A new journey

Darby laughed. "A lot older than you, that's for sure." he replied to the girl, letting his age be a game. Still, she was five? Poor girl lost her parents at such a young age.. He was seated next to Ophelia to keep her company while she ate up her dinner. She was as hungry as Altherus, seeing how she gobbled up her food like a wolf pup. Darby could use a bite, but noticed Morywin standing at a distance, quietly observing them. When her gaze fell on him, he excused himself from the table and encouraged Ophelia to carry on eating. "I'll be right back," he said after giving her a few pats on her slightly tangled hair. Maybe he could ask Garaeth to have one of his servants groom her.

"What's the matter?" he asked her, concerned. "Why don't you sit down with us?"

- - -

"Ekuare.." the bound pale elf snarled as he was kicked to the floor by the queen's lackeys. His long, chestnut hair was a mess and he had bruises all over his body. He coughed, blood scattered from his mouth and it made the queen laugh on her makeshift throne. They were camping outside Evenloch on the highest hill they could find, and they managed to catch a spy from the Forest tribe.

"State your name, tale-tell brat," purred Ekuare, leaning herself to the side while propping her cheek in her bandaged palm.

"I'll never- oof!" the prisoner received a sharp kick to the ribs for his stubbornness, and he coughed a few more times in pain. "L-Limion." he rasped.

"Well, Limion!" Ekuare stood up from her throne. "I can't have you running back to your petty family and tell them what you've seen today." She walked over to him, nudging his blue and black face with her dark, barefeet. "That would be very troublesome for us, wouldn't it?"

Limion spat at her, but missed. "Elder Nengell will know," he threatened her. "He will, and it'll be the end of you!"

Ekuare waved him off, calling his bluff. "Well, you know," she said slowly. "There are other things to be worried about too."

Limion chuckled. "There's nothing as blasphemous as what you've done you rotten bitch."

Ekuare tutted Limion condescendingly. "Tsk tsk, such language!" Then she looked at one of her large henchmen. "Bring it over."

The henchman left the room, then returned promptly with something long and narrow in his hands. Ekuare took it, then knelt down so Limion could see what it was. "Does this look familiar to you?" She watched as Limion strained his grey eyes to focus on whatever the Mountain Queen was holding, and the blood from his face drained completely. Ekuare smirked, then giggled as she watched the mouse fall for the trap.

It was Morywin's arrow, coated with the dry blood of Ekuare.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"What the girl said earlier... about who's done this to her... I don't wish to intrude more then I have to. So I will grant her some space." Morywin said as she looked at Darby and then at Ophelia for a brief moment. "She lost her family because of Ekuare's kin... but to Ophelia, we're are all the same... I know the pain of losing those closest to you. I know it far too well." She then said and she breathed out a heavy sigh, her fingers trailing across the necklace that was resting around her neck before she shook her head. She walked up to Altherus and pulled out a map from the knapsack that was resting on his side before she walked over to Darby again as she rolled out the map. It was the map of Durenthil, the land where they were currently located. "Those mountains up there are Ekuare's territory." She said as she pointed towards the mountains in the north, the Hellfire mountains as they were also called due to the fact that they housed the mountain elves. She then pointed towards a forest to the far west. "That-... That is the forest of Lumbria... the home of my kin." Morywin said while she frowned slightly, Lumbria was known as the forest of whispers due to it housing the wooden elves. She was the granddaughter to one of the oldest elders of Lumbria, so the fact that she had decided to make this journey was considered a high dishonor and not only that, but also dangerous in case she were to be found in the company of humans and a half-elf. Not so dangerous for her, however, but rather for her companions."Those villages closest to the mountains have... most likely already fallen to Ekuare, but I want to go there to see the damage and if it can be fixed. But for such a long ride we need to get a hold of horses."

