[IC] The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin cringed as she heard Ridahne say that all the other Eija needed was to see her gear. That meant she had inadvertently created an enemy. They hadn’t shown up at the door demanding to let in, so that was some good news. Did they even need a door in order to get in? The door might mean nothing to them. Would they just kill Ridahne without asking questions first? Darin wouldn’t put it pass them. Maybe the rain was keeping them from doing anything. Darin cast a quick glace up at the roof. Maybe she could keep the rain going for a while. Darin mentally scolded herself. That’s what got her into this shaky mess in the first place.

Darin’s voice was quiet, “There was a, well I think he was an apprentice. He was in the stable cleaning your blades. He said he had been told to look at your things by his master when he saw your bloodied blades. He said he was going to put them back when he was done. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I left him too it.” She struggled to remember the details, “When I spoke in Azurei he said I spoke like a “Long time visitor.” He said the man with the” She paused as she struggled to word the next part. “The man who’s hand I cut off is dead. They are all dead.” She remained silent for minute before giving her head a brief shake, “Anyways they probably know who you are.” She shrunk into herself as she buried her arms into Mitaja’s fur, “I’m sorry.”

This was a disaster. The Eija, and there were at least two of them, knew that Ridahne was considered a traitor. They were going to do something about that. Darin had wanted to avoid any Azurei styled confrontation for a while yet. There was going to be a fight and Darin had no idea if Ridahne’s blades were where they were supposed to be. Darin shakily got to her feet. Using small steps, she moved toward her sickle was waiting for her. She had it with her while she was taking care of crops. Whoever had carried her back here must have delivered it as well. She grabbed it and then held it out to Ridahne.

She explained, “I know it’s not yours, but it will have to do until the rain stops and I can get yours.”

Darin just hopped that she could actually get Ridahne’s blades. She had no idea if the Eija would steal them or not. She knew that she wasn’t thinking went she let the one boy clean the knifes. Well she had been thinking. She didn’t want to cause a scene. That may be a moot point at this point. It didn’t seem honorable to steal from an injured person, but Darin would be the first to admit that she didn’t understand Azurei honor at all. It was confusing, because she thought Ridahne shouldn’t be considered a traitor, and she was fine with it. So, Darin didn’t know what was going to happen.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She thought Harris, or one of the other workers she had been with, might give her a warning. It might not be a quick warning, and the two of them might not have a lot of time to get out of the village, but they might get some warning. Darin wasn’t sure if that would be enough, but she would take what she could get. It would have to be enough. Darin wasn’t sure that she wanted to be run out of the village just yet. The Tree was right. She was making friends here, she hoped. She almost wanted to see what direction it took her.

[Blackfridayrule]

Hearing that some apprentice boy was out there cleaning her blades absolutely galled the elf, and despite her obvious pain and relative lack of energy, she squirmed at the idea. It wasn't that she thought he would mistreat them--his master would throttle him if he ever dared. An Eija's blades were sacred things, and very personal. The eija had to meet their blade smith as an apprentice and get to know each other, then train in something specific so that by the time they were decent at them, the smith would make them something that would truly fit. They were survival tools, negotiating chips, pieces of art, and extension of the wielder. The apprentice would know that. No, she wasn't worried so much about their safety as much as it just bothered her that someone else had their hands on them without her knowing. Not to mention the embarrassment of having filthy blades that would have sat that way except that someone else found them.

But she sighed, defeated. There was no way she'd make it all the way out to the stables and not in the rain either, and Darin needed to be warm and dry just as badly. "I really doubt they'd take them. Not unless I was dead. Not to mention that apprentice, if he's any good at all, won't do anything so rash as stealing someone's blades without his master's explicit command. No, I do believe he went snooping, found them filthy and thought to clean them out of respect. It was right to let him do it, even though it's hard to think of them in someone else's hands without my say-so. Thank you."

Ridahne sought Darin's gaze; her own was earnest. "You did nothing wrong. It's not like you could keep them from snooping around, and they'd figure it out one way or another eventually. Eija don't usually kill--that's the realm of the eija-alihn. But I don't know if there's any rules written, not in any recent memory, about what I've done and how to deal with me. But they will come here. In the night, is my guess. It's what I would do. But Darin, please promise me, whatever happens, remember that their issue is not necessarily with you. I can keep you out of this, at least this time. I'm hoping they can be reasoned with, but...killing a Sol is kind of a big thing and it's very close to the heart for everyone right now, so I can only imagine tempers might run a bit hot."

Ridahne accepted Darin's sickle with an air of respect and deep gratitude. Even if Darin was not a warrior, it was no small thing to give away your weapon, especially one so dear to her. The fact that she would even offer it made Ridahne feel incredibly honored. "Thank you," she said, her tone sober and sincere. "I will keep it with the utmost care until I return it to you."

There was a small silence between them, then Ridahne asked the question that had been simmering at the back of her mind since Darin told her about the archer she'd maimed. "About the man...his hand...are you alright? I...I ask because I know that the first time you take someone's life, indirectly or otherwise is...hard. I know because I've been there. And you should know, and this is kind of hard to admit," she laughed ruefully, "But I cried for at least a week afterwards. I had nightmares once or twice. It was awful. And it gets easier. But I don't want that for you. I don't want it to get easier for you, because I don't want you to have to face that choice, or that necessity if you can help it. My hope is you never have to again. So...anyway...if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. And I understand."

It might seem odd, a career assassin speaking so openly of the grief one feels after taking a life. But it was a reality that was discussed often among eija-alihn. When Ridahne was initiated, a more senior member took her aside and spent hours discussing the value of life, and how it should be preserved if possible. He told her that some day, she would have her first target. And it was going to be ugly. "You are trained for the moment," he told her, "And so when it comes you know what to do. But after? In the silence of night left alone with yourself and the gravity of what you've done, you have to make peace with yourself somehow. And you can't be trained for that." Ridahne had given support and received it from her fellow eija-alihn, especially her partner Takhun. But he grew hardened to a point where he no longer cared. Ironically, Ridahne killed him for it, and for that twist of fate she would always harbor some guilt. She did not want Darin to taste that kind of poison. It was too late for herself, but she would do everything in her power to shield Darin from it.

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin looked back up towards the sky as Ridahne mentioned that the Eija would come during the night. It wouldn’t be this nice. At least she didn’t think it would be. The rain was due to continue though the night and late into the next afternoon. It would start to slow down in the morning, so she might be able to make it to the stables in the afternoon without being completely soaked. Of course, that all hinged on whether or not Darin got enough rest tonight in order to regain some of the energy she had lost today. She wasn’t going anywhere as long as she still felt as weak as a newborn kitten.

It also depended on if the weather actually did what Darin thought it should do. She wasn’t sure why she was so sure that the downpour would last until midmorning and the drizzle would continue until almost evening. She wasn’t the best at predicting the weather back home, and there she knew something about the weather patterns. The Seed-Bearer didn’t know anything about the weather patterns here, yet she had thought about what the rain would do with barely a second thought. It was almost like she knew what was happening in the skies of Astra. Though that did make sense. She was The Seed-Bearer. She had held the rain back for just a few minutes. It made sense that she knew how the sky would move.

Darin’s attention was recaptured as Ridahne brough up the man who’s arm she had cut off. Darin didn’t want to talk about that. She didn’t even what to think about that. She had killed a man and didn’t even have the courage to do it directly. She forced him to bleed to death and called it a mercy. Ridahne seemed to think that she was some sort of saint, but Darin just felt like a fraud. She was supposed to be preventing evil; not causing slow and torturous deaths. Why couldn’t she have just killed in in a single moment? Instead she had pretended that he had had a chance of escaping and finding help. It made Darin nauseous. It was a good thing she hadn’t eaten all day, or it might have made a reappearance.

Darin had no intention of talking about it, but she found her herself speaking, “Backup I raise my chickens from the time they hatch until the time they are dinner. They grow to trust me for food and water. I cannot count the number of times I nursed them to health and though sickness. I did the same for the pig. I raise them. I convince them to trust me. I love them and they love me.” She took a deep shuddering breath, “Then I kill them; slaughter them so I can eat their meat for energy, use their bones to make tools, use their feathers to stuff my mattress and pillows. It tore me up each and every single time, yet I did it without a second thought.” She clung tighter to Mitaja, “This though, this was different. He wanted me dead. I don’t know why, but he and his friends wanted me dead. He was a stranger; not a friend I’ve known since birth. IT should have been easy to just take off his head or stab his heart. But I couldn’t. I didn’t have the courage to kill a man flat out so instead I tortured him first.” Darin slowly turned her head to look Ridahne in the eyes, “That man is dead because of me and I know it. I had no choice but to kill him and I know it. I did have a choice in how to do it and I deluded myself into thinking I was showing him a mercy when I didn’t just kill him out right.” The Seed-Bearer was sure, “There was no mercy in what I did. He suffered because I couldn’t do what needed to be done. I can’t afford to make that mistake again.”

