They had been traversing through the night at breakneck pace, yet barely a word had been spoken during the ordeal, everyone had their own thoughts and was quietly mulling them over.
Lonkar was holding the sleeping baby, while he looked at his nephew with a complicated look, the decisive action that the nephew had taken was still flashing vividly in his mind. Although he had come to understand the nephew's change, he was still surprised at the bloodlust that he had emitted the moment he murdered the female mage. If he hadn't been mistaken, he could've sworn that for less than a second, he saw a moment of glee in the young man's eyes as the spear stabbed through the woman.
Barandir didn't seem to realise that Lonkar was gazing at him, as he was looking into the ground, seemingly absentminded, his inner thoughts a mystery to anyone in the group.
Sam was nervously tapping his foot lightly, the sound muffled by the wheels of the carriage crossing the dirt road and rough terrain. He was rifling through a small novel which he had brought with him, some fictitious tale of unrequited love, he could hardly concentrate as he was actively browsing through the previous events and possible consequences they might have for him and his family. He adjusted his glasses once more as he turned the same page for the third time during the carriage ride.
Fremont and Avicia were calmly resting, unperturbed and at ease, they seemed wholly unbothered by the recent events and casually controlled the carriage through the snaky paths and forest walkways.
The only ones having any conversation were the Azoth Dwarf and Mezcah, the dwarf knew plenty of the different counties and countries, and he was openly sharing this knowledge to the inquisitive mage.
. . . .
The carriage ride had turned calmer after they had crossed the border, surprisingly the border hadn't been particularly well guarded, and they had been able to sneak through during the night. Having passed into Taoru'un safely had been a pleasant feeling for everyone, they could finally heave a sigh of relieve.
It was a cry from the newly awakened baby that shook Barandir from his meditative state. It had taken a lot of willpower for him to control himself after he had stabbed the female mage; the bloodlust to murder mages that he had been suppressing had erupted in full after he had stabbed her, like an unsuppressed echo that drowned out almost all of his other thoughts! It was a momentous effort of will that stopped him from going on a rampage. The moment he had entered the carriage, he had entered a semi-meditative state, and although he had appeared calm and at ease, his mind had been a raging sea of hatred, knocking at the gates of his sanity. Truly the hatred he felt against mages had been unnatural. During his suppression he had come to understand the hatred better, it felt almost supernatural, in a way that he could not quite place, one thing was certain, it was trouble!
As he looked up he finally noticed that the carriage was empty aside for himself, Lonkar and the baby. Lonkar met his gaze with his one eye, from it, Barandir could see a visible concern, the uncle was not stupid, and it was clear that he had noticed that there was more to the issues of his psyche than he had first let on.
Lonkar played with the baby, and talked to it with a soft voice, so as to calm it down, it was hungry after a long sleep. With a thoughtful look he looked back at Barandir "We should talk nephew" he spoke softly, so as not to disturb the baby, a deep worry expressing itself in his demeanor as he spoke.
With a heave Barandir looked apologetically at the uncle "I know uncle, I know... but, the issue is not so simple, I..." he stood up, stretching his body slowly after the long rumbly ride "I promise that we will talk about it, but only when I'm ready, I hope that this is okay, for I myself don't fully understand this yet" he said carefully, with sincere eyes.
Their gaze locked for a while, before the uncle stood up as well with a less concerned expression "Let's go, we have arrived in a small village, and I have a feeling that our companions are having a hard time communicating with the locals" he chuckled mirthlessly.
A slight frown appeared between Barandir's brows as he followed the uncle out of the carriage.
. . . .
What met his sight was quite a different view than what he was used to, fields of green potato stalks lined the side of the small dirt road in a hilly wave like pattern, with birch, pine and spruce trees littered at the edges, seemingly at random. The wind was colder and thinner, and the sun was clearer and sharper. Lonkar was already several meters ahead of him, and walked towards what seemed to be the village entrance, there was neither a gate nor a fence; however thirty or so wooden houses could be seen, each in a close proximity to one another.
From the position of the sun it seemed that it was midday. The workers were cultivating the fields with their tools, one of them saw Barandir and Lonkar and gave a nod while smiling, Lonkar nodded back casually as he continued on his way, Barandir following at a trot behind him - taking in the different impressions. He couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia and homesickness, so this was the land from which 'Barandir' hailed. The fresh wind which carried a hint of onions, no doubt from some of the farmland, seemed to refresh him in ways he didn't fully comprehend. Back when he had been a warrior he had never truly felt a strong sense of belonging to a 'place', so this was a new feeling, a pleasant one.
