Chapter IV: A Dismal, Yet Humble Haven
Week 4, Day 3, Dusk
Two whole weeks of nothing but travel ensued, the three of us banding together against the common hazards of the trail. Raging storms, wild beasts, and surprisingly only one other instance of encountering bandits. We had dispatched of them, however, with a sneak attack, thanks to an incoming premonition.
Over the course of those weeks, we had also seen a change in scenery. The landscape went from forestry and mountains to open plains more often, though it was not a remarkably noticeable difference.
Finally, after awakening from a brief rest in an alcove of the woods, we trudged on, our legs weary from nearly a month's travel on foot.
"By Tog, I don't think I can feel the soles of my feet anymore."
"I must agree with Dedric on this one. I believe my….ankles...are suffering at the hand of this wretched, rough dirt."
"Weary is the traveler who gets close to their journey's end." I quoted.
"Fuck's that mean?" Dedric interrupted rudely.
"It means that your tired feet is a sign we are close to the destination we desire."
"And what in the hell is that destination?"
As much as I wanted to retort that snappy comment, I didn't have a viable answer. In fact, I had been wondering for more than a fortnight where we would be going. I had been edging to find somewhere, someplace where I can start a new life, and hope to redeem myself for all the losses I-
"Wow, that place is pretty big." Dedric noted. I looked up to where he was staring, and marveled at the sight.
Sweeping plains in either direction, leading up to a slow ascent into a small, abandoned village, with rocks hanging off the edges of the cliffs around it. Further up, a large, crumbled keep sat atop the large end of the cliff. A quarter mile down a steeper slope, an abandoned town on the bay was nestled next to the cliffside, right of a beach that stretched far along the coast, beyond what the eye could see.
"Marvelous."
It was all I could say. The sight was amazing. And now I was starting to get just the cusp of an idea. I looked back at Dedric and Haedyr, who were gazing at the sight as well.
"We'll camp here."
We had made our way into the village, cantering our horses slowly on the off chance that there were any enemies hiding within. I slid off mine, unsheathing my dirk, alongside Dedric and Haedyr, who had followed suit with their weapons. We began to search cautiously through the hamlet, only looking through broken holes and windows, seeing where we could set up.
"That church up there seems sturdy enough." Dedric remarked, pointing at the tall church-like structure a dozen meters away.
"It does. When we're done clearing this village...well...if we do clear this village…"
I noticed that I had caught Dedric's stare, which seemed to express anguish.
"Why in the hell would you say something like that?"
I felt a little embarrassed by his question, but I recognized his concern. I was aware that I could be unnecessarily morbid at times.
"Er, regardless, we'll take rest in the church when we finish clearing the village."
And we did, with no trouble whatsoever. It was unsettling, actually. Mysterious that nothing hostile had taken up stay in an abandoned town. Considering the sheer amount of creatures that roamed this world, I was more than skeptical of the barren land. Haedyr propped his sword against his shoulder, flipping up the visor to his helmet.
"I must adjudicate, it be-eth more than alarming to mine own self that there have been naught but a single creature within the confines of this fine hamlet-"
"Yeah, there's no bloody mongrels hangin' around 'ere." Dedric interrupted.
"...I agree-eth."
"It matters not." I concluded aloud. "Let's not test our luck. We should make our way into the church so we can scrutinize over matters unaddressed."
Haedyr and Dedric nodded, though I was somewhat doubtful that they understood the second half of my sentence.
Nonetheless, we retreated back to the church, which wasn't actually a church at all, but instead a wide, open room with a small winding staircase that led to a sort of guard tower above. We had thought about exploring the building a bit, but seeing as we were fatigued, we decided to instead take a short rest and consolidate our strength.
Haedyr and Dedric began to set up a campfire (or rather, struggled to) within the building, as the natural lighting from the windows only reached so far inwards.
Meanwhile, I wandered around to gain an understanding of the history behind this church-like structure. I was amazed to find that there were little dilapidation to the building. Barely any cracks, none of the windows were broken. If it weren't for the dust that had gathered within the building, I could have easily mistaken the establishment for being newly-built.
"By Tog, good man, can thee please keep thine pile centered?"