Was in wrong of her to feel no guilt for the killing part? Darin wasn’t sure. She just knew that it really was either him or her. She was just glad that it was her. She felt guilt like she had never before for making his death last longer than it needed to. She should have just killed him while she had still been there. Maybe her logic was faulty. She wasn’t sure about that one. Still, she had killed innocent things that had done nothing to her with barely a second thought. Why had it been so much harder to kill a man that was trying to kill her? Then again it didn’t seem right to just kill a man that was tied up. Still, if Darin had left him, he may have actually managed to escape and then gone back to deliver a report. Maybe she should have given him a less severe injury; one he might of survived but left him unable to escape. The problems with that was that she wasn’t sure what that might be and the Eija might have just killed him when they found him anyways. Darin wasn’t sure, and if she couldn’t figure out the answer to this dilemma how was she supposed to figure out the difference between good and evil? She wasn’t sure and that disheartened her.

[Blackfridayrule]

Ridahne nodded patiently, knowingly. She too understood the paradox of being a lifelong killer of animals, and then feeling so wretched that she vomited after her first assassination. Animals were intelligent creatures with feelings and social groups, but somehow killing an alik or a fish or a boar did not ever occur to her as something to be ashamed of or as something to mourn. But people? It was different somehow.

"I know," she said. "I spent my whole life hunting and fishing. I kill animals and gut them and skin them without an ounce of remorse. But people?" She sighed heavily. "He was a rapist. My first kill. He targeted young girls and I don't know how many he haunted in his lifetime, but we knew of two for a fact, and that was enough. They told me what he'd done, and I'd actually spoken to one of his victims. A poor, battered thing, but resolute. That brave girl wanted him to burn for what he'd done to her and I vowed I'd make it happen. I was so angry, and that anger fueled me right up until the point that I woke him from his sleep with the cold tip of my sword. I made him take out his kit and tattoo his ojih to reflect his crimes, and he did this tearfully. He groveled and said he was so sorry, but he was never sorry for what he did. Only that he got caught. The moment came and I swung at him, but I was so nervous and some part of me, the part of me that once was a decent, innocent girl, hesitated and flinched back a little. My sword tip connected but not enough, so I just slit his throat instead of cutting off his head. He gurgled and writhed on his woven mat floor for longer than I ever thought possible, and I was too stunned to just finish the job and stop the whole nightmare. So I stood frozen until the light went from his eyes and the noises stopped, and then I ran outside where Takhun was waiting for me. I puked into my horse's mane on the ride back."

Ridahne had only ever told that story to Hadian and Ajoran. She gave Darin a sympathetic gaze and said, "You're not the only one to have compromised when the moment came. And I think we tend to see people and animals differently. I would be heartbroken if Mitaja was killed, but a chicken for tomorrow's dinner? Not so much. Even as we care for those animals and bond with them, we always knew how it would end, and I think that makes it easier. But with people, it was never supposed to end that way, and deep inside it hurts us when this notion is betrayed."

Ridahne tapped one slim finger against her knee, debating something before she finally said it. "I don't know if this is a consolation to you, Darin. But if the eija had found him alive, injured or otherwise, they would not have killed him outright. They would have captured him and tortured him until he revealed his secrets to them. His death might not have been swift, but it was not hard. As I nearly learned last night, bleeding out is a slow but ultimately not horrific experience. You stop feeling the pain after a while, and you simply get so tired that nothing else matters but the void. He didn't suffer much. You aren't a monster." Ridahne would know.

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin supposed that made sense. It actually made a lot of sense. She had known from the moment that the chickens had hatched that most of them would wind up as dinner. The ones that didn’t were layers and breeders. Even they were dinner at some point, so Darin supposed that she should amended her previous statement. All the chickens, all the ducks that didn’t fly away, all the pigs, even the horses were killed at some point. People though, people weren’t supposed to die of anything less than old age or accidents. Yet she was now guilty of changing that fact for one person; a person that she knew nothing about. For all she knew he was just taking a job to get paid. Darin knew that she never would know. She really shouldn’t worry about it, but she couldn’t help the circling thoughts.

Ridahne’s story didn’t really help either. The fact that she hesitated did. The fact that it was just for her then as it was for Darin now helped. The fact that they had known that it was a monster did not help. Darin knew nothing about the man she had killed. Did he have a family? That was dumb. He had parents. Did he know them? Did he have a spouse? What about kids? By The Tree Darin hoped he didn’t have children. Yet, as she kept reminding herself, she had no way of knowing anything about him. He knew that she was struggling with killing him. He hadn’t mentioned anything to convince her not to do it. Maybe he thought he couldn’t. Maybe it he was trying to make it easier.

Suddenly she stood up. She was shaky for a moment, but she did regain her balance. Darin then walked over to the fire. She stood staring at the flickering lights with her arms wrapped around her chest. She couldn’t take it anymore. She was tired of her thoughts just running in circles. She couldn’t take this guilt, this questioning, this fear that she had done the wrong thing. She couldn’t take not knowing anything about him. She couldn’t take the fact that she couldn’t handle it. She couldn’t take the fact that she wasn’t sure she wanted to handle it. Darin almost wanted it to haunt her. She didn’t even know his name.

Her voice was quiet and unsure, a question she wasn’t sure she should ask, “Does it still haunt you; that first one? What about the more recent ones, the ones that lead you to me, do those haunt you? Or does the image of their faces go away when it no longer matters?”

Darin wasn’t sure what she wanted the answer to be. She almost wanted to know that one day it would be easier; that one day she wouldn’t care that she didn’t know his name. She almost wanted to forget him and move on. Still there was a part of her, a part that felt bigger or more important, that didn’t want to forget. She had told the Eija boy to burn the bodies; to let them be forgotten, but Darin wasn’t sure that she wanted to forget. She wasn’t sure they really deserved to be forgotten. Besides if they were forgotten the lessons that their story had to teach would be forgotten as well. Darin wasn’t sure what lessons there were, but there had to be some. Maybe she would feel better if she knew what they were.

The Seed-Bearer slowly sank onto the small stool by the fire with her gaze still on the sparks, “I don’t even know his name Ridahne. How do I cope with that?”

[Blackfridayrule]

Mitaja, who was quite enjoying the little warmth that Darin had to offer, groaned and followed the human over to the fire. She pushed her wide head under her hand, demanding pets, and purred. It was a sound like grinding stones, not the soft rumble of a barn cat.

Darin asked Ridahne if it was still as much of a nightmare as it was back then. For a long time, the elf wrestled with that answer. It wasn't so much that she had to figure out what to tell the human, nor was she trying to understand her own feelings. She knew them keenly. And for a long time it seemed like the elf wouldn't answer at all, for she sat stone-cold silent with her back resting heavy against the wall. She wouldn't look up from the floor. Finally a soft voice broke the silence. "It's different for each one." The words seemed forced, like it took great effort to push them out. "The first one...I don't have nightmares about him anymore. It still makes me shudder when I think about him. About what he did to that poor girl. About what I did to him in return. It's not that I don't care anymore it's just...that was some twenty years ago maybe. Even the ugliest wounds turn into scars eventually. Terrible to look at, but not so terrible as it once was. And I learned a lot from that day. For better or worse, I'm much more decisive now." She took a moment to drink a sip of water, but it seemed more like an excuse to prolong the silence than to get water.

"Most of the others happened so fast. A lot of the poor fools tried to fight back, so there was never a moment to reflect. And as horrible as it is to admit, the more you do it, the less difficult it is, usually. And I've been doing it for a long time. There is no pity in my soul for the men who attacked us last night. They knew the choice they made, as did I, when we crossed blades. It was them or us." She sighed. "I've thought a lot recently about the ones I killed by mistake. Ones that were really innocent, but because of the lies told to me, I slaughtered them. It's probably a blessing I don't know which ones they are, except one. One I know for sure. His name was Nailih, and it was he who planted the seed of doubt in me that led me to where I am. He told me Khaltira-Sol was a liar, and at the time I didn't listen to him. But over the months that followed I couldn't get the thought out of my head, and then...well, you know the rest." She looked up into the sky, a glimmer of tears in her eyes, and spoke in Azurian. "Nailih, I hope I've done you right. Be at rest."

There was another long, slow, heavy silence. Then, "Consider it a blessing you did not know his name. Right now you're thinking about who he was beyond his mission to kill you. You want to know what sort of life you destroyed. It's better you don't know, Darin. It doesn't sound like good advice right now, but I know it to be true." Her lip trembled. "It's so much worse when you know that they like to dance. When you know that their favorite scent is lavender, or that even though they're stony and aloof on the outside, they whisper sweet words to their horse each night. When you know that they hoped to marry. And you know these things because they told them to you, their friend. Khaltira-Sol earned her death, and her successor was already showing signs of being just like her. But Takhun..."

Ridahne's throat clamped up a little, and she held her breath to keep from hitching a sob lest it disturb her wounds. She let it go in a slow, controlled exhale, but the sniffle that followed betrayed her. "I do have nightmares about him. And how I lured him into the lavender gardens that night." She looked up at Darin finally, her amber eyes searching for Darin's. "My dear Darin, you might feel like the worst person in all of Astra right now, but the magnitude of your sins will never rival the things I've done. And if I am deserving of love and forgiveness despite these things, then so are you. I'm not the right person to teach you about self-forgiveness, for I have yet to learn it myself. But it will get easier, I promise you. But you will not forget it, and you will learn from the experience in some way or another. You'll remember the important parts, the things that will be useful to you in shaping your own character. But the sheer horror will fade. And I hope this is never something you have to face again."

