Location: Outer edge of the Village of Lann Bhuan
Φ Grooming the hair of the horses by the riverside, I say, "Sorry for Setanta's nonsense, we are lucky he managed to catch you from the air when we fell off that Clift. But don't hold it against him, the little boy seems to be in a dire strait."
Beside me Daragh comes up and looks at the horses, so I turn to him and say, "Do you want to touch one?"
"Can I!" He says with a bright expression.
Picking him up, I hold him near the horse and say, "Horses are very highly perceptive, and will sense distrust. So, make sure to earnestly approach."
"I will."
He slowly brings his hands close and then touches its head. As he does the horse playfully rubs its head against Daragh's hand, and he looks back at me whilst saying, "He is touching me back! I think he likes me!"
"You're right about that, it seems he senses what a good man you are."
Daragh looks at the horse, and says, "They never let me go near one back at home. Horses are animals which are only for warriors, and I was the furthest from that. But they really are the coolest."
Rubbing his head, I say, "I am happy you feel that way, and if you want to learn how to ride them, I can teach you."
"Really!?"
"Of course, my people often used them to catch faster wonderbeasts on our hunts."
The kid looks confused for a moment, and I quickly cover my mouth. I did it again and said something that might clue people in I am not from here.
His face turns bright again, and then he says, "YOU COME FROM HUNTERS!"
As the light from his expression hits my eyes, I remember that he is a kid. He probably doesn't assume that a human would be walking around in a land that hates humans.
"Doesn't that mean your people fought all kinds of wonderbeasts!?"
Placing him on the back of the horse, I move around and say, "Of course we did! We fought wonderbeasts that looked like viscous sludges, and others that soared through the sky, even those that filled the land with mushrooms, and others that could rip a beastkin in half with one attack."
"OOOOOHHHHHH!"
Moving my body into funny poses and shapes, I say, "I will tell you the story of when we stuck down a wonderbeast that looked like a giant ball, and the harsh battle that followed."
He moves his weak body around like an excited chipmunk, and I continue to tell my tale, but in the middle of this moment, Culainn says, "Aurelius! We have to go right now!"
Turning to him, I ask, "Why should we do that?"
"I saw a large army of beastkin who have gathered up a crowd of humans and they are all coming towards us!"
"Wait, how do you even know they are coming towards us?"
Culainn takes a moment to look a Daragh, then says, "Because from the word that they are chanting, I know specifically they are coming for you."
Realizing the situation, I take Daragh off the horse and place him on the ground, but then I say, "As far as anyone is concerned the last time you saw us was half a day earlier, ok?"
"What, why, please tell me what's going on?"
Culainn says, "I am sorry, but we have to cut our stop here short."
I instantly move to help Culainn and his wonderbeast up onto the back of the horse, and then quickly get on my horse as well, but then I notice that the rancid smell that was all over my clothes is gone, so I say, "Culainn my scent is all over that child, and your wonderbeasts scent are both over that child, if he gets left here they will interrogate and punish him."
Culainn breaks for a moment, then says, "Ok take him with us, we will pretend he is a hostage."
I quickly grab Daragh, who says, "Why are you guys in such a hurry and why are the beastkin coming after you both? You guys are not telling me something?"
"I am sorry Daragh but please just follow us for your own safety."
Daragh nods his head, and says, "I don't know what's going on, but I trust you both won't hurt me."
I rub his head, and say, "Thank you for this."
Both me and Culainn then start to ride the horses away, and using his wonderbeast to apply weight Culainn is able to control his specially trained horse to move how he wants. I would say he is an even better rider than me right now.
We both move as fast as possible and after riding to the edge of the forest, Culainn says, "We will try our best to meet up with Setanta, at the grand library. If he is with us, he would be able to get them to listen to Lugh's decree."
"But isn't he a quarter of a day's travel away from us?"
"You're right, but we quite literally have no other choice but to hope we make it there in time, and anyway. I am sure the moment Setanta hears about our situation he will come running to meet us which will save us an hour or two. With how large this crowd is I am sure are attackers must have sent words all throughout the land to see your execution."
Behind me, Daragh pulls at my back and says, "I think I know a shortcut."
"A shortcut?"
"Sometimes I struggle to move around, and my family leaves me behind when we travel places, so I have figured out a couple of shortcuts that aren't popularly used to move around."
