Rain fell from a cloudy sky as Darren, Aenwyn, and the zerglings walked on the path to Chrimata. When the four had left earlier there were only a few clouds in the mostly clear sky, but after an hour walking, grey clouds appeared, and it poured hard. Darren was just glad that Abigail and Timothy had given Aenwyn a heavy cloak so that she could hide herself.
Speaking of the pair of adults, they were the only ones awake when Darren had brought his plus one in the middle of the night. While surprised by the development, they welcomed Aenwyn with open arms and let her stay in the room next to Darren's. The two never asked for an explanation of why Aenwyn was here and instead tried to be as welcoming as possible. It was something that she seemed to appreciate.
When Elizabeth had come downstairs to start the day, she seemed perplexed and apprehensive. Darren was unsure as to why Elizabeth was somewhat cold towards Aenwyn, even when the elf was nothing less than cordial. It confused him, but he didn't let it bother him as there were more important things to think about.
Such as the fact that they were off to find Abraham so that Darren could explain what he had found out.
I just hope that the rain lets up, Darren thought. From what he knew, they were only about halfway to Chrimata and, if the rain didn't get lighter, then chances were that it would be well into the afternoon when they reached the inn the knights were staying at. Not having many ideas to pass the time as they walked, Darren turned to Aenwyn.
"Hey, Aenwyn," Darren called to her.
"Yes, Darren?" Aenwyn asked when she turned to him.
"What's the name of your kingdom," the young man said, trying to make any sort of conversation. "I couldn't find it in any of the books I found."
"First it is a queendom rather than a kingdom. Secondly, it is called Ayi Thalore."
"Ah. Cool," Darren smartly said as Aenwyn went back to focusing on the road in front of them. A few minutes of silence passed until Darren spoke up again. "Why is it a queendom?" After a pause, Aenwyn spoke.
"That will take some time to explain. We elves are typically known for unity, whether it be to our families or our people. Before this though, the elves used to consist of warring clans that always strived for more power. The borders to our forests were closed to outsiders and interlopers were killed on sight no matter the reason. This is until one elf decided to unite the clans, the Hero Queen, Thalia Farthana. It took a generation or two, but she eventually made agreements between the clans and thus our unity began. For centuries we have been united against all that would threaten our people and the hero queen was the one to lead us. Some would say that having a singular leader for so long makes us weak, but it is my belief that no other elf could do better."
Darren had a few more questions, like how long does an elf live for exactly if the hero queen was centuries old, but he decided to go for a different question instead.
"So, would you say that Thalia Farthana is your hero in a way?"
"I would say she is more of an example for all of my people." Aenwyn looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "As for who is my hero… my hero will always be my mother." It was the first time Darren had seen her smile and he tried to keep the conversation going.
"What's she like?"
Aenwyn turned and looked at him. "My mother?"
"If you don't mind." Aenwyn was silent as they walked, then she smiled again.
"My mother is the kind of woman who does not stop for anyone. She would pursue her goals without rest rather than heed the advice of those who would try to stop her for her own good, besides my father of course," Aenwyn finished with a giggle.
Darren felt himself smile and, in response to his emotions, Cooper trotted up to Aenwyn and put his head under her hand. Aenwyn jumped in surprise but saw the expectant look in Cooper's eyes and she started to pet him. The zergling purred in response. Aenwyn smiled slightly and looked at Darren.
"What else would you like to know?"
"Well…"
And so, they continued on like that. Soon the rain lightened up a little and the road to Chrimata was easier to walk.
It took a while and it was still raining, but eventually, the small group made their way to the inn without complication. Just as Darren was about to open the door, it flew open showing Jones decked out in full armor being followed by a few other knights.
"Right, so I'll look for Darren around the market and you men go look aro-" Jones cut himself off once he saw Darren. "Darren! There you are, we were getting worried when you didn't show up last night."
"Sorry about that Jones," Darren replied as he gestured to Aenwyn, "but I had something that I needed to do yesterday, and it took me outside Chrimata." Jones eyed the cloaked Aenwyn curiously but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned back to Darren.
"Well, alright then. By the way, Abraham wanted to talk to you about something. He's inside right now."
"Perfect, I needed to talk to him too." Making his way inside with the others following him, Darren found Abraham sitting at one of the tables near the wall and walked over.