Ophelia and Altherus were too busy eating to listen in on the conversation that was going on between Morywin and Darby and Ophelia accidentally dropped some meat on Altherus' plate from time to time to make sure he was getting as much as he needed to eat and as much as he wanted.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
''Are you really concerned about that?'' Garaeth inquired as he stepped into the dining hall. It was uncertain if he had been listening in on their conversation, but at the very least he had heard the mention of horses. ''I assure you, that will not be a concern. I have a stable here, and we may use the horses there.'' His arms folded across his chest. Once more, he studied not only Morywin but Darby as well, the same thoughts of familiarity entering his mind. Only this time it would not pass without thought - and questions. ''You.'' He nodded to Darby. ''I do not believe I've heard your name yet.''
 
Oh no, Darby, Darby gulped when he was under the attention of Garaeth. Look calm, keep calm. "My apologies," he bowed his head. This was the respectful thing that peasants do, right? "I'm Darby. Darby K-Kipling." He bit his tongue, almost giving away another surname that was different than the one he gave to Morywin. He can't mess this up, so to avoid further damage, he looked back at Morywin's map. "But.. I've read that your kind tends to erm," How should he put this without insulting the lady? "Well, they don't take kindly to humans. Garaeth may have a chance, but how will Ophelia and I sneak in?"
 
His eyes narrowed. It was easy for him to see how Darby become uncomfortable by a single question. Despite Darby's attempts to remain calm, and even change the attention away from himself, Garaeth could not shake off the same sense of familiarity he had when he looked at Darby. It seems I'll need to keep an eye on him, was his thoughts. He turned his attention to Morywin and nodded. ''It is true. It is unlikely that anyone else but you and I may enter.''
 
"Very well then, so that is at least that problem solved." Morywin said as she looked at Garaeth as he spoke and then towards Darby. "My kin hasn't liked humans in over three hundred years... it happened after my parents were slaughtered by some human soldiers when they were trying to aid them in the great war against the Eastern continent." Morywin said and then lowered her gaze. "What the elders would do if they knew of this journey, I dare not even think about..." She thought to herself and then shook away the thought as she looked at the map. "If we ride along the eastern forest, we should be able to dodge most of the mountain elves that are likely patrolling the roads. Besides, the forest is my territory, that is where I am the strongest." She said with a faint smile. "I can maneuver more easily along the trees while keeping you covered."

Ophelia looked towards Darby and then up at a maid that approached her. "You are such a sweet young girl, but you look as if you've been out in the wild a bit too much." She giggled and then looked at Garaeth. "Master, shall I take her upstairs and tend to her before you leave?" She asked and Ophelia looked towards Altherus. "If I have to take a bath, so does he!" She exclaimed, to which Altherus perked his ears and quickly ran over to Morywin to stand behind her. "Coward." Morywin said as a smirk formed on her face.
 
''Morywin. Can I entrust you with seeing to them that they are attended before we leave? You have a better hand with both than I.'' Garaeth stated as he gestured for both Ophelia and Altherus. ''In the meantime I will begin preparations for our departure.''
 
Morywin seemed a bit hesitant as she looked at Garaeth and then towards Ophelia and then down at Altherus. Although she wanted to keep an eye on them both, there was so much about Ophelia that reminded Morywin of her own daughter, who was no longer part of this world. "I... think it would perhaps be best if Darby watched over them. It seems as if the young one favors him." She said before she turned and walked out of the dining hall before the expression on her face revealed her inner feelings and thoughts. She went back out on the balcony and she placed her right hand against her forehead while her left one clenched into a fist on the banister. A heavy sigh escaped her lips and a single tear ran down her cheek before she managed to compose herself.

Altherus whined slightly while he drooped his ears and his tail was between his legs as he followed the maid and Ophelia as they were led to one of the bathrooms to be washed and tended to.
 
Since three hundred years because her parents were slaughtered. Darby was a little intimidated to ask Morywin's age now. It felt like his human lifespan was puny in comparison to an elf's life. He listened to Morywin's strategy, nodding as she spoke. "Sounds good," he told her once she was done. This adventure, while it meant that they had to visit her home again, it was an adventure all the same for Darby. He'll be able to see a place that not a lot of humans will be able to see. Now this is what he was born for.

His spirits fell when Morywin became gloomy about Ophelia again. He scratched the back of neck, unsure of how to comfort her. Perhaps the woman needed some alone time - some fresh air.

