Private Tales Wandering in the Shade

[Noa]

[art cred]
Noa was not quite at the Astenvale Monastery although she was most definitely on route towards it, not that the blind knight felt any sort of rush. It was a bright spring day, not yet noon so the heat from the sun was still warming the fresh air around them. Birds flitted between tree branches, chirping and singing as they foraged around for berries, seeds and other items. Noa’s sense of hearing could pick out the shuffling and scattering of squirrels as they went up and down trees or chased one another through brush and bushes. She couldn’t see any of it, or even could she picture it.

She had no idea how blue the sky was, how white and fluffy the clouds looked in the sky, or the vibrant viridian green of the leaves, grass and flora around her. She could smell the sweet scent of the daffodils and butterfly bush and buttercups, but she’d never know the vibrant violet or glorious gold of the blooms. She’d never understand how flowers were the stars of the earth and how in great clusters they could be breathtaking with their looks alone. At least she could enjoy their intoxicating scent.

“Ne, do you hear that?” Noa asked as her albino tiger lead her down the road to the Monastery. Her furry friend huffed, and the knight could feel the tiger’s shoulders stiffening. She did her best to hide her mischievous mirth contrary to her vulpine looks, although by now, she was certain Ne already knew what was up. “We’re near that stream. You know, the one I like to sit by.” A well-earned snort followed by a short growl came from Ne’s parted brown jaws, their limpid blue eyes narrowing in annoyance. “Just a little lunch break. We can say hi to the twins.”

Everyone knew the twins. Two twin brothers that had built homes close to the Monastery. Both were married and had children, and while they were both private people, they were friends to the knights. Often bringing items such as cordials or sweets around holidays, sharing their produce or their bounty when they hunted. Noa had pried from one of their wives that they had come from a village that had been ravaged from a blood feud that divided their home so much it was expected that the majority were dead. The brothers had left and now wish to spend a life full of family and peace.

Ne’s ears flicked back and another soft growl came through their jaws. Noa sighed, but there was a happy grin on her full lips, the scars doing little to mar her happy expression.

“Yeah, only for an hour. I promise. Now find me somewhere nice to sit. I’ll play us some music.”

Faramund

 

[Faramund]

Faramund didn't like being alone. Sat by the stream, his head in his hands, the knight-sworn did his best not to think as he listened to the sounds of the forest around him. Birds chirped and sang as they went about their business, foraging for things that would prolong their inevitably short lives. The gentle rush of flowing water was mere background noise by comparison, barely there above the breeze tugging at his cloak and beard.

The smell of wood smoke and spring flowers permeated the ground around him. Every now and then, an axe could be heard striking wood; one of the brothers at work, Faramund suspected, though, he hadn't bothered checking to see which brother it was. They both looked the same anyway, right down to the nose hairs. Their names were similar, too. Faramund figured that was usually the case where family was concerned. He didn't have one himself, but his old man had been named Faramund. Perhaps it was tradition.

Or perhaps the old bastard thought it would be funny to leave his boy with a constant reminder of who had sired him. That seemed most likely... He had never seen eye to eye with his old man; the opportunity to do so had come and gone with the seasons. A pity? Not really. The man had been a devil in human form, abusive and evil. Faramund had never hated a man more than he had his father.

Worse, he hated himself for missing the guy. Strange...

Like father, like son.

"Can't live a bad life and not have bad things happen to you," the knight intoned quietly, his voice little more than a whisper on the wind. Sitting up, the big knight rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. As much as he didn't like being alone, he didn't like thinking more. When he thought too much, bad things started to happen. The doubts and the fears rose up to choke him. Sometimes there was guilt, too. Most times there was guilt.

The sound of someone approaching made Faramund turn, a hand drifting to the hilt of the sword lying beside him. "Noa?" He called out as he recognised the knight in question. A second and he was clambering to his feet, the white tiger and his beloved owner coming fully into view. "What are you doing here?"

Noa

 

[Noa]

Noa moved languidly along the lush landscape, Ne careful to lead her on a decently well-trodden path that had little places that could potentially trip Noa. It had happened too many times for Noa’s liking, each time often giving her a bruise or aching muscle the next day. However, it was also something that she had grown used to at the same time, she only hoped it never actually happened in battle. Or if it did happen, it wouldn’t be the thing to eliminate her.

Ne huffed before Faramund called out to the blind knight, and Noa would grin deviously as she stared straight ahead. She would turn her head in the direction that Faramund’s voice came from, but when then it was clear she was not looking at him, her gaze too far to the left and too low. When he stood up, her head would shift again, trying to face him once again but still being slightly off.

Ne on the other hand regarded the knight with a full on icy blue stare, jaws parting as the large feline scented the air. Without being prodded by Noa, the tiger led her over to where Faramund stood, already knowing what Noa would want.

“Syr Faramund!” Noa called, still with that leisurely gait. “I’m here for you, of course, after all I want to play a song and Ne is a horrible audience. At least you’ll clap for me, won’t you?” She teased, and in response Ne would huffed, their ears pulling back as their tail swished in annoyance. “Or perhaps join me in a duet? I’ve heard that you possess a lovely baritone.” A lie. She had no idea, and obviously had no idea Fara was even in the vicinity.

Playful as ever, the slight smirk didn’t leave her full lips, even if it accentuated the crisscross of scars over her full lips. A hand went back to slide pale fingers along the neck of her sanshin, but she didn’t pull it off from her just yet. For all she knew, Faramund would leave from her arrival, or stay. Regardless, she would hold off from playing her songs just yet.

