Legends of legendary heroes, sadly does not belong to me.
This was prompted by a request from lazy_as_hell who motivates me to no end. Royally_clumsy you have the broken pieces of my heart forever. Your comments never fail to leave me dying with laughter.
"I like your eyes,"
Those were the words that had started it all.
Ryner grimaced wiping his mouth after hurling up, once again what little he had ingested, before joining the bustling market crowd. It had been two months since his battle with Sion Astol on the bastard king's birthday. And since then Sion had relentlessly pillaged a path of bloody victory through one royal nation at a time. By now three quarters of the world bowed beneath the flag of Roland and praised the name Sion for all the heavens to hear.
The war continued with no end in sight. The kings which had yet been conquered or killed had all but abandoned titles and thrown fearing for their own lives more so than for the lives of their people.
But then again like so many that Rayneir knew, he too would have found his end even though it my not have been at the hands of his majesty the king. After his battle with Sion, he had been imprisoned yet again, leaving his rescuer to come once again in the form of a Blonde haired maiden skilled with the sword.
"In this condition are you certain that you'll be able to push on," Ferris began as Ryner swayed slightly on his feet, "you've been like this for days."
"What can I say," Ryner stated in his ever present lethargic tone, "I've got a bad case of food poisoning."
"Call it what you will but you need to see a doctor," steely blue eyes that showed a rare sight of sever concern assessed him from soul to crown only for her to wrinkle her nose in disapproval.
Suddenly self conscious, he opted to avert his complacent eyes from her gaze. He was sure he definitely didn't look that bad. Sure his hair had grown a bit wild again and with his loss of appetite, he had grown a bit paler and thinner but surely he wasn't that appalling was he?
But he thought with all that had been going on it was better to stay this way. As an escapee from Roland Imperial prison, he was one of the most wanted men to date and regardless of how many days went by the man hunt to find him only grew more fierce as Roland's influence spread across the world. Looking less like the man on the cover of every poster in town was imperative.
At the moment they were in a small town close to the dessert, under the guise of friendly tourists and collectors of the most local artifacts and sadly their pursuers who so happened to be hot on their trails had also landed in town as well.
"Yeah tell me how that works out after those guys drag my ass back to the slammers," Ryner commented glancing at the group of men in the middle of the bustling market crowd scanning each face that sauntered by.
"Just stay hidden from sight is all we need to do," Farris stated as she chewed on a stick loaded with dangos of various colors.
"If that were the case shaking these guys would be a breeze," Raynier explained pulling his hood closer around his face as one of their tracers drifted closer.
"You there boy,"
An old vendor seated behind a stall of old and worn artifacts beckoned him over.
Grasping the opportunity to the flee the sights of preying eyes he drifted over to her before one of their pursuers could get too close, he drifted over to her. With no real intention to actually speak with her on bargaining an item he glanced around, suddenly aware of the fact that he had somehow managed to lose sight of Farris.
"Do you see anything that I could interest you in?" the old woman began, dragging his attention to the meager artifacts she had to offer.
By a glance he knew that now of them were of any real value but with the present economy, valuable or not persons were opting to sell everything they had to get by. Ryner sighed, he was short on money as it was, and he didn't have any to waste on such foolery when they hardly had enough for food now.
"I'm sorry but no," he glanced over his shoulder as one of their tracers bumped into him as he when by, too busy following a blonde haired girl that he must have thought to have been Ferris to pay Ryner any attention.
"Please sir I would kindly implore you to have a closer look," the old woman pressed, grey unseeing eyes calling interest.
Suddenly, whether it was those eyes of hers or the tone of her voice, something about her drew him into what felt like a different time and space all together. The sounds of the market rush, the chattering locals, the hollering vendors and sales men, all seemed to fade into the back ground as he crept a bit closer to her small stall of old trinkets and accessories.
"I'm really sorry but I don't have much to spare," Ryner heard himself say as though it were from a distance.
"For you my dear I will offer you anything here for as low as nothing at all," the old woman spoke, the corners of her mouth wrinkling as she smiled fondly at him.
