So, I got done with work. I did my real life adult responsibility things. I went to write you a post only to have my head hurt just by looking at the screen. It was then that I realized I have been up for 24 hours plus. I can hardly think enough to type. I will get you a post as soon as I get some sleep and feel better. Thank you for understanding.
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Thank you for all that information! That is super helpful. I will get you a post tomorrow probably. Work is kicking my butt right now.
That actually answers all the questions I need answered! The only one I have left is would they know how to read the ojih? Oh! And any rules I should follow when it comes to naming?
Also I promise Ridahne would know just how serious "May The Tree take you for evil" really is. Everyone in Astra knows what it means. It's almost like a cross between "I hate you with the fiery flaming passion of a thousand suns" and "Damn you to hell" but way worse. And the Seed-Bearer just said it. So, yeah. No going home for Ridahne. I'm hoping the vibe I was aiming for came though in the post, but I'm not sure. Let me know if you have questions.
Also I promise Ridahne would know just how serious "May The Tree take you for evil" really is. Everyone in Astra knows what it means. It's almost like a cross between "I hate you with the fiery flaming passion of a thousand suns" and "Damn you to hell" but way worse. And the Seed-Bearer just said it. So, yeah. No going home for Ridahne. I'm hoping the vibe I was aiming for came though in the post, but I'm not sure. Let me know if you have questions.
It made perfect sense to Darin. The killing of innocents needed to stop so Ridahne stopped it by killing those responsible. Darin could see the logic behind that, and though it may have made her naïve she agreed with it. She could even be fair to those who had sentence Ridahne to death. Laws had been broken. Oaths had been betrayed. What was the point of a law if there was no punishment for breaking it? Darin might not have agreed the law was right in this case, but for all she knew the people who had sentenced Ridahne to death didn’t have the full story. Darin could understand that. It all made sense.
Until it didn’t. Darin wasn’t sure she had the full story. She wasn’t exactly sure who Ajoran was, but he was supposed to marry Ridahne. The Elf had said that flat out. It also sounded like he loved her. Not only did he love her, but he loved her enough to wait as long as it took for Ridahne to come home. What little Darin had of the story that made sense. What Darin couldn’t comprehend was that Ridahne had said. It almost sounded like she had left him with no hope that she would be returning to him. If the Elf wasn’t going home to the one person that loved her more than anything, the man it sounded like she loved, did she love him after all? To the young human it almost sounded like the warrior had left her lover the same way Martin had left Talia. That was the part that Darin could not comprehend. She was starting to think she would never get it. She hadn’t gotten it when her father left her mother after all and she didn’t get it now.
However, Darin did not mention that. Instead she let her voice grow cold, “Oath-Breaker. You call yourself Oath-Breaker. Go home and that’s exactly what you’ll be.”
Yeah; Ridahne’s dismissal of her lover confused her, but her desire to go home after being so heartbroken over breaking an oath that seemed stupid to Darin made Darin angry. Did the oaths or promises that the Elf had made to her mean nothing? It probably wasn’t as fancy as the Azurei oaths, but in Darin’s mind they had made promises to each other in Greyrock. The village didn’t have any fancy ceremonies for such promises, but they carried a weight heavier than all the earth.
Darin was surprised at how angry she was, “Go home now, go home when you find me a so call better guardian, and may The Tree take you for evil!”
Heavy words; heavy words that everyone in Astra knew. They were not words taken lightly. They were not words spoken in jest. Even children knew not to say them without extremely good cause. To have The Tree take someone for evil was worse than wishing them dead. It was to have all of Astra turn against you. It was to have your name blotted out of soul and mind. It was to be exiled in a place you could never leave. It was the highest insult and the greatest dishonor. For the Seed-Bearer to say it meant the words may actually be literal instead of figurative the way the they were when most people spoke them. If Ridahne truly chose to break the promises she had given to Darin the moment the Elf figured out who she was the Azurei wouldn’t have time to kill her. The very stone, sky, and sea would take Ridahne Torzinei first.