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin smiled softly as MItaja came over and pressed her head into the human’s hand. It seemed that the cat was quite upset with the human for leaving off the petting so come stare at the fire. Darin complied with the demand for more petting by rubbing the hunting cat’s ears. She didn’t much sound like the cats that Darin was used to, but Mitaja still acted just the same. The human supposed that meant cats were cats no matter where they came for or what their size was. Somehow that was a small comfort as Darin struggled to come to grip with what had happened at what she had done.

Ridahne’s words did not. Darin didn’t want to think about how it was a gift that she knew nothing about the man. She didn’t want to think about it becoming easier the more she did it. She didn’t want to think about the memories fading. She didn’t want to think about it becoming commonplace. Every person killed was a child of Astra. Every person was the product of both their choices and factors beyond their control. Every Person had a life and a story to tell, and now, well now no one would tell the story of the man she had killed. Maybe Ridahne was right. Maybe it was easier that she didn’t know his name. Darin didn’t think that made it right that she didn’t know. Then again, right was seldom easy.

Darin almost said that out loud. Her mouth was open. The words were almost out. Then she stopped, held her tongue, and move a small humming noise instead. She really didn’t want to fight with RIdahne tonight. There was no point. She didn’t want to end every night with a fight. It seemed that they always ending the day fighting with each other or with someone else. It was growing tiresome, and it was not a tradition that Darin want to actually start. The human looked down at the cat loving on her as she sighed again. She needed to learn to think before she spoke or did anything. That would prevent most fights she supposed.

So instead Darin changed what she was going to say, “Maybe you are right. Maybe it easier that I don’t know.”

Darin didn’t voice the rest of her thoughts. That was the part that was the human thought would cause a fight. Yet, Darin thought, she didn’t need to voice her opinion every time that it differed with something. That was a new thought. Back home she was in the habit of saying all her opinions out loud. Most of them were contrary in some ways. That was why the elders didn’t really like her. She hadn’t cared back then. Back then she wasn’t trying to make friends. She was trying to survive and keep her mother alive. She wanted the farm and she wanted to be the one to work it. Now she needed friends and to convince people to follow her.

Darin sighed again, “I’m tired Ridahne. I’m tired of not knowing right or wrong. I’m tired of being out of my comfort zone.” She laughed a little, “Besides that I’m just plain tired. I can feel an exhaustion in my bones that I haven’t felt in a long time.” She struggled to think, “I think the last time I felt this was the first harvest I worked alone that was rough. Dawn until well after dusk. I had no idea how to use a sickle. I came home covered in injuries that I had to patch up myself because my mother was lost in the memories of a man long gone. Dirty and grimy were normal.” Darin looked at her hands, “I know I’m a farmer, but I hate being dirty and grimy. I’m so glad that I was caught in the rain early. It washed away most of the dirt. I would still like soap.” She caught in memories, “There was no shortage of soap back home. I could clean whenever I wanted. Hot water was a bit of a treat, but I still scrubbed pretty much every day. This traveling thing prevents that. I feel like I’m always dusty. I hate it. Of all the physical inconveniences being unable to get the dust off is the worse.” She scoffed, “How silly is that? I have a responsibility bigger than anyone or anything and the one thing that would make it better is soap and water every single night.” She turned to look at Ridahne, “What about you? What do you miss? Not people or places. What do you miss that seems completely silly?”

It was a way to get to know Ridahne better. It was a safer way to get to know Ridahne then that first night. At least this was slightly pointless, and Darin needed the distraction. Maybe if she was distracted her appetite would return. Maybe she would actually be able to drink something. She wasn’t feeling good at all and still wanted to throw up. She needed something to take her mind off of her current train of thought before it consumed her completely. It was a sudden topic change, but somehow, she didn’t think that Ridahne would mind that much. There was nothing to mind. If Ridahne didn’t want to talk about this she didn’t have too. Darin wouldn’t press at all.

[Blackfridayrule]

Ridahne knew Darin didn't believe her about not knowing who she killed. She never would, so Ridahne didn't push it either. But she knew. She knew because she'd been there, and she'd also known the opposite. She had no regret for killing Khaltira-Sol, but for Takhun's death she would always hate herself a little. What would he say now if he could see her? Ridahne let it go. As important as it was to air the subject, it was also not the sort of thing to dwell on, and she was eager for the change in subject, both for herself and for Darin's sake. For her part, the thoughts about Takhun and the reality of what she'd done, the deeper reality beyond just doing her duty however ugly it was, hurt to think about, and she was already in enough pain as it was.

So the elf laughed softly and offered very quickly with a the kind of exasperated groan of someone who'd thought long and hard about her answer long in advance, "Heat! I miss the heat! It's much cooler up north, and the air is...thicker. Wetter. This rain nonsense has me chilled to the bone--I can only imagine how you're getting by, soaked as you are. Home is dry and hot, but at night it cools down a lot. I miss the ocean. And..." Ridahne had to laugh a little at herself. "You're going to laugh at me," she said. "Either that or call me spoiled. You wouldn't be wrong, I was spoiled."

The elf took a drink of water and took a bite of her chunk of bread. "You have to understand though," she began to explain as though she needed to justify herself first. "I grew up with next to nothing. We ate fish and whatever my cat and I could hunt. Sometimes we'd get goat milk. As a kid, I spent a lot of time either by myself or running around with packs of other scrappy children, and we were always scraped and dirty and dusty. If I wasn't covered in dust, I was salty from the sea. That's just how it was, and then when I became an eija, well...it's a much higher status than 'fisherman's daughter'. Because we were around the Sols and the palace we had to look the part, you know? We were expected to be clean and presentable while we were at the palace, and so they had these bath houses. Big pools lined with clay tiles, one for the women and one for the men. You would scrub yourself with soap and everything first in a separate spot, so when you go in the big pool you're clean. And they had these bottles of oils that were infused with fragrant herbs. We used to put it in each other's hair. I thought the whole thing was wasteful and excessive and silly, and they all teased me for it. But then I sort of got used to it, and I ended up really liking it. It makes your hair so soft, but more importantly, it makes you smell so nice. Ajoran likes citrus, so I always used the one infused with lemon peel and sage. He always smells like juniper. And it's stupid, but I do miss that a lot."

Ridahne smiled. "What's your favorite scent in all the world, Darin?"

[LadyAnnaLee]

Well that was a question she had never been asked before. Darin’s brow furrowed as she ran her hands over the hunting cat’s soft ears. Mitaja was seemingly content with her ministrations and it wasn’t like it was that much of a chore. Darin slowly slipped down off the chair and on to the floor as she thought about Ridahne’s question. Her attention was seemingly on Mitaja as she ran her hands over the cat’s ears and chest. The deep rumbling was certainly one of the best sounds Darin had heard of. However, she wasn’t sure about a favorite scent. There were so many good ones.

After a lengthy silence she spoke, “Apple pie baking.” She paused for a moment, “Wheat growing.” She started smiling, “Sunshine. Snow. Rain.” She sighed slowly, “There are so many good ones. Fresh heather. Pine.” She found herself repeating, “Sunshine. Or rain. I’ve said this already but snow.” She used her wrist to rub at her eyes, “I’m tired.” She continued as she started rambling, “I really like sunshine. A lot of people say it doesn’t smell like anything, but I think it smells like warmth. Especially right after I got out of the water. There’s a swimming pond back home. I would go swimming and then when I got out I would sit on the bank and let the sunshine dry my skin. It would smell like … peace.

“Or snow. Snow is another one. I don’t know if you’ve seen snow, but if you miss heat, you’ll dislike snow. It happens in the winter when it gets cold enough to freeze. It’s rain that has frozen into a white powder. It comes down and sticks to the ground. Eventually it covers everything like a blanket. You have to wrap up in so many layers just to get anywhere. The whole village comes together to clear the roads. Snow smells clean though when it melts it smells wet. It means that spring is coming. Winter is when the world rests and then it wakes back up and snow just smells like quiet and clean.”

Darin paused for a moment as she considered that. She had just described two smells that came from the sky. She wondered if that meant anything. Ridahne had described citrus which was an earth smell; a stone smell. Darin guessed that meant just because a person was a Child of one of the elements didn’t mean they were perfect matches for that element. Maybe a person could, and did, have attributes of all three elements in them. She herself loved the smell of the sky, the feel of dirt, and swimming. She liked catching raindrops and snowflakes on her tongue and that was water that came from the sky so that seemed like both Sky and Sea. Maybe that was just her.