Rubbing his head, I say, "Great job."
He smiles a bit at me but lowers his head the entire time. Culainn then says, "Let's move then!"
Daragh points us in the direction where he is speaking of, and we head out at full speed to reach our target, but as we do, we pass through a tunnel filled with orange dust, and I say, "This land is really beautiful."
Hugging my back, Daragh says, "I love it lots."
"You should. Never forget to take a hold of the beauty of your home, I wish I could do that every single day."
We continue to ride through the dark without taking a moment to rest.
-Break-
We ride in behind the trees at the dead of night and as we do, I struggle to keep up with my surroundings. Unlike the beastkin my senses aren't sharp enough to allow me to ride effortlessly through a dense forget in the dark.
Culainn says, "We should take a break, Aurelius."
"Why? I can still keep going."
"No, a few minutes of rest will allow you to get further than you would by pushing yourself, and besides letting the horses rest for a moment would be good."
"But where would be safe to stop in this place."
"I know of a location close to here that should be safe."
"Alright."
We ride until we reach a little workshop that looks worn down and is surrounded by countless little graves.
So, I ask, "What is this place?"
"A place I once called my home once upon a time. But enough of that, take a seat then go to bed. I will go and make sure there is nothing in the area that might come after us."
Φ As Aurelius and Daragh lay down to rest, I jump on the back of my munchnunchers and start to take a stroll around the workshop.
I visit my former bedroom, my former workshop, and even the graves of all my friends, and in front of it, I say, "I am sorry it has been so long since I could return Konrad, I haven't been in a position where I could come to Findias for a long time.
Lots of things have happened since I came here last to rebuild this house and make your graves. I wanted the next time you all saw me to be after I managed to make some progress on the dream we all shared, but lots of things have happened since then.
I took in many students, but they were killed by others under my control. I started a family, yet I allowed my wife to die and for my daughter to hate me, I even lost my rank and peerage that I had worked my way up to get.
But at least from that, I was able to meet and help many different bright students. I have sent many of their way to get the proper qualifications while planting the seed of our dream within them.
It may be selfish, but I think anyone who aspires for greatness would love to know of its existence."
Taking a deep breath, I say, "Konrad, I wanted to turn out like you. Someone whose actions spoke louder than their words, and I did in such a horrible way. Every single day for decades I had simply thought about giving up and coming to see you all.
But there is still something I can do here, I can teach some people without hope how to work, and I can help a stupid little wolf have time to think about the problems going through his head. I can tell you that it wasn't a mistake for you to take me in, and soon I will get to say it to your face."
Suddenly my munchnunchers starts to get aggravated, and I touch him saying, "What's wrong." But before I can even bend my body enough to place my hand on his head, I feel a blade to my neck, and I hear someone whisper into my ears, "Come out traitor."
I am picked up off my munchnunchers, which causes it to turn around and attack; biting the beastkin who holds me. But furious with its action the beastkin kicks the munchnunchers into one of the graves then another beastkin appears and stabs it, killing my friend.
I simply stared at my partner's dead body, but I wasn't even given time to mourn as I was immediately dragged away and brought to where both Aurelius and Daragh were standing surrounded by beastkin.
"LET THEM GO!" I yell, but my face is pushed into the ground by my captor.
From the forest, a man emerges, and says, "You let down your guard Culainn."
"Dáire."
"O,h you remember my name."
"I remember the names of all those I wronged."
"Then you would know the names of all beastkin within the empire then, because even after your mistakes all those years ago you still saw it was fit for you to do something like this."
He pulls the covering off Aurelius and to everyone they can clearly see he is a slave, even Daragh who makes a frustrated expression at this revelation.
"You would dare bring one of them to freely walk around in this land, the land which they stole, the land which they pillaged. You deserve a thousand deaths for the disrespect you have allowed to happen on our land."
"I have permission from the Faoláin's to bring him with me. He is their property and should be treated as such."
"Do you really think the Faoláin care about one dead slave, to the point they would risk war with the house of Laoch? I can even tell by his golden hair and blue eyes that he was one already destined to be executed in the next year anyways."
Aurelius makes a confused expression at this statement, but then Dáire says, "If you never showed you're face in front of me I wouldn't have killed you, but you truly have pushed my hands, so I will make the death of you two the most torturous pain to ever be experienced in this lands. Past, present, and future."