Darin continued, “You named me Ri'atal--the Hope of Many. You offered me your life and blade. You volunteered to protect and guide me.” She was standing and just about screaming at the still sitting Elf, “Even before you knew me as the Seed-Bearer you offered to teach the misplaced farmgirl how to use her knife. Those are serious promises. I would not break them if I were you!” She forced her voice to be calmer, “You killed to make things right. How many more did you kill to do what was wrong? Can you ever truly make that up by killing alone? Will you really be an oath breaker again?” She practically hissed the next bit, “You ran from your guilt by breaking your promises. You ran from your broken promises by running to death. You ran from death by taking this task. You ran from the man that would stand by you despite anything by leaving him heartbroken. You have run from consequences over and over and over again. You do not get to run this time. You will walk with me Ridahne Torzinei Seed-Chained. You walk with me, Darin Seed-Bearer, until The Seed is planted or until I breath no more and my body lies underground to help grow that which we eat. If you chose not to do so, for any reason besides me releasing you, you will die in the most dishonorable way possible. It will not be a death you choose.”
Darin wasn’t sure where those words had come from except for the fact that every single one of them was true. She had started sitting, but at some point, discovered she was standing to yell at the creature more than five times her age. How did the warrior no so little about life? Consequences could not be avoided. Promises, even rash ones, needed to be kept. Darin’s entire attention was on the Elf she was beyond mad at. She could vaguely feel The Seed burn against her thigh is agreement and support of her words. The human was not aware of the unnatural silence that had fallen over the forest. Every creature that ran was gathered at the base of the trees in a circle around the small campsite. Every creature that flew was perched in the trees above them. Even in the nearby stream every creature that swam was as close to the campsite as possible. Every animal (Expect perhaps Ridhane’s two companions) was staring at the Elf. They knew what Darin was. The stone, the sky, and the sea of Astra knew what she was. The Seed-Bearer was speaking, and Astra was listening.
Until it didn’t. Darin wasn’t sure she had the full story. She wasn’t exactly sure who Ajoran was, but he was supposed to marry Ridahne. The Elf had said that flat out. It also sounded like he loved her. Not only did he love her, but he loved her enough to wait as long as it took for Ridahne to come home. What little Darin had of the story that made sense. What Darin couldn’t comprehend was that Ridahne had said. It almost sounded like she had left him with no hope that she would be returning to him. If the Elf wasn’t going home to the one person that loved her more than anything, the man it sounded like she loved, did she love him after all? To the young human it almost sounded like the warrior had left her lover the same way Martin had left Talia. That was the part that Darin could not comprehend. She was starting to think she would never get it. She hadn’t gotten it when her father left her mother after all and she didn’t get it now.
However, Darin did not mention that. Instead she let her voice grow cold, “Oath-Breaker. You call yourself Oath-Breaker. Go home and that’s exactly what you’ll be.”
Yeah; Ridahne’s dismissal of her lover confused her, but her desire to go home after being so heartbroken over breaking an oath that seemed stupid to Darin made Darin angry. Did the oaths or promises that the Elf had made to her mean nothing? It probably wasn’t as fancy as the Azurei oaths, but in Darin’s mind they had made promises to each other in Greyrock. The village didn’t have any fancy ceremonies for such promises, but they carried a weight heavier than all the earth.
Darin was surprised at how angry she was, “Go home now, go home when you find me a so call better guardian, and may The Tree take you for evil!”
Heavy words; heavy words that everyone in Astra knew. They were not words taken lightly. They were not words spoken in jest. Even children knew not to say them without extremely good cause. To have The Tree take someone for evil was worse than wishing them dead. It was to have all of Astra turn against you. It was to have your name blotted out of soul and mind. It was to be exiled in a place you could never leave. It was the highest insult and the greatest dishonor. For the Seed-Bearer to say it meant the words may actually be literal instead of figurative the way the they were when most people spoke them. If Ridahne truly chose to break the promises she had given to Darin the moment the Elf figured out who she was the Azurei wouldn’t have time to kill her. The very stone, sky, and sea would take Ridahne Torzinei first.
Darin continued, “You named me Ri'atal--the Hope of Many. You offered me your life and blade. You volunteered to protect and guide me.” She was standing and just about screaming at the still sitting Elf, “Even before you knew me as the Seed-Bearer you offered to teach the misplaced farmgirl how to use her knife. Those are serious promises. I would not break them if I were you!” She forced her voice to be calmer, “You killed to make things right. How many more did you kill to do what was wrong? Can you ever truly make that up by killing alone? Will you really be an oath breaker again?” She practically hissed the next bit, “You ran from your guilt by breaking your promises. You ran from your broken promises by running to death. You ran from death by taking this task. You ran from the man that would stand by you despite anything by leaving him heartbroken. You have run from consequences over and over and over again. You do not get to run this time. You will walk with me Ridahne Torzinei Seed-Chained. You walk with me, Darin Seed-Bearer, until The Seed is planted or until I breath no more and my body lies underground to help grow that which we eat. If you chose not to do so, for any reason besides me releasing you, you will die in the most dishonorable way possible. It will not be a death you choose.”