She continued speaking with her eyes on Mitaja, “Kids will stand outside and try to catch snowflakes, the little frozen raindrops, on their tongues. You’re supposed to grow out of it, but I never did. I never wanted to. I think that was proof to the elders that I wasn’t mature enough to know what was best. I think they kept hoping I would grow up, but I didn’t have the time to grow up. I was too busy being a nuisance and taking care of things. Ah well.” She cast a glance over at Ridahne, “Let’s see. Favorite thing to eat? Is that a safe question? I like sweet porridge. It’s usually a treat since sugar or brown sugar is expensive. You cook the oats with milk and serve it warm. I haven’t had it in a long time. A long, long time. So, it’s more like fond memory. What’s yours?”

[Blackfridayrule]

Ridahne might have been considered young among elves, but among humans, she was ancient. One hundred and three years was a long time to be alive for a human. And Ridahne supposed that it was a long time. Though she was young, she'd lived a lot of life in those hundred years. She was experienced, and had the privilege of traveling and living in two completely different social classes--practically two different worlds. This often made her seem a little jaded, like she'd seen what life had to offer and was not always impressed. It was a rare thing indeed for her to learn of something she had not seen before, or knew very little about. But Darin was chock full of them today. She'd heard of snow, but never seen it, and she did not know what apple pie was, not exactly. It felt wondrous to learn of something completely new to her.

"Apple pie...? I'm familiar with apples...but..not pie. You bake it so...it is a bread?" She indicated a loaf shape with her hands. "I'm picturing raisin bread that we have, like a loaf or sometimes a smaller bun with golden raisins and goat cheese mixed in it, but with apple? Probably not it but I can't think of anything else it'd be similar to." She had to agree though that the sun did have a smell, in a way. Maybe not directly, but it changed the way other things smelled in a distinct way. At home it smelled of dust, and of salt, of earth, but the dry sort, not the wet, black variety found elsewhere.

Ridahne's eyes lit up a bit. "So you've seen snow? Touched it? I've heard about it, and that it's cold, but I've never seen it before. I've seen paintings, so I sort of know what it looks like, and I've heard that it's often on high mountain peaks, but our mountains are too old and too small to have snow. Merchant ship crewmen at the docks would talk about it sometimes when they went up north. They say that the sea splashes up on the deck and wets the ropes and the sails, and the water changes. It gets hard, like it's not water anymore, like it's glass. You call it ice, yes? But they say snow is not like ice, it is soft and almost like sand but lighter. They say you can jump into a pile of it and it goes POOF!" She illustrated this with her hands and a smile. "I want to know more about snow. What's it like? I heard that children use it to construct effigies of odd, limbless, fat men--is that true? What is this for? Is it a religious ritual? Or a ward against evil spirits?" She asked this with all the dead-serious earnestness of a scholar. Sailors were known to spin tall tales, but she'd heard that one enough times to believe it.

Ridahne had to laugh at 'is that a safe question'. They did have a rocky start, didn't they? But they were getting better. Better at communicating and better at understanding one another. And Ridahne did not feel so ashamed of herself as she once did, and it made it easier to open up. "I also love porridge. We eat it with cinnamon, sometimes raisins, and if you're feeling energetic, you go and get a coconut to shave into it. You probably haven't had a coconut, I don't know that they grow this far north. It's...not a nut, and it's not a fruit. But it's a round thing with a thick shell you need a rock or a blade to break open, and then inside is a sweet, slightly milky water that you drink--very very good in the desert when you're dehydrated. And it has a sorta tough meat that's pure white and sweet. You can dry it and shave it into flakes or grind it into almost a flour, but usually the other kids and I would make contests of climbing the trees--they don't have branches like pines, you see, so it's very hard--and we'd break open the shell with a rock and just scrape off the meat with our teeth. We make a sort of milk out of it by pounding down the meat with some water and filtering it. It's very creamy and kind of sweet."

She thought a moment. "My favorite thing to eat though...well, okay, two things. One is the most decadent thing I've ever had, and one is what makes me feel at home. That one is definitely curry--the reddish orange kind--with rice, coconut milk, golden raisins, potato, some herbs, and goat meat. If it's really a special occasion, you add some crushed almonds. Ikali--my mother--used to make it as often as she could, which wasn't much. But that tastes like home. The other one though is chocolate. They grow the plant it comes from in Orosi and in southern Siren lands. It is sweet and bitter but in a nice way like coffee, and it melts in your mouth...and on your fingers, which is why it rarely makes its way to Azurei where it's so hot. Have you had it?"

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin, never once in her life, had to describe apple pie. As such she wasn’t entirely sure how to do so, “It’s not really like bread.” She held her hands out to indicate a circle, “It’s a circle dish that you put a layer of pastry in. Then you fill the rest of the pan with apples or cherries or whatever kind of fruit you want. Then you put another layer of pastry on top. There was some that night at The Farm. You might have missed it since it came out during the dancing. It’s a desert. So, you mix the fruit filling with things like sugar and spices. It’s yummy; one of my favorites. Cherry is good too.”

She wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t described snow very well. It seemed like she wasn’t good at describing things. Still, Ridahne had heard stories before and odds were that they would seem some sooner or later on this journey. Darin didn’t think it would be this winter season though. They were heading further south and she thought that they would be in Azurei by the time the snows were supposed to start falling. So, they would have to wait until next season. If Darin remembered the map correctly, they couldn’t go any more south than Azurei so after that they would be heading back north. Darin had a feeling they both would be seeing a lot of new things on this trip. Darin herself had never even heard of coconuts and she had only ever heard of chocolate.

She shook her head, “I’ve never heard of coconuts and there is no way I could afford chocolate. I could barely afford soap and if I didn’t grow my own food there have been several occasions where my mother and I would have both starved.” Darin gave a breathy sigh, “It wasn’t always like that though. Before he left, we were fine. We could easily buy the necessities and even the occasional treat. After he left it got … harder. The only way I could get sugar was right before feast days and that was only because, somehow, despite my contrary nature, I made the best apple pie in the village. Once all the pie was made there was very little left over. I horded as much as I could for our personal use, but it was never enough. Honey was easier to get. We would put that in our porridge and in our tea. I’ve only had coffee once and that was because a trader in Lively was feeling generous. It was shortly after he left. Everyone knew. I was still in shock. Mama was still lost.” Darin gave her head a shake of her head, “It doesn’t matter now. Sooner or later all of Astra will know who I am. Then I suspect that I will be treated with respect beyond my due.” She sighed, “Since I’ve meet you more and more people just know who I am. I have to wonder if there is any point at all to traveling in disguise.”

That was a question that had been plaguing her frequently lately. Everyone she had meet lately knew who she was. Logically Darin knew it was because the people here, the Eluri, had visions. Humans didn’t and she didn’t know about Sirens. Perhaps they did, perhaps they didn’t. There would be no point in hiding in Azurei, but perhaps in other lands. Darin looked at her hands. They weren’t as calloused as she would like. That was how Ridahne had known she was a girl. Darin didn’t want to be known as soon as she meet someone. Maybe she should start wearing gloves. She wasn’t sure where she would get a pair though. Maybe she could barter for a pair here in this village. Though she did have other things to worry about here in this village.

Darin found herself asking another question, “When you have free time, however rare it is, what do you do to fill it? I like to swim though never in an ocean, in the lake near my farm. I would love to see the ocean. I hear it tastes like salt. Is that true?”

[Blackfridayrule]

"Pastry?" That was a word she wasn't terribly familiar with. She'd heard it before in her travels north, but never at home. She screwed up her inked face trying to think of where she'd heard it, and even repeated it to herself a few times. "Is that the kind of bread that has a lot of butter in it? And you have to keep it cold or else it doesn't work? I think I had something like that once, but never at home. It's too hot to do anything like that there. We do lots of buns though, either baked or steamed. And flatbreads too, do they have that up North? Someday you'll have to make me an apple pie, and I will make you proper curry and show you coconuts."

Ridahne gave an understanding nod to Darin's tale of how her and her mother got by after her father left. Neither of Ridahne's parents left--they were madly in love with one another--but yet she still found herself without a mother at a young age. She knew that pain, the sudden chaos as the rhythm of her family's life was suddenly upheaved. She supposed she was thankful that both she and Hadian were well established on their own by the time their father was lost at sea.

"Ravi would tell me that you and I were not so different as I thought." She said with a sad smile. "We might have different stories, but I know the chaos losing a parent can wreak on your life. Emotionally, but also in a practical way. We were always poor but we made it through just fine. When Ikali got sick, we suddenly found ourselves with half the income, and Hadian and I had to fend for ourselves while my father was at sea. Ikali was usually the one who went hunting, too. She taught me a lot about how to handle cats, horses, and about the Dust Sea. But there were some lessons I had to learn the hard way, and I ended up becoming a hunter at far too young an age, for better or worse." She smiled. "I feel like that worked out in my favor in the end. Anyway, it turns out that you make a lot of money being an eija, and even more as an eija-alihn. Except I never had anything to really spend it on besides a horse and some good tattoo ink. I sent a lot of it to Hadian so he could focus on getting married--I wonder if he has while I've been gone? But when we get to Azurei, I will see to it you have all the chocolate and coffee and coconuts you could ever want."

