[A/N]: Bury My Dead belongs to As Lions.
Meanwhile, almost all of Vengerberg had spent the day celebrating the coronation of their new king, Stennis the First. All except the dungeons, where the prisoners could only listen to the festivities outside.
It was early that morning, when Ivor had yet to arrive at the road that connected Vergen to Vengerberg, that footsteps, fast and heavy, made their way towards Gwen's cell. She had been trying to sleep, but the noise from outside distracted her and held her hostage. To both sides, the other captives muttered to each other, but stopped when the newcomer approached.
The half-elf looked up just in time to see Quinn arrive. He looked over his shoulder and held up a bunch of keys, flicking through them until he found the one he needed. With a click, the door to her prison opened. Gwen, in a daze, could only stare at it, her mind not able to comprehend the situation.
Only when the rest of the inmates began to shout, and James dragged her off the ground, did she realise what was happening.
I'm free.
Quinn stood in the doorway, hands on his hips as he blocked the exit and levelled James with one of his famous blank stares. Without averting his gaze, he asked, "He comin' with us, Gwen?"
Only when Gwen nodded did he move to the side, allowing the two of them to slip by. The half-elf had a hard time concentrating, what with all the hollering that surrounded them. How long would it take until the guards noticed something was amiss? Where were the guards to begin with?
Quinn took off almost at once, offering nothing more than a, "Let's get out of here before the guards come back," over his shoulder.
"Come back?" Gwen asked, already breathing heavily as she had to jog to keep up with the two large men whose steps equalled perhaps two of hers. "What did you do, Quinn?"
"Nothin'," her friend said with a grin. "Let's just say I slipped a little somethin' in their drinks."
For as far as Gwen could remember, Quinn had never hurt a fly, and so she didn't even want to think about what he had done to the guards. Then again, it wasn't as if she cared. She found out soon enough anyway when the sounds of men crying out desperately near the latrines, accompanied by the smell of a meal gone horribly wrong, greeted them.
Quinn placed a finger to his lips to silence his companions, who had most likely done this more often than the amount of years he had lived. They slipped by and hurried on towards the exit, where the sunlight welcomed them. With a wince, Gwen squinted, her head throbbing like it might burst from the onslaught of brightness.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Gwen could not see, but she most certainly recognised Richard's voice, and she bit back a curse.
The others, on the other hand, let out a few colourful words. While the half-elf's eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she heard James crack his knuckles and take a step towards the soldier.
At the same moment, Quinn wrapped a hand around her arm and dragged her in the other direction. To James, he snapped, "Come."
James grunted in protest, his footsteps following them slowly and hesitatingly.
"Wait!" Richard called out, which was enough for James to break out into a run.
Now that she could keep her eyes open again, Gwen tore her arm from Quinn's grasp and shot one last look over her shoulder. Richard half-jogged after them with his hand on his sword, the surprise and the hurt visible on his face. She ignored the stab of pain it caused her and concentrated on keeping up with the big guys, who had already rounded the corner in front of them.
They entered an alley that would eventually take them to one of the main roads, going by the amount of noise that came from the other end of it. The uneven cobblestones made running difficult, and Gwen almost slipped a few times. The fact that she hadn't eaten enough in the past few weeks and that her legs were already trembling did not help in the least.
Quinn led them along the walls, wooden and stone buildings alternating to create the narrow pathway through which they squeezed themselves. Gwen's legs felt like nekkers were clinging to them, and the distance between herself and the men grew every time her feet hit the ground.
Her right knee buckled, the other slamming against the ground, and the half-elf gasped before biting her lip. For a moment, her surroundings darkened as she swayed. Placing her hands to the cool stones beneath her, she counted as she inhaled and exhaled. One… Two… Three…
Two pairs of hands grasped her arms and the floor disappeared beneath her. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was moving forward again. James and Quinn carried her as best as they could through the alley, all the while following Quinn's muttered directions. Gwen had not the strength to protest, though she tried her best to aid them with her dangling feet.
Before she knew it, the walls surrounding them fell away, and instead they found themselves in a small plaza. With all the citizens attending the festivities of Stennis's coronation, the square was deserted. Poles had been hammered into the ground with ropes spun between them, adorned with all types of clothing hung out to dry.
"Take her," Quinn said as he let go of his friend in favour of working his way through the clothes, picking things off the lines here and there.
With a nod, James hefted the half-elf to a bench that stood at the edge of the court. Gwen tried to aid him by hobbling alongside him, though going by his speed and the relaxed state of his body, he didn't really need it.
