Part 2: Geffen
The knight scanned the crowd almost impatiently. He had implicitly requested the wizard to meet him inside the city, but knowing him, he's probably out there doing exactly the opposite. It's not that Sichael was, in nature particularly hard to manage. In fact it was actually the opposite, that the wizard was an introverted and quiet guy with such a penchant for perfection that was enough to drive the most loving person nuts. He would obey commands only when they were politely put and providing that his own sharp mind could see the sense thereof. The knight knew this and had followed suit, sending out the least offensive of the cunning messenger boys, and had said his request in the most coherent manner possible hoping that the wizard would see sense and come accordingly. But of course, it was not that easy. Having another, somewhat impure reason for calling out to Sichael did not help either.
Vanraillyn ran a hand through his hair distractedly. There was a decent number of people scattered around the square, some of them haggling with the merchants and blacksmiths, some just resting after perhaps some rigorous training or bounty hunting, the mage novices could be seen going around distractedly, looking for items they need and checking those which they already have in order to make the potion that would let them pass the exams. And some, judging by the same impatient look on their faces, had the same business in the city as Vanraillyn, looking for somebody… if the person was still alive. The knight's hand tightened around the reins of his pecopeco involuntarily. There was nothing wrong with the wizard of course, he chided himself as he tried to calm his mount. Sichael just can't die that easily. He was a Midgardian, one of the infamous guild of backstabbers. Forget that he attracts too much lascivious attention. Sichael could look after himself. It was just that the wizard always succeeds in making the knight worry without seeming to wish it. Hell, Sichael probably wasn't even aware of it.
Vanraillyn guided his pecopeco carefully across the thoroughfare, trying to look out for the wizard and keep from squashing some hapless kid into pulp with the peco's large claws.
" Lynn."
The knight turned around sharply when he heard the familiar cool voice. " Sikh?"
The peco cried out in protest but Vanraillyn didn't care. The wizard was safe and was there right before him, as requested. His heart was pounding so hard he was sure the other could hear and would scoff at him for being such a fool and a damned worrier. " I didn't think you would be coming."
" I almost didn't," the wizard said, calmly. He focused his nearsighted black eyes on the hulk of the knight before him with a sort of intensity that Vanraillyn was surprised he had forgotten. " you've gotten thinner."
" Well, problems do that to everybody. You wouldn't know, though." Vanraillyn beamed at his companion in a manner not a whit short of a person who has found the proverbial hidden treasure. " Have you eaten? I'm famished."
" We could go to my place." The wizard looked at the other direction vaguely, like he was thinking of something else.
" Couldn't wait to have me to yourself, huh?" the knight kidded, winking at him roguishly. " I missed you too, you know."
" Shut up." Sichael blushed characteristically. He was so pale that it was a mere pinkish glow that tinged his thin cheeks. " You don't really know when to sober up, do you?"
" You don't really know when to have fun, do you?" his lover retorted. " Really, Sikh. Aren't we going to your house now? I could use one of your home cooked meals. Traveling from Izlude is no mean feat dear. And Peaky here needs to rest."
" You didn't have to ride her all the way into the city, you know." Sichael said, starting to lead the way his home. He paused for a while as the knight took his cue and alighted from his mount nimbly to walk beside the wizard. " It might take a while for that meal though. I haven't given much thought to dinner after I heard you were coming."
" Missed me, haven't you?" Vanraillyn said, half jesting. He wanted to put his arms around the slim shoulders of his companion but knew from experience that Sichael would never allow it.
The wizard colored again. " Whatever." His voice was terse, but the knight knew otherwise. After all, he hadn't spent all those time with Sichael for nothing. " you said that you come from Izlude. Prontera is closer there than Geffen is, and he could have warped you anywhere you want. It would have been easier."
" You were always a sucker for the easier way out, aren't you? Hm… what made you think that he would come with me? What with the fact that he owes not much allegiance to us being a servant of God… and also that he always opted for the option that would save his skin, excepting when it comes to her… I don't think he'll join us."
" You mean we won't all be there." Sichael said, with a note to his voice that was sour. He pushed his thick glasses higher up the delicate bridge of his nose but did not choose to add more. He did not need to, actually. His companion was so used to him he was attuned to the wizard's every turn of mood.