Ridahne looked down at her feet, scowling at her shoes for a moment before unlacing them and peeling them off with some difficulty. It hadn't been long since she'd taken them off, but it sure felt like it. And why she'd put up with them for all this time sitting in Konie and Talyn's home, she didn't know. "Hmph, no, there wasn't much free time," she chuckled. "But when I was younger I apparently liked to spend it getting in trouble. I fought a lot. Not all of them were real squabbles, some of them were, you know, playing. A wrestling contest or something. I swam a lot, even when I got older. It's true, the ocean does taste like salt. It's a cruel thing to live in the driest place in all of Astra, and have this big huge body of water right at your doorstep, but you can't drink it. The salt in it will make you sick and even more thirsty. But the waves are fun to play in. I spend a lot of time diving for shellfish and sometimes seahorses. Rich people like to keep them as pets, and they'll pay a hefty price for them. When it came time to chose a sigil (if you make it to the courts, suddenly your clan is important enough for a sigil) I chose a seahorse for that reason. I've done a bit of bone or stone carving, but Ajoran's better at it than I am. I do a lot of tattooing, for myself or others. I actually wanted to be a master tattooer when I was a little girl, but for whatever reason they didn't take me as an apprentice. What about you? I know you play the fiddle, but what else do you do when you have the time?"

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin said again as she finally left off petting Mitaja’s ears, “I like to swim. There wasn’t much time for it. I was too busy with running my farm. There’s a lot of work on a farm. It’s supposed to be a team effort. Even a small farm, like mine, was a two-person job. One person to look after the land and crops and another to do the other chores. Mama was … lost for a long time after he left. So, it was just me. Free time usually only occurred at night right before bed, but by that time I was so tired I usually just fell asleep as soon as I sat down.” Darin fell backwards off the chair to stare at the ceiling, “As for the fiddle.” Her hand reached out towards the ceiling, “It was his. He was teaching me to play it before he left. I was pretty good at it. I had an ear for the music, I guess. For some reason he left it behind when he left. He took our horse, half our supplies, and Mama’s heart, but he left the fiddle. I rarely played after that. I usually only played at the solstice feasts and never for very long and only if my mother asked. She never failed to ask. I tried to burn it once. She stopped me. She cried. It’s still here. She snuck it in my bag before I left. By the time I found out there was no point in going back. So now I’m stuck with it. I might use it to break his nose. That seems fitting.”

She had to consider RIdahne’s claim that she would get all the chocolate and coffee that she would want. Darin wasn’t sure she wanted any of that. She was interested in coconut but that was because it sounded like it was common. Coffee and chocolate sounded like something for nobles and royalty and Darin was positive that she would never be either. She didn’t want to be. She was content to be a farmer. She might be the most important farmer to Astra’s people, but she still just wanted to be a farmer. She was certain that she could live without chocolate and coffee. She did want to see the ocean though and if Ridahne could make that happen Darin would be content. She wasn’t going to say that out loud though. She had a feeling that would upset Ridahne.

Darin dropped her arm, “I would be more than happy to make you apple pie. It’s not really difficult. It does require patience, focus, and a lot of time, but the task itself is simple. You do need a good oven and a decent knife. Flour, sugar, butter, and a little cinnamon will make the pastry. Butter, lots of cinnamon, sugar, and apples will make the filling. Salt is important as well. That’s another one that I had to horde. Salt is super important but it’s not cheap. It’s not expensive, but that doesn’t mean it was easy for me to get. You probably had an easier time of it then I did.”

Darin knew there was two ways of getting salt. There were the salt mines in the mountains not too terribly far from her home. Then you could pull it from the water found in the ocean. Darin wondered if the Azurei people did that. It would make sense that they would. Everyone in Astra needed salt, but they didn’t all live near salt. Maybe some of the Azurei did while others did other things. Azurei was an entire country. Darin couldn’t even fathom how many people that was. Lively was the biggest place she had seen before Greyrock and she hadn’t seen many people there. She could just tell it was bigger by the size of the barn and tavern. She wasn’t sure she was entirely prepared for the culture shock of getting to Azurei. She wondered if that had occurred to RIdahne. It wasn’t just Azurei she was worried about. She knew that there were human kingdoms ruled by kings and queens. She wasn’t sure about Sirens. She was sure there had to be something similar. She just wasn’t sure what.

She slowly pushed herself upwards, “I best go check on the horse and Taja. I’m not sure how the silly bird reacted to the rain. He might have loosened his splint.” She wavered for a moment, “I’ll make sure to get your knives. Do you need or want anything else?”

[Blackfridayrule]

"You are good at it," Ridahne added. It was true. Though Ridahne was wrapped up in a lot of events and feelings and thoughts that night at the Farm, she had still heard Darin play. "I wonder...if he hadn't left, you know, if you didn't have all those feelings associated with him tied to playing, would you enjoy it more? I only ask because if it's something you like, then make it yours. Not his. Be better than he ever was, play different styles of music he never even heard, play it for yourself. Not for him. On the other hand..." a small smile crept onto her lips, "if it's really not your thing and you want nothing to do with it anymore, I'm sure Mitaja will hold him down while you break his nose with it. She's very good at it, aren't you girl?" The cat, who seemed to know she was being spoken about, rolled over onto her side with her belly facing the fire.

Ridahne sighed longingly. "We'll have to do it before we get too far south then! You make it sound amazing. I like apples, and I love cinnamon, so it must be good, right?" Darin rose and announced she was going out to check on the animals and to retrieve Ridahne's blades. The elf had to admit, that was a relief. She was honored to hold Darin's, but her own felt more comfortable in her hands. "Could you bring my cloak too? Thank you." It was much too cold for her liking, even with the fire going strong. "You ought to take Mitaja with you." There was an unspoken 'just in case' laced into that suggestion, though Ridahne knew if there was any trouble, it wouldn't be with Darin. Mostly she was worried the girl might fall over at any minute and she wanted to at least give her something to collapse onto that wouldn't give her a concussion, too.

Ridahne watched her go and, leaning heavy against the wall, she let her eyes close. It was strange to feel so exhausted and yet so cooped up at the same time. She sat there with the relative silence of only the crackling fire, and felt herself just about to drift into a bit of sleep when a small noise made her hold her breath and listen. Ridahne released that held breath in a heavy sigh. She knew it would happen, but it didn't make the prospect any easier.

"I knew you'd come," she said resignedly.
A dark figure came from the short hallway that led towards Konie's and Talyn's bedrooms. In through one of the back windows, Ridahne guessed. And had been inside for some time, just waiting for the opportune moment. Which was, as Ridahne knew, when the target was alone. The woman had her own blade--a straight, slim one with dual edges and a clipped point--in hand and reflecting the firelight already. She took a few steps closer, then stopped.
"If you've come to kill me, then do it, I've still got a little fight left in me. No sense in making this dramatic. Though if you want my advice? Don't. Killing me would undo things you'd give both your arms to set right again. Not to mention your Sota-Sol would not be so pleased as you think."

She came closer and lifted her hood. Ridahne knew her. Not well, but she recognized her nonetheless.
"Ah, Salei, isn't it?"
"You're that Atakharan girl, aren't you?"
"Why is it everyone remembers I'm the poor Atakharan rat, but never my name?" Ridahne sighed. "Ridahne. My name is Ridahne. And yes, I am she whom you seek." Ridahne turned her face so that Salei could get a full view of her ojih, and thus the particular mark that painted her as a traitor.

Salei flinched in something like horror or disgust and gripped her dagger tighter, visibly quivering with rage. And yet...Ridahne sensed a hesitation there too. It was then that she realized this eija was doing what Ridahne could not. In the face of a traitor, she could not bring herself to slaughter one of her own. Ridahne gave a small, soft, bitter laugh at this realization.
"Why?" Salei finally seethed. "Why did you do it?"
Ridahne sighed. "You and I both know what you came here to do, Salei. I don't have the energy to spare for inflamed banter."
"NO! I want to know why! What kind of snake swears an oath to a Sol and then turns around and breaks it! Not just her or her successor, but Takhun? Your partner!" Salei was on the brink of tears, she was so angry and upset, though she kept the volume of her voice low so as not to attract attention from outside.
"I'll mourn the loss of Takhun a hundred times over. I will weep for my friend to the grave. Do not mistake me, killing Takhun is the worst sin I have ever and will ever commit. But there's so much you don't know, Salei."
"Then tell me! I want to know why!"
"Will you believe me if I do? Everyone always wants answers but nobody wants the truth."
Salei paused. "...Do you promise to give it?"
Ridahne touched her forehead. "I swear by the blood of my ancestors, by my blades, by the Night Sky and the stars above, by the Great Tree itself, that what I have to tell you is the whole and honest truth."

Even though Salei had asked for a promise, she clearly was not expecting one of that magnitude. Ridahne had gone right for every single one of the major, sacred things people swore by, and managed to do them all at once. In particular, she swore by the Tree. If it was ever possible to lie after swearing an oath like that, Salei had never heard tell of it. She took a slow breath, sheathed her blade at her hip, and slowly lowered herself to her knees so she could sit. "Okay, Traitor. I'm listening."
"Good."