The houses were made of light birch, although simple, they were relatively new looking, there was a sense of wisdom and craftsmanship to the houses as well as the planning of the small town. The dirt road within the town was mixed with small pieces of broken down gravel, Barandir could see some chickens and ducks walking around freely, a small boy in grey linen pants and a dark blue shirt and a black vest was following along behind them with a small stick, tapping it whenever he wanted them to move in one or the other direction. When he saw Barandir and Lonkar, he couldn't help but stare; outsiders were probably not too common? Or perhaps it was the city attires that they wore? Barandir wasn't sure, but he nodded politely to the boy who almost stumbled into his 'flock' whilst staring at the two.
Lonkar couldn't help but snicker at the stumbling boy, and then lowered his position slightly, letting the boy see the Luna dryad baby, its grey skin and pointy ears making it stand out, especially so when carried by the human Lonkar. The small boy couldn't help but be somewhat entranced by the baby, and quickly forgot about his previous embarrassment, he spoke a foreign sounding sentence to Lonkar, that Barandir's brain quickly translated as "can I come closer", Lonkar replied casually in a similar language with a smile "sure". The boy walked a bit closer, and moved his face near the baby, the small one's eyes getting larger and larger as the boy approached, finally grabbing his nose as he got too close to it. The boy began laughing and petted the head of the small babe.
"Are you with the foreigners?" he asked curiously.
Lonkar nodded as he pulled out a small candy and put it in the boy's hand "Could you tell us where they are? None of them speak Vanha Taoru'un, only the common tongue of Magnolia" he spoke as he stood back up.
The boy chuckled "We all noticed, but none of us speak Magnolian here, only the village elder, and he is out for a meeting to discuss the recent aggressions of Salk" with a light rap to the ground, the scattered ducks and chickens quickly came back to the boy "I'll take you to them, they are at the 'Goods n' Stuff' trying to negotiate with old Magnur, but he won't budge his prices with foreigners".
With a sharp turn the boy began leading the two through the small town, he was casually telling the two about the town, and how his family and the other families were the first settlers there, they had moved from one of the noble regions that levied heavy taxes, to the borderlands which were governed by the kingdom's military, which was a tax free county for farmers, as long as the farmers helped provide during times of war and invasion, of course there were several risks involved with living in the borderlands, but they weren't too close to the border, and the border area near them was all forest, which meant they benefitted a great deal from their current location. The boy was quite proud of his town's guile in choosing their settlement. Barandir was listening to the boy with genuine interest, and although it felt strange to comment and respond in the familiar, but unfamiliar language, he still did so. They also learned that since the increase of invasions from the neighboring country, there had been a grain shortage, and as a result the villagers, men, women and children included, had to work long days in the field; this explained the rather empty town that they had passed through, on their way to their location.
The boy stopped abruptly and pointed at a small building. In front of it, on a chair, sat a dwarf, his small legs barely reaching over the edge of the seat; he was smoking a corn-pipe casually while staring up into the air, when he saw Lonkar and Barandir, he instantly yelled.
"About time! I have met many a stubborn person, but by the gods and devils does this storekeeper make the list of people that bothers me most!" Gabbro's noble and aristocratic demeanor had disappeared after he had revealed that he was an Azoth dwarf, whether this was his true persona or not, no one knew.
Lonkar squinted his eye; he mouthed a thank you to the boy and then looked back at Gabbro "The Taoru'un is a stubborn and hardy folk, you must know this already? Or is this perhaps your first visit to Taoru'un?" he asked inquisitively.
The small man jumped down from the chair, his pipe having mysteriously disappeared, a bright smile painting his face "smart man, smart man" he spoke, as he sauntered away, not saying another word.
"I do not trust that dwarf" spat Lonkar dismissively as he walked towards the entrance of the store, a murmur of voices could be heard from within. Barandir noticed that the store was slightly larger than the other buildings, with a second floor and large sign on the front of the building that said 'Goods n' Stuff', written in what he now knew was Vanha Taoru'un.
. . . .
Magnur was obstinately standing behind the counter, his thick arms crossed over his slightly chubby belly, like the boy, he wore similar attire; a dark west, a blue shirt and grey linen pants, his hair was corn yellow and cut short, his eyes were ice blue and his demeanor was that of a man in his early forties, his wrinkles expressed cunning and a long life. Currently he was looking very cross, and his head was continuously shaking while the foreigners were writing down different numbers on a small notepad.
Before moving to the small village he had lived in one of the larger border towns, and he was used to dealing with the arrogant Salk merchants, who would rob one day, and try to resell the stolen goods the next one. Although these foreigners weren't from Salk, he couldn't help but feel a strong apprehension, as the foreigners that he had met, had all had bad intentions.