"Maybe I could, Haedyr, if ya'd stop strikin' the flint across the steel towards me bloody hand-"
Clank.
We all moved up into battle-ready positions as a nearby empty can fell to the ground few meters away. After a moment of tense silence, Haedyr began to move towards what we had now seen to be the entrance into the scouting tower atop the building.
"Damn, we didn't search the tower." Haedyr mumbled in frustration. "We let down our guard too quickly."
I was prone to agreeing, but I didn't see it as particularly necessary at the moment.
When Dedric and I approached slowly behind Haedyr, we had not a single moment to react when someone jumped out of the shadows, holding a crude shank of sorts with shaky hands. I immediately noticed it was a woman, who seemed frail, frightened and weak. Her dark hair was dirtied and displaced, her skin covered in dirt and soot, her clothes tattered and ragged.
"By Tog! You scared the demons out of me!" Haedyr yelped, his hand on the pommel of his sword. And yet, as she stood there, shivering, he did not pull it out.
"Stay back! Don't fucking come near me!" The woman shouted in a panic, her eyes filled with fear. "I'll gut you like a fish!"
Haedyr reeled his head at the statement. "My lady, please," He said soothingly, approaching the woman casually with an outstretched hand. "You shouldn't let such things pilfer such a fine-"
The woman grabbed him by the wrist, twisting it and pulling his torso towards her as he yelped in shock, before wrapping her arm around his neck and facing him towards us, using the palm of her weapon hand to flip up his visor and raising her shank to his face.
"Wh-What in Hell's bells?!" He proclaimed in confused terror.
"Stay back!" She shouted at myself and Dedric, who had his knife out and pointed at her. "Or I'll slit his throat!"
I myself was alarmed by this unfortunate blunder. What initially was a situation that could have been solved simply by moving aside as the woman left now devolved into a hostage situation because of Haedyr's inability to read a threat correctly. I subconsciously noted to chide Haedyr later on treating armed adversaries as such, no matter who or what they seemed to be. I raised my arms cautiously, opting not to pull my dagger, but instead try and negotiate with this woman.
"My lady, we're not here to harm you." I stated simply, staying in my position. I had been taught by my father on dealing with hostage negotiations (in the event that he or I were ever in that situation), the first rule being to establish friendly relations with the hostage taker and avoid movements that could be taken as threatening. It seemed to work, as the woman seemed to loosen from her rigidness a bit, though she remained shaky and cautious as we spoke.
"Just let me leave and I swear I'll never show my face to any of you again...please…"
I was about to respond when I noticed Dedric eyeing the woman up and down like a wolf would to meat.
"Maybe some favors first…" He mumbled. When his eyes drifted over towards me, I stared daggers at him.
"I suggest you watch what you say next, Dedric. Very carefully."
"What the...we're on the same side here, Avon!"
"You insult me by insinuating that I would try and use this moment to garner any favors from this clearly-battered woman." I said harshly. Of course, I found Dedric's sexual drive to be very helpful at this moment, for now I was put in a favorable light with her, as I noticed her eyes soften as she heard what I had said.
Meanwhile, Dedric grumbled, but kept his mouth shut. I turned my attention to the woman again, my hands still out and open in a friendly gesture.
"I promise you, my lady, neither of my associates here will lay a finger on you." I made sure to emphasize the point by glancing over at Dedric, who sighed in frustration.
"I get the fuckin' point, Avon."
With that assured, I continued forward in my negotiation.
"My lady, all we want to do is take a stay in this place. Now, believe me when I say that I am very sure you've met your fair share of ruffians who've promised the same thing to you and lied. I will go a step further to prove it."
With that, I slowly lowered my hands to my belt, though the woman pointed her knife at me.
"What are you doing?"
"Relax, my lady. I am simply undoing my holster. I am going to hand it over to you. My friend here will do the same, after he has sheathed his dagger." I jabbed a thumb towards Dedric, who stared at me with outrage.
"I will bloody fuckin' not! Leave myself defenseless?!"
I looked back at Dedric with a tired expression. Granted, this was not something Father had taught me in hostage negotiations, and that giving up my only means of defense was foolish unless I was backed up by others. However, I decided to take a leap of faith for this woman. What for, I was not sure.
