Gordan and the horse walked for another four hours before they decided to stop for breakfast. Gordons laid the two unconscious people on the ground and asked the horse to keep an eye on the assassin. Upon hearing this the horse walked over the the assassin and laid down on his stomach, absently chewing the grass within range. Seeing this Gordan chuckled to himself, the horse looked up at him with a sharp expression.
"Don't think I'm laughing at you or anything, I just find it funny that that person must have thought that he would be in a slightly different situation last night."
The horse understanding the joke turned its gaze back to the grass around him. Gordan pulled an apple out of his bag and rolled it over to the horse who happily munched down on the treat.
"That's for helping me out with the idiot. Hope you enjoy it."
Gordan smiled as he took out the food for his small meal of dried meat, cheese, a chunk of bread, and some water. As he was eating he had a rather sour expression on his face. during the four hours that they had been traveling he had been thinking about the events that had happened with the soilder earlier, he didn't like dealing with that kind of situation under any circumstances, let alone from someone that he had just met. But it was kind of his fault for kicking him up in the first place. And the whole situation with the random assassin, he wasn't sure what exactly was going on with that, but he had the feeling that the people that had passed by during the night might have somthing to do with the situation. After he finished his meal the two of them began their walk again.
Gordan readjusted the people on his shoulders so that his shoulders wouldn't dig into them to much. He was a bit worried about the soilder, but he was also a bit worried about Jean as well. That was a situation that required some rather fast reaction, but before he did anything too drastic he needed to make sure to asses the situation first. The horse beside Gordan stopped suddenly and let out a snort, which made Gordan turn his head sharply and abruptly stop to see what the problem was.
The horse had lowered its head to the ground and almost looked like it was listening for somthing, after a bit Gordan could also hear what sounded like horses coming from behind them. Gordan was a bit curious as to what in the world that could be about when the horse next to him suddenly jerked its head up and turn from side to side. Gordan stared at the horse trying to make sense of what it was trying to do, but after that it began to walk once more as though nothing had happened. Soon after that the sound of horses faded away into nothingness. Gordan was confused for a bit, until he felt a small gust of wind come down from the path behind them, Gordan kept walking without turning back. The gust of wind gradually began to rise until it was blowing quite steadily, but still neither Gordan or the horse looked back to see what was going on. Becouse Gordan already knew what the sound and the wind ment, he just hadn't realised that today was that day of all days. Gordan walked up to the horse and led it off the road into a clump of non-hostile trees to watch the parade.
Gordan set down the two unconscious people and sat down between them, he motioned for the horse to do the same and it emidiatly complied. Gordan took out the blanket and draped it partially over the horse and partially over the soilder. The wind continued to blow growing colder and colder until frost started to form on the ground and trees. Gordan pulled out some kindling that was left over from the fire and dug a small pit, around which he placed stones and started a small fire to warm his hands. The scene around them had completely changed, Gordan saw ice hanging from the trees, gently swaying in the wind creating a rather eerie music. Gordan recognized these signs well, they were the signs of the winter march. An event that happened once a year just as the seasons change to winter.
He sat in silence as the first of the riders began coming down the road, They were pale blue figures on skeletal horses that glowed with a Cole blue flame. The riders each held a banner with the insignia of a great bear, and they wore cloaks with the same insignia embroidered into them.
The horse looked at Gordan not understanding the situation at all. Seeing the horses confusion Gordan smiled at it reassuringly.
"Don't worry as long as we leave them alone they won't pay us any mind. They are on the hunt after all."
The horse looked at Gordan even more confused than before.
=Sigh=
"Centuries ago their was a great kingdom that ruled the entire world. One day the king's wife gave birth to twin boys, which caused a problem since given the rules of succession the eldest son was to gain the title of king, but as the children were identical no one could tell them apart and didn't know who was the first born.
Eventually both children grew up, one hating the other. One of them was a guenis when it came to matters of intellect, and the other was an absolute guenis in military related matters. The kingdom was split between the two people, while the nobility mostly favored the intellectual prince, most of the people favored the fighting prince."
As he was talking to the horse Gordan could feel that the procession had stopped, he had no real desire to continue with the story but he could also tell that it would be a very bad idea to stop the story now that it had ingaged the attentions of the procession. Gordan had thought that he had been speaking quietly enough to not be heard but apparently that was not the case so he continued with his story, even though he heard someone dismount and began walking toward their direction with slow and powerful steps.
"Anyway, the nobility and the intellectual prince began to conspire against the prince of strength. And after many years their trap came into place, an uprising in the coldest point of the world which had remained almost untouched to even the kingdom. Naturally the prince of strength was sent to deal with the problem, but when he reached the area he was betrayed by people that he considered his close confidants and all those in his group that remained loyal were butchered, though the exact details on that part are unknown."
Godane paused and placed another piece of kindling on his small fire, and noticed that at some point it had started snowing since the ground was covered in a thick blanket of white. He looked over at the horse, but it was fast asleep. Gordan brushed some snow off of his shoulders and slowly stood up bowing slightly. Before him stood a human like creature that was covered in thick winter firs and wore a crown atop of its partial skeletal head.
The creature narrowed its glowing blue eyes at Gordan, and spoke in a low voice that resembled the wind passing through the hanging ice.
"But you do know, don't you? You know the story well, but you are not as ignorant to the details as you claim to be, are you?"
Gordan looked up at the figure and smiled bitterly, his eyes filled with contempt.
"The prince of strength had one major disadvantage to his brother, which was the primary reason why people ended up siding with his brother. The prince of strength had no magic aptitude, making him almost worthless to the kingdoms eyes."
The creature smiled bitterly back at Gordan.
"But what we lack in magic we make up for in skill, don't we? You are also this way yes?"
Gordan smiled broadly, but his eyes grew even colder than that of the creature.
"Who knows? Maybe we were just ment to be like that, for the others to succeed."
The creature leaned back its head and laughed a cold and chilling laugh, that made the wind grow still.
"Shall I continue?"
The creature nodded to him and regained its composure.
"After all what good is a story with no conclusion?"
Gordan sat back to the ground and looked to the horse which was still in a dead sleep.
"After the loyal soilders died the prince, who was still alive used a magic that was impossible for anyone with magic aptitude, his one desire was to see the kingdom that had betrayed him burn no matter the cost. Becouse of his desire the entire army was turned into the winter march, with the sole purpose of hunting down the kingdom and all of its defendants. Never shall the years cool the flame that consumes their souls, may the hunt go on."
The creature clapped at the reciting of the old story.
"Splended, job, I haven't heard that in ages."
The creature slowly took one of the firs off of its shoulders and gently placed it on Gordans shoulders.
"We will have our revenge, the world will pay for its injustices, one way or another. So stay strong my brother, until our mission is finally at its end."
Gordan smiled at the creature and again bowed slightly.
"I will await your return, my king."
The creatures smile broadened and then it turned around and went back to his dead horse which was scraping at the dirt. The creature recounted its stead and the procession began moving once more. Leaving Gordan watching in silence.