Against all his opposing thoughts he leaned forward, bending a bit to examine the small items she had before her. They were really nothing to look at and if he wore to ever grade their quality he would have given it a flat zero. But nonetheless he couldn't shake the feeling that they were something odd about them. Without much thought he employed the abilities of his alpha stigma to examine them and as he had expected, there was nothing magical about them that his eyes could pick up on.
"How about you pick one for me," he smiled sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck out of sheer bad habit, "I'm not the type of guy that makes good choices."
The old woman offered a warm smile, "I really doubt that. Its not your choices that have forged the path on which you walk alone, for you see, fate and destiny play a role in your misfortunes thus far as well."
For a moment he was taken aback at her words.
For some reason he felt as though with those eyes of hers she could see everything that really mattered about him. But sadly that wasn't the worst of it. he actually liked the way she looked at him and even the way she spoke to him. He couldn't explain it but in her presence he felt… warm.
"There is no need to be afraid, I may not know who you are but I am certain that destiny has lead you to me," she continued, running her hands over the trinkets before her with practiced ease, "you see young sprout for many that have come my way all share a common trait. They have suffered a fate worse than death from their moment of birth. And sadly you I fear I seen the worst that life has to offer."
What the?!
He looked at her. She seemed to be saying so much yet so little and yet her words all seemed to be pointing at one thing. She knew about it, about all of it. he didn't know how but it seemed that against all odds she knew of even the secrets he had kept firm hold on from even Ferris.
But how?
He was sure he had hidden it well. Hadn't he?
The old woman chuckled as she gathered up the trinket of her choice in hand, "with age comes wisdom boy. I don't have to be able to see you, or even know you to know what it is that you've hidden from the world and dare I say, you're still hiding now. The pain you feel can't hide from these eyes nor can anything else about you."
Reaching out she extended a hand that had the trinket of choice wrapped loosely in her fist. Not sure if he should trust someone who seemed to know so much, somehow, he hesitated but accepted her trinket all the same. He didn't know why he didn't refuse but no other thought came to mind at that moment.
"How do you know-," he was about to say when a commotion outside drew his attention.
"Alas it's time for you to leave but fret not we will meet again, if destiny allows our paths to cross once again," the old woman stated, "with this I give you my blessing. May good fortune come to your aide in times of true peril. Now go I fear that danger looms over this town shadowing your every step."
Raising a brow at ever puzzle of words he glanced down at the trinkets in his hands. There were two of them a bracelet woven together by leaves now brown with age and a pearl earring that had the started to discolor under the brutality of the flow of time.
Just remembering he had yet to pay he began searching his person for the required payment.
"As I stated before I really don't have much to spare," Ryner began as he found the small pouch of change, "how much it?"
"Ryner Lute,"
The voice had him spinning on his heels at the ready for the worst.
He had been too careless, he hadn't watched his back too caught up with the old vendor. He wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't found him sooner.
"What are you doing?" the face of an appalled Ferris put his worries aside for a moment.
"Where the hell were you?" Ryner fired glancing over her shoulder as the citizens in the market began a mad dash toward the wondering merchant chart that auctioned rare artifacts at this time of day at the center of the market.
So that was what all that commotion was about?
"We don't have time for his," Ferris whispered turning her face away as one of their pursuers followed a dark haired man in the crowd streaming toward the auction, "we've got to go now. Roland's armies are going to be passing through here soon. Anyone of them compared to those idiots on our tails would have no difficulty sniffing us out. If they arrive before we're gone it's game over for us both and the world next greatest dango maker."
With little for enthusiasm as always Ryner dug through the pouch for what little he could find. It was the least he could offer her. If not for the trinkets then out of good charity.
"You are to kind but there is no need for that not anymore," the old woman smiled when she felt a sudden chill pressed against her hand, "please accept those as a gift to you and the other young one."
"Alright," Ryner stated as Ferris begun to haul him off at the sight of the Roland flag somewhere a good distance off, "Thanks granny."
Her faint smile followed him long after they had lost sight of her and even sight of the city.