Once he had dropped her on the wooden surface of the bench, he made his way over to Quinn, who by now had a collection of garments slung over his shoulder. Gwen watched them move about while she concentrated on breathing. Her nails dug crescents into her hands, as if that could stop them from shaking. Why had she not eaten enough? Why had she not felt like eating? Why had she spent all that time sleeping? Stupid, stupid, stupid…!
"Can you change yourself?" Quinn appeared before her, holding up a grey shirt and dark breeches. Behind him, James busied himself with pulling off his own clothes with his back turned towards them.
"Yes," Gwen stated and held out her hands.
When the weight of the package landed in her hold, Gwen toppled forward and would have fallen if Quinn hadn't grabbed her by the shoulder. She winced when his fingers dug into the skin there. With a sigh, her friend took the clothes from her again and placed them beside her.
"Arms."
"What?" Gwen grimaced, all but baring her teeth.
"Put your arms up." Quinn made an upwards sweeping gesture and watched her, waiting.
Gwen wanted nothing more than to throw the pile of clothes into his face and kick him in the knee, but the thought itself was exhausting enough, and so instead she bent her head and lifted her arms. Quinn tugged her tunic off before pulling the new one over her. It was a little too large for her, but it was thin and cool and that was all that mattered. She felt cleaner already.
Before Quinn could attempt to help her with her trousers, she glared at him. Using her irritation as fuel, she snapped, "I can do this myself."
The other half-elf raised a brow and took a step back with his hands raised. "All right, suit yourself. But be quick about it."
Once he had averted his gaze, Gwen kicked off her boots and wiggled her way out of her dirty breeches and into the new ones. These required the rope that Quinn had provided to even keep them over her hips, otherwise they threatened to pool around her ankles. She stuffed the ends of the pants into her boots as she pulled them back on.
"All right," Gwen said with a sigh once she had finished tying the rope around her waist. She flexed and relaxed the muscles in her legs, pleased to find they responded to her commands once more. "What now?"
James approached them with his old clothes in his arms. Only then did Gwen notice that his footsteps were surprisingly quiet for someone his size. "What d'we do with these?"
"We'll dispose of them on our way out. We must leave the city as soon as possible, but most likely every soldier knows to look for us by now. Hopefully the coronation will keep them busy, though," Quinn said. "There will be enough trouble for them to take care of even without us causing problems."
Squeezing the balled-up pieces of clothing in her hands, Gwen asked, "Where will we be leaving the city?"
"The northern gate, I think. Most likely there will be less going on up there."
"Can we…" She swallowed hard. "Can we see my old street?"
Her friend's brows knit together. "You know that isn't the best thing to do right now, don't you?"
"It's the last chance I'll ever get," the other responded with a shrug. "We don't need to stay long. Just pass it by on our way up. I want to… I want to see what became of it."
"Even if you won't like what you'll see?"
"Even so."
The man ran a hand down his face, his skin scratching against the stubble. Then, after inhaling and exhaling deeply, he nodded. "Fine. But only if you can walk there yourself. Haven't you eaten anything recently?"
Gwen's eyes cut to James, who stared at her. Even though there were no emotions visible in his expression, no accusation, she couldn't help but bite her lip and break eye contact again. She should've taken better care of herself. At this rate, she'd hold them all back. Quinn was probably throwing everything away for her, and she…
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," she said. "If I start dragging you down, just leave me. All right?"
Quinn scoffed and took the old garments from her. "You wish. I'll carry your scrawny ass out of here, even if it's the last thing I do. Now come, there's no knowing for how long we'll be safe."
With a nod, the half-elf got up and followed the others, who made their way towards the well that stood in the centre of the square. They threw the remaining clothes into the gaping hole before Quinn led them towards the side opposite of where they had come from.
"If we keep following these paths, we'll skirt around the festivities on our way to the gate." Looking at Gwen, the half-elf added, "We should come by the slums, too."
"Lead the way," she responded, pointing towards the alley beside which they now stood.
And he did, with James closing the chain behind her. Their steps, although soft, sounded like there were at least six of them with how they echoed off the walls. Gwen found herself glancing over her shoulder more often than not.
"Just to be clear. What do we do if we're found?" she whispered when James shot her a look of irritation. Even her soft voice sounded louder than it should have in the narrow space. When Quinn didn't react, she wondered if he had heard her, and opened her mouth to repeat herself.
"Let's just hope we're not," he said without turning back. "I'd rather not kill anyone."