Ridahne gave a quick but relatively full account of the events that led to her eventual treason, though she left out the events that followed. That was her business, not Salei's.

Salei shook her head. "That can't be true. Khaltira-Sol wouldn't do that, would she? And surely Takhun wouldn't have gone with it?" But there wasn't much conviction in her tone. She knew the truth of it, deep down.
"I wish nothing I said was true, Salei. But it is. All of it. And I did only what I was trained to do, what I was tasked to do. If that makes me a traitor, then...well, so be it. So, now that you know, are you still going to kill me?"
Salei did not lift her eyes from the floor. "I don't know. I'm not so sure anymore."
Ridahne smirked. "You never were. But honestly? I have much to do before my inevitable time. Things you would rejoice to see completed. I can't tell you details, my errand is private, but killing me would not bring the peace you desire, nor would it bring back your Sol."

Salei considered for a moment, then looking towards the door asked, "The boy? Who's he to you?"
Ridahne offered a rueful smile. "It's a lonely life, that of the traitor. Even the worst monsters need company, too. We met by chance on the road and happened to be going the same way. You could say we're friends now." It wasn't untrue, but it left out a lot of important details.
"There's whispers going around the village about him, you know..."
Ridahne laughed. "You know how Eluri are. No disrespect, they've been good hosts, mostly. But they don't spend enough time in the present." This was a common enough joke in Azurei that even Salei cracked a tiny smile. Ridahne waved a dismissive hand. "Besides, they don't know him like I do." There was a silence, and then Ridahne added, "When do you go back?"
"Now that the Red Hand is taken care of? I guess I should thank you, by the way. We've been wondering how one Azurei and one farm boy could best that pack...but now that I see you, I understand. I didn't realize we had an eija-alihn in our midst. But I expect we'll be heading back soon."
"Mm. About that, inquire about them as you go, and tell the other eija to keep an ear open for rumor of them. Something tells me they aren't just a local problem..."

[LadyAnnaLee]

Two weeks was a long time. Darin was starting to get restless. She never thought that she would get restless. Yet she couldn’t help but feel that way since she had other places that she needed to be. Everyday she wasted was a day closer to the death of The Tree. She felt enclosed in this little village. She supposed she couldn’t count the two weeks as fully wasted. Ridhane had needed time to heal and recover from the injuries the Red Hand had given her. The Elf wouldn’t have recovered if they kept moving. So, even though it made Darin anxious she was glad that they had rested in the Eluri village for as long as they did.

She supposed that rested was the wrong word for her. Darin had spent the two weeks helping the villagers in their farms. Most of the Elves regraded the humans with a wariness and suspicion that Darin couldn’t fault. Harris didn’t. Neither did any of those who saw what she had done the night of the rain. They simply let her know where the tools were and let her know how they distributed assignments. Darin took her assignments without complaint and worked her hardest to do her best work. She returned to Konie’s hut sore and exhausted every night. It was the good kind of exhaustion that came from a productive day’s work.

The night before Konie finally gave Ridahne the okay to start traveling. The healer had made it perfectly clear that they needed to take it slow. It was clear that the Eluri had not been impressed with the fact that the human had been traveling with stiches that she kept ripping. Though Darin had healed as well, and she was happy now that she had full use of her arm again. Ridahne and Darin weren’t the only members of their party that had healed. Taja’s wing was finally mended. The hawk was capable of short flights, but he still only put up with Darin. The hawk tolerated Talbot as well, but that was more due to the fact that Talbot didn’t tolerate Taja’s attitude. Though the bird’s attitude had improved since he had been able to hunt for himself.

Right now, Darin was right outside Konie’s hut with her arm extended wearing the falconry gear she had recently acquired. She was waiting for Taja to come back to her after looking for breakfast. She could see him in the trees surrounded the village. She had already eaten and packed last night. They were leaving the village early this morning. The sun was just starting to peak out from the horizon and sky was painted in the rose oranges and blush pinks of dawn. Darin was glad that they were getting a move on. There were a few more Eluri villages she wanted to visit before they reached Azurei. Darin was still trying to make friends. Though she figured that she had done a pretty good job her even if most of them still thought she was a boy.

Darin called out, “Taja! Come on! We need to go get Talbot and finish getting ready to go.”

The hawk let out a screech before gliding over the small open space to landing on his person’s arm. Darin ran her fingers of the golden bird’s chest feathers as he hopped on to her shoulder. The Seed-Bearer was glad for the tough leather protecting her skin. At least the hawk wouldn’t be able to accidently injure her again. Darin turned and began walking towards the stables. Taja figured out where they were going and took of to fly of towards the building. He couldn’t only fly short distances, but soon he would be back to full strength. The human figured he would fly off to not be seen again. That was a bittersweet thought.

Darin got to the stable and called out, “Talbot! We’re leaving.” She muttered quietly, “I’m so glad.”

Talbot must have heard her because he let out a snort of agreement as he tossed his head in a nod. Darin laughed as she got what little tack the horse would let her put on put on. Since that was the reins and the reins only it was easy enough. She also attached Taja’s traveling basket and her bags. She had added to her small collection of things while being in the village. She now had a better knife, another blanket, a pair of leather gloves and she now had three changes of clothes. She also had a proper mending kit and fresh supplies. Harris had made sure she and Ridahne were properly outfitted. The elders of this village still didn’t like her, but as far as Darin could figure out Harris actually had more clout in the village.

Speaking of Harris, a voice filled the air, “We’ll be sad to see you go young Martin. You’re a good worker; better than some of our own young adults.”

Darin smiled at the Eluri as he came up to Talbot’s stall, “I thank you for the compliment, and I wish I could stay, but I have work to do. I cannot do it here.”

Harris nodded, “I didn’t figure you would. You’re a farmer alright, but power like yours comes with responsibility for sure.”

The human bit her lip as she considered. Finally, she spoke slowly, “Yes. To all the Children of Astra.”

Harris instantly understood that he was being trusted with something big and secret. He was completely serious, “What do you mean?”

Darin’s voice was barely a whisper, “The Seed.”

Harris’s eyes went wide, and his response was instant, “Enough!” His voice was sharp, “I need no more!” Then his gaze softened, “Though I can think of no one better.” He bowed slightly as he maintained eyes contact, “Noble lady.” Her eyes went wide, and he laughed lightly at her shock, “I knew when you wouldn’t go swimming with the other young ones. Though you are wise to travel as a boy. Especially if you had such an important task as you are implying, and I do not think you would lie.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, “Best of luck young Martin.”

He turned to walk out of the stable when she suddenly called out, “Darin!”

He turned to smile over his shoulder, “Best of luck Martin. And thank you for everything.”

Darin’s voice gained a touch of something, “May The Tree Bless you Harris, Child of the Wind, Child of the Sky. And may that Blessing elevate you. Go Harris Seed-Friend; with my thanks for all that you have done.”

Harris smiled widely as he turned to bow deeply with his right hand crossed over his chest and his fist over his heart. His waist created an almost perfect 90 degrees. Then he turned to leave again. This time he managed to leave. Darin let out the breath she didn’t realize that she had been holding. She needed to stop doing things she didn’t understand even though it felt right now. The Seed had been burning against her thigh the entire time. It was a pleasant sort of burning. There was a change in Darin’s soul that was similar to the time she Chained Ridahne to The Seed. This was done out of respect instead of anger so felt different, but the change was still there. Harris wasn’t quite Seed-Honored, but that was okay. Darin let out another breath. She needed to finish getting ready to go.

She turned to smile at Talbot, “I’ll need to do that for your person.” Talbot nodded and Darin laughed, “Well you’re ready to go. I’m going to go check on Ridahne. I bet she’s even more excited to leave than I am.”

Darin left the stable to head towards Konie’s hut for the last time. She was glad to be leaving, but it had been nice to be a farmer for a little bit. She had not been on ordered bed rest for two weeks. She had just been told to take it easy. She didn’t but her injuries had still healed and Konie only made her ingest a minimal of terrible tasting concoctions designed to help her heal. Darin may have been feeling restless, but Ridhane had to be ready to explode with boredom. Leaving would do them both some good. Then again maybe the Elf didn’t want to leave. Darin didn’t think so, but she was trying to not jump conclusions.

[Blackfridayrule]

The horses of Azurei were known for being spirited, high-energy creatures, nothing like the placid ponies the Eluri often kept as pack animals, or the work horses of farmlands. They were magnificent, sleek, swift beings, and were bred to withstand tough conditions and riding. Tsura, even among Azurei horses, was spirited, so he did not take the group's little vacation very well. At first, the rest had been welcome. But after a few days he got moody, and tossed his head at the stablehands that tended to him. So when Ridahne finally came to him speaking promises of open skies, he was very agreeable and excited. Once, when Ridahne stood too long talking to Konie, the buckskin horse took the elf's new gray shirt between his teeth and pulled back as if trying to coax her away. Ridahne understood how he felt. They were kindred spirits, she and him. It's why she chose him, and why he'd been so faithful to her over the years. They understood each other's fiery hearts better than most.