- - -

It started raining. Water showered down from the sky, but they stained the paths black. Black rain - rain darkened from the soot from bombs. Night was coming near, and a human messenger was doing all he could to reach Garaeth's mansion. He slapped the horse he rode on harder, yelling and encouraging it to keep going.

No rest now.

They must find the little Master.

They were almost there, he could see the back of it where the stables were.
 
This time, Garaeth did not press for answer. Whatever Morywin did not tell him, it was not his to question. Instead, he began preparations as he said. He summoned Lundgren, discussing with the elder man about the plans he had, and while Lundgren did question Garaeth's reason, it did not take long for him to be convinced. ''Of course, Master Garaeth. While you are away, I will attend the mansion in your absence. You can count on me.'' He stated with his usual respectful bow. ''Good. I need to know I have someone to entrust it to in my own absence and that of my father.''
 
Morywin raised an eyebrow as she saw the messenger that was riding towards the mansion in haste and she frowned deeply upon seeing the black rain. "This cannot be good..." She thought to herself and then made a leap over the banister. She made a front flip while in mid-air before she landed softly in a crouched manner on the ground and then stood up before she hurried towards the messenger to see if he was injured. "Are you alright?" She asked concerned.

Ophelia looked out the window and she tilted her head slightly. "The rain is looking odd." She said while she was being washed. Altherus growled low as he sat in the warm bath water, not liking it one bit to be washed by strangers. He perked his ears and then looked outside and his head tilted from side to side as he observed the rain.
 
The messenger got down his horse, pushing his hood off to reveal his face. His skin was tanned from days of work and his eyes were a gentle brown. He jogged towards Morywin, his head tilted to the side in curiousity at the sight of her pointed ears. Was she a new worker for Master Garaeth? "Nice acrobatics, ma'am," he complimented her with a slight accent to his voice. "I come with a message for Master Garaeth from the Byrnes household. Will you pass this to him please?"

He gave her a rolled piece of parchment, letting her open it up herself.

"My name is Benjamin, and I come with very urgent news." he informed her. The entire message felt like he had to recite it a couple of times over and over again to memorize it. "The third son, Dardanus Byrnes, has gone missing and has left his mother and father - Master and Mistress Byrnes - with heavy hearts. You'll see a reference of him in that parchment. If you have any information, anything that could lead us to find him, please let us know. Every bit of it will be of great help."

Inside the parchment was a picture of a man's face. Darby's face. But on the parchment, he looked more.. clean - no stubble and with hair that was brushed back neatly with a comb. His eyes had a piercing stare at the viewer with his lips formed in a straight line - showing no signs of sadness or joy.

"Darby and I are good friends, even if I'm just a servant," he added. There was a hint of sadness in his voice, then he pulled his hood back up. "Now I really must leave. I'm passing as many of those as I can to the friends of the Byrnes." The man walked back to his horse, placing his hands firmly on the saddle to hoist himself up.

- - -

Darby couldn't hold back the sneeze as he walked towards the bathroom where the maid led little Ophelia. "Haa-choo!" He sniffed a bit, then kept walking.
 
Morywin took the parchment and then opened it. Her eyes widened slightly at the picture and she then frowned a bit before she looked towards Benjamin. "I will give this to Garaeth, you have my word." Morywin said with a nod before she rolled up the parchment again. "Be careful out there, the roads are dangerous these days." She said before she turned and went into the mansion again. However she didn't go to find Garaeth, not straight away, at least, but to find Darby. Once she found the bathroom they were in, she tried to grab Darby by the arm to drag him out of the bathroom and into an empty room. "Darby... is there something you have not told me?" She asked while holding the rolled up parchment in her left hand.

Ophelia blinked as Morywin entered the bathroom and at the sight of her seeming anything but happy. Altherus looked at Morywin as well and he remained silent. He had seen that expression before, when he had done something bad, so he felt happy that it was not him that the gaze was directed at this time!
 