"You had us worried, you know," Abraham huffed as Darren walked over. "Jones and a few others were wondering where exactly you had gone."
"And I'll explain that soon enough," Darren said. He looked around the room and saw a few of the other customers glance at them curiously. Darren leaned in and spoke in a lower tone. "We should discuss this in private though. Meet me up in my room."
Seeing Abraham nod a moment later, Darren turned to Aenwyn and gestured for her to follow him. They went up to the second story, followed by Cooper and Declan, and waited inside Darren's room for Abraham. Aenwyn sat on the bed while Cooper and Declan went to lay by her feet. Darren sat at the table in the middle of the room and took his helmet off as he reviewed what he had learned from the slaver leader last night.
-Last night-
"You're going to tell me everything you know," Darren whispered menacingly as he got closer to the man's face.
"P-Please, don't hurt me! I'll tell you whatever you want! J-Just please don't hurt me!" The man struggled more in Darren's grip and tried to free himself.
"If you don't stop struggling, I'll make you stop." Instantly, the man stopped struggling. Now that the situation was somewhat calmer, Darren could actually examine the man. Scars covered his face, and at first glance, it would make people turn away. He wasn't a young man, that was for sure, but he wasn't old either. Though he might have been the oldest of the group as some of the youngest Darren had killed were only just slightly older than he was. Still, they had tried to kill him so he wouldn't cry too much over them.
"First," Darren started, "what is all this?" The man in his grasp blinked in confusion.
"Y-You don't know? About the black market?" Eyes widening behind his helmet at that information, Darren shook the man in his grasp.
"Answer me!" The man cowered from Darren's roar.
"Serenity! It's called Serenity!"
"Good. Now, who do you answer to?"
"I don't know." The zerglings growled and showed off their talons while coming closer to the man. "I-I really don't know," the man stuttered in fear. "All I know is that we answer to the Overseers and they answer to the Council."
"Do you know anyone who could tell me more?" After a moment's silence, the man answered in a whisper.
"Noah. He works at the guard station near the center of Chrimata. He's the only one who knows who the Overseer for Chrimata is."
Once again, Darren felt anger burn inside him at Noah's name. This time he calmed down faster than before and focused on the situation at hand. He knew this was connected to the black market, that Noah was somehow a part of it, and that there was someone that needed help a few feet away. Darren let go of the man and dropped him. Turning away, he made his way towards the exit and was going to find the elf but was stopped by the slaver raising his voice.
"Don't think this over!" The slaver stood up and pointed at Darren, getting louder and more confident as he shouted. "Just 'cause you stopped us doesn't mean it's over! We're everywhere and no one can stop us! Not the royals, not the knights, and certainly not some two-bit bastard who thinks he can just screw things up and-"
FWIP
Darren walked purposefully towards the elf as the man fell backward, dead with a spine lodged in his eye.
As Darren was going over what he had learned, a knock was heard from the door.
"It's me," came Abraham's voice.
Darren stood up and made his way to the door to open it showing Abraham and one of the other knights on the other side. With a questioning look at the other knight, Darren let the two men in and examined the hallway for any eavesdroppers before closing the door. Motioning towards the table, the three men sat down while Aenwyn and the zerglings stayed by the bed.
"First off," Abraham stated, "I believed that whatever you had to say to me, that my second-in-command would also have to hear."
"I don't believe we've introduced one another," the unidentified man said. He was slightly shorter than Abraham but just as muscular. There was a nicely trimmed grey mustache on his face that reminded Darren of a stereotypical looking aristocrat on TV. The man reached out with his right arm. "The name's Gilbert. At your service, Magi Darren."
Darren reached out to meet him and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Gilbert. And please, just call me Darren." Introductions over, Darren went right into it. "Firstly, I'm sure that both of you are aware of rumors of a black market, right?"
Both men nodded their heads in confirmation.
"Well, I'm here to tell you that it does, in fact, exist."
Both men's eyes widened in interest. "And you can prove this," Abraham asked. "You have evidence?"
"I can do you one better." Darren waved over Aenwyn. She walked to the table to take a seat and pulled down her cloak hood. "I have a witness."