Darin wasn’t sure where those words had come from except for the fact that every single one of them was true. She had started sitting, but at some point, discovered she was standing to yell at the creature more than five times her age. How did the warrior no so little about life? Consequences could not be avoided. Promises, even rash ones, needed to be kept. Darin’s entire attention was on the Elf she was beyond mad at. She could vaguely feel The Seed burn against her thigh is agreement and support of her words. The human was not aware of the unnatural silence that had fallen over the forest. Every creature that ran was gathered at the base of the trees in a circle around the small campsite. Every creature that flew was perched in the trees above them. Even in the nearby stream every creature that swam was as close to the campsite as possible. Every animal (Expect perhaps Ridhane’s two companions) was staring at the Elf. They knew what Darin was. The stone, the sky, and the sea of Astra knew what she was. The Seed-Bearer was speaking, and Astra was listening.
So much for distracting Ridahne. Darin sat and listened to the Elf’s confession, was confession the right word, confession seemed like a good word, with a slight air od confusion. When the warrior was done Darin had to process. Her head slowly turned from staring at Ridahne to staring at the fire. That was a lot to take in. Suddenly, Darin’s greatest crime (Stealing a dog from an abusing master) didn’t seem so bad. Darin knew what a murderer was. She had vague ideas of what a rapist was. (One had tried to hide from Lively justice in the village. Lively had sent a messenger bird with news of the crime. Darin had been part of the crowd of fellow farmers that the village elders had rallied to prevent his entrance. He was not given a trial. His body was burned. In both Lively and the village that was a high dishonor. Darin knew she was lucky she had not been the one to find him. The elders had ordered him dead on sight.) Darin knew both were bad, but they both still happened. She couldn’t fault Ridahne for getting rid of them. Though if Darin was understanding it right, that wasn’t all she did. She also killed people after being lied to about what their crimes were. Ridahne had killed innocents because she believed they had committed crimes they hadn’t.
Darin found herself asking, “Tell me. Were you exiled for the innocents? Or for the death of the liar?”
Ridahne had told Darin that she might not want to know what had happen. Darin had a feeling Ridahne was right. Darin also had a terrible feeling that she knew what the answer to her question was. That was the question she didn’t want to answer. So far, the human could understand why the Elf felt guilty. Darin didn’t understand how killing while being deliberately misinformed was one hundred percent the Elf’s fault, but she could see how Ridahne could see it was her fault. In Darin’s head the solution to the delimia was simple. The person in power should be stripped from power, thrown in jail, and maybe executed. Ridahne should probably not be allowed to kill again, and yes, everyone should know what happened. Darin didn’t think that was what happened. She was willing to bet that Ridhane killed the liar and got exiled for treason; never mind that her reasons were right. Evil was not black and white, cut and dry. The human was willing to bet that Ridahne and her people had mistaking honor and loyalty for goodness. Then when Ridahne figured out that wasn’t always the case she had been punished for it.
The entire time Darin was thinking she had been staring at the fire. She didn’t even turn as she asked her question. Her eyes blinked slowly. Against her thigh The Seed burned. It wasn’t the same type of burning as when Darin had faced Mark. That burning had led to terror and a surety of evil. The closest Darin could compare this burning to was fury. Darin was trying very hard not to get angry until her suspicions were confirmed. For all she knew she Ridahne had never killed the liar. She might not have even tried. She might have been sent on this mission because she killed the innocents. Darin only had a part of the story. She needed the rest of the facts. Something, she thought it might be The Seed, told her Ridahne was telling her the truth. Something else, probably the memory of her mother, was telling her that Ridahne wasn’t telling Darin everything. Darin was trying not to let rage over take her until she had all of the facts. It wasn’t easy at all. She had never been angry before; tick off yes, but true rage, no. This was new. It almost scared the young girl. Her arms wrapped around her bent knees, and she gripped her knees tightly. Ridahne was right. She didn’t want confirmation of the answer she already knew.