" Nuh- uh." Vanraillyn grinned at Sichael's piqued face and was unable to stop himself from tracing the line of the other's jaw. The wizard tolerated this more patiently than usual. Perhaps he knew of the sobriety of the matter at hand… or perhaps, he had, after all, missed the knight's caresses. " I said that he opted for safety excepting when it comes to her."
" Which means, I think, that we will have to go to Morroc next, right?" Sichael put in, irritably. " I hate traveling. Why did you have to pick me up first?"
" Oh, you know why. I want to have you all to myself before we all meet up with the others. Isn't that obvious?" when the wizard gave off a most uncharacteristic snarl however, the knight decided to change tactics. " I need you more than anyone. Besides, we have always worked together. You and I work almost like one. I don't really know how Morroc moves. She used to be trailed by Prontera in our little missions. At least we're used to each other."
" Hm." Sichael muttered. " Well, here we are. It's not the home sweet home ensemble, but it's alright…"
" You guess. Sheesh. Times like this I realize that you're really a guy to the core." Vanraillyn said, almost as irritably as Sichael had been before. He hated uncomfortable lodgings as much as the wizard hated traveling. And Prontera wet days. It made their life harder to live, actually. Comfort while traveling and only the best inns they could actually afford. And the priest refused to budge even out of bed when he could hear the faint treacle of the rain outside his window. " You are so damned particular I wouldn't have thought this house to be yours."
This was answered by another faint murmur from his companion, and Vanraillyn tied Peaky's harness quietly to the garden's rickety gate. Turning around, he found that the wizard had already gone inside the small rickety house, he fought back a curse as he tried to follow, the leather sheath of his sword clanging rhythmically against his steel armor. The doorway was so narrow he had to move in sideways to fit in his bulk that was fifty percent armor. Considering the wizard's narrow frame, it was a good enough fit, but hell, wasn't he thinking about the comfort of the visitors?
But maybe Sichael wasn't in the habit of entertaining. What with his generally aloof attitude, and his Old Blood descent, he was one of the proudest men Vanraillyn had ever met. And that was including the Priest. " Hey, Sikh, where the hell are you? And what's with the gloomy hallway? Trying to keep rapists out?"
" Just enter the first door to the right. I'll be there in a few minutes." It was impossible to know where the wizard's voice came from. But Vanraillyn followed his instructions anyway. There was no thought about treason when he was with Sichael. The wizard would never sell his soul and betray the Midgardians. There were after all, worse things that could happen if he did. And Vanraillyn knew Sichael enough to know that he always sided with the strongest.
The door that Sichael had described blended in so well with the dark panels of the walls that he had a hard time looking for it. What made him notice it in the first place was the intricate carving of a woman bearing a large jar overflowing with water right by its keyhole. In fact, hidden in the dark recesses of the jar itself was the space where a key, if anyone had any, could have been used to enter the room. " Hey, I admit that it's a pretty door and all, but how do I get in? Secret compartment? Password? Er, magic?"
" Just push it open. It's not locked." Was the wizard's unmagical reply.
Vanraillyn silently chuckled. So much for a magical dwelling. The wizard, he suddenly remembered had as much imagination as a pig in the mud. Which was such a waste. As the keyhole had symbolized, Sichael was from one of the oldest family of magic there was. The House of Mariné. The wizard was powerful, all right, but he sure wasn't fun.
The knight entered the most ordinary room a wizard had ever owned. The only things that told the visitor of the owner's identity were the books of witchcraft and magick stacked haphazardly above the bookcase. The couches gathered near the hearth were crooked and draped with threadbare tapestries. Brocades the color of dried blood were drawn over the tall windows and made the room feel somewhat sinister. There was a strange aura about the whole set up. Something sneaky. As if the house had a lot of secrets. Frankly, the knight would have felt better if he had been greeted with a large cauldron of bubbling green liquid and an overhanging severed head. " Gee, talk about creepy. You should try hire an interior designer, Sikh." He didn't expect the wizard to hear, and he got no response.
He lowered himself onto what he gauged to be the sturdiest couch in the room, and threw his cloak right on the table at the center. He wanted to browse some of the books scattered around the room, but was too lazy to get up and examine one. So he thought of the wizard instead, and didn't realize that he had fallen asleep.
..
" Lynn."