He'll be honest - he was quite shocked when Morywin suddenly dragged him out of nowhere. He didn't quite get to see her face properly the first time. Am I going to score today? Darby thought against it. A while ago she was feeling pretty gloomy, so there was no way a woman would be in the 'mood'. Unless.. they needed comfort? Alas, Morywin's sharp expression blew out those hopes, even more so the parchment that she unrolled before him. He immediately shrunk away, just like how he did whenever Garaeth looked at him.

"I.." Darby couldn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. Anything he could probably say was a possible minefield that could blow up the whole conversation out of control. He'd been found out! Were his parents waiting outside? Guards? Darby stared at the picture, trying to take the mentality that it certainly did not look like him. He grew a stubble! Nope, it was still definitely him. His hands shook, all form of masculine charm was gone - if he even had it in the first place. Darby gulped after a long silence, trying not to meet Morywin's purple glare. Until he let out a tiny whimper, "Please don't send me back."

Finally it all gushed out. He started rambling about being the youngest son in his family - there was really no future for him! No responsibilities, no heir to take over. He didn't mind that, he wasn't jealous at all of his brothers. Nay, he was relieved that they were the next heir instead of him! All he was was eye candy since he was a babe - just a prop for dinners and parties to keep the guests entertained. All he could do besides that was mooch at home and be.. bored. The library - oh their amazing library - it contained books of myths, tales and adventure. He wanted that, he craved for it, but the only adventure that his father would allow him was to go hunting.. With a bunch of guards at all sides of him. That was hardly adventure. His father would frown when he would ask to travel, and his mother couldn't even bear the thought of her baby Dardanus to walk the earth without at least a bodyguard by his side. All his life he was treated like a child and he's already turning twenty for god's sake.

So he ran away.

"But please don't send me back." Darby pleaded once more, his voice cracked in desperation.
 
Morywin listened to what Darby had to say and she kept her eyes on him the whole time and once he was finished, she shook her head slightly. "I'm not going to force you to go anywhere you don't want to go. I promised I'd take you with me and I'll stick to that. I am a woman of my word. But why didn't you tell me?" Morywin asked as she looked at Darby, her expression now told that she felt more hurt rather than angry. "If you are to be with me, I need you to be fully honest. No secrets and no lies." She said while she looked at him and she then sighed heavily. "We can't show this to Garaeth, yes, he saved our lives... but... I don't know if we can fully trust him, at least not yet..." She then said. "Is there anything else I need to know? For example what cities to avoid in case you'd be recognized?" She asked gently and then leaned forward to hug Darby around the neck. "I would never... EVER even consider abandoning a friend." She whispered low to him.

Ophelia sat in the bath and was now fully occupied with washing Altherus, at least that was more favored then him being washed by complete strangers. The dire wolf sat calmly in the bath as Ophelia brushed her hands over his fur while she washed him and she smiled and giggled happily.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"I.. I'm sorry." Apologizing again. Darby couldn't count how many times he said that today. "I was going to tell you, I swear, just.." Just what? Because he was afraid? He really was. Darby bet Morywin could guess that. While he did consider Morywin as a friend, hell maybe even a love interest seeing how attractive she was, he couldn't just tell her that he was a missing noble's son who took care of most of the land in the east. Last week his best friend who he stowed away with betrayed him by having one of the servants spy on their travels to another village. Darby had no choice but to abandon him in an inn, and then ran off to the nearest town. "But, thank you. This really means a lot to me." He whispered back. Darby meant that, he really did, as he hung his head.

"Anywhere is fine, just maybe not too close to the cities in the east." Darby mumbled. Perhaps if he got a makeover - a new haircut, maybe grow a beard, or wear a cloak then he'd be fine. "I should really save up for a cloak."

"And.." he added slowly, steadily bringing slightly wet blue eyes to her amethyst ones. "There's something else.." If Morywin wanted him to be completely honest, then he had to come clean.

"I have this.. this thing. Whenever I get into a fistfight, I feel like there's a thunderstorm in my belly. A-and when I punch someone.." he gulped. "It shocks them. Like, there's some sort of lightning that comes out from my hands and it really.. damages them." An image of his eldest brother flashed into his mind. He was being called a coward, a farce. When Darby lost his temper, and when his fists connected to his brother's nose.. Brother just convulsed on the ground and didn't get up. "Really, really damages them." Darby bit his lip.
 
