Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Haspen]

With Gleipnitz's death and thusly nothing more harassing them from accursed past, Seyena and Valor resumed their journey toward Mercia.

And the next time snow appeared on the ground, they were no longer alone.

---

~~Epilogue Chapter A~~

No Rest for the Wicked

Near village of Sylea
Six and half years after death of Prixima Kesselring

Everyone envied Valor. He had beautiful wife, an adorable son and humble, but, one could say, luxurious cottage. Whilst their crops weren't much, they were enough to feed them and sell the excess for coin at the village's market. They lived half an hour away from the closest settlement, a farming village called Sylea; a rare sight considering how hard it is to work the rocky ground of Mercian land.

The main source of income was Valor's swordfighting 'school'; or rather, the private lessons he was giving to the few youths living in the village, including the twin sons of the village's chief, who by some far cousin or something held a minor title and thusly had quite a sum of gold to share with.

One day, Seyena grew ill suddenly, waking at the morning with nausea. However, the reason to worry soon turned into reason to celebrate - the local doctor determined that it wasn't an illness but rather a sign of new life forming in her - Seyena was pregnant again!

Of course, in such small settlement the rumors go around quickly and soon Valor had to deal with the youths calling him 'Stallion' or similar names...

So! Valor was enjoying yet another purse full of coins as he made his way toward his small house in the fields, the afternoon sky having a pleasant, lovely, orange hue, as few lazy clouds puttered above Valor's head....

When the blonde swordsman approached his house, he could already notice something peculiar. Hector, who was often playing in front of the house with Ilya, Seyena's pegasus, wasn't in sight today.

The pegasus itself was missing from its collar. The smoke wasn't raising from the chimney, there was no candlelight in the windows...

And the entrance door - it was open.

Something was very, very wrong here.

//Valor Inara is now active!

[Blade Master Model 42]

Valor quietly removed his practice sword from its sling on his back- He didn't take to carrying real weapons around anymore- No cause to. The last six or so years had been good to him, and quiet. Old instincts however kept his footfalls light as he approached his home, and he pushed the door inwards with his offhand, practice sword held high in the other.

[Haspen]

One worry - that someone hostile might be inside - was quickly replaced with another:

Blood and signs of battle; spatterings of the former on the floor, and some more in the kitchen - someone got punched in the face at least twice.

Of the latter, there were many; broken glass, toppled chairs and some other minor furniture. There was struggle, but there was no sight of perpetrators, nor Seyena or Hector. Maybe they were hiding somewhere. Maybe...

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Is anyone still here?" Valor called out, anger more present in his voice than the fear he felt. This had to be... Some kind of misunderstanding or something. Right?

[Haspen]

No one replied.

At least not instantly. From somewhere outside, possibly from behind the house, came some noise; it was a bit of a grunt, snort, and something else. It seemed distant, but then again, it might've been just quiet.

[Blade Master Model 42]

Valor made his way to his and Seyena's bedroom, where he retrieved his shield as well as his real blade. He'd picked it up a few years back, but hadn't really expected to use it. He grabbed the axe as well, and then burst out the back door, blade held high.

[Haspen]

Again... there was no one else outside, behind the house.

Suddenly, the noise came from behind the large shed where tools and grain was kept. This time Valor heard the noise clearly - it was a pitiful, quiet neigh.

[Blade Master Model 42]

Wildly looking around to make sure no one was sneaking up on him, Valor went toward the neighing- It definitely sounded like Ilya to him... Or was he just wishing it was?

[Haspen]

NEIGH!

Ilya was sitting behind the shed, an arrow sticking out of her rear left leg. She stood up after recognizing Valor and snorted, and neighed again, wobbling on her legs. She sure tried to look brave and allright, but besides the arrow Valor could notice her left wing bent slightly downwards; it was broken.

"Neigh!" Ilya said again and then nuzzled his face, snorting onto his shoulder as she took few shaky steps.

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Shh sh sh, easy there. I'm gonna find whoever did this to you and then break their legs. Hang on, I need to get this arrow out of you, and then you can show me where Seyena went, alright? She can fix your wing then." Valor hopefully extended a hand toward the arrow in Ilya's leg as he talked to the pegasus, hoping he could remove it and apply some vulnerary to the wound before being kicked to death.

[Haspen]

Ilya snorted and then smacked Valor in the face with her muzzle, before taking few steps away. Seemingly she wasn't going to let him remove the arrow, nor even touch her.

Then she neighed again and turned toward the far, far forest to the northwest.

"Neigh!" She snorted afterwards, took few steps and stopped - but only to turn her head at Valor, checking if he is following or not.

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Aw damn, that far huh? I don't think there's anything I can do to help you if you won't let me take the arrow out..." Valor followed after Ilya, and then began running toward the forest- He had to make sure his family was alright.

[Haspen]

And so they embarked on a journey of friendship and- oh wait wrong page...

And so they embarked on a journey toward the dark forest. Valor heard stories about it - pretty devoid of people and with only scarce amount of game animals. But beyond it, there were hills, quickly climbing up as the trees grew taller and darker. And beyond these hills, one would be at the footsteps of the Peaks themselves. But it would take whole day to get to the Peaks from here.

When Valor noticed the change in surroundings, it was dark already. Ilya was still walking in front of him, sometimes trying to run for a moment before the wound got better of her and she hand to slow down. But she never stopped; only few times she slowed down to pacing speed, raised her head to sniff and snort - and resumed her trek.

The moon, a thick crescent, was climbing over the forest when Ilya stopped and laid down, snorting and neighing unhappily. It seemed she couldn't go further without rest.

Behind the trees, though, Valor could see a tiny dot of light in the darkness.

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Still no chance of me giving you medicine, eh? Whinny or something if you're in danger. I'm going on ahead." Valor continued toward the dot of light, sword out and looking around. There could be anything in here- And he was starting to worry that Seyena and Hector wouldn't be at the light. What would they even be doing all the way out here? It didn't make much sense to him.

[Haspen]

Ilya neighed quietly.

When Valor cleared few more trees of distance, he easily recognized the source of light - or rather, numerous sources. It was light coming from the windows of a ruined fort. He could hear sounds of a party, with lots of laughter and singing masculine voices.

He could easily see that not all of the fort was lit; only few rooms and floors had lights, the rest was pitch black; and thanks to cloudless sky, he could see the outlines of ruined towers and jagged, crumbled battlements. Whoever had a party in here, wasn't bothering to keep the fort in decent condition.

Then, Valor could notice two silhouettes with bows at the windows near the small entrance door.

Did they see him, or not? He couldn't tell - but if he approached the front of the keep, the silhouettes would clearly notice him; and possibly embed few arrows in him before asking questions.

Meanwhile...

"And yah sure you dun wanna have some fun, little peach, eeh? I can show yah wut a real man can do!" The drunken, smelly bandit slurped his tongue against his lips in crude, vulgar imitation of a kiss, directed at Seyena through the small barred window of the door. Hector sobbed in the corner of the cell, sitting on a pile of old hay.

//Seyena Ikane is in!