

Who had given Redoran these abilities? Had that same person given him ideas about Velkath? No offense to the man, but he did not seem like the mastermind type. That meant the real problem was still out there somewhere...Hopefully, they left Kristen's family alone.

Alistair kneeled down to be right next to Redoran, he needed to try and get some of these answers out of him.

"How would he have made me greater? Where can I find him?"

Kristen Pirian Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

From the sound of the traitor noble's voice he was still alive, but at least he was down as Kristen said. That much was enough. Guilt and anxiety coursed through her as Kristen fixed her hood, Zinnia realizing at last the error that she might've committed, but...Kristen didn't look at her any differently. Perhaps it would be a worry for another day.

"Do what you h-have to, Kris," Zinnia replied with a wince and a smile. Her role in this was over, at least for the time being. Fine by her; Kress knew she needed the rest. At the very least though, she wanted to know what might happen next.

With great effort, Zinnia pushed herself against a nearby rock, sliding herself up at enough of an incline that she could watch the show.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"In his grave," Redoran said hoarsely to Alistair. Woefully, his eyes trailing off to one side, as if in search of a fleeting future that was now certain to never come, he added, "And there, his leadership...unbreakable and strong...will remain."

By then Kristen, with assurance from Zinnia that she would be alright, had walked back to Redoran's proximity. Some dozen men from Bluecott had gathered round, but all, presently, kept their distance as the Dreadlord and Initiate stood over the fallen noble. Kristen glanced to Alistair, in him finding yet more strength to bolster her resolve, for what needed to be done would not be easy.

Kristen turned her gaze down to Redoran then. He looked up at her, and then away again. "Look at me," she demanded. Redoran did not, preferring instead to stare sidelong off into the distance. Stern and dignified, Kristen said, "A man looks into the face of what he has done, and what comes of it, fearlessly."

At last Redoran, shamed by the words of his younger cousin, turned his gaze back upon her.

"Whereas it is evident," Kristen began, "in the great and horrifying carnage you have wrought upon Fort Velkath, upon Selmack, and upon Bluecott, in your abuse of dark and heinous magic gained through means undoubtedly foul, in your utter perversion of House Pirian's four noble tenets of Prosperity, Charity, Humility, and Pride, and in your complete lack of remorse for all these wicked deeds, it is without question that your egregious crimes are without compare, and that these crimes threaten to bring copious and conspicuous disgrace upon House Pirian. Therefore I, Kristen Lucretia Pirian, in order that honor may be appropriately restored to the House of Pirian, sentence you, Redoran Pirian, to the ancient punishment prescribed by our progenitor, Lady Isolde, to the very worst of our kin, and so join you in their loathsome number forever. That punishment, to be carried out in Vel Numera..."

She spoke the word; indeed, the very source of how a facet of her own Divine Magic had taken form.

"Crucifixion."

Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Kristen Pirian]

ON THE ROAD TO VEL NUMERA​

Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after, the sight of Vel Numera, that Pirian held land, would greet them. Until then, another night under the calm stars would fill the interim. Yet while the stars above, sparkling with all their distant luminescence, had about them that calm and tranquility, only a deceptive veneer of the same could be found among the company of Kristen, Alistair, Zinnia, Lothar, and Redoran. Redoran was duly restrained, and kept bound in the wagon on loan from the Bluecott villagers, yet for Kristen his very presence spoke to the grim task awaiting her in Vel Numera. In truth, she dreaded it, and her heart withered at the thought of executing a man who was family, even in spite of all the horrendous and vile things which he had done to deserve such an execution.

But there was another thing which loomed, up till now unspoken, among the troop of Anirians.

Zinnia had gone to gather some firewood, and so she was departed from the camp site and now well out of earshot. Kristen, after seeing to the needs of her horse, took the opportunity then to approach Alistair, her expression laden with the worry of uncertainty.

"Alistair," she said, speaking quietly even though such was hardly necessary. She spoke slowly as well, having uncharacteristic difficulty in finding the words. "I think...we ought speak...with Zinnia."

Her lips roiled uncomfortably.

"About what happened back in Bluecott. Her wings...and her horns."

And what that might mean.

Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair had taken his chance to see to the needs of Feldaris and set up camp but was finally getting some free time to sit down and take a look at his weaponry. Thankfully, the runesaber was fine, maybe a little bit of cleaning was needed but that was it. The Tyrian sword that had been gifted to him held up incredibly well, only needing some oil and a little bit of sharpening...His dagger was essentially beyond repair.

