Hello, one and all! First...a thousand apologies for my tardiness in not posting any new chapters as I had promised last August. Once again- life has been too crazy for me. Simple as that. :( However, to make up for not posting ANYTHING for many moons, I have a nice, longer chapter in store! I wrote this chapter (which was originally going to be two) some time ago, and considering the pace of this story is a little faster, I wanted to do something a little differently with my characters' development. Recall that Tari has been alone (pretty much) since her father's death. I've decided that her character shows signs of depression in this chapter, and her quest is more about her fighting it, really, not just the future of Bree. And Bard's part in her life. But I'm still developing this story, so please bear with me. Please forgive any grammatical or mechanical errors, or if the content is weak in areas, and I hope this story isn't too wordy or too fast for your taste. I did my best in editing it. :D
With all that said, here is, finally, the latest new chapter! Enjoy! Cheers :)
"With you? I couldn't do that, I've already imposed on your valuable time enough as it is," said Tari.
"Would you rather stay with a stranger then? I know we only just met, but I'm the nearest thing to a friend to you than any man in Laketown. No, Tari, you must come with me. For your own safety's sake," finality in Bard's voice.
"Very well. Lead the way, Mr. Bard."
As they were about to leave, Bard stopped in his tracks and looked at her saying, "Bard. You may call me Bard."
"Alright...Bard," said Tari, hesitantly.
Bard limply smiled at that and led the way to his house. After taking several turns around corners and crannies in the city, and avoiding the attention of his neighbors and the Master's spies, they finally arrived at Bard's doorstep. As they walked in Tari noticed three children, presumably Bard's, keeping the house tidy, shivering in their winter clothes, and with a meager warmth coming from their fireplace.
"Children, this is Miss Tari from Bree. She will be staying with us while she is attending to business in town. We want her presence secret from our neighbors, do you understand me?"
"Yes, Da," answered each of the children.
Tari was struck by how much the children resembled their father, especially the youngest daughter.
"Tari, this is Bain, Sigrid and Tilda. They will prepare a place for you to sleep tonight, as well as some supper. Please excuse the state of our home, it is all that we have and it will be much warmer here than facing the cold elements in town. I must go back to my boat and place it the docking area before Lord Alfred hears of it."
"Who is Lord Alfred?" inquired Tari. "The Master's spy: he's his personal henchman who keeps his eyes and ears open in Laketown, and is quick to share his news with the Master. They are thick as thieves, and do not share a real interest in the well-being of the Laketown folk-only in what they can get out of them. You do well to stay away from them at any cost," said Bard with unmistakable determination in his low voice.
Before Tari could respond to this remark, Bard went swiftly out the door and into the frozen twilight.
After the children had washed up and retired to bed for the night, Tari felt restless and not yet ready for sleep. The house was far too cold for any inhabitant to fall into an easy sleep, but Tari was not a member of the Bard family. She was merely a stranger to these people who treated her as a guest in their home. At last, Tari could no longer contain the beatings in her heart and the million thoughts rushing in her mind. She settled on making herself a hot cup of herbal tea. Sigrid had kindly laid out some herbs dried especially for tea and at Tari's disposal. As the water began to boil over the little fire, the smell of lavender filled the room as the herbs seeped in the water created a fragrance that permeated the room, and soothed Tari's unsettled feelings of doubt and loneliness. As she poured herself a cup, she made a place to sit by the small, humble fire and contemplated the possibility that her decision in setting out on this venture was perhaps a bit rash. Never had she questioned her own competence in accomplishing a quest that would benefit her small town and her neighbors. But then, she had traveled far, alone, and for the first time, felt vulnerable and…afraid. "Was it a vain pursuit after all? Would her neighbors really care at all if she succeeded? Or worse yet, would they not notice her absence if her plans failed, and she befell to doom?" She thought. Her loneliness was beginning to creep back, bringing her a sense of despair.
She couldn't get Bard's warning about the Master and his spy out of her head, and yet she was fiercely stubborn to stick with her original plan. She so wanted to prove to Bard that she was more than capable of looking after herself. She also couldn't understand the sudden change in Bard's behavior to her after their meeting. He had seemed hesitant in agreeing to her terms, and even indifferent to her as a person. And yet, something in him changed in the short time of their earlier meeting. Why was he so set on preventing her from meeting the Master? Surely, he was not as bad as all that? And what of Bard himself? Could he also be a potential threat to her, as well? What did he want from her? All these questions nearly drove her to a state of an unease, that she hardly noticed that she had tears falling down her pale face.
"You're very deep in thought, Miss Tari?" a voice with a melodic lilt interrupted her thoughts.
Tari jumped as she found the figure of Bard, heavily cloaked and hooded standing as a barrier from the cold air in the doorway, and staring intently at her. In the excitement, Tari had dropped her cup of tea, which shattered into many pieces. She realized that her earlier statements about herself, didn't seem to match her now, and what was worse she didn't seem to believe in herself, too. And it frightened her.
"Forgive me, Mr. Bard! You startled me. I thought I would have some tea to settle my thoughts before I turned in for the night."
Bard closed the door, mentally kicking himself for his obviously frightening entrance, after for only knowing her for over a day. He had gone over their conversations repeatedly while he was away, and couldn't believe that his own coldness and seemingly indifference to her plight could perhaps damage any sort of trust she could have in him.