The elf had been very grateful for the break and for the hot meals and to not have to think about where or when she'd find water, or what foodstuffs could be found in the wilderness and what things had to be rationed. It was nice for a while to just sleep, and then wake to find a meal ready, and a good one too. But the comfort of Talyn and Konie's home became a cage after a while, and especially as she began to feel better, she started to get more and more restless. Even if it meant having to constantly think about supplies and routes, Ridahne was ready to leave.

Darin found her holding Tsura's reins and standing with the three Azurei. The mood between them was confused, and not at all like a group of old friends. Yet there was an acknowledgement there of kinship, one that could not be ignored. And though Salei had told her group of the truths she learned from Ridahne, there was still a tension. In their hearts, they might have pardoned her as a criminal, but they could not quite come to forgive her for the loss they still felt. Ridahne did not expect them to. So they stood there, sort of stiffly amiable.
"It was your kill. You should have the larger portion of the pay."
Ridahne shook her head. "I don't want it. I wasn't contracted to come out there and track them down, and I'd rather have not met them at all. It's yours for your time here."
"Then take some of it at least," Salei insisted, portioning off a smaller handful of the coins and holding it out. Ridahne opened her mouth to refuse, but Salei reached out her other hand, grabbed Ridahne's and slapped the coins into her forcibly outstretched palm. Though the exchange seemed aggressive, Ridahne didn't even bat an eye. That's how they did things down south.
"Fine. Take care of yourselves on the road, whether you take the long way or the Dust Sea. If you don't know the Sea, get a guide. Trust me, I've cleaned up a lot of messes out there."
"Right. Good luck...with...whatever you're doing."
"I'll see you three back at the palace in due time," Ridahne said.
The man scoffed. "You won't. The Sols will have you killed before you set foot on the first step."
Ridahne just laughed drily, though it ached a little still. She was well-healed now, but it would take a long time for the aches and pains to really go away completely. "Probably. We'll see." And with that she turned to the approaching Darin.

"These people have been decent hosts, but let's get out of here." She laughed a little. "Some stupid part of me is longing for sleeping outdoors. I'll regret that in a week. Are you all ready? Tsura's all packed up and Mitaja..." The elf gave a withering look to the cat, who was lying on her side while a gaggle of children petted her silky fur. "...She'll come when she's called."

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin moved over to where Ridahne was with the other three Azurei. She and the young apprentice made eye contact. For a moment it was tense before Darin let a small smile grace her face. She nodded out of respect for him. Even though the young Eija didn’t return the smile he did return the nod. Darin supposed that was going to be the best she got. She and the young man had found themselves running into each other more than once over the last few weeks. She used the opportunities to practice her Azurei. He had practiced his Common. It was an odd sort of kinship that Darin was shocked to realize that she was going to miss. However, if Ridhane’s words were to be believed she would cross paths with Ja’heil sooner rather than later. That was good. She found herself liking the apprentice.

Darin called out to him in Azurei, “Till we meet again Ja’heil.” She raised her hand in fawell, “May The Tree bless your journeys.”

It was a common enough expression that it caused nothing uxpected and wouldn’t be suspisios. Ja’heil returned it in Common, “Aye Martin. May The Tree Bless your journeys as well.”

Then the two groups separated, and Darin laughed lightly at Ridahne’s obvious restlessness, “Yes. Let’s leave and hope this doesn’t become a habit.”

The Seed-Bearer had a bad feeling that it would become a habit. There were people out there who wanted her dead which meant there were people out there looking for a fight. Which meant Ridahne was going to do most of the fighting and fighting would lead to injuries. Darin had a feeling that he already long journey doubled taking into the account all the time Ridahne would need time to recover. That was not an appealing concept, but to be completely honest Darin didn’t want to bring it up. She was sure, that if it hadn’t already, it would occur to the warrior. It wasn’t like the Azurei was stupid.

Darin made sure her grip on Talbot’s reins wasn’t going to slip before swinging onto his back, “Come on. I was looking on the map and I saw a few more Eluri villages I would like to visit before we get to Azurei. I’m not sure how far the next one is, but the people here resupplied us. We should be able to get there easily enough; we just have to hope we aren’t attacked. I’m so tired of being attacked.”

That was just a little bit of an understatement. She had a feeling that the attacks were only going to keep coming. Though she did have a vague idea of an answer to the Red Hand. She was pretty sure it was inspired by The Tree. The Azurei Sols knew who she was. They knew what the goal was. They had warriors; Eija and Tajas and possibly others. Maybe it was wrong of Darin to think it, but surely there would be nothing wrong with asking the Sols to help them discover the truth behind the Red Hand. Darin just wasn’t sure about trusting the Sols. What little she had heard of them had not endeared them to her. She supposed she really to not make assumptions. Darin wasn’t sure they cared. Ridhane was her friend, kind of sort of, she felt obligated to take her side.

Darin found herself tucking a leg under herself to get comfortable of Talbot’s broad back, “I hope that works for you. I do need to try and travel as much of Astra as possible. There’s no real direct path to where I’m going. I’m not even sure where I’m going. It’s just not here.”

[Blackfridayrule]

Ridahne climbed up onto Tsura and scratched his neck lovingly. "Aye, I hope we aren't too harassed. Not by anything I can't handle. What happened back there in the woods with those rats," she hissed the word angrily, "was sort of a new experience for me. I've taken on capable people. I've taken on multiple people. But not the combination of the two, not like that. I hope that moving forward, we won't have so much trouble." Darin knew that Ridahne had flirted with death that night, but the danger she knew of was of bleeding out. Darin also knew she'd been strangled, as the purple handprint on her throat was only now just beginning to fade. And though Darin might guess, Ridahne did not want to tell her the full details of what that moment was like, or just how close that man was to killing her right there and then. If Mitaja had not eviscerated the second man holding her down, their leader would have succeeded that night. Darin didn't need to know that.

"That particular lot was waiting for us, and had been waiting for some time. It's why they were here, and why Salei and her team were called in weeks ago. I expect that if there are any more operatives on our path in Eluri, they'll also know something of our coming. Visions are strange in how they work--sometimes you get a clear, overwhelming picture of what's going to happen, when, and to whom. Sometimes you just see a face or a location. Sometimes you can work out the context and other times you don't know until the moment actually happens in real life, and you suddenly realize you've seen it before. For Eluri, they get them often enough that sometimes they never understand the things they see. In the capital, they've devoted an entire archive to the recording and study of visions. I've never actually been, but I hear its worth seeing. Someday I ought to add my own vision to the records for the sake of history, but not yet. Not with things as they are. Secrecy is still our ally, even in Eluri lands. Even if they know who we are, or simply know we're important but don't know why, secrecy will serve us well."

Ridahne nodded. "I figured we'd wander Eluri lands for a while before we ever made it to Azurei. Even if you were ready to go now, I'd advise to wait a bit. The Sols might know my purpose, but they're still not thrilled with me, like Salei. Not angry enough slay me on sight, but not friendly either. And then there's the public..." she sighed deeply. She didn't dread going back home quite so much as she did before they visited the Tree, but it was still going to be difficult. "A little time between my return and my crimes would do us all some good."

Ridahne pulled out her map and scanned over the Eluri portion of it. "Well, do you have any thoughts about a direction you might want to go? We can continue due south, or we can deviate southwest a bit and make a loop back around when we're ready to head towards Azurei. Keep in mind, too, how far south we go will determine our route into Azurei. You don't just...walk in to Azurei like we did to Eluri. The entire Western side, and most of the northern edge is rimmed by mountains, and beyond that is the Dust Sea. It's a hard road but I'm not worried about it--I'm an excellent Sea guide and there are plenty of clans that live up in the mountains that could help us resupply...theoretically. If we went much further south, all the way to the coast, we could actually barter passage on a ship to the capital. I'll leave the choice to you, and simply guide you on the best path whichever direction you choose."

---

The morning in Azurei was already starting to get hot, and Ajoran was looking forward to a good nap and a dip in the pool, as he'd been on duty all night. He kicked off his sandals and removed the chest plate of his office--less armor and more adornment, as the thin polished steel only went from his collarbone to midway down his pectorals and was painted with black and blue designs. It fit like an oversized necklace, and had an ornate tasseled counterweight on the back to keep balanced on his shoulders. He was just about to remove his blue silk sash from his shoulder when a young girl came to the door of the bath house and knocked on its frame. "Taja Ajoran, a message for you," the young paige announced.

Ajoran sighed, going to take the rolled up piece of paper, likely flown in by hawk or raven. He nodded and the girl scampered off. He wondered tiredly who'd send him a message. Honestly, he was afraid to open it. In the last four months, he'd received a lot of attention as the lover of the infamous Sol-Killer, and he wanted none of it. Some people begged for insider information, others demanded that a public execution should have taken place, and others questioned whether or not there was one. Ridahne had done her best to insulate him from the fallout, but even her efforts couldn't do it completely. It was brave of her to do that. And yet, if she'd asked him to, he would have stood with her to the end. But she wouldn't ask. Moon and stars, he missed her.