Once they had gotten over their shock at seeing Aenwyn, the two men listened as Darren recounted what happened last night. While they didn't seem to react much, Darren could see Abraham's fist tighten and Gilbert's eyes narrow slightly when he mentioned how he found Aenwyn prisoner. Darren finished up by explaining what he found out from questioning the leader which led the knights to look at each other for a moment.
"Just to make sure," Gilbert started, "all of these events occurred last night?"
Darren nodded.
Gilbert looked at Aenwyn. "And you can verify that what he said was all true? That you were a victim of the slavers?"
"All Darren said was true," Aenwyn said, bristling slightly.
"I just needed to make sure," Gilbert stated. "It is my duty as second to verify all information, no matter the source." Aenwyn and Darren nodded their understanding.
"What you say is troubling," Abraham said. "While we were aware of rumors, actual evidence has been impossible to come by. But here you are bringing not only testimony in the form of a witness, but a name to go with it. Serenity." Abraham said the name slowly like he was tasting it.
"It's more than we had before," Gilbert took over. "We at least have something to look for rather than baseless rumors."
Abraham sighed. "That is true." After a moment's silence, Abraham spoke to Darren. "You said that a man named Noah would know more about Serenity's whereabouts, correct?"
"Yeah, and that he should be near Chrimata's center," Darren said. The group took some time to digest what they heard. "I think we should find him."
"Agreed," Gilbert said.
"Then I suppose that's what we'll do. Shall you be joining us, Lady Aenwyn," Abraham asked.
"Yes, I would like to see the faces of those who would have me imprisoned and sold," Aenwyn said. "And please, call me Aenwyn. There is no need for formalities."
Nodding his assent, Abraham stood up and went towards the door followed by Gilbert. He turned to Darren and Aenwyn, still sitting down. "We will leave in a few hours then. I need to tell Jones and the rest of the men to wait here for us."
"Got it," Darren said. "We'll see you later." With another nod the two knights left.
Once the door closed Aenwyn let out a sigh and leaned back against the chair she was sitting on.
"You alright?"
Aenwyn looked to Darren who stared at her in concern. "Yes, I am fine. Thank you," she said tiredly.
Darren didn't notice earlier, but now that he was focusing on Aenwyn he could see her brow crease. There were some bags under her eyes, nearly unnoticeable, and she seemed unsteady. It was a wonder he hadn't noticed it before when they were walking. "You sure?"
Aenwyn glared at him. "Yes, I am perfectly sure," she said irritably. She stood up and began to walk to the door as she spoke loudly. "I am perfectly alright, and I am ready to leave whenever-" Aenwyn stumbled, reaching for the wall. Acting quickly, Darren was at her side and held Aenwyn up with a hand on her shoulder to steady her.
"You could use some rest," Darren said. Aenwyn glared at him again and was about to speak until Darren firmly cut her off. "You haven't fully recovered and it's clear you're tired. Have some sleep, eat some food, and then we'll go."
"But-"
"Noah isn't going anywhere, and as far as we know, he doesn't know that you escaped. You being tired will only slow us down." Aenwyn glared at the wall, but Darren could see that his words were getting through to her. "Just a bit of rest and I promise that we'll find the bastards as fast as possible," Darren said softly.
Aenwyn looked at Darren for a moment, her eyes searching for something in his own. She looked away once she was satisfied and went to the bed, taking off the cloak and pulling the covers over her as she lied down. After a few moments, Darren could hear Aenwyn's breathing even out showing just how tired she really was.
Darren stayed for a few minutes to make sure that she was asleep then made his way to the door. Sending instructions to Cooper and Declan to guard the room, he went down to the pub of the inn to grab some food for when Aenwyn woke up. Hopefully, the rain would let up by the time Aenwyn was rested.
The rain didn't let up at all. In fact, it got even harder.
The street, usually crowded full of people and quickly set up street shops, was barren save for the occasional person walking by, hiding under the cover of the nearby buildings. They didn't however, and instead walked through the middle of the cobblestone paved road.
The group, composed of Abraham, Gilbert, Aenwyn, Darren, and the zerglings, made their way to Chrimata's center. Abraham and Gilbert were decked out in full plate armor with the visors of their helmets down to cover their faces from the rain. Darren himself was also fully covered in his black carapace armor with the zerglings trailing behind him. Aenwyn still had her cloak and some better clothing generously provided by the innkeeper.
