Chapter 15:
I can't forget
Beads of sweat dripped down Silas's flushed cheeks, sliding down to the edge of his chin as the afternoon sun shone down on him in the middle of the dirt training field. He moved back and forth on the balls of his feet, lifting his sword and dodging back and forth as if we were fighting a real enemy, and not just a straw silhouette to train with. Dust from the dry dirt kicked up underneath his feet, clouding his vision slightly. Using the dust to his advantage, he jumped to the right side before he snuck up behind the dummy with quick, silent footsteps.
Tightening his grip on his sword with his gloves, Silas narrowed his eyes and thrusted his sword forward, piercing the sharp tip of his blade directly through the heart of the dummy without a moment of hesitation. Holding his body in place, Silas retracted the sword and took a step back, returning to his normal standing posture. The dust around him settled as he placed his sword back into the scabbard on his waist with a small sigh.
I should have enough time to go one more round. The sun was still high in the sky. Besides, he promised Adora they would go out later that afternoon.
Silas wiped the beads of sweat off of his forehead with the back of his arm. He walked towards the bench with his towel and water flask and unscrewed the lid of the container. Carefully, he lifted the bag towards his dry lips and took small sips, wetting his parched mouth.
Water droplets from the flask dripped from his parted lips and rolled down his chin in streams, wetting his already sweat-lined white undershirt. The water droplets continued to roll to his adam's apple and collarbone, where his defined chest muscles could be vaguely seen under the crude shirt. Even with his years of training under the hot sun, his skin did not darken as most of the human soldiers' skin had, but rather his stayed a faint pale olive color, like the other elves on camp.
Silas looked up at the sky as he finished drinking and wiped his jaw with the back of his hand. Quiet times like this made Silas feel nostalgic and lonely as his thoughts flashed to his missing, likely dead, family members and Emmeline Silas looked down at his calloused hands as he thought of all the times they spent together.
Silas closed his eyes as he remembered the first day he had taken Emmeline to the arena to watch him train. She had begged and pleaded for weeks, but he had been reluctant because of how gory and dangerous the training arena could be, even in the spectator area, a lifted stage with a fence separating it from the arena and wood benches that circled the wide, dirt arena. It was usually used by higher rank individuals to oversee training or recruits who wanted to learn fighting techniques from their veteran companions.
That day it was used by a small, curly-haired, elven woman who wanted to see her husband train. Emmeline smiled like a content kitten the whole walk to the training ground and continued to as Silas walked her up to the spectator stands.
"Are you sure about this, Emmeline? I could still take you home." Silas said, his stomach turning at the thought of something happening to her while she sat and watched their training, "This area really isn't safe, anyway. Swords and arrows are constantly flying over this way."
Emmeline smiled as she held Silas's face, "Silas, I'll be fine. I may be ill, but I'm not incapable of fleeing from danger." Silas sighed before grabbing her hand and holding it in his tightly.
"Please just be careful. If anything so much as seems off, please head back down the stairs and wait for me. Or better yet, please head home." At Silas's desperate pleas, Emmeline could not help but laugh.
"You were never this concerned about me when we were children!"
Silas smiled and released Emmeline's hand, "Because you weren't my wife when we were children."
"While I appreciate your concern, I could take care of myself as a child, and I'm even more capable now, so" Emmeline said, before turning Silas around and giving him a pat on the shoulder, "Focus on your training and give me a good show!"
Silas turned his head towards his wife, wanting to rebut her, but quickly decided against it and dropped his head. He began his walk back to the stairs before Emmeline called out to him,
"Silas! I love you!" She called from her spot on one of the many wooden benches. A blush quickly rose on Silas's face as he realized some of his comrades were at the bottom of the stairs entering the arena, and they began to snicker at the show of affection.
"I love you too!" Silas squeaked out as he hustled down the stairs to join his comrades.
"Silas!"