He had allowed himself to get a little lost in the work, only taking moments to look up and shoot disgusted looks at Redoran before going back to his blades.

However, Kristen's question caused him to freeze. He was silent as he thought exactly what to say. Alistair's relationship with the divine was complicated. He knew Kristen's abilities were supposedly gifts from above, but he had always considered them her abilities just with added symbolism. He also knew of her zealotry and did not want to wantonly disregard her concerns.

It was the same for Zinnia's freshly introduced devilish form. While it certainly had a tone to the magic, it was still ultimately Zinnia's, although it did limit her reasoning. It wasn't like that was the first time Alistair had seen someone drunk on their magical abilities.

Wait, maybe this was not what Kristen was referring to.

"Um, what exactly are we talking about? Her abilities were...helpful."

If Zinnia's gifts really were demonic in nature, then maybe a conversation did need to be bad, but better to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Kristen Pirian Zinnia

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Bless Alistair. Bless him. His was a mind detached from his Anirian upbringing, one concerned with practicality over sentiment.

Kristen held a hand curled into a small and anxious fist over her breast, giving a subtle weight to her plea. "I do not think our fellow Anirians will see it that way. If the Academy, or the Guard, or simply the wrong Anirian, finds out about Zinnia...then I fear she will be in grave danger."




Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair paused as he thought that statement over, and he decided that Kristen was likely right, even if it was dumb. I mean if it was just based on being scary, then there were plenty of Dreadlords going above what Zinnia was, but it wasn't really about that. It was just those religious types wanting something to grab onto.

"Good point...Honestly, I think we could just not mention it. As long as Zinnia refrains from showing that off except for missions outside of Vel Anir then maybe it won't ever matter."

That sounded a little like wishful thinking, but a man can hope.

"We were the only ones that got an up-close look at her right? We can just claim all of the townspeople were just seeing things from being too scared."

Kristen Pirian Zinnia

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Certainly, Zinnia had nothing to fear from herself and from Alistair. Neither would breathe a word of it, and they would as Alistair said cover for anything the Bluecott villagers might say, if they did see something and speak wild tales.

But Kristen's worry went quite deeper than that.

"If...if the Academy thinks that she is not human...they'll kill her." Anxiety gripped at her brow, and bid her to nibble at her lip. "I do not know what happened back in Bluecott. I do not even know if Zinnia herself knows. But, maybe it would be good to simply...reassure her. To tell her that, from us, she need not feel any danger."

Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Not human? Ridiculous, Zinnia was just as human as any of them. She just had some magic that made her look a little different. Still, Alistair nodded in agreement with Kristen's request.

"Yeah, of course...and I'm sure we can find something that will prove her humanity. If people like Bull and Edric were considered human then certainly Zinnia is."

Alistair could see Kristen's growing nervousness, and could not help but smile up at her.

"Let's talk with Zinnia about it first. She may have something she wants to say, or even an idea or two about all of this."

Kristen Pirian Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

It wasn't too much longer before Zinnia returned to camp, woodcutter's axe in one hand and a tightly wrapped bundle of firewood under the other arm. She wore only casual breeches and a thin tank top, suited to the labor that she'd taken up when asked by the others. Despite everything, she'd come out of their ordeal in arguably the best condition and she knew she'd be the best suited to something as typically arduous as woodcutting anyways.

She lugged the bundle over and set it down next to where the fire pit was to be with a sigh of relief. The time away and the monotonous act of exertion had given Zinnia a bit of breathing room. Honestly it was rather therapeutic for her, like something she'd do during one of her workouts. It was almost enjoyable.

Zinnia smiled as she loosened the rope and turned to her compatriots. Right now the last thing on her mind (or that she wanted on her mind) was her earlier transformation. A simple night at camp sounded nice.
"Th-this ought to do it! Somebody wanna help me s-set it up?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Gods, what a point about Bull and Edric. What they may have had in form, they lacked in essence. But that was what the Academy, and Vel Anir at large, was concerned about: form. A cruel inversion of what ought be, that men of such loathsome kind were to be admitted into the fold yet Zinnia denied it.