They had left a few minutes ago once Abraham had finished giving out orders to his knights and had made plans in case something went wrong. It may have seemed paranoid to take so long, but the man was experienced and went over everything with a critical eye, making sure to leave nothing to chance.
Right now, the group was following Abraham as he knew the town better than anyone here. Gilbert was a step to his left. Darren and Aenwyn were just a few feet behind them, but they kept up.
"Darren."
The young man turned to Aenwyn curiously. The elf had been silent since she had woken up from her nap and kept from conversing with anyone. When Cooper and Declan had begged for attention all she had done was pet them once.
"I would like to… apologize for earlier today." Aenwyn didn't turn to look at him and her cloak hid her face. "I was not myself, but that is hardly an excuse for my actions." She stopped talking and they continued walking in silence.
"It's no problem," Darren said. "It's like you said, you weren't yourself."
Aenwyn looked over at him and through the rain, Darren could see the surprise on her face. Darren grinned at her, hoping to convey that he had no hard feelings over what happened. She turned her head forward and didn't say anything else, but Darren spotted a small smile before her cloak hid her face again.
The group walked for the next few minutes and soon made it to Chrimata's center. Abraham took a quick look around and nodded to one of the streets. They followed him, passing by buildings that looked more official than the rest and soon stopped at one that had two leather-clad guards standing at attention by the doors armed with spears. A sign at the top read, "GUARD HOUSE" and had a coat of arms of a shield and two swords on either side.
As the group made their way to the doors, the two guards stepped forward and crossed their spears. The one on the right spoke first. "Halt! State yourselves and your business here!"
"I am Abraham, knight and Captain of the Guard. Beside me is Gilbert, my second in command, and two witnesses to a heinous crime. I am here to speak with the local guard captain," Abraham said.
The two guards looked at each other, then they pulled their spears back. "You'll find Captain McKenna towards the back of the building," said the guard on the left. "Don't cause any trouble while you're in there."
With a nod to the guard, Abraham motioned for the group to follow him. They made their way in one by one. Darren was last and when he was going in, one of the guards put a hand up and stopped him.
"Those pets of yours," the guard said with a quick look to Cooper and Declan. "They safe around people?"
"As long as they're with me," Darren said.
The guard stared at the zerglings for a moment then turned to give Darren a hard look. A few moments later he pulled back and waved Darren through along with his zerglings.
The guardhouse was a simple building with the main area on the first floor and what looked like a stairway to the left leading to an underground area. The room was open with tables and chairs spread out haphazardly and towards the back were two doors labeled "CAPTAIN" and "ARMORY". There were many men and women of various ages that seemed to be either going through forms and working or were enjoying their downtime as they ate and drank the day away. With the rain outside, it probably meant there were fewer patrols at the moment.
When the door closed behind the group, all the guards turned to the newcomers and the chatter dimmed. Darren could feel the tension in the air when the guards' attention shifted to his group. The door labeled "CAPTAIN" swung open and a fit-looking man stepped out with chainmail armor.
He was around the same age as Abraham, but not as muscled. The captain had a scar over his left eye that led down to his chin and was bald. He could still be described as handsome though. The most expressive thing about him though, besides the scar, was how he looked at a person. His gaze seemed to judge a person for their worth, regardless of status or achievement. He looked at the new group that had entered, then his gaze quickly went to the guards.
"What is this, the theater!? Stop gawking and get to your own business!" The man's yell broke the tension and the guards ignored Darren's group, more than a few of them were left abashed at the scolding.
Seeing that everything was back to order, the captain nodded and made his way to the group. Abraham met the man halfway with the others trailing along behind him. The captain spoke first with a handshake.
"I'm Captain McKenna, I take care of Chrimata."
Abraham shook the hand. "I am Abraham, a knight." McKenna raised a brow at that.
"If I may ask, what are knights doing around here? It's not every day we see a man like you."
"I will explain everything, but I was wondering if we could have this conversation in a more… private setting," Abraham said as he looked around the room. McKenna seemed understanding and soon led the group to the office at the back.
He let everyone in the room and closed the door behind him. The office was spacious enough for the group to stand comfortably and had a large rug. On the far side was a beautifully carved wooden desk covered in sheaves of paper tied together with string. Just behind it sat a cushioned armchair and a fireplace in the corner kept the room at a warm and comfortable temperature.
