“Feed someone else with that. I don’t want it.”
Serna didn’t know what she had been expecting. She knew he probably wouldn’t take it, but she was still left disappointed as Vordan removed himself from the circle entirely, retreating to a cart. Serna was left standing there, her eyes filling with the disappointment she felt. She jolted though, as a large hand gently took the bowl of stew from her, and she looked up to see Tirian. He gave her a smile and Serna flushed brightly as he said, “Don’t worry. Vordan is just jealous you have all your fingers intact. I’ll finish his bowl.”
She watched as he gulped it all down in a single swoop, with her twin brother holding in a laugh in the background, and handed her the empty bowl. The girl fumbled the bowl for a second with surprise, before holding it close to her chest. She bowed her head slightly toward Tirian with a shy smile before quickly skirting away to her brother.
Setna was just glad that it hadn’t ended up physical as he relaxed and heartily thanked his sister as she handed him a bowl. The fingers joke made him laugh though, and he held back a smirk as he glanced back at Vordan.
“Maybe he should look up his own arse for the rest of those fingers…” Setna mumbled to himself as he took a sip of stew and held in a laugh at his own joke.
Serna served herself and gave her brother a disapproving frown as they sat together, quietly eating their first actual meal of the day.
They hadn’t been expecting the rather quiet man in Caelis to suddenly stand and move toward Vordan. Both twins sat ram rod straight as the older man scolded the mercenary for refusing food. It felt like their father was there with them, the same authoritative voice giving out a lesson. The twins shuddered, both of their backs aching from past floggings due to that same tone of voice. They ate their food at a much faster pace as Caelis gave Vordan an option to sit with the rest of the group and then returned to Faith.
They watched and waited for a rebuttal from the Ellahur man with wide eyes, and Serna found herself looking for the red headed warrior, but he had already left the campsite for the woods. It didn’t matter though, as Caelis began tuning his instrument and Faith warmed her voice.
It wasn’t long before the camp was filled with beautiful music. It was calm, yet somber, and as Rudolf finished his meal, he took out his wooden pipe and relaxed. He puffed a few smoke rings before settling back and listening to the duo. Faith’s voice was angelic and the old dwarf found himself reminiscing of the past.
Once the twins finished, Serna made herself busy by collecting empty bowls. She wiped them down with a wet rag and cleaned them to the best of her ability. The young girl was surprised however as the desert elf approached her, handing her his bowl. He thanked her and told her how much he appreciated it and the teenager turned red at the compliments. She shyly thanked him, taking the bowl with shaking hands. Her face had lit up with happiness though, glad that everyone seemed to enjoy her cooking. Serna was just happy that she could do something for the group.
Finally she returned to her brother’s side who had folded her cloak into a makeshift pillow. Setna had done the same with his own cloak and the siblings laid down side by side and listened to the peaceful music. Serna looked up at the sky above them and nearly gasped at the number of stars that lit up the darkness. She nudged her brother and pointed upwards. Setna smiled as he looked up, inching closer to his sister as she mumbled about constellations and traced them all with a delicate finger.
They had never seen the stars before. They had read about them, learned how to navigate with them, but never seen them. The King’s barrier had always left a faint iridescent purple glow across the night sky. It was light enough to see the blue during the day, but strong enough to block out the stars at night.
Serna nudged her brother again, pointing up to a constellation. “Sword and shield.” She whispered excitedly, tracing the points so he could see.
Setna however turned to stare at his sister, whose face glowed from the light of the fire and whose smile was so wide he could even see the dimples in her cheeks. He hadn’t seen that same smile for years, she looked more alive now than she ever had. A part of him knew that what he did was stupid. Stealing her away, breaking laws, leaving their home, it had been his fault and all his idea. But as he watched his sister smile and point out stars, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was all worth it. He would make sure she would stay safe, be able to live like any other normal person. She’d be able to get married to whoever she wants to, and have her own kids, and he’d get to help teach his nephews and nieces all about the world and fighting. He’d be able to go to his sister for advice about his own wife, and they’d still have family dinners and all of that stupid shit. Everything would be ok.
She would live and it would all be worth it. No one would take her life from her. He had made the right choice. He was sure of it.
Aaerynn was fed up with just about everyone as she leaned against her tree and had to listen to the griping going on down below. What did they all expect? The man with the great sword, hated the navy haired brats. That was obvious. So really what did that little girl think she was going to get by offering food? Better off just letting people get what they want anyway. Leave everyone alone.