Silas's mind wandered, and before he knew it, a deep voice was calling out to him. Silas snapped out of his memory and looked up to see Adora. She was attempting to walk towards him as she held handfuls of a long, dark purple dress in her hands. Adora had her black hair curled and the upper layer of her hair was pulled into a decorative bun, with wild flowers peeking out from the side of the bun. Her lips were darkened with lipstick and her cheeks were lightly rouged. As Adora walked, she lifted her dress up to help her walk, and her lifted dress displayed her muscular legs up to her knees. Silas's eyes bulged as he noticed Adora's bare knees, and he looked away with a cough. Adora raised her eyebrows in confusion before glancing down and dropping her dress significantly, a deep blush growing on her face.
Silas reached down and grabbed his stuff before glancing up at Adora, "I just need to drop this stuff off, then we can go."
"Okay, I'll go with you." Adora said, coming up to Silas with her face still burning. They walked back to a relatively small shed near the entrance to the training ground. As they approached the small building, Silas pulled a key out of his waistband and unlocked the door.
"Hm? No one's working today?" Adora said, gesturing to Silas's key, a copy of the original key, which was usually kept by the quartermaster.
"No, everyone's got a day off. The only people working are the recruits and the wall guards."
"Gods, I remember those days." Adora said with a shake of her head, as Silas unlocked the shed, "Getting the worst hours, last to get a day off, working over the festivals. I'm so glad we are past that!"
"I wouldn't mind it so much now." Silas said with a shrug, "But now I'm forced to take the time off." Silas stepped into the shed and took the sword out of the sheath. He swiped it down, looked it over, then hung it back on the wall. Then Silas removed his sheath and laid it on a nearby table before going over to a small table with a notebook and feathered pen. Silas leaned over the table and scribbled something down on the notebook, then stepped outside the shed. Adora stepped aside as Silas emerged, and Silas locked the door behind himself before slipping the spare key under the small crack at the bottom of the door.
"Alright, I'm ready now." Silas said with a tired smile. Adora nodded, and they began to make their way to the busy city center.
…
Music blared from musicians standing in small groups as Silas and Adora strolled through the city center. People were screaming and singing to the music, and wine and beer was being spilled into the road, as people of all ages danced in the streets. As the two wanderers tried to make their way to a nearby tavern, a young woman accidentally bumped into Adora, which caused Adora to grab her shoulder and laugh, sending the drunken woman gently back in the direction of her male companion. With an apologetic nod from the drunken man, they continued on their way.
As Adora and Silas continued to walk, Adora accidentally stepped on her dress, and she grasped Silas's arm as she tripped, "Gods, I've been in pants for so long, I forgot how to walk in a dress!" Adora said as she laughed. Silas smiled down at her and led her forward through the crowd,
"It does look rather complicated!" Silas said, raising his voice and leaning into Adora as they passed a band, "Why did you wear it?"
Adora froze for a moment, clutching her dress tightly in her fist, "I wanted to dress up a little! It's been too long, since I've been able to!" Adora said, also raising her voice and smiling, but it seemed to quickly falter, "Maybe it was a bad idea, though."
Silas looked up quizzically, then back down at Adora, "I don't think so! I think you look nice!"
Adora laughed and looked down, but the fist clutching her dress squeezed it tighter, almost ripping a hole in her new dress. She took a deep breath as her face grew red.
"Here we are!" Silas said as he looked up at the tavern's dark building. The faded, gold-painted words "Traveler's Tavern" stood out against the dark green sign. The building's exterior, like the sign, was faded and worn after having survived many decades of the Faelfier Kingdom's unforgiving weather.
Adora released Silas's arm and he reached forward and grasped the curved, metal door handle in his hands. The front door, a heavy, wooden door with a small, thick piece of glass at eye level, was the only thing relatively new about the building. After the other door had been kicked in after a violent fight in the tavern, this new, much more durable door was put in as its replacement.
Silas pulled the door open and held it open as Adora made her way in. He followed behind her, and the door closed behind them with a resolute click. Inside, the smoke wafting around the large room only did so much to hide the massive group of people piled into the bar, sitting in chairs around tables and standing about, waiting for the curtains on the small stage to open. Adora grabbed Silas's arm in one arm in one hand and her dress in another, before she barrelled through the crowd to sit in a booth near the back that had just been emptied. Silas slid in the other side of the booth as Adora shouted to a passing waitress, who dropped a tray of drinks off at a nearby table before coming over. The waitress grabbed the dirty mugs on the table, put them on her tray, then swiftly wiped the table down with a rag hanging off her waistband.