McKenna went behind the desk, sat down, and spoke. "So, what was so important that you would rather speak behind closed doors?"
"We believe that one of your men is involved with the local black market presence," Abraham said without a moment's hesitation.
McKenna's eyes went immediately to Abraham's as he shot to his feet. He spoke to the knight with a firm tone bordering on outrage. "That is a bold accusation to make, Knight Abraham." McKenna's eyes narrowed. "My guards may not be the best bunch, but by the gods, you had better have some proof if you're going to accuse my people to my face."
"Of course," Abraham said, "I would not expect a man I just met to believe a word I would say without some form of evidence." The knight captain waved Aenwyn and Darren forward. "This is Aenwyn, she was imprisoned by the local black market presence. Next to her is Darren who freed her and found information regarding one of your guards."
McKenna put his knuckles against the desk's surface and leaned forward with a sigh. After a few moments of calming breaths, the guard captain looked Darren in the eye with a serious expression.
"Tell me everything."
And so, Darren told the man everything that he had seen that night, from the symbol that he had seen to freeing Aenwyn and bringing her to the orphanage. Here, Aenwyn reaffirmed what Darren had done. Partway through Darren's recount, McKenna had sat back down, his elbows were up on the desk, and his hands were clasped together. However, his eyes did not once stray from Darren's for a single moment.
"... and that's about everything I know," Darren finished.
Except for the fireplace that was still cracking in its corner, it was silent in the room. McKenna closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. He looked at Darren and Aenwyn and said, "What you both went through was terrible and you have my condolences. To make sure though, the name you heard was Noah, correct?"
Darren nodded.
"There was no chance that you may have heard a different name?"
"No sir," Darren said.
McKenna sighed again. "Noah isn't the best guard. In fact, we hear the most complaints about him on any given day. I'm just surprised that this even happened," the captain said. He looked at Abraham and Gilbert. "I'll get on this as soon as possible. For now," McKenna stood up and walked to the door, "please wait here." Without another word, McKenna left the group to their own devices.
"That went well," Darren said, breaking the silence. "Should we wait here, or get back to the inn?"
"You two can go back, we will stay here just in case of any updates," Abraham said, pointing to himself and Gilbert. With a nod to the two knights, Darren and Aenwyn walked out of the office and made their way outside with Cooper and Declan right behind them.
They made their way back to the inn in peaceful silence as the rain poured down on them. Just as Darren was about to say something to Aenwyn, she stopped suddenly. Darren reached out to ask her what was wrong when he felt a ping over the bond with Cooper and Declan warning him about something. Aenwyn grabbed his outstretched arm and started pulling him in a random direction.
As they turned on random corners, Darren used this as a chance to look around the area. His zerglings warned him that something was following them and Aenwyn seemed to have similar thoughts.
"Did you see anyone," Aenwyn asked as they turned on another corner.
"No. Nothing yet," Darren answered.
They continued down a road at an even pace, then Darren pulled Aenwyn towards an alleyway to the right. She complied and they soon found themselves at a dead-end, a wooden wall blocking them. Looking around, Darren spotted some crates halfway in the alley that they could use to hide behind. He waved Aenwyn over to hide as he hunkered down with Cooper and Declan beside him.
They waited for a few minutes in the rain, and when Darren was about to look over the crate, he saw one of Aenwyn's ears twitch. Her eyes narrowed in focus and she gestured to wait. They heard a female voice.
"Where the hell did they go?"
"I thought you said that they went down here," a male accused.
"I did see them go down here! You should've run when I told you to!"
"Whatever. They probably didn't get too far if they're still around here. McKenna's gonna be pissed if we lost them."
Darren and Aenwyn's eyes widened in shock. What the hell are they talking about, Darren thought to himself.
"So, where do we go now that…" the voice petered out as the sound of footsteps receded in the distance.
Darren waited only until when Aenwyn seemed sure that their followers were gone and stood up from their cover. He quickly walked to the alleyway entrance and spotted a pair of guards turning on a corner farther down the road. Darren leaned on the wall near him and felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Aenwyn looking at him slightly distressed as she spoke.
"What do we do?"
A/N: Poor silly me thought that I would have more time to write now that I'm home all the time. Turns out I have less time.
Hope everyone's safe at this time.