In short time, Zinnia returned. Almost did it amount to a tragedy for Kristen's ear to hear the good spirits in her voice, knowing well what subject she and Alistair now intended to bring up. But it needed to be done, and what impetus there was left for it decreed that tonight was that night, lest it lapse forever in the unspoken.

Kristen steeled herself, and then walked over slowly.

"Zinnia, please do not take fright, but...we must speak briefly about Bluecott."

Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair moved to help set up the fire, not saying anything at first. He would give Kristen the reins on this conversation given that she seemed to have a better grasp on the repercussions of it all. However, he did make it clear that he was paying attention and agreed with the need for them to talk about all of this.

Alistair was not as good of a people person as Kristen. Sure, he heard the up beat nature of Zinnia's voice, but why would this topic ruin the atmosphere? He, for one, would be happy that others were helping him figure out this problem now while they were away from the city.

"It's about the horns..."

Ok, even he could tell that probably was not the best way to lead that off, so he went back to making the fire and letting Kristen fix his momentary lack of tact.

Kristen Pirian Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

"Zinnia, please do not take fright, but...we must speak briefly about Bluecott."
Oh. Zinnia winced. Well...there was always the chance that Kristen wasn't talking about--

"It's about the horns..." Alistair chimed in.

Oh...at least he was helping with the firewood...

"Yeah...y-yeah, of course. F-f-fire away!" she replied with perhaps the most forced and pained looking smile she'd ever managed to stretch across her lips.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen could always trust Alistair to be direct and to the point, even in such difficult matters as these. That he said it, about the horns, took some of the stress off of Kristen, for that she was grateful.

"I just...we just," she corrected herself, "would like you to know that you are one of us, Zinnia. This is so, and nothing will ever give doubt to this truth."





Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair smiled reassuringly as he continued with the fire. He placed a few more logs before wanting to back up Kris' statement.

"Yeah, we are with you, but...it would help if we knew exactly what that was."

While supporting Zinnia in this matter was important. The most important thing for the moment is figuring out what the problem even is, because at the moment it was just that Zinnia looked bad.

Kristen Pirian Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia's cheeks flushed hot and her brow furrowed. Kristen surely did not mean to insinuate anything negative, but Zinnia's insecurities heard the worst. She let the axe drop to the ground with a thud, looking genuinely hurt.

"You d-doubt me..." she muttered, looking between both of her comrades, unsure.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Of all the words at her vast disposal, Kristen, as soon as she saw Zinnia's brow furrowing, knew that she had selected the wrong one for the task.

Instinctively, she reached out in the effort to touch Zinnia's shoulders in a reassuring and pleading gesture, but she restrained herself, her hands hovering halfway.

"No, Zinnia, no, precisely the opposite! We trust you. Merely did we want to allay any—"

Was this the right way to express this? Or would she upset Zinnia further? How delicate, this matter!

"—fears you might have."

Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

The facade of positivity crumbled like a pillar of sand. Zinnia's face curled tighter and her hands balled into fists.

"F-fears of what? That you two know what I've been h-hiding all this time now? That you're g-going to t-tell everyone what you saw, what I d-did? That everyone will know I'm s-some kind of m-monster?!"

There was a moment that passed, brief but tense, where Zinnia just held her gaze locked with Kristen's. Suddenly turned away with a breathy laugh, kneeling down and picking up wood to stack in poorly veiled frustration.

"No! Of c-course not! Why would I be worried about th-that?! Why would I be w-worried that my entire w-way of life, all of my dreams, everything I know--" she gripped the pile of wood hard, sparks flying from her fingertips as she attempted to ignite it with her still-depleted battery. "Might be c-coming to an end? Who would f-fear that? N-not me!"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

So...that wasn't the response that Alistair had been hoping for. He looked up from his work on the fire to watch Zinnia voice her worries and Kristen's hesitation at the topic. He remained silent as Zinnina came down next to him and tried to start the fire.

Slowly, Alistair reached over and lightly grabbed Zinnia's arm, gently pushing it back at her. He wordlessly reached down by a bag next to the fire and pulled out a flint and steel. With a few hits from the tool, a fire would soon be starting.

Then he spoke, in a neutral but calming tone, no judgments only facts.

"You are not a monster Zinnia, and you have every right to be worried, but not with us. Take a deep breath and then let's talk about this, like you were explaining a battle plan at the Academy. How do we help?"