"You will, or our contract of gold will be null and void."
Dedric's face contorted in indignation, and for a few moments I was afraid I had pushed him too far. I inwardly sighed in relief when he sheathed his dagger and began to unbuckle his holster as he fumed.
"You dumb fuckin' prick, tellin' us to give this random arse our weapons…"
We both threw them at the woman's feet. By this time, she seemed much more relieved as well, the knife lowered away from Haedyr's face.
"Ma'am, if I may be so bold as to request you please, uh, let me go now?"
"Unbuckle your holster too."
"Right away."
"And take off your armor."
"...Of course."
Eventually, as Haedyr dropped his holstered sword to the ground, along with his shield and his metal armor, which were pushed into the far corner of the building, she eventually released Haedyr back to us, keeping her shank pointed at us all.
"I'm going to get my stuff, then I will leave. Don't think of following me." She threatened.
"Wait, what?" I questioned. "Why are you leaving?"
She looked at me as if I were mad in the head. "Well, clearly, this place is no longer safe to stay. Since you three got here, I assume that means other may also start to use this road. I can't have that."
"Why are you running?"
She hesitated upon hearing the question, before slowly shaking her head.
"I...I don't need to tell you that."
"Well, you don't need to, but what harm can come of it?"
"Too much harm!"
I was taken aback by the fear in her voice.
"Well, my lady, I can assure you, now that you've seen that we were willing to trust you with our weaponry, that maybe-"
It was at this moment that I noticed Haedyr fade into the shadows out of the corner of my eye. I was alarmed, and I was about to call him out when a metal rasp was heard, and the woman's eyes widened in panic as she tried to turn around, but was immediately confronted by Dedric, who had his dagger pointed at her once again. I was more shocked to also see Haedyr dash around her, stumbling once, before pulling the sword out of the holster on the floor and also brandish it towards the woman.
"What in the blazes do you two think you're doing?!" I shouted at them.
"Did you really think I'd trust this person with my weapons, Avon?" Dedric spouted in an outburst. Haedyr said nothing, but silently and rapidly nodded his head in affirmation to Dedric's point. The woman turned back towards me, the fear now more present in her eyes than before.
"No...no…" She muttered, tears beginning to stream down her face as she backed herself away from me and the other two. "Don't…"
I looked between her and Dedric and Haedyr, my head spinning. What the hell was going on?
Before I could even piece anything together, the woman then changed her behavior completely, her face seeming to reset. She dropped her shank to the floor, facing me. Dedric and Haedyr were confused by this sudden decision. We were all then stunned when she walked towards me slowly, crossing the few meters between us, and laying her shaky hands on my chest and leaning towards my ear.
"I will...let you take me...but please...only you...just don't kill me...or torture me…"
I was horrified by what this woman was suggesting. I could feel her tears dripping down her cheeks and onto my shoulder.
"Erm...Avon...what's she doin'?"
I could take no more of this. I backed away from her and into the wall behind me.
"Enough." I stated. "Dedric, Haedyr, sheathe your weapons."
"What?!" Dedric shouted in outrage once more. "For fuck's sake, Avon, that's enough of-"
I stomped over towards him, which threw him off, before grabbing his wrist and twisting it hard, to which he yelped, before punching him in the face, knocking him to the ground. I kneeled down, grabbing the dagger he had dropped, and brought it up to his face, confronting him with a grim expression.
"I said...enough."
Dedric stared at me with apprehension, raising his hands above his face.
"Okay, okay!" He stammered. I released him, raising myself up to look at Haedyr, who had already thrown his weapon to the side.
"I yield." He said simply.
I looked back at the woman, who stared at me with a mixed expression of fear, relief, and gratitude.
"Now…" I said with exasperation. "Can we please have a civil chat by the campfire?"
The atmosphere was far more awkward after the tension died down, as Dedric usually casted looks of resentment towards me occasionally as we continued preparing the campfire. I offered the lady food and shelter for the night, and to my surprise she accepted. I thought her to have been in a very desperate state after what had just occurred.