"Hey, you two." The waitress said with a smile, "I'm glad you guys decided to drop by."
"We had to come see our favorite waitress!" Adora said, returning the waitress's smile.
"Adora, stop trying to get a discount. I'm your friend, not your meal ticket." The waitress chided with a dashing smile, strands of her long, blonde hair beginning to fall out of her cap and into her face, "It'd only work if I hear something like that from Silas!" The waitress said with a wink in Silas's direction. Silas could not help but smile awkwardly at this. The waitress blew a puff of air upwards, pushing her hair up and out of her face, then smiled at the two as she balanced her tray on her shoulder, "So, what're you two drinking?"
"I'll have whatever's in the kegs." Adora said, glancing over at the many kegs sitting behind the bar. The waitress turned to look at them before glancing back with a eye roll,
"Oh yeah, it's some beer from the east. A trader from that way brought it with his caravan. It doesn't taste like anything special, but it's not horrible." The waitress then looked at Silas, ready to get his order, but Silas was looking at the stage that was situated in the back of the bar, not far from where the small group was, "They're supposed to start soon, if you guys are sticking around."
Silas snapped back to attention and looked at the young waitress, "Do you know who's performing?"
"I've heard it's a new, up-and-coming singer. She's pretty popular out east, according to the merchants from there. I'm not sure what she's doing out here though." The waitress shrugged her shoulders, "But enough about that. What can I get you, Silas?"
"I'll have the same as Adora."
"Okay, be right back." The waitress said before adjusting the heavy tray full of empty mugs on her shoulder and disappearing into the buzzing crowd. After a moment, Silas and Adora turned back towards each other.
"So, what did my dad want to talk to you about?" Adora asked, leaning forward and putting her arms on the table. Her eyes did not leave Silas's.
"He wanted me to bring my men in for a routine medical exam." Silas said, his eyes unwavering and his face remaining neutral.
"Liar." Adora said immediately, her eyes narrowing, "Dad wouldn't ask to speak to you in private about something like that."
"Maybe you should ask your father then?" Silas said, lifting an eyebrow.
"I already did, and he won't tell me," Adora said, glaring at Silas, "Which tells me it's something I need to know."
Silas shook his head, "No, it's not. It was something inconsequential."
"Silas," Adora said slowly, "Either you tell me, or I'll force you to tell me."
Silas laughed before leaning forward, bringing his face close to Adora's, "Is that so? And what do you plan on doing?"
Adora glared at him, unblinking, before striking her hands out from under the table and grabbing Silas's sides. Silas jumped and tried to escape, but Adora had a death grip on him.
"Tell me, or I'll do it." She said, continuing to stare at Silas, who had sweat droplets forming on his face, even though he tried to maintain his composure.
"Here? Imagine what people will say." Silas chided, trying not to let his voice shake.
"If it makes you talk, I don't care." Adora said, her voice determined.
Silas stayed silent for a moment, analyzing Adora's face before sighing, "Gods! Fine, I'll tell you, so please remove your hands."
"If you try to run, I will get you."
"I'm not going anywhere, so please take your hands off me." Silas snapped, controlling the panic in his voice. Adora glared at him for a moment before slowly removing her hands.
"So, what did he say to you?"
Silas sighed and shook his head, "You're not going to like this."
"Say it, or I will tickle your sides."
Silas eyed Adora's hands as he took a deep breath, "Your father thinks it's time for me to settle down again."
Adora's eyebrows furrowed and her arms dropped, "What?" As it began to sink in, Adora's face whitened with horror, "Oh, gods no."
Silas pulled his face back into a forced smile and nodded his head.
"Who-" Adora stopped herself, collecting her thoughts, before clearing her throat and continuing, "Who did he suggest you settle down with?"