“Have you had lunch yet, Fara?” Noa asked as she finally stood in front of him, and Ne sat down beside the knight. The same icy stare was still given to the other knight sworn, although one couldn’t be sure if it was because of Faramund’s presence or Noa’s sense of humor.

Faramund

 

[Faramund]

Smiling, the big knight shrugged. "Since you asked so nicely, sure!" Shaking his head, Faramund waited for Noa to find herself a comfortable spot in which to sit down. When she proposed a duet, he laughed. "Oh, did you now?" He chuckled, shaking his head again as Ne huffed and padded impatiently. "And who did you hear that from, I wonder?" Probing the depths of his mind, Faramund came up with all the usual suspects, only to dismiss them shortly after.

Noa was just having some fun, after all; he couldn't fault her that.

"Not yet." Faramund admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. "Might have to raid the kitchens later, unless you've brought something to eat?" Letting the question hang, Faramund's gaze began to shift from woman to beast and back again. There was a time where the white tiger's unflinching gaze would have left Fara feeling some modicum of discomfort. Now, though, now he felt at ease. With Noa here, he had nothing to fear, right?

Right?

"Please! Have a seat!" Reaching out, the big knight laid a gentle hand on Noa's shoulder. Ne sat up, and for a moment Faramund thought he might have miscalculated, but when the beast failed to rip his leg off, he knew that was not the case. "Not quite the Knoll, but a tree stump serves, I find." Ushering her towards the stump, Faramund continued, "Sit! Play us a tune. I'm sure Ne won't mind..."

Over by the lodge, the brother stopped his chopping and propped his axe on his shoulder. Even the birdsong had seemed to lessen in anticipation of what was to come.

Noa

 

[Noa]

Noa was used to having the other knights lead her to a seat or over and out of the way. It wasn’t something she felt shame in, not like she made herself blind after all, and sometimes it was just easier to accept help rather than fight it. Besides, she didn’t see it as a handicap. To her, it was a act of kindness and camaraderie. Besides, despite expecting Fara’s touch to be rough and probably sloppy enough to shake her around, but instead there was still gentleness as he led her to the stump.

She sat down and brought her sanshin down onto her lap. Usually she would have dealt on the ground and played the way she was supposed to, however she was skilled enough now that regardless of the position she took, the sound would stay sweet to any ear.

“Thank you. As for lunch. The rest of my rations, we can share them. Better than letting them go bad.” Noa said on the topic of lunch. She didn’t have much and most definitely for someone of Fara’s size it could hardly be seen as a meal. However, sometimes a light snack did the trick in tiding one over until supper— and everyone knew that was when the best food was served at the Monastery, at least in Noa’s opinion. Not like she could actually cook anything without burning the whole entire place now.

Ne laid down, putting one large paw over the other, his icy gaze on Noa. He did actually rather enjoy when she played her music. Even if at times he thought it to be a waste of time when she could be doing more important things. Such as scratching behind his massive furry ears.

Noa took out her pick. A deep breath. And then she played.

The twangs were deep and slow, echoing about the area in a soothing cadence that matched the rustle of leaves and the murmur of the stream. It didn’t drown out the other sounds but instead enhanced them, and likewise, the sounds of nature only enhanced the tune that Noa played. And despite the serene look that settled on her face as she stared blankly ahead, her milky eyes seeing nothing, the melody was one of resigned melancholy.

For despite Noa’s cheery demeanor and her constant jests and light teasing, her heart would always have a heaviness as all knights would. Yet, there wasn’t hopelessness, and as she opened her mouth to sing, she intermingled joy within her somber twangs from her sanshin. Her voice was light and mellifluous, deeper than one would think, but stronger because of it. Yet even with higher notes, Noa reached those with ease, dulcet and clean without any sort of strain.

Ne purred for a moment. The high notes happened to be his favorite.

Faramund

 

[Faramund]

"Waste not, want not," Faramund intoned with a slight smile, bobbing his head in appreciation as he made to grab Noa's pack. "Allow me to do the honours, then. Make myself useful." One of the first things he had learned in the Blightlands was to make the most of what you had on hand. Clearing himself a space, Faramund took a seat as Noa began tuning her instrument. By the time she was ready, he had already laid out their lunch atop a blanket he had found stuffed into the knight's pack.

Ne, his tail swishing, gave the gathered foodstuffs one brief look before letting out a disappointed huff.

"Your audience is ready," the big knight said, taking the opportunity to ruffle the white tiger's fur as its master began to strum. The beast rumbled, but quickly fell silent as the knight began scratching him behind the ears. "You're a big softie, really," Faramund said, grinning despite himself. Satisfied, he made himself comfortable as Noa started to sing.

Of dear friends and the light their presence wove.

Of lost loved ones and the darkness their passing did sow.

Settling onto his back, Faramund stared up at the sky as the song continued. With one hand cushioning his head, he allowed the other to drum out a beat of its own against his chest. Noa's voice, melodious and easy to listen to, painted a story that Faramund felt he had lived through before. Indeed, the more he listened, the more he found this to be true. Smiling wanly, Fara closed his eyes, his heart lifting along with Ne's ears as the songstress reached the high notes. Beautifully haunting, Faramund found himself holding his breath as Noa's voice caught, and held.

Never has the Vale known a bard so gifted, he thought, momentarily thankful for his companion's blindness.

He would have hated for her to see him weep.

Noa