When the fire was finally ablaze, we all took a seat beside it. I noted subtly how the woman sat next to me, far closer than Dedric and Haedyr, who sat in front of the fire opposite of me. I felt as if I had alienated my two closest compatriots for this woman's trust, but I decided I could win them over later with a little persuasion once again.
We each split a few rations of dried jerky, bread, hard butter and some water. I also unfurled a bottle of wine I had kept for myself when I felt a celebration was amidst, but I thought it necessary to give everyone here a bit so as to loosen them up after that tense standoff.
It did just the trick, and after only a few cups of the brew (it was strong stuff, I assure you), the atmosphere was much more friendly and easygoing as the crowd got more inebriated.
I had poured my drink out long ago, though. I felt an odd sensation for this woman, who revealed her name to be Melina, a desire to get to know more about her and whatever sordid mysteries her past held.
This held up even more so as I discovered her to be quite charismatic, charming even with people. The way she spoke was subtly graceful, yet casual and laid-back when she conversed with Dedric and Haedyr. Clever quips, humorous stories, and her ability to empathize clearly with the other two amazed me. I had never once met an individual that was able to turn the atmosphere on its head so quickly, with people she had just held a knife to only minutes ago.
Furthermore, Dedric and Haedyr, who had been previously residing on the opposite end of the crackling campfire, had moved over more closely. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief that the divide had ended quickly.
As I took another sip of the wooden cup in my hands (which I had filled with water), I could hear Dedric scoot over towards me drunkenly to whisper in my ear.
"You know, Ave, I think we misjudged this dame too quickly."
There he goes again, giving me a bloody nickname, I thought in irritation.
"Oh?" I responded absentmindedly, my attention focused mainly on Melina.
"Ye. I think we should try and...I dunno, uh...make her stay?"
I cocked my head over towards him with a look of loathing on my face.
"Make her stay?"
"Er...I mean...you know...convince her. Like you did to me and, uh, Haedyr."
That thought had been the one thing on my mind this entire time. I had a nearly-irresistible urge of curiosity for this woman. Though I needed to find a way to 'convince' her, I assumed it would not be particularly difficult, considering the circumstances she seemed to have found herself in.
"So, Melina…" Haedyr started, his eyes drifting over towards her. "How did you come to...be in this...state?"
Conversation fell to the floorboards as he asked the question. I was a bit annoyed that he had caused the atmosphere to drop back to such an awkward state, but I was also curious to her answer. A few moments passed as she held the half-filled wooden cup of wine in both her hands, taking a small drink as she glanced towards the fire.
"If I'm going off the last thing I am evading...The Romana Empire."
My jaw dropped. Haedyr spit out his drink. Dedric laughed raucously, slapping his knee.
"That's a good one!" He chuckle, taking a swig of his wine. "Tog, and she's funny too!"
"Surely you are indeed jesting, Melina?" I asked, a little panic starting to rise in my gut. The Romana Empire was a powerful kingdom west of Moneia, that took up a large portion of the land between here and Neriac, the continent bordering on this one. To become one of their enemies was...not good at all, to say the least.
I was hoping that Melina was indeed joking about the matter, but her expression said otherwise. This was a dilemma for me, as I would need to know just how big of an enemy she was to them before I could do anything about her state.
"Okay, well...if you are serious, surely you weren't a particularly huge threat to this empire...surely?"
I was thrice-fold relieved to see her shake her head.
"No." She muttered. "I only had to run because I angered one of the high-tier noble ladies, and found out that she was planning on sending ruffians to...deal with me."
Dedric's laughing had stopped halfway through her talking, as he eventually realized she was not humoring us. His and Haedyr's faces were solemn as she went on.
"Before that was a string of different little escapades I was in, going all the way up to Brimmen. I was born into a noble's family, so I had to adapt to the conditions therein. The only thing those interactions with the upper echelons of society ever got me was stress and trouble."
She took another swig of wine.
"Now, I'm probably wanted for dead in at least 20 different nations."
The room was ominously silent as she finished the confession. Haedyr cleared his throat. Dedric looked around, scratching his neck idly.
"Well…" I raised my wooden cup, which was now filled with regular water. "A toast, to new beginnings."
Everyone raised their cups.
"To New Beginnings."