Aaerynn swirled her stew a bit in her bowl. She couldn’t really say no to the smell, and Rudolf had given it to her. So she ate it, dipping her bread into it to fill herself up a bit more. Occasionally she would reach into her pack and hang her arm down, letting Baineth eat some grain a handful at a time.
Cold blue eyes observed the red haired kid retreat into the woods, and then the other guy got up, using his sword to poke around before again scolding the guy with the bigger sword. Couldn’t they just leave him alone? Wasn’t like he was about to kill the girl. Besides, if he wanted to starve to death that was his stupid decision. He’d just die and they’d leave him for the crows to pick at. Easy.
The elf rolled her eyes and tossed her now empty bowl onto the ground for someone else to pick up. She was already sick of all this. How the hell was she supposed to put up with all of these idiots for practically a year, maybe more? Perhaps she’d die first, and maybe she’d welcome it this time.
It was then that her ears twitched and she heard the rustle of the bushes and the soft crackle of paws on leaves. She could just barely hear it over the tuning of instruments and the filthy half elf’s obnoxious voice. Carefully, she ambled off the branch she was sitting on and landed quietly on her feet. Baineth stomped her feet and Aaerynn calmed her down, petting her mane. “Mauya nin avánië. (I must leave) I will be back.” She whispered quietly to the mare.
Baineth gave her a disapproving look and Aaerynn pressed her forehead against the mare’s muzzle. “Stay.” She whispered before pulling back and staring straight at Baineth. The horse shook her head but stayed where she was.
Aaerynn picked up her bow, and caught the attention of Rudolf who simply nodded his head. Shifting her quiver across her hips, she quietly left camp.
She entered the darkness of the woods, her eyes quickly adjusting as she caught the glimpse of a white tail. She followed it, her light steps barely making a sound as she walked across the leaves and branches strewn across the forest floor. She stepped over roots, not too far behind the white tail she was following. It had been awhile since she had walked through this forest, and the trees didn’t adjust to her hand as she placed them on the bark. She was a stranger here.
Yet as she jumped over the familiar ledge to the wolf den, the wolves scattered to make room for her. She heard the hushed whispers and growls of her name and she stood, eyes ready and fingers still above the feather of an arrow.
“Adulteress. You live off your greed.”
Aaerynn turned to the gruff feminine voice. There stood the pure white wolf, her three tails swaying slightly as she lay down, her giant paws the size of the largest wolf children that surrounded her.
“Daedhrogeth…” Aaerynn murmured as she stood straight. “Do my sins amuse you?”
The giant wolf god bared her teeth in a grisly smile. “Of course. Your elvish devotion wasted on a man who did not even chose you. Now you are bound to grief for all eternity. All for a human who’s carcass has long been rotted.”
The wolf stood and came closer, her giant head as large as Aaerynn was tall. “Shaming your family. How does it feel? The loneliness that aches your soul, the weariness that rots you from the inside out. I wonder how long you’ll last before it consumes you. How long will your greed keep you alive?”
Aaerynn didn’t even bat an eyelash as the wolf pressed into her and laughed. Aaerynn frowned as she said, “Is that why you summoned me? To laugh?”
“Of course not.” The god moved forward, her tails curling around Aaerynn’s body so she could feel their warmth before they swished away. “You’ve come too close. I should have bitten off your heads. You’ve brought man beasts, and that disgusting dwarf. If it weren’t for that awful racket I would have eaten you all.”
The wolf turned back and snapped her jaws. Aaerynn’s face remained calm, although in the back of her mind she made a note to give Rudolf more credit for that ridiculous chant. “We are only passing through. If we hit upon the North Elves territory it is only briefly. Since when have they owned this path?”
The wolf god growled. “There is darkness settling in these woods. Perhaps your relatives cannot withstand the newcomers.”
Aaerynn pursed her lips at the new information, and she watched the wolf cautiously. “We are leaving for the next continent. By tomorrow we will have reached the South Elves, the North Elves do not have to worry about my presence. As you already know, don’t you Daedhrogeth? Although I suppose I should be thanking you for checking up on me.”
The wolf sat and turned with another dangerous smile, having been found out by the pestering elf child. “Your mother weeps. It outrages me. She will be glad for information. Do be wary Aaerynn of the Lightwelds, I will gladly snap your head from your body if you come too close. It is your connection, your life and a debt that keeps me away from you tonight.”