Sichael entered the room noiselessly, bringing in a loaded tray with him. The room was suddenly filled with the delicious smell of warm chicken soup and fried apples and onions, and it was as if the sinister aura had been lifted. The wizard had lighted a fire as got in, looking at the logs stacked in the hearth until they ignited, and the crackling of the fire, combined with the rich aroma of their meal gave off a homely atmosphere. Maybe it just needed a personality to light it up. Or rather, the knight's frame draped all over the best couch made it the home Sichael had never felt it was.
The wizard seated himself on the couch nearest the fire and looked absently at Vanraillyn's prone figure. He wanted to wake his companion up, but the look on the knight's face was so tranquil he decided against it. After all, he had traveled from Izlude on his pecopeco, and he knew how tiring that was. Knowing Vanraillyn, he probably failed to stop by nearby inns to eat. He was always an impulsive man. Possibly as well, he was so excited to meet his lover again that eating seemed unimportant.
" I'm such a handsome man, don't you think?"
The wizard started, his attention suddenly focusing on the man before him. " You're awake." He said, unnecessarily. " Well, I hope the soup didn't get cold waiting for you. It was a shame to wake you up you see."
" Oh, it's all right. As long as I wake up to your pretty face." The knight whispered. Making the wizard blush was as much a sport to him as making him angry was Sichael's.
" Don't be such a joker." The wizard snapped. " and finish off your food."
" Anyone ever told you you'd make a good wife?" Vanraillyn was again half jesting, the wizard could tell by the way his eyes looked smoky when his tone fairly bubbled with mirth. He leaned across the table to fix his violet eyes on Sichael.
" Not in the capacity that you mean." The other answered. " As I am sure you know."
" You are too cruel." Vanraillyn said. His voice was a whisper but the tone was sharp.
" Not to you. Never to you." Sichael smiled, as if to take the sting out of his earlier remark.
" Now eat up. You have much to tell me."
" Yes. You don't know how I've missed your cooking, Sikh. Everything seemed to be garbage when you're not around."
" You ought to get a wife."
" Oh, but haven't I, already?"
..
" Now, then, tell me. Ten years ago, the Midgardians parted and vowed never to meet again. It was a vow that led to a lot of complex problems… but a vow nonetheless. Why now do you search far for the guildsmen that you, ten years ago had as good as sent away?" Sichael looked at the knight with his eyes half closed and his hands forming a steeple in front of him. His gloves lay on his right leg that was crossed over his left one. The twilight had fallen over Geffen and left the only source of light inside the room was the reinforced fire at the hearth. The unstable light threw the room in blunt relief, making the tapestries as if they were moving, and the knight's red hair as if it was on fire. His fingers moved as if to lightly touch the soft radiance, but the wizard checked himself. Not until he had known what was to be known.
" Have you heard rumors?" the knight's voice was muted, as before. He was resting his chin on his hand and was looking at the fire with a thoughtful expression, that for him means that he wasn't thinking at all.
" Yes. But don't tell me that they're true."
" Then I won't. But that is the case nonetheless." Vanraillyn transferred his gaze to his companion's elfin face with a soft smile. " I'm at loss as to what to do now, Sikh. I need you so much."
" What is it that you want done?" Sichael ignored the fact that the knight had edged his chair closer to the one he was occupying.
" I want to save the guild. I want to save us." The knight looked sad. The jewel affixed to his forehead glinted in the elusive room, catching the light that was particular, choosing only those which are closest to it. " We had made many enemies, Sikh. Too many, for my peace of mind. If they get wind of the fact that we no longer have the guild's protection, there is a large possibility that…"
" That this will be the end. We go down in backstabbing history. Perhaps the most inglorious defeat those who sell their souls can ever attain." Sichael smiled bitterly.
" Why did you ever join us, Sikh? You could have done better. It's just not like you to be into this dirty business."
" Because I owe my life to one man… and he would have died without me." The wizard answered simply. " Is that why you went here first, Lynn. Because you were afraid of us dying?"
" If I say yes?" the knight's voice was a soft caress.
" Oh, Lynn." His sigh broke the stillness that was made by the crackling of the fire and the song of the crickets outside. " When did I ever leave you?"
Author's note: Sichael of the House of Mariné is a fire wizard, and Vanraillyn Argentum an Agi knight. Sichael's name is pronounced Seashell with the accent on the last syllable. And oh, they're both men.