"Do I need to answer that?" Silas said, a laugh rising up his throat as he stared at Adora, who was, for a change, speechless. She put her head in her hands and tried to cover her face as blood rushed to her small face. Her face burned so much she practically radiated heat.
"Adora, it's not really an issue." Silas said, holding up his hands awkwardly, "I know your father was just trying to help, so I just politely rejected his offer."
"Oh, gods." She whispered when she finally managed to find words, "I'm going to kill that old man."
"This is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you wouldn't take it well."
However, Adora was not listening to a thing Silas said. Instead, she kept whispering violent thoughts to herself about what she would do when she saw her father next.
Finally, the waitress came back and dropped their drinks off at the table, staring at Silas in bewilderment after she glanced at Adora's covered face.
"Enjoy your drinks, guys." The waitress said as she slipped away again.
Silas sighed before sitting back, "Adora, it is not that important. It happened, and I let it roll off of my shoulders, so you should too." Silas stared at Adora before reaching his hand out and tapping the back of Adora's hand. This made her glance up, her face bright red. Silas smiled and laughed lightly.
"What is it?" Adora grumbled out, looking to the side.
"You look like a tomato." At this, Silas could not control his laughter anymore, and he began to laugh loudly. Adora's face grew even redder at this, and in response, she grabbed her drink and downed it in a few gulps.
"Another round!" Adora yelled, holding up her hand. Another waitress dropped one off on her way through, and Adora downed that one quickly too.
"Why don't you slow down a bit, Adora?" Silas said, stifling his laughter.
"Shut up!" She snapped, "If I don't drink now, I'm going to leave here and go kill my dad."
"Okay." Silas said, trying to control his mocking smirk as he sat back.
At that moment, the curtains began to pull back, and on the stage emerged a beautiful woman. Her short, blonde hair was perfectly coiffed, so it curled around her slender face. Her dark brown eyes glinted behind her heavy makeup and her dark red lips drew up into a seductive smile as she emerged into a hollering crowd. Her long, tight red dress hugged her slender figure and the shawl lazily draped around her arms hung behind her, emphasizing her smooth, curved back that was bare in her low-cut dress. As she walked up to the middle of the stage, musicians hurried out onto the stage with their instruments and sat behind her in prearranged seats.
As the tavern patrons watched the woman emerge from the curtains on the stage, they all quickly began to crowd around the stage, wanting to get closer to the beautiful, elegant woman.
"Hello, everyone!" She said with a smooth, velvety voice, opening her arms wide, "Thank you so much for allowing me to come here and perform for you all!" She clasped her hands together and smiled, her dark brown eyes scanning the eager crowd, "I can see you all would like me to start! Let us start then!" She then used her slim hand to signal to the band, and they held up their instruments in anticipation. She tapped her foot a few times, her heeled shoe clicking loudly on the wooden stage, and began to hum. Suddenly, the band started playing, and the slow, smooth rhythm soothed the excited crowd.
Then the singer began to sing, and her silky voice started low and quiet, singing the story of a man who lost his home and family. As she sang, Silas watched, entranced like many of the tavern patrons by her smooth voice and her sharp eyes. He did not even notice Adora glare at him, then down three more drinks in quick succession. Instead, Silas continued to gawk as the singer, who, in scanning the crowd, noticed Silas's staring and returned his stares with her own. The singer lazily held her arm out, as if she wanted Silas to join her on stage, which snapped him out of his daze.
"Oh, are you done ogling her now?" Adora said with a deep frown, her face flushed as empty mugs sat all around her.
"I was not ogling her." Silas said cooly, glancing over at Adora.
"No? So your eyes were glued to the band then?" Adora said sarcastically with a drunken laugh.
Silas glanced down at the mugs sitting on the table, "How much have you drank, Adora?"
"Not enough!" Adora shouted, drunkenly rocking side to side.
"More than enough, actually. You're practically falling over." Silas then raised his arm and shouted at a passing waitress, "We need the bill!" The waitress nodded and slipped into the crowd as Silas got up and made his way around the table, attempting to wrangle the drunken Adora, "Come on, Adora. I'm going to pay, and we're leaving."