Darin found herself asking, “Tell me. Were you exiled for the innocents? Or for the death of the liar?”
Ridahne had told Darin that she might not want to know what had happen. Darin had a feeling Ridahne was right. Darin also had a terrible feeling that she knew what the answer to her question was. That was the question she didn’t want to answer. So far, the human could understand why the Elf felt guilty. Darin didn’t understand how killing while being deliberately misinformed was one hundred percent the Elf’s fault, but she could see how Ridahne could see it was her fault. In Darin’s head the solution to the delimia was simple. The person in power should be stripped from power, thrown in jail, and maybe executed. Ridahne should probably not be allowed to kill again, and yes, everyone should know what happened. Darin didn’t think that was what happened. She was willing to bet that Ridhane killed the liar and got exiled for treason; never mind that her reasons were right. Evil was not black and white, cut and dry. The human was willing to bet that Ridahne and her people had mistaking honor and loyalty for goodness. Then when Ridahne figured out that wasn’t always the case she had been punished for it.
The entire time Darin was thinking she had been staring at the fire. She didn’t even turn as she asked her question. Her eyes blinked slowly. Against her thigh The Seed burned. It wasn’t the same type of burning as when Darin had faced Mark. That burning had led to terror and a surety of evil. The closest Darin could compare this burning to was fury. Darin was trying very hard not to get angry until her suspicions were confirmed. For all she knew she Ridahne had never killed the liar. She might not have even tried. She might have been sent on this mission because she killed the innocents. Darin only had a part of the story. She needed the rest of the facts. Something, she thought it might be The Seed, told her Ridahne was telling her the truth. Something else, probably the memory of her mother, was telling her that Ridahne wasn’t telling Darin everything. Darin was trying not to let rage over take her until she had all of the facts. It wasn’t easy at all. She had never been angry before; tick off yes, but true rage, no. This was new. It almost scared the young girl. Her arms wrapped around her bent knees, and she gripped her knees tightly. Ridahne was right. She didn’t want confirmation of the answer she already knew.
So, now seems like a good time to bring up part of my plottings. I would like to introduce several new characters when the two of them get to The Tree. I would like one of them to be an Elf. However, I don't know enough about the Elf cultures you have created to do so well. I would like them to be an Eluri, but that's only because the only thing I know about them is that that's the tribe that receives visions the most frequently. I have character traits in mind for them, but I'm not sure what they would look like or what naming conventions are for the Eluri. I know he is an outcast, but he is an outcast by choice. Is there anyway you can help me out.
Darin was snapped out of her song by Ridahne’s comment about their closeness to The Tree. Now that the human thought about it this was the closest, she had been to it as well. She had a feeling that it was different for the Elf. Ridahne had actually left home before all of this after all. Darin turned to look in the direction she hoped was the direction was home. She was more concerned with the fact that this was the furthest she had ever been from home. Yet again a terrible bout of homesickness over came her. Darin looked over at Talbot. He looked like he was done. He pushed at her affectionately. Darin smiled as she headed towards the fire. The smile fell as she sat down. Ridahne didn’t look good. Darin supposed she should try to help. She just wants sure how. Maybe she could try distracting the Elf. How could she do that? Then Darin had an idea.
She swallowed before she began, “Hey Ridahne? Could you look at my shoulder? I didn’t see anything wrong with it when I fell, but it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.”
The only other thing Darin could think of was stories of home, but she was so not in the mindset to do that. Home wasn’t something Darin wanted to think about even though she thought of it every day. It was always in the back of her mind. She was glad that she hadn’t forgotten home, but she knew that it was distracting her from the job at hand. She thought that might be part of Ridahne’s problem as well. The human would admit that remembering the past was important, but it couldn’t be changed. The best anyone could do was pick themselves up, dust of regret, and keep moving forward. The human didn’t know how to say that though. Hopefully this distraction would work well enough.
Darin continued, “I mean it doesn’t hurt or anything, but it hurts to touch it. I suppose that means I shouldn’t touch it. I mean I’m not touching it on purpose. It hurts when I move it too. I’m having a hard time avoiding that one. I guess it’s not that bad.”