He spoke nothing of the common Magnolia tongue, which was common for most of the villagers, despite his years in the larger border town, he had picked up very little, there he had been a merchant's assistant, and learnt the trade quite well, but he was also limited by his lack of education. From what he could see the two warriors looked rather uninterested in the slightly chubby man who was trying to negotiate for them, instead they simply stood behind him silently, exchanging a comment now and again. Magnur knew instantly that these two were no simple warriors, their demeanor alone smelled of danger, and he had been quick to ask the local farmer who had guided them there, to get the town guard. Although he doubted that he would be of much use. Luckily society was built on rules and order, although some people might claim "might is right!" they often didn't live long as kingdoms had quite strict rules regarding experts creating havoc. There had been a young woman with them, whose skin was exotically dark; however she had barely glanced inside before she had left the store.
With a glance Magnur saw the number that the man whose name was Sam, had written, the price wasn't bad, in fact it was quite good. However, currently the village only had two larger wagons, and they were both put to good use. The group also wanted to buy several supplies, unfortunately the army had put quite harsh restrictions on the amounts which were allowed to be sold, hence he couldn't sell very much, however his attempts at explaining this had not been successful.
As his mind was churning, and his annoyance was increasing, he heard the wooden door creak slightly as it was pushed open, two men entered, they were both dressed well, and looked like Taoru'un natives, one of them looked like a warrior, the other like a scholar, his eyepatch gave him a slightly grim air. Magnur flinched slightly as he saw the necklaces that the two men were wearing, he didn't recognize the House, but he was fairly certain that it was nobility pendants.
. . . .
Lonkar pulled out his Raven family pendant, and indicated that Barandir should follow suit. As Barandir entered he saw a largely naked store, there wasn't much in terms of supplies, but rather items used for farming and daily living; it was a very different type of store compared to the ones he had seen since arriving. Everything was well organized and the floors were made of a light greyish birch, similar to the walls, giving the store a refreshing feeling.
The man behind the counter had a quick change in his demeanor as they entered, Barandir couldn't help but glance slightly at the pendant hanging from his chest, was it this? That had made the difference? He also saw that Sam looked up at them in full-blown relieve. It was obvious from his expression that he had suffered quite a bit from the trader's stubbornness.
"Greetings merchant!" spoke Lonkar with a loud and crisp voice "I see that you have taken good care of our companions" his volume lowering to a pleasant timbre, he smiled casually as he moved over to the counter, and his one eye locked with the merchant's eyes. A hint of panic spread across the man's face.
The merchant made a slight bow, his right fist touching his right breast, when the guard saw this, he hurriedly followed suit. "My lord…" he seemed to have trouble expressing himself, as he straightened back up, regardless of whom the man in front of him was, the loss of a wagon would not be good currently, he steeled himself as he began to explain the current situation of the village, hoping that the man in front him wouldn't be unreasonable. "So you see we really can't afford to be without one of our larger carriages currently, the tension at the border simply creates too much pressure on our production" he finished exasperated, a thin line of sweat making its way down his forehead.
Lonkar's expression didn't change much during the explanation, but he was nodding thoughtfully towards the end. He pulled out his pipe casually and started puffing, soon a sweet smell of tobacco wafted through the small store, the small baby coughed lightly as the smoke drifted into its tiny nostrils, Barandir who was now holding the babe, gently patted its head, so as to calm it down. With a slight of hand Lonkar seemed to have produced piece of parchment, he put it down on the wooden counter, and pulled out a pen, while writing he spoke out aloud
"Addressed to the quartermaster & his direct supervisor;
The Crowborne clan of the far north; has requested from the village hamlet of?" he looked up at Magnur "what is the name of the town?"
"Southern Birch" Magnur responded nervously, his suspicions were correct, and now it seemed that the man left him no choice but to sell one of the large village wagons his eyebrows knitted ever so slightly.
Lonkar didn't seem to notice "… Southern Birch, a large wagon, which original purpose was meant for deliveries of corn and other supplies, for the front-lines. As this will severely impact the village, the family of Crowborne will cover these supplies and more, upon our noble house we request that the Southern Birch village will be exempt of the provision tax for two up until four months; during this period the kingdom's border army is free to contact the Crowborne trade-house in river-port city of Drondiin.
Sincerest,
Lonkar Crowborne"
He neatly folded the parchment, in such a way that there was space for a wax seal, he then proceeded to drip purple wax onto it from a small wooden vial. Strangely the wax was fluid as it left the container, but it solidified upon landing on the parchment. He took off his pendant, and pressed it onto the deep purple seal, cementing that this was indeed genuinely an action of the Crowborne clan. He handed over the letter to the merchant "Send one of your village men to deliver the letter today, and make sure that the wagon is prepared by evening! When the preparations are done, you can find us in the small wagon outside of town". Without waiting for an answer, he simply turned around and left, Barandir quickly let the others know that the negotiations were successful, and that that they should leave as well.