And thus, we took swigs of our cups, renewed in our energy. I was summarily pleased to see gratitude in Melina's eyes when I glanced over to her. It gave me warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest.
With that topic cleared, I mentally noted how we had started drinking at only around 12 by the morning, which was not a smart time to ingest wine, especially if we were to further excavate this abandoned hamlet. Notwithstanding, however, it was necessary to clear the atmosphere of hostilities between the three assembled before me. It was a good call, too.
Thus, I decided to lay back and keep an eye on them all, waiting until their 'celebration' finished. It was high time we received one, anyways.
Week 4, Day 3, Afternoon, Cloudy
Finally, the celebrations had ended, and by that I mean that their collective inebriation wore off after a few hours, though not before there was extensive releasing of bladder waste on the bushel outside.
With all that done, I decided to reroute the group to the nearby dilapidated tavern, finding this church-like building to be a bit too ominous for my taste. Once we came upon it, I readily had an idea in mind for my next act. I waited until everyone had set down their respective supplies before I pounced upon the chance.
"Erm, if I could please have your undivided attention, gentlemen...and lady."
I had gotten that attention, their heads turning towards me with curiosity, except for Dedric, whom I was sure knew exactly what I planned on saying.
"We are all in, how you say… a 'precarious' situation. We have meagre supplies, no shelter, and nothing to claim to our name except the clothing on our backs. That aside, however-"
I casually paced my way closer to the group. It was a tactic my father had instilled to me, which was that a closer interaction with the audience would give off the impression of a more sympathetic and understanding individual, thus creating a deeper bond between the audience and speaker.
You would then find me rightfully confused when I noted the off-put expressions my very audience adopted when I did move towards them. Maybe I had walked too fast? Nonetheless, I continued, even with a few stumbles from this unspoken mishap.
"Erm, uh, anyways...I have a plan to use this...hamlet...as the first step to which I build the foundation for my legacy. An estate, if you will. Thus, I would like to offer each of you an alternative to your current conditions. Hear me out, and you may like what I have to say."
I then walked over to Dedric, who seemed to fixate on me with anticipation.
"Mister Dedric. If you decide to stay with me, I can promise you plenty of gold to be made, of which you can spend however you-"
"Sounds good."
His interruption threw me off, which irked me greatly, but I had suspected his answer from the start. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go, from the looks of it.
"...Wonderful."
I then scuttled aside to Haedyr, who sat as proudly as a pretender knight could, his hand on the pommel of his sword. Had I not known of Haedyr's righteous nature, I would have taken the gesture to be a threat. I mentally noted to later teach Haedyr on the signals he was giving, being in a full plate of armor with weaponry.
"Haedyr. If you choose to stay and serve me, I will do everything within my power to help you...become...appointed an actual knight."
As the words left my mouth, I witnessed Haedyr's eyes light up brightly. Melina glanced over at Haedyr with worry.
"Pardon, he wasn't an actual knight before?" She asked in worry, which I gracefully skimmed over as I awaited Haedyr's response, which I knew before it even came out of his mouth.
"Absolutely!"
He unsheathed his sword, which scared the living hell out of me, but quickly settled my nerves as he plunged the tip down onto the wooden floorboards below, kneeling behind his planted sword, both hands on the pommel.
"By the grace of Tog, I grant you service to my blade and my shield, to act as your protector for as long as you may reign, Lord Avon!"
Though I assumed this speech was, for lack of a better phrase, 'pulled out of his arse', I was nonetheless impressed and surprised by his sudden pledge.
"I will assume that is a resounding 'yes'. And, uh, I do indeed claim your blade, or...whatever. And lastly…"
I swiftly moved over to Melina, who stared at me warily. However, there was a kind light in her eyes when she looked at me, which gave me goosebumps and filled me with that same odd sensation I had felt in the church-like building only a few hours ago.
"Melina...If you decide you want to stay here and help me build my name upon this land…"
I stared into her eyes, that odd sensation starting to make my heart pound.
"...I can guarantee you safety, comfort, refuge from foreign enemies, and any other benefits that may come with the estate's growing presence. I will personally see to it that, if you wish, to live a fulfilling life within this place. I promise you this."