Darin knew she was babbling. She couldn’t seem to stop though. She supposed it was better than having Ridahne wallow in whatever miserable thoughts she was thinking about. Maybe they were miserable. Darin wasn’t sure since she wasn’t a mind reader, but she was positive that they weren’t good thoughts. That was okay. Everybody had not nice thoughts from time to time. Darin didn’t want to stop from her companion from having the bad thoughts. She just wanted to distract the Elf long enough that the bad thoughts would leave her alone for the rest of the night. Somehow Darin didn’t think that would be the case. She could still try.
Darin tugged the sleeve of her shirt down, “I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I guess it’s just a little odd that I don’t have someone fawning over me. Mama never let me alone when I would get injured. Though she tried to stop as I got older. I guess she was trying not to smother me. It was nice though. Even though she didn’t really approve of me running the farm she still took care of me.”
Okay, Darin was shutting up now. That was a little too close to stories about home than she really wanted to get to right now. Then again, would stories about home help? Darin wasn’t sure. On one hand her home was about as far as you could get from Ridahne’s life. On the other it might just remind Ridahne of what she no longer had. Darin would reserve judgement on that case. She looked at the injury. It didn’t look that bad. She didn’t think it was infected and infection was the real worry. It might scar, but that would be the first scar she would get. She had a feeling she would wind up with a lot more before this journey was over. That was honestly the least of Darin’s worries.
She swallowed before she began, “Hey Ridahne? Could you look at my shoulder? I didn’t see anything wrong with it when I fell, but it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.”
The only other thing Darin could think of was stories of home, but she was so not in the mindset to do that. Home wasn’t something Darin wanted to think about even though she thought of it every day. It was always in the back of her mind. She was glad that she hadn’t forgotten home, but she knew that it was distracting her from the job at hand. She thought that might be part of Ridahne’s problem as well. The human would admit that remembering the past was important, but it couldn’t be changed. The best anyone could do was pick themselves up, dust of regret, and keep moving forward. The human didn’t know how to say that though. Hopefully this distraction would work well enough.
Darin continued, “I mean it doesn’t hurt or anything, but it hurts to touch it. I suppose that means I shouldn’t touch it. I mean I’m not touching it on purpose. It hurts when I move it too. I’m having a hard time avoiding that one. I guess it’s not that bad.”
Darin knew she was babbling. She couldn’t seem to stop though. She supposed it was better than having Ridahne wallow in whatever miserable thoughts she was thinking about. Maybe they were miserable. Darin wasn’t sure since she wasn’t a mind reader, but she was positive that they weren’t good thoughts. That was okay. Everybody had not nice thoughts from time to time. Darin didn’t want to stop from her companion from having the bad thoughts. She just wanted to distract the Elf long enough that the bad thoughts would leave her alone for the rest of the night. Somehow Darin didn’t think that would be the case. She could still try.
Darin tugged the sleeve of her shirt down, “I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I guess it’s just a little odd that I don’t have someone fawning over me. Mama never let me alone when I would get injured. Though she tried to stop as I got older. I guess she was trying not to smother me. It was nice though. Even though she didn’t really approve of me running the farm she still took care of me.”
Okay, Darin was shutting up now. That was a little too close to stories about home than she really wanted to get to right now. Then again, would stories about home help? Darin wasn’t sure. On one hand her home was about as far as you could get from Ridahne’s life. On the other it might just remind Ridahne of what she no longer had. Darin would reserve judgement on that case. She looked at the injury. It didn’t look that bad. She didn’t think it was infected and infection was the real worry. It might scar, but that would be the first scar she would get. She had a feeling she would wind up with a lot more before this journey was over. That was honestly the least of Darin’s worries.
Darin took the waterskin good naturedly, but the slight smile soon dropped as the Elf joked about falling into ravines. After muttering something about being back soon Darin slipped off of Talbot and went in pursuit of the river. The horse followed and the human found that she was okay with that. Maybe with Talbot with her she wouldn’t get lost as easily. It was worth a shot. Even if she did get lost at least she wouldn’t be alone. Being alone was not the best thing to be right now. Darin had to admit, at least to herself, what she had done last night was pretty dumb. It wouldn’t due for her to get in anymore trouble like what had happened at Greyrock.
