Well, the votes seem one-sided, don't they? Elar + Jordyn. Well, we'll see. I'm still debating.
Either way, one of them is going to get someone else, and the extra someone will be joining soon enough. Gwenalene was a distraction, but this new girl, she'll take the cake..
****
It seemed nearly eternity before Jordyn even acknowledged their presence. She blinked suddenly, and her first reaction was to put herself as far away from knights, Princes, and elf men, as she could. Prince Elar moved slowly towards Jordyn. She didn't move when he crept closer, but her shoulders stiffened slightly as he sat beside her.
" What happened, Jordyn?"
" ..."
" Jordyn...you probably don't understand why I'm prying, but it's very important that you tell me what you saw. It could help me to solve...some mysteries."
Jordyn bit her lip, but remained silent. The Prince leaned back casually on his elbows, the nobleman's doublet he wore rustling against the little tuffs of grass. His sword clanked a little, and he brought his hand up to push back some of his hair that had gone astray. It was straight, like his mothers, but a tawny blond brown, like his father's.
" Listen, Jordyn, I'm trying to understand what I've done to you, that has you so afraid of me...it's-"
" I don't know."
"..."
" It's strange...personally, I have nothing against you or the others. But, there's a small part of me, that's afraid, and it pushes that fear out, so that it seems like my own...but, it's not..."
Jordyn laughed.
" Sounds like I'm crazy.."
" No. You're not crazy. Confused. Not crazy."
Jordyn gave him a grateful smile. He looked at her imploringly.
" Tell me what you saw."
" I don't understand it myself..."
" That flower," Elar turned," Grows only on the line between the desert and Kyrria. Every so often, it will open, and the rumors are, that the flower will show something that will symbolize the future journey. It only does so under certain mysterious conditions...what did you see?"
Jordyn paused for awhile, then slowly whispered.
" Death...I saw a Head of Death..."
Prince Elar put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch, she didn't budge.
" Who?" He whispered, though he already knew the answer.
" You."
******
" You can't seriously believe in that legend!" Gwenalene stammered.
" Silence! He was not addressing you!" Edvi retorted harshly.
Gwenalene stood off to one side, muttering. The Prince was busy examining the hilt of his sword.
" Jordyn saw a Head of Death in that flower. She wouldn't lie to me."
" And you mean to tell me she saw YOUR head there?"
" The Head of Death only appears when you or someone you know is going to die. It usually resembles the victim." Elar murmured.
" I KNOW THE LEGEND. But, are you sure she didn't just...imagine it was yours? Perhaps, in her fear, she exchanged your face with the real one she saw."
" No. She was very clear."
" Are there any other interpretations?" Edvi murmured desperately.
" There is one rare interpretation...and that is that I am not a victim, but a murderer." Elar looked up defiantly, his copper brown eyes flashing dangerously," But, that will never come to pass, as I would sooner kill myself then murder anyone. So, the only other explanation, I will die sometime in the future."
Edvi was silent for some time. The Prince, dies in the future?
" Destiny had to make this difficult for us, didn't it?" Edvi sighed.
Prince Elar grinned confidently.
" Well, Edvitalon, that's the risk of questing, isn't it?"
" I suppose."
" We still need to get to the Sorceress Grrega's house. She may be able to answer a few of our questions."
" I still don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, after all, she is a..."
" SSH!"
Prince Elar made a frantic gesture for Edvitalon to be quiet.
" What IS it with you? I was just going to say that she's a..."
" SSH!"
Edvitalon sighed. Why must humans be soo...timid? So, Grrega was a 'well-known' figure? So what? She couldn't help it if she was a...
" SSH!" Elar motioned again.
" I didn't say anything."
" You were thinking it."
" How would you know?"
" Because I know you well enough."
Edvitalon sighed. This was going to be one very bad trip. Grrega wasn't known as the....
" SSSHHH!!!"
Either way, one of them is going to get someone else, and the extra someone will be joining soon enough. Gwenalene was a distraction, but this new girl, she'll take the cake..
****
It seemed nearly eternity before Jordyn even acknowledged their presence. She blinked suddenly, and her first reaction was to put herself as far away from knights, Princes, and elf men, as she could. Prince Elar moved slowly towards Jordyn. She didn't move when he crept closer, but her shoulders stiffened slightly as he sat beside her.
" What happened, Jordyn?"
" ..."
" Jordyn...you probably don't understand why I'm prying, but it's very important that you tell me what you saw. It could help me to solve...some mysteries."
Jordyn bit her lip, but remained silent. The Prince leaned back casually on his elbows, the nobleman's doublet he wore rustling against the little tuffs of grass. His sword clanked a little, and he brought his hand up to push back some of his hair that had gone astray. It was straight, like his mothers, but a tawny blond brown, like his father's.
" Listen, Jordyn, I'm trying to understand what I've done to you, that has you so afraid of me...it's-"
" I don't know."
"..."
" It's strange...personally, I have nothing against you or the others. But, there's a small part of me, that's afraid, and it pushes that fear out, so that it seems like my own...but, it's not..."
Jordyn laughed.
" Sounds like I'm crazy.."
" No. You're not crazy. Confused. Not crazy."
Jordyn gave him a grateful smile. He looked at her imploringly.
" Tell me what you saw."
" I don't understand it myself..."
" That flower," Elar turned," Grows only on the line between the desert and Kyrria. Every so often, it will open, and the rumors are, that the flower will show something that will symbolize the future journey. It only does so under certain mysterious conditions...what did you see?"
Jordyn paused for awhile, then slowly whispered.
" Death...I saw a Head of Death..."
Prince Elar put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch, she didn't budge.
" Who?" He whispered, though he already knew the answer.
" You."
******
" You can't seriously believe in that legend!" Gwenalene stammered.
" Silence! He was not addressing you!" Edvi retorted harshly.
Gwenalene stood off to one side, muttering. The Prince was busy examining the hilt of his sword.
" Jordyn saw a Head of Death in that flower. She wouldn't lie to me."
" And you mean to tell me she saw YOUR head there?"
" The Head of Death only appears when you or someone you know is going to die. It usually resembles the victim." Elar murmured.
" I KNOW THE LEGEND. But, are you sure she didn't just...imagine it was yours? Perhaps, in her fear, she exchanged your face with the real one she saw."
" No. She was very clear."
" Are there any other interpretations?" Edvi murmured desperately.
" There is one rare interpretation...and that is that I am not a victim, but a murderer." Elar looked up defiantly, his copper brown eyes flashing dangerously," But, that will never come to pass, as I would sooner kill myself then murder anyone. So, the only other explanation, I will die sometime in the future."
Edvi was silent for some time. The Prince, dies in the future?
" Destiny had to make this difficult for us, didn't it?" Edvi sighed.
Prince Elar grinned confidently.
" Well, Edvitalon, that's the risk of questing, isn't it?"
" I suppose."
" We still need to get to the Sorceress Grrega's house. She may be able to answer a few of our questions."
" I still don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, after all, she is a..."
" SSH!"
Prince Elar made a frantic gesture for Edvitalon to be quiet.
" What IS it with you? I was just going to say that she's a..."
" SSH!"
Edvitalon sighed. Why must humans be soo...timid? So, Grrega was a 'well-known' figure? So what? She couldn't help it if she was a...
" SSH!" Elar motioned again.
" I didn't say anything."
" You were thinking it."
" How would you know?"
" Because I know you well enough."
Edvitalon sighed. This was going to be one very bad trip. Grrega wasn't known as the....
" SSSHHH!!!"