Every word that came out of my mouth, I sincerely meant it when I looked at Melina. She gave me such a strong capacity for conviction, it was almost unnerving.
I was surprised to feel a sprouting happiness converge in my chest and my mind as she nodded her head slowly, a smile pulling at her lips.
"Alright. I'll see what you have to offer, Avonnius."
I nodded my head.
"You no longer have to run."
The statement had run from my mouth without warning, which startled me. I had never before let words come before thought. Nonetheless, she seemed to deeply appreciate the words, as tears welled in her eyes, though she quickly swept them away with her hand.
"Thank you." She mumbled.
I nodded my head once again, this time a bit more awkwardly. I released a pent-up sigh, gazing outwards of the broken window of the tavern, towards the large, dilapidated keep that sat upon a hill further up the slope, separated from the rest of the ruins.
"I'll be back, my friends. I feel I need to...see to some matters around the place."
Week 4, Day 3, Evening, Clear
After a few more hours of poking around town, planning certain buildings in certain locations within my mind, sketching out ideas on the parchment I had taken from the supplies, and attending to a few other scribely matters, I eventually started to make my way up to that ruined keep that sat at the top of this crescent hill. The closer I got, the more difficult it was to climb the slope. I made a mental note to later have a set of stairs installed up to the keep so I wouldn't have to deal with this.
Finally, I arrived at the front of the building. I studied the moss and vines that had embedded themselves in the grand architecture of the ruined edifice, the dark spots that wept from the stones, snaking downwards. It was indeed an old building, though how far back it dated I could not tell.
I ventured through the place with much caution, as I wasn't certain it would not come down on top of me as I explored. It was fairly large, though there were almost no separation of rooms within, which perplexed me.
I eventually got out of the ruins and found myself staring out over a beautiful horizon, the sea expanding outwards beyond what the eye could behold. I decided to sit myself down on a small patch of grass nestled comfortably against the back of the stone and mortar wall of the old building. As I did so, contemplating what I had in store for this place, I watched the sun begin to set, casting its deep orange over the landscape for mere moments. I looked up to become enamored with the sight of the ruins of which my back was against. The stones seemed to sparkle with a crimson tint, as if someone had thrown a tide of blood over the keep. It was an amazing sight, and I cherished it for every second it held.
Once it had passed, I only then noticed that there was already a reddish coloring to the building that stayed long past the sunset.
"Marvelous." I muttered. I felt truly blessed to see such a sight in that moment.
I turned back to see the twin moons rising above the sea, replacing the deep orange with the familiar milky-white light of the night as an hour more passed on, leaving me in deep thought.
"Oh?"
It seemed that my sightseeing was not done quite yet, as I had the chance to gaze upon another beautiful view. A Belile, the little black flower that was rare to find anywhere in the world, was poised near the edge of the cliffside. Bathing in the lambent white, its glowing, stygian leaves sparkled with an ethereal quality.
I remember distinctly hearing about how this beauty of a plant was considered a 'bad omen' by many within the continental landmasses of Uronereia. As I gazed upon the flower, I considered their superstition to be ridiculous in that moment.
"Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, it seems. It astounds me that a vision like you could be given such a cruel label."
And just like that, an idea popped into my mind. I pulled out my parchment once again, quill in hand, dipping it into the glass ink holder that I carefully sat upon my thigh, before beginning to write.
O beauteous, black-marbled plant,
Hath ye a passionate wanderlust
To complement your otherworldly quality?
And yet, your sabled, seraphic features
Are undermined by ominous rumors,
Morbid caricatures of evil and deceit,
As they would be assigned to black cats and demonic trinkets.
I see not only a justice,
But a philosophy fulfilled in giving you a place,
In my new stead.
Thy name shall live on,
As a flower of the darkest type,
In what I will coin,
As my rising legacy,
For generations to come,
The Stygian Estate.
I finished the poem with a glowing pride in my heart. Had I given to the strong capitulation to my ego at that moment, I am sure that I would have gone down a dark, vanity-filled path. Luckily, I reined in my self-gratification and stored away the parchment, ink and quill.
I got up from my spot, choosing to kneel next to the Belile, casting one more gaze out to the vast expanse of blue and white.
"Upon this patch, I shall build my kingdom."