It was just that Ridahne was … difficult to travel with. Secrets were a new concept for Darin. With all the gossip in her village they just couldn’t exist. Yet the Elf had at least one that the young girl was fairly positive would impact her journey to find the right place to plant The Seed sooner or later. Then there was the joke about the ravine. Were such jokes common among the Azurei? Darin wasn’t sure she had like the joke about her natural clumsiness and lack of a sense of direction. Darin felt worse about it because she knew, logically, Ridahne hadn’t meant any harm by it. At least Darin didn’t think that the warrior meant any harm by it. That didn’t change the fact that it still hurt. The human focused on not tripping as she tried to let those feelings go. They would serve no purpose. There were bigger things at stake than her hurt feelings.
Darin had reached the small stream while she had been thinking. She quickly determined that the water was safe to drink before submerging Ridahne’s waterskin to fill it. While she did that, she used her other hand to pull out hers. It was the same one she had used while working in the field back home. It was only slightly smaller that the Elf’s though it was clear that they were made by two different types of people. Ridahne’s was painted in the colors Darin had come to recognized as Azurei colors. Hers was simply cured. Once the first one was full Darin switched the two. Next to her Talbot was drinking his fill.
Filling the waterskins did not take as long as she would have liked. Darin found herself standing slowly as she took the reins off of Talbot. He pushed at her and with a small laugh she let herself be moved in the direction of Ridahne. There was a small little camp that Darin approved of. Right before they got there Darin noticed the Elf rapidly move from sitting to brushing her horse. That meant the Elf was hiding something. Darin wasn’t a complete idiot. The Elf had been crying or something similar.
Darin spoke softly as she handed the Elf her waterskin, “Whatever it is, is fine.”
It seemed they were both trying new things today. Darin had no idea what curry was and the smell of it was making her eyes water slightly. The human elected not to mention it though. She didn’t want to cause another fight, and she already felt badly for thinking bad of Ridahne. It was made worse with the knowledge that the Elf had been crying. It shouldn’t have been surprising. Darin missed home terrible, but she had left home on mostly good terms. The Elders were not sad to see her go, but if she ever did make it home, they wouldn’t turn her away. Ridahne had been exiled. She couldn’t go home to open arms ever again. Darin couldn’t even imagine that. She supposed she should try to be nicer to Ridahne. It wasn’t like Darin was the only one suffering.
Darin moved to pull her own horse brush out of her pack. Talbot pushed softly at her hand to hurry her along. Darin turned to the task with a determination that anyone who knew her would recognize. Darin was going to do this job so well that no one would be able to critique it. It wasn’t something Darin had too much practice with. She would brush Heath whenever Rolland lent him to Darin. That wasn’t often enough for Darin to call herself an expert at horse brushing. Until she knew what she was doing, she wasn’t going to take any chances. Talbot seem to be enjoying the attention.
As she worked the girl sand a song without really paying attention to the words. It was as song the people of Darin’s home sang as they finished the day’s tasks and moved into the evening. There was a song for each time of day and Darin couldn’t remember learning any of them. The people of both her village and Lively learned them from such a young age it was like learning to walk. They heard the words over and over until one day the just joined in.
“Come now. The sun sets soon. See the sky is orange and burning red.
Come now. Remember, don’t work until work until you’re dead.
Finish what can be done. Pause the ongoing tasks.
Eat your meal and wash your face. Your outside work is past.
The Tree is watching over you to protect you from the wrong. So, slow on down and rest your mind and sing this little song.
The sun is beyond your sight the moon comes into view.
It’s time to rest. It’s time to learn. I’ll tell you what to do.
Patch that patch and sew that sock; all the tiny things. Find that pin and that shirt and those little things.
Then when that is done, and the stars glow bright.
Tell the world and your family: Rest well and now good night.”
It was just that Ridahne was … difficult to travel with. Secrets were a new concept for Darin. With all the gossip in her village they just couldn’t exist. Yet the Elf had at least one that the young girl was fairly positive would impact her journey to find the right place to plant The Seed sooner or later. Then there was the joke about the ravine. Were such jokes common among the Azurei? Darin wasn’t sure she had like the joke about her natural clumsiness and lack of a sense of direction. Darin felt worse about it because she knew, logically, Ridahne hadn’t meant any harm by it. At least Darin didn’t think that the warrior meant any harm by it. That didn’t change the fact that it still hurt. The human focused on not tripping as she tried to let those feelings go. They would serve no purpose. There were bigger things at stake than her hurt feelings.