"No way!" She said before laughing hysterically. Silas groaned in frustration, then pulled out his coin purse and left more than enough money to cover Adora's numerous drinks and his one drink on the table. He then grabbed Adora's arm and put it over his shoulders. The waitress popped up by the table, and Silas nodded to the money on the table, which she quickly grabbed with a smile.
"Let's go, Adora." Silas said as he dragged the fumbling Adora to the entrance. She tried to pull away from Silas, and she began to protest, but Silas hushed her and held her with an iron grip. As he pushed the front door to the tavern open, he looked back one more time to see the singer on the stage staring at him, her arms outreached as she hit a long, high note. It was like a siren trying to call a sailor to his death, but Silas quickly looked back at Adora and walked out the front door, leaving the siren behind.
…
As Silas walked the mumbling Adora to her neighborhood, her legs tumbled under her and Silas stopped with a sigh.
"What am I going to do with you?" He said as he stopped and looked at the barely conscious Adora. He sighed in frustration before grabbing Adora's arm that was over his shoulders and pulling it over, dragging Adora across his back. He leaned over and had Adora lean heavily on his back before wrapping his arm around one of her legs, then the other, lifting her up on his back with a little hop. Adora mumbled softly in his ear, and Silas sighed and lightly shook his head, "Thank the gods I'm not the one that is unconscious. You would never have been able to carry me home." He then began the short walk to Adora's house, looking forward determinedly as the sun began to dip in the sky.
"Too bad you're not awake right now. The sun is beginning to set, and it's pretty." Silas said, glancing over at Adora. She began to snore quietly. Silas shook his head and laughed lightly, continuing the short walk. As Silas began to get within eyesight of Adora's home, she began to slip slightly as he walked, and he lightly hopped to readjust her, which woke her up for a moment, before she dozed back off.
"Gods, you remind me so much of Aurelia." Silas said with a sad laugh, reminiscing about all the times he would carry his little sister back home after a long day of playing in the woods, "Too bad you never got to meet her, or the rest of my family. You would have liked them."
As Silas finished that thought, he came upon the large, two-story brick home that belonged to Adora's family. He glanced up, looking to see if there were any lights on to indicate someone was home, before taking one of his hands that was supporting Adora to knock on the door. Within a minute, an older woman with ink black hair tied into a bun at the base of her neck opened the door. The wrinkles near her eyes crinkled as she smiled at the sight of Silas, until she saw Adora on his back.
"Oh gods, what has my daughter done to you now?" She said, her eyebrows furrowing as she wiped her hands on her apron and put her hands on Adora's back, giving her a little shake, "Adora! Get up, my dear! You're home." Adora woke up with a start, then stared, confused, at her mother.
"Mom?" Adora said, her eyebrows burrowing in confusion before whipping her head over to look at Silas, who was looking back at Adora from over his shoulder. She whispered some foul language under her breath before tapping Silas's shoulder, "Alright, put me down!"
Silas shrugged and let Adora's legs go one at a time, supporting her as she regained her balance.
"Adora, thank Silas." Adora's mother, Lilian, said calmly, the light wrinkles near her mouth deepening as she frowned at her daughter, "He brought you all the way home. He did not have to do that."
Adora stuttered out a thank you before running into her house and racing up the stairs. The two stood at the doorstep, watching the young woman who seemed so small and childish at the moment, run up the stairs. As Adora turned the corner at the top of the stairs, Lilian huffed deeply before turning back towards Silas.
"I'm sorry about my daughter's behavior." Lilian said, her northern accent heavy in her speech, "She means well, but she can be so childish at times."
Silas shook his head and smiled, "No, I'm glad I could get her home safe. She's usually very serious, so it was good to see her relax a little."
Lilian smiled gently, her wise face radiating kindness. She patted her apron before saying, "Would you like to come in for some tea?"
"Oh, thank you for the offer, Ma'am, but I'm going to the training ground while there is still some light left in the sky." Silas rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "Well, I should probably get going."
Lilian smiled and gently patted Silas on the shoulder, "Be safe, and make sure to get enough rest."
Silas smiled and bowed his head, clasping his hands in front of him. Even though they lived in a town that did not follow elven traditions, the elves themselves thought it was important to continue their traditions.
