Warning: This fic is a sequel. If you have not read my fic, A Marriage of Inconvenience, or it's sequel, A Den of Vipers, some things will probably not make sense. This also contains crucial spoilers to those fics. Go read them first.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fable. Fuck off, Microsoft.
Prologue:
Tattered Pages
Day 13 – Unknown – somewhere between Bowerstone and Rookridge – 11:48am
The ship left port from Bowerstone yesterday and, while I was enthusiastic to begin our voyage, I was not eager to leave my family behind. I suppose that is the cost of being a Hero: Theresa calls, you answer. And quickly, at that. I just wish I knew what I was meant to be looking for.
On a side note, I'm beginning to think that Reaver was correct in suggesting I ask him for transport North. I haven't understood more than a couple words these sailors have said all day! As amusing as that is, I think next time I will simply have to give in and rely on Reaver. If there's one thing I can count on him for, it's that he knows how to sail and talk at the same time.
Day 18 – Unknown – Oakfield – 2:05pm
We've made our last stop for provisions before we reach the Edgelands. The sailors seem uneasy. The more time I spend with them, the easier they are to understand. It's growing apparent that they are frightened to continue any further North. Captain Samuels—who, unlike most of his crew, is not a Northerner—does not appear to share their concern. I'm at a loss for what to do. Do I tell them to continue onwards and hope for the best or do I disembark and complete the journey on foot? What could be so terrifying in the North that they are afraid to reach it?
Day 19 – Unknown – Oakfield – 12:09am
I have decided that we will continue the quest by sea. It's the fastest way to reach our destination and Samuels seems to agree with me. This is fortunate. The crew appears to be slightly emboldened by our show of wanting to continue on, but who knows how long that will last. The days are growing shorter and colder already; I hope we can conclude this quickly.
Addendum: A horse messenger arrived just before dinner with a letter from Val. She sends her love and wishes me luck. According to her missive, Logan is doing well with his studies and Walter has begun teaching Victoria how to use her swords. Lately I've found myself wondering how much of their lives I'm to miss because of being a Hero. Will I simply awaken one day to find them grown with families of their own? Perhaps, after this quest, I can finally retire.
Day 29 – Unknown – Wreekdrift, somewhere near the Stumbles – 8:45am
The sea's been dead for over a week now and it's putting everyone on edge. I've never seen such still waters. There is no wind and no current; it's as though everything in the world has frozen but for us and the rise and fall of the sun. Tugging the ship has proved fruitless. I hope we can find some manner of breeze soon or our provisions may not last through the return journey. When Samuels has awoken perhaps there will be something I can do to help us along.
Day 31 – Unknown – Kraken's Jaw, just south of Shalefields – approx. 6:30pm
A storm struck last night. It was so vicious and so sudden that I had thought for certain we had drifted into a nest of krakens. Luckily, such was not the case. The storm lasted until just before midday today and we nearly were run aground before the crew could drop the anchors. I suppose it's natural the sea's rougher than when we left Oakfield, but everything else is…I'm not certain how to explain. The further North we travel, the worse I feel. Are we getting closer to whatever it is Theresa was hoping I would find?
Day 33 – Unknown – Ironwash River – 4:03pm
I might have just run into a bigger snag than I expected. We've gone as far as we can by ship, and yet…the men refuse to disembark so we may continue on foot. They say there is a great evil here and that is why the weather has been so strange and foreboding. Even Samuels is starting to agree with them. I don't know if they are wrong or right, but…there is something. I can feel it. We're being watched.
Day 34 – Unknown – Ironwash River – 2:21am
Great Avo, my hands won't stop shaking. I don't expect this to be legible when I view it later, but I need to get this down. Shortly before midnight, one of the sailors was taken. No one knows how. Apparently he was on the opposite side of the deck from everyone who had been on watch at the time so no one saw it. It was his screaming that woke the entire ship. Going by how quickly it was cut off, none of us believe he may still be alive. The real question is: what happened to him?
We've scoured the ship from top to bottom, but we've not found a trace of him. We've seen no strange people and no creatures—nothing to say what could have happened. At this rate, we've no choice but to wait for the sun to rise and begin the search again.
Day 36 – Unknown – Shalefields, west of the old Bastion – 9:30pm
Two more men have gone missing and we've still not found a trace of either them or what took them. I've persuaded Samuels that remaining on board his ship is no longer the safe option and we've begun travelling by foot. I wish I could say this ordeal has given me a sense of clarity for what Theresa wants me to find, but I still don't know.
I worry we may be stumbling into a trap.
Day 40 – Unknown – Fairwood, Mare's Teeth Hills
They were right. Samuels and half the crew: dead. Can't see this thing with all the darkness. Found safety in a cave for now. Can't abandon the survivors. Need to kill this thing and get us back to Bowerstone.
If we fail and someone discovers this journal, my name is Gwilym Rochester, known to most as Sparrow. I am, as of this moment, the King of Albion. Please return this to my family. Tell them I love them and I am sorry.
The night was impossibly dark, the cold cutting even as it burned. Blood choked the air like a pungent, ghastly incense. A lone figure picked their way through the tangled mass of felled bodies and paused as they spotted something odd. A little book, splattered heavily with gore, laid on the grassy ground. Oh. Yes…that had fallen out of the Hero's pocket as he vanished into a swirl of blue light. Intrigued, the figure picked up the book and flipped through it. They frowned as they finished their perusal, annoyed. With a burst of Will, darkness wrapped about the tome—within seconds it decayed to ash and dust and was no more. The figure turned away and was swallowed up by the night.
Author's Note: This has been a long time coming. Like a reeeeeaaally long time. I hope you enjoy the story; as usual, interaction is greatly desired. Also, I'm mostly on Ao3 (under the same name as here) and Tumblr (as raeofalbion) these days, so if you want more content, please go look there.
Development Notes: This should have been up years ago, but the original draft of this fic was lost. Completely vanished. It took a long time before I really had to desire to work on it again or was even able to figure out which of the original thoughts I'd wanted to bring into this still. There's a lot of little threads in this series, and Blackout's vanishing kinda turned them into a tangle. But I'm happy with where it is now. I hope you will be, too.