As Tari was picking up the pieces, Bard knelt down to help her. Their hands met on the very last piece by the fire which shocked Tari, as if fire had met ice for the first time. She looked up at Bard and he noticed that her green eyes were wet with tears. "Tari, are you unwell? I hope my grand appearance didn't frighten you that much?" said Bard, attempting to make light of the situation. Tari looked away as she gathered the last fragments of her tea cup in the folds of her long skirt. She couldn't bring herself to look into the keen eyes of Bard, who, at this moment, could sense the uneasiness within her.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking and planning my next course of action for tomorrow," she lied, for the first time.
"Were you, indeed?" said Bard. "And what course of action might that be?"
Tari, reluctant to face him, suddenly felt that she could not as she began to feel light-headed and weary from the long day, and from her anxious thoughts. Before she could stop herself from falling, she found herself between the arms of Bard, having caught her in time. He carried her in his arms and placed her on the couch by the fire, and knelt before her as he tried to administer a medicinal drink to her.
"I do not think you should be traveling anywhere tomorrow, Miss Tari. You are quite exhausted from your long journey. You've put a brave front for too long, but now is the time that you rest and gather your strength." Tari shivered underneath the blanket that Bard had placed on her, and still couldn't calm the growing fear in her. Bard sensed this and looked Tari in the eye.
"Miss Tari, what fear has you shaking to your bones? It was only earlier today that I met a very determined woman who told me that she was quite capable of taking care of herself, and now I find that same woman lying before me, trembling uncontrollably? This cannot be solely because of weariness and the cold?"
Tari looked up at Bard, whose eyes were surprisingly tender and sympathetic. She couldn't hold it anymore and let her tears fall down upon her face.
"I can't do it! I am afraid. And I don't know if I should trust you!"
Bard was taken aback by her outbursts, considering that he had difficulty understanding why she had suddenly lost all her confidence.
"Tari, where has this nonsense come from? What do you fear? Did I not promise you that I would protect you and keep you safe? Isn't that what your father would want if he were alive?"
"That's just it – you say you want to protect me, and yet how do I know that you will? You won't even tell me who you really are. I know your reputation precedes you and your children are really yours, but what about you, personally? What sort of man are you? Why do you never speak of your wife? And why you are so against the one man who I know can help save my village and its people? Why, Mr. Bard? WHY?!"
Tari had risen from the couch just then with Bard practically still kneeling down, spellbound of this new side to Tari. She was proving herself to be more than what Bard had expected. He finally stood up and turned away from her, feeling cold from her questions as he, too, did not know how to answer her. As he looked into the fire, he remembered the sweet memory of his beloved wife, and of the unbearable moment of her passing.
After much contemplation and many unspoken moments transpired, Bard took a deep breath and slowly turned to face Tari.
"My wife died under suspicious circumstances, not long after she gave birth to my youngest Tilda. Rumors have circulated in Laketown that I may have had some part to play in her death. But it's not true. I believe that the Master killed my wife. He's always hated me, and always hated that the people of Laketown have looked to me as their protector, not him. He also hated the fact that the most beautiful woman in all of Laketown had chosen me and not him as her husband. The people here do not care for the Master, yet they would not risk facing his monstrous anger lest he take away their homes from them. There's a very thin thread between me and the Master, and if he could find a way to dispose of me, he would in a heartbeat. He's just biding his time. As for Lord Alfred, he's become the eyes and ears of the Master, gathering any information he can about me, and, no doubt, planning when he and the Master can make their final strike in ridding of me in Laketown."
Tari said nothing the entire time, and Bard continued, broken emotion apparent in his voice: "I cannot bear to let anything happen to my children. They are all I have left in the world, the only last remnant that I have of my late wife. The Master is a beast, and he has taken too much from each of the Laketown folk, even at a great cost to them. The people are frightened and can only survive with the bear minimum of what they have. Even with my own reputation at stake, they still trust me more than they do the Master."
Bard stepped away from the fireplace and stood before Tari, and said in a gentle whisper, "I understand your hesitation in trusting me, Tari, as you are wise to do so. But please believe me when I say that it would be far better for you to trust me than the Master. In fact, I don't want the Master to ever lay his eyes on you. Not for any reason."
"But why? As long as I have money to give him, that's all he cares about, isn't it? Besides why would he have any interest in me, except the money I can give him? I'm just a simple village girl. I'm nobody special. I have no one close to me anymore. I'm no one... " Tari's voice filled with fading hope that Bard never expected to hear, especially from this warrior woman he met just hours before.
He gently grabbed her by the shoulders and faced her with that same tender and keen look in his dark eyes.
"Please don't ever say that about yourself, Tari. I know that deep down you don't believe in that, either. And don't say that you're not special, or that you don't have anyone close to you. You have me. I knew you were special the moment I met you. You're more brave, resourceful, and intelligent than you give yourself credit for. And you know that you can count on me as your protector and as your friend. Please give me that chance. I want to keep you safe. You don't deserve to be subjected to the evil snares of the Master, and I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you. Please, Tari. Do not despair. I will look after you. You have my word."
Tari's eyes began to glisten with tears, a look that Bard found strangely beautiful in her face. She couldn't bear the weight of her burdens anymore and bowed her head, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the kindness and willing friendship of this man. Tari buried her tear-stained face in his chest, and Bard enveloped her tightly in his arms, bringing as much comfort as he could muster. He only knew Tari for a short time, but he already felt a sense of duty of providing her safety. He already let one woman down before; he would not let that happen again to this young woman now. In his heart of hearts, Bard knew that this young woman also needed two very important things that she was deprived of for far too long: friendship and love, and he promised himself that he would do his utmost to give her both.
If you it made this far, y'all are awesome! Thanks for reading it! Until next time, which I hope I will be soon! :) Cheers & Happy Leap Day!