Although they had just fought in a life-or-death situation together, Alistair was still the only Dreadlord. He considered himself senior to them in a way that made him responsible for supporting his team. Supporting in this moment, meant making sure Zinnia knew that they were not here to judge her, only help.

Zinnia Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Gods, it was all going wrong! An earnest attempt to help and reassure, amounting to little more than plunging the dagger of pain and distress further into Zinnia's chest.

Alistair stepped in, solid as a stone against the powerful tides of emotion flowing forth from Zinnia. And that was what she needed right now—stability. Much more difficult was it for Kristen to act as Alistair did, to be as calm as him, yet she gave herself over entirely to the effort.

"We only want what is best for you, Zinnia."

Kristen wasn't so sure Zinnia would be able Alistair's question, especially if she only knew as much about her horns and her wings and her transformation as they did. If it was all they could do to simply keep Zinnia's secret, to speak no further of it, then that would have to be the way in which they could help—at least until some better option presented itself in the future.

Alistair Krixus Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Alistair put a halt to Zinnia's fairly fruitless effort to get the fire started with a gentle push, at which Zinnia plopped into a sitting position. She grabbed the sides of her hood and pulled on them, something she oft did when her stress was high. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe, like Alistair said.

Both Kristen and Alistair were right. They weren't her enemies. They just wanted to help.
"What you w-wanted was an explanation...and I w-want there to be a reason for you to t-trust me. I can at l-least tell as much as I actually know..." she sighed, too ashamed to look either of her friends in the eye.

"Kristen...you n-never would have known because you got to the Ac-cadamey so late, but Alistair might remember. My eyes used to be b-brown. When they t-turned gold and these," she pulled her hood back and gripped at a bony nub that stood above her hair. "Things grew in...th-that was when I started shutting mys-self away. Sometimes when th-things get bad more things g-grow in. So I have to be c-careful about how I d-dress, about who I'm with, how much I let myself f-feel."

She looked up to Alistair, exhaustion and shame in her eyes.
"So 'that' was me s-slipping up and letting everything out," her gaze shifted to Kristen. "That's really all I know. I'm s-sorry I never told you."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair awkwardly sat there, paying more attention to the fire that was beginning to grow. Zinnia's eyes had changed? Would he remember that? No, of course not, that just wasn't something the old Alistair would have paid attention to, but he did remember when she started hiding herself away.

This was becoming a level of emotion that Alistair wasn't prepared to handle, instead, he found it more comfortable to try and focus on the things that he could attempt to fix.

So he broke down the problem, emotional reactions changed Zinnia's appearance into something that would largely be shunned in Vel Anir. The obvious response would be to tell Zinnia to keep a lock on her emotions, but that wasn't easy. Asking someone to not feel was like asking the sun to not shine.

"Well, the good news is that we were the only ones to really see it...As for a way to actually fix the problem maybe we could get you an illusion or something." He offered hopefully.

Kristen Pirian Zinnia

 

[Kristen Pirian]

How frightening! To have those things which Zinnia described suddenly and without warning begin to happen! It didn't seem to be some manifestation of magic, as it was different in character entirely from the usual magic Zinnia displayed. Eyes changing color certainly was a very commonplace effect of magic, but all the rest of it? No, in total it did speak to something different. Something not Zinnia nor Kristen nor Alistair knew.

Kristen's heart all but broke when Zinnia said that she, that she, was sorry. "You needn't apologize for anything." After all, had it not been Zinnia's transformation which proved to be a pivotal edge in the fight against Redoran? The lot of them were expended after the battle with the Legion, barely holding themselves together. Could the result have been terribly against their favor if Zinnia had not these...features...with which to aid her, and by extension the team as a whole, in the struggle?

Alistair, as though he were solving an equation or formula, suggested a remedy. One that at first glance had some merit, but...

"If such illusory magic is detected, though, it would be disastrous," Kristen said. Who knew which Proctors were especially adept at seeing through illusions? Even if it was just one, still it would only be a matter of time, what with said illusion acting essentially like a lighthouse in the dark to said Proctor's attuned senses.

"I do not think, at this juncture, there is anything we can do..."

Zinnia herself seemed to have come up with the best solution—the hood and a head full of hair. Simple and effective, it had worked so far. Yet it was crucial, very much so, that she did not "slip up" in the future...in front of the wrong people.

Zinnia Alistair Krixus