Lilian nodded gently and stepped back into the house, slowly closing the door behind her. With that, Silas turned on his heels and began the walk back to the training arena. He did not even glance back to see Adora watching him leave from one of the upstairs windows, her face burning bright like a beacon.
…
As Silas approached the wide arch that was the entrance to the training arena, he glanced over at the stairs leading to the spectator's area. It made him stop and pause, glancing quickly over to arch, then back over to the stairs. Then, as if his feet were moving on their own, he walked over to the stairs and ascended them. He held the railing as he stepped on the top step of the stairs, and he looked over to the bench Emmeline had sat on when she had come the first time to watch him train. He slowly released the railing as he walked over to the seat, and he sat next to it, as if Emmeline were sitting beside him. He shut his eyes as the memory of that day flooded back to him.
He remembered how Emmeline had shouted she loved him, and he smiled as he raced down the stairs to join his comrades in training. At this time, Silas was just a foot soldier, so his comrades teased him mercilessly about his wife coming to watch, but Silas knew it was in good jest.
"Does your wife have a sister?" One of the men asked, elbowing Silas.
"Even if she did, I wouldn't let you anywhere near her." Silas retorted with a laugh. The other men began to laugh too, as the one man elbowed Silas again.
They all joked and laughed at each other until one of their superior officers came out, rallying all the men together to start their intensive training.
Silas put all of his effort into doing well, so he could show off for his wife, who cheered him on at every turn. As soon as they had a break, Silas broke off from the group and ran up the stairs, panting heavily from the difficult training.
"How'd I do?" Silas asked as he slid in next to Emmeline. She smiled brilliantly with an excited twinkle in her eyes,
"This is so fun to watch!" Emmeline said, barely containing her excitement, "And you were so good! Especially when you had to stab the dummy!" Emmeline said, copying the jabbing motion Silas used on the straw dummy.
Silas felt a small blush come to his face, and he could barely control the pride he felt that he had impressed his wife.
"You have to show me how to do some of that stuff!" Emmeline said, her fists clenching in front of her with determination.
Silas faltered slightly at this, eyeing his wife, "Are you sure you can? I know you've been feeling better lately, but I don't want you to relapse."
Emmeline slapped Silas's knee playfully and huffed, "I know my body better than anyone else! Besides, the doctor said exercise would help me feel better!"
Silas looked at his wife's face, her determination not wavering for a second. He then sighed, knowing she would do it anyway, and nodded his head, "Okay, we'll do it as soon as I have a day off."
Emmeline cheered loudly before grabbing Silas into a tight hug, which had all the soldiers in the arena look over curiously.
"Silas!" One of them yelled, cupping his mouth to project his voice, "Stop showing off and get down here! Break's over!"
Emmeline let go of Silas and smiled at him with one of the biggest smiles Silas had seen since they had arrived in Moireach. He could not help but smile back as he looked at the beaming Emmeline, her curly brown hair hugging her face. He grabbed Emmeline's hand, gave her palm a quick kiss, then ran back down the stairs to join his comrades.
After that day, Emmeline would drop in every once in a while to watch Silas train, sometimes even bringing elven sweets, such as fruit tarts and buckwheat cookies, to bribe the soldiers into teaching her a few tricks and tips of their own. This only added onto the swords training Emmeline had learned from Silas, who kept his word to his excited wife. Soon, Emmeline had become a decent swordswoman, and many of the men joked that Emmeline would soon be joining the military, as the Faelfier kingdom, unlike many kingdoms at the time, allowed women to join the military. Unfortunately, Emmeline was never healthy enough to endure the daily, incredibly difficult training that the military required, so she was unable to. But the fact that she was able to proficiently use a sword brought her joy on its own.
When Silas opened his eyes and returned to the present, he noticed that the sun was dipping into the horizon, and soon it would be too dark to train. With a sigh, he stood up and glanced one more time at the spot that used to seat Emmeline. He smiled forlornly before walking over to the stairs and descending, making his way home to keep his promise to Adora's mother to get enough rest.