Darin had reached the small stream while she had been thinking. She quickly determined that the water was safe to drink before submerging Ridahne’s waterskin to fill it. While she did that, she used her other hand to pull out hers. It was the same one she had used while working in the field back home. It was only slightly smaller that the Elf’s though it was clear that they were made by two different types of people. Ridahne’s was painted in the colors Darin had come to recognized as Azurei colors. Hers was simply cured. Once the first one was full Darin switched the two. Next to her Talbot was drinking his fill.
Filling the waterskins did not take as long as she would have liked. Darin found herself standing slowly as she took the reins off of Talbot. He pushed at her and with a small laugh she let herself be moved in the direction of Ridahne. There was a small little camp that Darin approved of. Right before they got there Darin noticed the Elf rapidly move from sitting to brushing her horse. That meant the Elf was hiding something. Darin wasn’t a complete idiot. The Elf had been crying or something similar.
Darin spoke softly as she handed the Elf her waterskin, “Whatever it is, is fine.”
It seemed they were both trying new things today. Darin had no idea what curry was and the smell of it was making her eyes water slightly. The human elected not to mention it though. She didn’t want to cause another fight, and she already felt badly for thinking bad of Ridahne. It was made worse with the knowledge that the Elf had been crying. It shouldn’t have been surprising. Darin missed home terrible, but she had left home on mostly good terms. The Elders were not sad to see her go, but if she ever did make it home, they wouldn’t turn her away. Ridahne had been exiled. She couldn’t go home to open arms ever again. Darin couldn’t even imagine that. She supposed she should try to be nicer to Ridahne. It wasn’t like Darin was the only one suffering.
Darin moved to pull her own horse brush out of her pack. Talbot pushed softly at her hand to hurry her along. Darin turned to the task with a determination that anyone who knew her would recognize. Darin was going to do this job so well that no one would be able to critique it. It wasn’t something Darin had too much practice with. She would brush Heath whenever Rolland lent him to Darin. That wasn’t often enough for Darin to call herself an expert at horse brushing. Until she knew what she was doing, she wasn’t going to take any chances. Talbot seem to be enjoying the attention.
As she worked the girl sand a song without really paying attention to the words. It was as song the people of Darin’s home sang as they finished the day’s tasks and moved into the evening. There was a song for each time of day and Darin couldn’t remember learning any of them. The people of both her village and Lively learned them from such a young age it was like learning to walk. They heard the words over and over until one day the just joined in.
“Come now. The sun sets soon. See the sky is orange and burning red.
Come now. Remember, don’t work until work until you’re dead.
Finish what can be done. Pause the ongoing tasks.
Eat your meal and wash your face. Your outside work is past.
The Tree is watching over you to protect you from the wrong. So, slow on down and rest your mind and sing this little song.
The sun is beyond your sight the moon comes into view.
It’s time to rest. It’s time to learn. I’ll tell you what to do.
Patch that patch and sew that sock; all the tiny things. Find that pin and that shirt and those little things.
Then when that is done, and the stars glow bright.
Tell the world and your family: Rest well and now good night.”
I have no idea when I I will get you a post. The latest will be Friday or Saturday. I hope that's okay.
Darin did her best to listen to Ridahne’s instructions. She wasn’t sure she did a good job, but at least she didn’t fall off this time. In fact, she managed to remain upright for the entire day. She and Talbot ate apples when they were hungry. They were always willing to share with Ridahne and her horse. As Darin at the last one she realized that she had lost track of time. The sun was starting to do down, and the whole world was bathed in the orange glow that came with dusk. She twisted to check the position of the sun. She chewed slowly as she considered its setting. As soon as it was below the horizon it would start getting dark quickly.
Darin mentioned this, “We should start looking for a place to make camp. I’m afraid I’m not much use in the dark.”
She didn’t know if Elves could see in the dark or not. She didn’t want to imply that they could. Some stories she heard said they could, but Darin wasn’t sure how many of those stories were true. She never put much stock in them. They were always told by the traders that come to Lively once a year. They never seemed trustworthy. Though Darin never spent much time with them. She very rarely had things to trade with them. Even less rare was when she wanted things from them. Darin had been content with her life for the most part. When her father had still be around, he would always get her at least one sugar sweet. Those had been happy memories that Darin had no desire to relive. She rather look forward.