"Yeah, well, I don't know 'bout you, but I don't feel like dying for someone else's morals," James piped up. This time, when Gwen's eyes met his, the question was clear in his gaze. When she didn't respond, he added, "If you don't, then I will."
What had to be done, would have to be done, Quinn's aversion to killing aside. In the end, though, a few dh'oine less in this world would never hurt anybody.
The sounds of the citizens of Vengerberg celebrating was never far away. Wherever they went, the merry shouting and drinking of the peasants followed them. Here and there, a fight had broken out, and more than once they caught wind of soldiers patrolling the area.
Even so, the trio managed to reach the slums unharmed and unnoticed, although Gwen felt her energy dwindling once more. Just a little further, she would tell herself. Just a little further, and then she could sleep for as long as she wanted.
Quinn rounded the corner out onto the street, but as soon as he set foot on the pavement there, he flung himself back into the alleyway, all but flattening Gwen against the wall. She could feel his spiked heartrate as their chests connected and she barely even noticed the aching of her breasts as his ragged breathing filled her ears. She closed her eyes in the hopes of banishing the image of the dark room from her mind before it could appear.
As suddenly as his weight had appeared on top of her, it disappeared too. James had placed his hand on the other's shoulder, pulling him away from her and towards himself.
"Three guards at the beginning of the street. Of your street," Quinn said, his gaze seeking hers.
James muttered a curse under his breath and took a step towards the exit. Before he could, however, Quinn had grasped his arm.
"Just… just don't kill them."
The dh'oine glared at him, then tore his limb free and stalked out of the alleyway. By the time Gwen had inched close enough to the corner to witness the confrontation, James stood surrounded by three unconscious soldiers. No blood adorned the sight, and one of them was already snoring.
What caught her attention wasn't that, but what Quinn had called 'her' street. Her mouth fell open when she saw that the small house that had always stood on the corner had been replaced by a tall, nondescript building. Everyone had called the woman who used to live there Granny, whether they were family or not. Somehow, she had always had a piece of bread for whoever asked for it. Claimed that she made it all herself and everyone had believed it, despite the fact that she hadn't even had an oven. Gwen had never eaten better tasting bread in her life.
Next to that the large family had lived, with parents, both sets of grandparents and at least five children occupying the house. By now, Gwen had forgotten the names of all of them and what they looked like, but she could remember having played with those kids. That house, too, was no more. In its stead stood a building that resembled the one that had taken over Granny's space.
The same went for where her home should have been. Nothing remained of her mother's garden, of the old bench that had always seemed like it might fall apart with every untoward movement, of the tiny porch. The front door, which had borne the marks she herself had carved into it when she had been too small to walk, was no more. No longer could the curtains with the silly floral patterns be discerned through the windows.
Gwen did not know what she had expected, what she had thought she might find. She had known that her house no longer existed, that it had been burned to the ground. That nobody had remained who could have rebuilt it.
She had known all that… Yet why was it still that tears spilled from her eyes when she laid eyes upon the reality of the situation?
A hand rested on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The stream of tears stopped and dried out just as the energy to feel slipped away from her.
"Did she… Did she have a funeral?"
"What remained of her body was gathered into an urn and given a proper burial. So many people from the slums were there. They almost didn't fit in the graveyard." Quinn cleared his throat and stammered as he sought the words he needed. "We… we also gave you one. In fact, you have a gravestone next to hers, although your grave is empty. For, uhm, obvious reasons."
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," Gwen muttered as she lowered her head to wipe her face clean.
Quinn inhaled sharply, but before he could say anything, James came up to them. "We really should get going."
The sound of footsteps and clinking armour came from behind them, and the trio turned around just in time to watch a small unit of guards round the corner.
"Halt!" one of the soldiers cried out just before Gwen burst into a run in the opposite direction, Quinn and James hot on her heels.
"They'll follow us," James growled as he fell in step with both half-elves while staring over his shoulder. "I'll get rid of 'ehm."
"No!" Quinn hissed. "You'll kill them."
"They'll catch us. They'll throw us, and you, into that dungeon and you'll most likely never get to see the sky ever again."
The half-elf clenched his jaw and ground out, "Fine."
James spun around, and Gwen looked back just in time to watch him fling himself at their pursuers. His fist had already connected to one of their cheeks before she realised that he didn't even have a weapon of his own. How was his killing anybody something to worry about when there was no way he himself would be able to survive?
Before her question could receive an answer, Quinn had dragged her away from the road and towards a narrow path that led between two of the new houses. Yells of pain could be heard from where the two of them had come, as well as metal clattering to the ground and skin slapping against skin.