Magnur stood dumbfounded, the deal was good, during a period where no one else was able to hoard food, they were, and in fact they'd easily be able to buy two or more wagons during these two to four months. He shook his head lightly; truly the nobles of Taoru'un were much better than those from Salk! He quickly waved over the guard, and began explaining to him what they needed to do.
. . . .
The sun was barely setting when they were leaving Southern Birch village in a simple, but sturdy wagon with a white oily cover, which protected them against the elements. Fremont was sitting with his sister talking mutedly while he was steering the wagon. To Mezcah's annoyance the Azoth dwarf seemed disinterested in having a conversation and was sleeping on a small pile of hay in the right corner of the wagon, his snoring bellowing out every once in a while. In her eagerness and curiosity she had taken it upon herself to question Sam about this and that, and everything. Sam helplessly responded as quickly as he could. Meanwhile Barandir and Lonkar were playing with the baby.
"Uncle?" Barandir questioned cautiously, Lonkar looked up at his nephew inquisitively "won't us announcing our location and direction alert cousin Finn?"
Lonkar's finger was being held by the small baby, its eyes were large as it was cooing and playing with the man's hand "He won't act" answered Lonkar confidently "he might've been able to deny our existence previously, but now we're in Taoru'un territory, and our letter will alert not only Finn, but also our other relatives, furthermore I did not mention you in the letter, so he cannot proclaim us imposters quite as easily" he smiled sneakily at the baby, as he finished his sentence.
Barandir frowned, he had seen too many rash, and risky decisions during his previous life, matters were rarely so simple, if rational decision making was the norm, then there would be peace and prosperity in all the lands. However it seemed that the uncle seemed to have made up his mind about the entire situation, so all he could do was keep his vigilance to himself, he glanced towards the entrance of the wagon where Fremont and Avicia were sitting; well they weren't completely helpless if they were ambushed.
. . . .
Two weeks later in the furthest northern reaches of Taoru��un, sat a young man alone, in his study. The study was large and filled with bookshelves and ornaments, it was neither neat nor messy, it gave off a feeling of scholastic discipline, and it belonged to the Clan leader, it was the designated study.
The room was circular, large slabs of very light green rocks marred the floor, and the walls, the ceiling was reinforced with thick black wooden beams, and behind the sitting man was a large paned glass mosaic of a pitch black raven beckoning at a blood red moon. A fire crackled strongly in the large fireplace on the right side, the flames yellow as sunflower, burning seemingly without any wood. The desk was marvelously carved from a strange light pinkish birch, with patterns of crows, ravens and moons and strange symbols along the edge, there was one large drawer within. The top of the desk looked like the wood had vitrified, and a long thin crack ran along the left side of the table, it looked ancient.
Clenched within the young man's hand was a worn letter, his expression flickered between nervous and angry, memories from several years ago flashed before his eyes. The first notification had been world shattering to him, even though he had rejected it, and played the fool, he knew in his gut that it was true… His cousin lived! At the time he had made a hard decision, and risked his uncle's life, but was it not a worthy sacrifice? For all that he could lose if the truth were to come to fruition? However Lonkar had not called for an emergency meeting, any other information that he knew of was from his female cousin whom had received news that the uncle was returning, was it subterfuge? His hand relaxed as he casually threw the second letter into the fire place. There had been no mention of Barandir in the other letter, simply a request, the request had baffled the family, and many were questioning how Lonkar had ended up in some unknown border town. Eventually they had agreed to the request, and settled on the fact that the border disturbance must have affected Lonkar, as to who his companions were, nobody knew, well nobody except Finn. His fingers rapped along the vitrified wood, not a sound escaped the table.
What to do? His mind raced as he leaned back in the mahogany chair, closing his eyes, what to do indeed? The fact that he had rejected Lonkar originally would definitely create a disturbance, but he could easily explain this. No, the real problem was Barandir, it would be word against word, but with the rejection of the Salk army letter it might convince some of the elders to go against him… he could feel his brow tensing as his thoughts jumped from one idea to the next. Eventually his brow loosened, yes he would need to find a scapegoat, this way he could pretend to be in denial in regards to the Salk letter, with that out of the way he could easily deny any claims that Barandir might make. The question was… should he simply leave the situation as is? And await his uncle and cousin?
He stood up from his chair and turned towards the fire, looking intensely at the yellow flame, it reflected in his purple eyes "njah" he muttered under his breath, if he was going to scheme, he smiled evilly, he might as well scheme to the end.