Morywin gently pulled back from the hug as she looked up at Darby and she decided not to go further on the subject when he added the word "just" to his sentence. "I'll be able to get you a cloak, don't worry about that. I am the granddaughter to one of the elders in Lumbria, I wasn't going to go on a journey completely unprepared." Morywin said with her usual gentle smile as she looked at him. "I see... so you do possess... well... perhaps not knowledge... but at least you possess magic. You need to learn to control it and channel it. I can help you with that, if you want me to." She said with a gentle nod. "I may be better with weapons, but I still have some knowledge of magic and its arts." She said and then reached up to place her hand against his cheek gently as she saw him biting his lip. "We will make something good out of all of this, okay?"
She looked down at the parchment in her left hand and she then frowned slightly as she clenched her hand tightly around it. "Etumyr." She whispered low and the parchment was set aflame, burning up in a matter of seconds before it was destroyed.
 
Garaeth stood in his study as he considered all that had happened. Was it truly the wisest decision to accompany them? It was not that he was fearful, quite the opposite, there was yet anything to appear that Garaeth would fear. Yet as the first-born son of the Gisbourne name, he had duties that he could not ignore. Or, should not ignore. He had servants - no, they were more than just servants. In his home, they had been treated to almost be like family, even if they all had different duties. He had been taught that every man is one's equal, and that none is above any other. He understood this, and had taken it to heart. It was a concern to abandon them, despite Lundgren's approval to do so. Lundgren was, to Garaeth, not just a butler, but a friend and advisor. After all, the older man had adviced him ever since his father left the mansion. ''What would you have done, father?'' He thought to himself, but he knew the answer. His eyes fell to a map across the table before him as he sipped from a glass of red wine.
 
Darby nodded, thanking Morywin for her kindness. He will most definitely take up her help in trying to control this.. 'magic' of his. That was another reason why he ran off - his parents treated this ability as a curse more than a gift. He thought that perhaps they wouldn't miss him at all if the curse was no longer in the house.. Turns out they'd run through the world just to find him. Touching, but he really didn't want to go back to that hellhole.

His jaw dropped slightly in awe as Morywin burned the parchment with just a few words. "You'll teach me how to control my powers like that?" he asked, almost in disbelief.
 
"Yes, I will." She said with a gentle smile and she couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "That is just basic magic, however. I wasn't gifted with the full knowledge of magic, since I prefer my bow. But I'm sure that you will be able to do much greater things then to just burn simple parchments." She then added with a small wink as she looked at Darby. She flinched as she heard a scream coming from the bathroom and quickly turned and ran out of the room that she and Darby were in before she ran to the bathroom and she frowned as she saw one of the maids lying dead on the floor while the one that had taken Ophelia to the bathroom stood with a bloodied dagger in her hand.

"S-She hurt... the other one..." Ophelia whimpered frightened, Altherus stood inf front of Ophelia in a protective manner while his fangs were bared and his fur raised in anger. Ophelia sat in one of the corners of the bathroom, the poor girl was shaking so violently that one could've thought that she had hypothermia and her face was pale as snow.

Morywin narrowed her eyes, but she didn't draw her weapons, instead she observed the maid who had a dagger in her hand. "A puppet..." She thought to herself, she had seen this sort of magic before. But there were only a handful of people that knew of how to cast a spell so powerful that it could actually take over the mind of another living being, her grandfather was one of them. "I know what you are trying to say... but I will not return and if you so much as harm a hair on that girl, then I will not hesitate to strike down the one you are controlling in order to be rid of you." Morywin said with a surprisingly stern voice. "Return to Lumbria at once, Morywin. The winds are telling me that there is danger out there and what are you doing in the company of their kind?!" The maid said, but she now had the voice of an elderly man, her eyes looked rather hollow, as if she was nothing but a shell. "They are my friends and if you even think about doing to them what you did to the human that was brought to Lumbria fifty years ago, I will come there and then I will strike you down." She hissed. What could possibly have happened to the human that caused Morywin to pose such a threat against an elder of her own kin? Let alone her own grandfather.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back