Darin looked around to see if she could spot a place that would work. In all reality Darin had no idea what she was looking for. When it had just been herself, she had just climbed a tree and hoped she didn’t get wet. Even that wasn’t really a requirement. She missed the big feather bed she and her mother shared. She couldn’t begin to count the number of ties she had woken up sore since this journey had begun. She was starting to think that would just be her default for a long time to come. Darin spotted several good trees but knew they wouldn’t be good for a group camp. What she had done last night had been stupid. She really shouldn’t get far enough from Ridahne to get lost again. She would like to finish this journey alive if possible.
That lead Darin to a dark thought. What if she died before The Seed got planted? Could she pick someone else to carry it. That might be a possibility if she had time. What if she was slain in battle? What if she fell off a bigger edge and there were no vines to catch her? What if there were more giant spiders? Darin shook her head as she mentally chided herself. There was no point in thinking those types of thoughts. She needed to think positive. She grabbed her waterskin to distract herself. She scowled as she realized that she had finished it without paying attention.
She told her companion, “And I need to fill my waterskin.”
This was something Darin did know. She knew how to tell if water was safe to drink. She was also aware of how to make water safe to drink. She still had her small pot. It may take some time, but she could make enough safe water for everyone to drink; including all the animals. She wasn’t going to mention that though. She was positive Ridahne knew those things as well, and Darin didn’t want to seem like she was trying to show off. In a way she was. She didn’t want to think the Elf thought she was completely incompetent. She knew how to do some things. Darin could keep herself feed, watered, and clean. She could even do the same for Talbot. She was just a clumsy person with not sense of direction and no idea whatsoever about how to fight. She was glad Ridahne was with her. She just didn’t want the Elf to question just how useless she was. It was stupid to be worried about what her companion thought about her, but she was still worried about it. At least it was better than worrying and thinking about dying.
Darin mentioned this, “We should start looking for a place to make camp. I’m afraid I’m not much use in the dark.”
She didn’t know if Elves could see in the dark or not. She didn’t want to imply that they could. Some stories she heard said they could, but Darin wasn’t sure how many of those stories were true. She never put much stock in them. They were always told by the traders that come to Lively once a year. They never seemed trustworthy. Though Darin never spent much time with them. She very rarely had things to trade with them. Even less rare was when she wanted things from them. Darin had been content with her life for the most part. When her father had still be around, he would always get her at least one sugar sweet. Those had been happy memories that Darin had no desire to relive. She rather look forward.
Darin looked around to see if she could spot a place that would work. In all reality Darin had no idea what she was looking for. When it had just been herself, she had just climbed a tree and hoped she didn’t get wet. Even that wasn’t really a requirement. She missed the big feather bed she and her mother shared. She couldn’t begin to count the number of ties she had woken up sore since this journey had begun. She was starting to think that would just be her default for a long time to come. Darin spotted several good trees but knew they wouldn’t be good for a group camp. What she had done last night had been stupid. She really shouldn’t get far enough from Ridahne to get lost again. She would like to finish this journey alive if possible.
That lead Darin to a dark thought. What if she died before The Seed got planted? Could she pick someone else to carry it. That might be a possibility if she had time. What if she was slain in battle? What if she fell off a bigger edge and there were no vines to catch her? What if there were more giant spiders? Darin shook her head as she mentally chided herself. There was no point in thinking those types of thoughts. She needed to think positive. She grabbed her waterskin to distract herself. She scowled as she realized that she had finished it without paying attention.
She told her companion, “And I need to fill my waterskin.”
This was something Darin did know. She knew how to tell if water was safe to drink. She was also aware of how to make water safe to drink. She still had her small pot. It may take some time, but she could make enough safe water for everyone to drink; including all the animals. She wasn’t going to mention that though. She was positive Ridahne knew those things as well, and Darin didn’t want to seem like she was trying to show off. In a way she was. She didn’t want to think the Elf thought she was completely incompetent. She knew how to do some things. Darin could keep herself feed, watered, and clean. She could even do the same for Talbot. She was just a clumsy person with not sense of direction and no idea whatsoever about how to fight. She was glad Ridahne was with her. She just didn’t want the Elf to question just how useless she was. It was stupid to be worried about what her companion thought about her, but she was still worried about it. At least it was better than worrying and thinking about dying.
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