Aaerynn relaxed a bit, her muscles loosening. Daedhrogeth had been a guardian of the wood elves for centuries, on her own terms. Aaerynn had not been too sure whether she still received protection or not. It seemed like she and the rest would be walking a thin line.
The wolf god turned her head, glancing at a young wolf who had been unable to sit still. It twitched, stood, walked around a bit and then sat again. “Go.” Daedhrogeth growled. “Stop being an annoyance.”
The young wolf yipped and ran forward, crashing into the female elf. Aaerynn crouched and smiled, wrapping her arms around the eager young wolf. “Kai…” Aaerynn whispered and hugged the wolf to her as his tail wagged excitedly like a dog. “You’ve grown strong.”
The god waited a moment before growling. “Enough.”
Kai whined but slowly backed away from the female elf, running up the ledge. The wolf god stared down at Aaerynn with her piercing yellow eyes. “It was you that saved his life. So I will save yours, for the time being. Call us, and we will come.”
Aaerynn bowed down in respect, her eyes tilted down as the wolves began to leave her. She didn’t lift her head until she was sure that she was alone. Then she stood and began to head back to camp. She followed the same path back, but turned at the end, hearing the sound of arrows hitting solid wood.
She entered the clearing where Tirian was practicing. She watched as he readied an arrow, took his time, mumbled something and then shot. It wasn’t practical, to her at least. He was accurate, but too slow. If anything else irked her, it would be humans attempting to perform archery like elves. At this point he had noticed her, blue eyes staring at blue eyes. Aaerynn didn’t say a word as she suddenly turned and kicked the log, making it swing rapidly.
“Hit it.” She said. “Faster.”
Tirian held a smirk of his own; the rush of competition and challenges excited him. The red-haired soldier wasted no time nocking an arrow into the bow and striking the log as fast as his body would allow. The arrow did not hit dead center however, but would still be something of an injuring blow.
Aaerynn’s cold eyes stared at it for a moment, before she began walking forward. “Not good enough.” She made her judgment as she walked towards camp. Another disappointment.
“Hey.” Tirian called out to the coldblooded elf with a calm and collected demeanor. “You don’t challenge someone and issue words without proving you can do better.” Tirian knew deep down Aaerynn would outclass his own archery skills but hell, maybe he could bring out some happiness from that distanced elf if nothing else.
Aaerynn didn’t even look at him as she moved in one motion. She nocked an arrow back and steadied herself faster than Tirian could ever dream. Every motion was fluid as she let the arrow fly and it hit exactly dead center, even as the log continued to swing back and forth. She took a moment to stare at Tirian as she placed her bow across her back.
Tirian watched the arrow strike with precision comparable to that of a true wood elf. The young soldier cocked a one-sided smirk watching the elf turn to walk away but not without another word or two from his own lips. “What can I say, you’re clearly better than me. I’ll make sure to take lessons one day.”
Tirian swung the bow over his shoulder and began to cut down the log and retrieve the arrows, ensuring no tracker would be able to follow the tracks left behind. Tirian caught up to the elf again offering one last bit of advice.
“I don’t know you nor your past. It’s none of my business so I won’t ask. I can say that I am glad to have you watching our backs even if for your own sake. Thanks.”
The female wood elf stared at the red head, for the first time taking in his clear blue eyes. Something was off, he wasn’t ordinary. But she didn’t dwell on it as she turned her head and continued walking to camp, leaving him behind.
As the woman made it back to the fire, she rested her head against Baineth’s neck, who was eager to see her. Then she made her way back up the tree, making herself comfortable on her branch, and thought over what had happened in the woods. Rudolf came a bit closer, sitting beneath the tree she had taken.
“Chased off the wolves, have you?” He asked her as Aaerynn looked around the rest of the camp. The twins had fallen asleep where they lay, the desert elf was performing some kind of juggling act and the two musicians seemed to be ending a song. Lastly her eyes landed on Vordan who had taken a tree of his own, still distanced from the group.
“You could say that.” Aaerynn mumbled to the dwarf, as she reached down to pet Baineth’s mane. “Now move lecher, I can see you trying to catch a glimpse of something.”
The old pervert laughed but returned to his previous seat. “Now then, we’ll wait for Tirian to return before deciding who should be the watch for tonight.”
“Don’t bother.” Aaerynn answered bitterly. “I don’t trust any of you to be able to sound an alarm fast enough. I’ll be watch for tonight.”