Ajoran slipped off his sash first, slinging it over a wooden peg on the wall before cracking the unmarked seal and unrolling the small piece of paper with a tired sigh. But his breath caught halfway out of his lips as he saw the sigil scrawled at the bottom of the page, and the single word written above it.

Soon.

It was her. She was alive and, he guessed, successful in her mission to find the Seed Bearer. If she'd found the girl, then he wasn't sure what her objective was next, but whether she intended to bring the Seed Bearer to Azurei, or if she'd already completed whatever duty she was called to, Ajoran knew at least that she was on her way home. To him. His heart was so full he thought it might burst, and though he wanted to keep the letter, he knew that if anyone found it, there'd be rumors. They didn't need any more of those, so he found a nearby candle and burned it. The only other person who needed to know this information was Hadian, and he would be sure her brother knew.

Ajoran disrobed and slipped into the pool, enjoying the cool water. He wondered who the Seed Bearer was, and if he'd get to meet her. Whoever she was, Ajoran was sure of one thing: she was no warrior, or else Ridahne would not be needed. But he did not know if the future Gardener was human, elf, or siren, or how old she was, or where she came from. But he knew his Ridahne would protect her, and his heart swelled with pride knowing his fiancee had such an honor.

[LadyAnnaLee]

Darin seemingly paid more attention to her fingernails as she answered, “Well maybe, if we need to put some time between now and heading to Azurei we could head more due west. If we kind of zigzag though Eluri lands we could enter Orosi lands in the border by the seashore. Then we could zigzag though their lands before heading Azurei. Then we could zigzag though Azurei before heading into human lands. Then we could zigzag there. Our last stop in human lands would be Lively.” She paused for a moment, “And my home. Then we could do the same in the Siren lands.” She let her hand drop as she smiled weakly at Ridahne, “Lots of back and forth.”

Suddenly, with stunning claryity Darin could see the path she wanted to take in her head. It was not an easy path, and Darin had a feeling that someone she didn’t want to would figure it out sooner or later. She wasn’t sure she cared. She just wanted to get this whole thing over sooner rather than later. She wondered if Ridhane knew what was really happening or if the warrior still thought The Seed-Bearer was still looking for a place to plant The Seed. Darin was still doing that, but it wasn’t the primary goal anymore. That was a long way off. She was a sheltered farmgirl. While she knew the importance of hard work she didn’t know much about the world. If she was going to save the world, she supposed she should learn about it and its people. She still hadn’t met any Sirens outside The Farm and they only half counted.

Darin’s attention was back on her fingernails, “I know it doesn’t seem efficient, but I have no real destination in mind. This journey is going to be a long one and I feel like we’ve been talking about Azurei as the final point. It’s not. Even if you do get married there you can’t stay. You made promises to me that cannot be broken and hitting Orosi second makes sense. There would be less backtracking. I already have to backtrack though a part of human lands because I didn’t know what I was doing, I was hopelessly lost, and I hadn’t met you yet. Besides there is something in Greyrock that I need to do. I’m still learning and as such I’ve already put something off for longer than I should of.” She took a shuddering breath, “I would like to avoid doing that or backtracking moving forward.”

This Seed-Bearing thing didn’t come with an instruction book or a teacher. Darin had very little idea of what she was doing. Some of it just made sense like wandering Astra trying to make friends. Some of it she didn’t know she could do until it was done like Chaining Ridhane to The Seed or making Harris a Seed-Friend. Some of it was instinct like how animals listened to her and how she could understand them or stopping the rain. That didn’t mean she knew how she did. The Tree had a fairly decent idea of what she could do but not how or when. The Tree was not human. It could not teach The Seed-Bearer. It could council and advise but not teach. The only one who could have was dead, buried, and had no teacher of his own. That was at least one blessing of this whole thing. Darin would not be expected to teach the next Seed-Bearer. She would be dead.

Darin was still studying her fingernails. They were longer than she liked but she wasn’t sure how to cut them on the road. Back home she would use a paring knife and a great deal of concentration. Darin did not want to try to do that with a sickle. There was dirt under her nails and that was a surprisingly comforting thing. Her hands herself were clean since she had washed them this morning. She had a depressing thought that this would be the last time she would feel properly clean for a long time. She already missed it, but she supposed she could expect to remain pristine while trampling though Astra. That was one miracle too many.

Darin finally turned her whole attention to her traveling companion, “I need to see as much of Astra as possible. I need to meet as many of the Children of Astra as possible. I cannot do that alone. I warned you about this when we meet. Azurei is just one stop. I don’t know when this journey will be over. It will take years at least. However, just because I don’t know where I’m going doesn’t mean I want to be foolish on this trip. Zigzags and back and forths seem like the best idea.” A strange aura came over The Seed-Bearer as an odd glow entered her eyes, “What say you, Ridahne Torenzi.”

The Seed-Chained bit was left unsaid due to the lack of privacy, but the unsaid title hung silent in the air. It was not quite a challenge. Darin truly wanted The Seed-Chain’s advice in the manner. That was the purpose of the people, past present and future, that had or would be Chained to The Seed or The Tree. They were to protect and serve either The Tree or The Seed and by extension the Gardener or The Seed-Bearer. The Gardener was no more. There wouldn’t be any Tree-Chained induviasl for a long, long time. Ridahne Torenzi Seed-Chained was currently the only present member of Darin Seed-Bearer’s, for lack of better word, court present. There were others; Thomas, Mila, Jack, Workers that wanted to be, Harris, but right now, as the only one traveling with Darin the Azurei had the unfortunate honor of playing multiple roles. She had already proven herself as protector and Darin was extremely hesitant to make her play servant. Still Darin needed advice so Ridahne would fill the advisor role. The posture and energy of The Seed-Bearer practically demanded it. That didn’t mean she would listen to it.

[Blackfridayrule]

For the most part, Ridahne just nodded and listened for a while as Darin discussed her thoughts on the plan. She'd guessed as much on her own, but it was nice to know clearly what Darin had in mind. And she was in it for the long haul, truly. She wasn't really sure what she'd envisioned when she first set out, but a quick jaunt with the Seed Bearer was never in the picture. No, deep down she always knew it would be a lengthy endeavor. Good. Ridahne had another 500 years of her life to fill, and she wasn't keen on going back to being an eija-alihn. An eija, maybe, but honestly she'd had enough of being a Sol's plaything, a pawn in someone else's game. And yet she never wanted to take up the family trade of fishing either, and that left her feeling more than a little lost. But for now, she was Darin's guardian, and Ridahne was content in that role. If it took many years to do this, well, then Ridahne would just have more time to figure out what to do with herself when it was over.

Something in Darin's voice changed, and a chill tickled Ridahne's back. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, it was more like the shock of a brisk breeze after being in a hot room. There was a faint electricity in the air that, though she didn't know why she knew it, Ridahne was convinced that no one else but her would be able to sense. It was a familiar feeling in a way. It was Darin, and yet was the Tree. And though the question asked had been phrased as an option, Ridahne could feel the weight of being Seed Chained like a physical chain draped around her shoulders. Not pulling or binding, just...there.

But the elf (who was in a particularly good mood today) laughed brightly, and she felt the static in the air fade into the wind. "Don't worry, Darin. I had no intention of leaving you in Azurei. I did make a promise. And I did mean it. I'm with you to the end, however long that takes, and as long as you'll have me, and I'm happy to go where you see fit--I'll just guide you on safe paths the best I can. I think doing a thorough course through Astra is a wise plan. And if it takes years?" She shrugged. "I'm only a hundred and three years old you know, I've got time." She said this with a smile. "Really though, I have little to go back to besides Ajoran and Hadian. The life I built all these years is utterly destroyed, and any life built there hereafter will have to be something entirely new. It's a terrifying prospect. One I'm not sure I'm even ready to face yet. Half a century is a long void to fill when you don't have a plan."

She sighed. "No, I never imagined for a moment that our journey together would end for either one of us in Azurei. It's just...understandably, just passing through there is sort of a big thing after all that's happened, and somehow going to the Siren lands or the Human lands feels like much less of an 'event' in the looming shadow of having to face...everything back home. I understand that it might not feel that way to you, as Azurei doesn't likely hold much significance to you outside of the fact that it is part of Astra, and that by knowing Azurei you will know more of me. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. But for me it's...well it's a lot. I'm dreading it, I'm excited, it's going to be absolute chaos. But...I'm also really looking forward to showing you my home. Azurei gets a bad reputation sometimes, I feel, because we're kind of...abrasive, loud, intense, and yes, we can be brutish sometimes. We can be harsh in a lot of ways, and so can our environment. I can't imagine foreigners have a lot of good things to say about a country that's primarily made up of a burning, shifting desert wasteland. And while those things aren't necessarily untrue, it's not the whole story. There's a lot of under appreciated beauty in Azurei, both in its land and its people." Ridahne laughed. "I can only hope you'll like it, but it's going to be a shock compared to home. Anyway, I know it's not the end, but it's just...a big deal to me I guess."

Ridahne was a little embarrassed admitting that so freely, as she wasn't one to share all her deep feelings with just anyone. But she was getting more comfortable with Darin and it was easier to open up to her than it used to be.