~Memories~

By Ola

~*~*~

A/N~ Lan's adventure begins. =)

~*~*~

Part 7~

The guard's headquarters weren't as big as she had thought, maybe because they towered over the narrow town houses that bordered Melin's square. The building itself was rectangular and two-storied, with the shortest side facing the street. The façade was clean and well kept. It was obvious that this was a government building. Although it was nearing evening and autumn, the sun had time to warm the earthen road and the stone buildings which now radiated heat in the manner of fireplaces, but the inside of the headquarters was cool, sheltered by a thick wall of light colored stones. The windows were large and made of real glace, which was proof that the building was relatively new.

Lan's soft footsteps reverberating in the empty hallway took her past a few small offices, a large stairway, a quiet mess hall with long wooden tables, dark with use, standing in orderly rows, waiting for someone to sit down and eat. But no sound of knives and forks clicking on plates came to disturb the peace. Next came a practice sale with one side made completely with glass to let the most sunlight in, and the other, opposite it, a long row of mirrors, to efficiently teach young soldiers to see their errors and correct them. Another stairway at the end of the hallway took her up to the second floor, where several dark, wooden doors were closed. In the middle of the top corridor was a medium sized dormitory with a dozen beds placed in two rows with their headboards against the wall. They were nothing fancy; a narrow mattress on a wooden frame, a blanket of rough wool, and a pillow; but it was a lot more than a typical country bumpkin was used to.

One of the beds was made, and a small pack as well as a sword laid by its foot. Lanea met its current owner on her way to the bathing room. He was tall and lanky and his hair was the most vicious color of red she had ever seen. Like dancing flames. The fact that it was humid and stood on ends as if he had constantly passed his hands through it heightened this comparison. Lanea tried not to stare. So she looked down. Bad idea. He wasn't wearing anything except a greenish towel wrapped around his middle. Her eyes came back up to  his face, and she noticed that he didn't seem to realize there was someone else in the hallway. Which is a good thing. The less attention I get, the better.

She resumed her walk to the bathing room. At the door, she was met by a cloud of mist and warmth…and a clean smell that tickled her memory. But the room was empty of any other presence. Lanea didn't wait for someone to materialize. She poured hot water into one of the three metallic tubs; the farthest from the door. On one wall, she found shelves with brown towels and bars of gray utilitarian soaps. After dropping her clothes on her bag, next to the tub, she jumped into the water and began a vigorous rub down, including her head and ears. She had no way of knowing when and where her next bath would take place. And as much as she would have loved to lay down in the tub and relax, unknotting her soar muscles and clearing her head, she knew she had no such luxury. She had left luxury and all it implied back in her hometown, with her name and feminity, and she wasn't about to return there. She was Lan, an orphaned and poor boy from nowhere important.

~*~*~

Someone had lit the candles in the hall, in an attempt to push away the incoming darkness. The dorm room's two large windows let in the last vestige of a dying sun, but soon, everything turned gray. Lanea didn't lit any candles. Like the only other occupant of the room, she stored her belongings by the bed's footboard.

Downstairs, a few people were talking and someone laughed. Lanea laid on her bed, clasping her hands behind her head. In the near gloom and relative silence, she remembered where she had first encountered the scent from the bathing room: in the hallway, when the boy, lost in his thoughts, had past her by. Now, it still faintly hung in the air; the boy seemed asleep, and in the dark, his hair didn't seem so red anymore. Some time later, a few people were silhouetted in the room's doorway. Lanea heard something hitting the floor, and voices she could not distinguish from each other. She was too tired to want to rouse herself from the half-sleep she had fallen into.

Farther away, water splashed. Closer, a bed creaked. Then all went silent again as she drifted into much needed sleep.

~*~*~

There were six of them, standing in the bright morning light.

            *There was Jek, a man unspecial in every way. He was of medium height and built, he had brown hair and brown eyes, and he kept mostly to himself.

Each of them was given a backpack made of thick, sturdy cloth.

            *There was Dareel, a blond haired, blue-eyed man who towered over everyone, and constantly showed his teeth.

They were given a blanket, a rolled up sleeping mat, and one oiled tarp to share for two.

            *There was Matejas, light-brown-haired and short. He and Dareel knew each other and constantly talked about everything.

They received a wooden bowl and spoon.

            *There was middle-aged Tuck, not very tall, but extremely wide. He was not fat, only very stocky. His shaggy black hair and beard made him look like a bear. They would all later learn that, for all his girth, he was surprisingly fast.

They were allowed to take personal possessions, keeping in mind that they would have to carry it all for a year, or throw it away.

            *There was the slim, young, red head, whose hair once again became bright orange in direct sunlight. It still stood on end. He was named Sindarin.

The communal goods of the group were evenly distributed among the six. Food, pots, pans, and other necessities.

            *And there was Lan, the little greenie, who always seemed on the offense, and who frowned at everyone and everything.

They were given a sword and a bow with two dozen arrows if they did not own one or the other. Those were certainly not beautiful, and they had seen quite a lot of years of use, but they were sturdy and lethal in good hands.

They were each given a number, in order of their entry into the guard. With those, they formed three groups of twos; three groups to stand watch, cook, share tarps, go on missions in turns; three groups to make it safer…and less lonely in the dark.

Dareel and Matejas grumbled and swore, not the least happy about the arrangements. They had arrived second and 3rd. Unshaven Tuck glared, then grabbed Dareel's elbow and exchanged places, as if annoyed by a child's whim. Dareel nodded his thanks, flashed his teeth, and resumed his conversation.

The tall red-head had signed in 5th. He gave Lan a cursory glance the went back to his thoughtful studying of the pebbles in the courtyard, or rather, they just happened to be where he was looking.

To the group was added the crooked-nosed captain, whose voice loudly filled the air. Not everyone was listening to him, but he didn't seem to notice, too taken up by his speech.

The last man was an older member of the guard. He was a practicing healer and knew quite a lot of other necessary things too. Although the captain's hair could have been termed as graying, his were far beyond that stage. He didn't have any at all.

They left before the sun rolled all the way from behind the horizon, heading South East.

~*~*~

A/N~ as always, please type in a little comment in the little box below.

                        I

                        I

                       \ /