When Quinn continued to tug her along by her sleeve, Gwen asked, "Will we not wait?"
"He'll know where to find us," the other replied without looking back.
When they neared the end of the path, he stopped walking and Gwen collided into him, her nose stinging when it hit his back. Tears pricked at her eyes again and she balled her hands into fists, fighting the urge to punch him. Only then did she see why he had stopped. "What…?"
In front of them, two women stared up at them with reddened cheeks. They still had their bodies pressed to each other, clothes ridden up to expose flesh that shone with sweat. Their shoulders heaved as they panted, although they tried their best to still them by breathing as shallowly as possible. Quinn cleared his throat and averted his gaze when he slid by them with Gwen's shirt still in his grasp, forcing her to shuffle along with him.
After that, the streets continued to be deserted, the noise of the celebrations fading in the distance before growing louder once more as they moved around the partying citizens and towards the northern gate. Here and there, a patrol would move by, and the half-elves would press themselves up against walls in the shadows or skirt around corners to remain out of sight. Only once did they have to fight, having stumbled upon two guards who had been taking a short break. Together, Quinn and Gwen had made quick work of them, although both survived upon Quinn's insistence.
"Why are you even helping me if you don't want to kill anybody?" Gwen whispered as her companion peaked into the next street.
"Is this really the best time?" the other replied before he stepped out.
As if he hadn't spoken, she added, "As a matter of fact, why are you even risking your entire life here for me? For a stranger?"
"You're no stranger." As if the light burned him, Quinn scurried across the stones towards the dark alleyway on the other side of the road.
"I meant James." Gwen glanced over her shoulder again and sighed when she noted the man was still nowhere to be seen. "And in the end, you haven't seen me in years. I might as well be a stranger to you."
They passed a couple of dogs sniffing through a pile of garbage gathered by the side of the alley. The animals looked up when the two of them neared, but soon continued to forage for food.
"In other words, not worth risking your life with the others…" Her voice trailed off as realisation dawned upon her, and she stared at Quinn's back, her feet coming to a halt. He refused to stop, his fingers slipping past her skin until they let go of her arm.
"There are no others."
During the years of Gwen's relationship with Elric, Quinn's mother had become close friends with hers. Something she was grateful for, since it meant that her mother hadn't been all alone. From the stories Gwen had heard from her mother, the woman had been plagued by various haunting memories. Although Gwen's arrival in this world had been unplanned, she had still been wanted. Quinn, on the other hand, was the result of a dh'oine who hadn't been able to keep his hands to himself. On more than one occasion had his mother crawled to hers, gasping and crying about how much he looked like him.
Even before he was born, Quinn's mother had been married to his stepfather, with whom she had two other children, two daughters who Gwen had only seen a handful of times. His stepfather, on the other hand, had had to drag her out of trouble more often than not. In fact, in the twenty-something years she had known them, she had perhaps come to see him as a father figure of sorts.
It was his bitterness towards humans that had helped her crawl out of the hole she had dug for herself after what had happened with Elric. He had always clashed with her mother, who had liked the dh'oine in a strange, motherly way.
"Don't worry, Gwen. It'll blow over, and within no time you'll be your old self again," her mother had told her one day, a few years after she had lost her child.
That had been the last time she had cried in front of her.
When she met Quinn and his family thirty years later, it was like a door had opened for her.
"The dh'oine cannot be trusted," his father had grumbled somewhere during their very first conversation. "Especially the men."
Where her mother's love had failed, the hatred of Quinn's father took root and gave her life. It may not have been healthy, but at least she survived. In turn, Quinn himself had taken a liking to her mother. They had always joked that they had been born to the wrong parents. Gwen wondered how different their lives would be if it had been true.
But why couldn't she recall his face? She had almost come to see him as a father for a short while, yet she couldn't remember what he looked like. What his name was. She hadn't really thought about any of them in so long, hadn't had the time to indulge in these memories. They had always been alive, though, even if it was only at the back of her mind. To hear that they were gone, and she hadn't even realised it…
"Come, Gwen," Quinn said, holding a hand out to her. "We have to leave."
Yet again blinking back tears, Gwen slipped her fingers between his and followed him. When they were out of here and somewhere safe, she would ask him all about what had happened. She'd mourn everyone properly then.
When they finally reached the northern gate, with the din of the celebrations covering up the sound of their steps, the sight that greeted them made them freeze to the spot.
Standing just before the wooden gates was James, covered in blood. The arm that had was wrapped around his neck forced him to straighten his back. Though James towered over him by quite a bit, Richard restrained the man with ease. A cool look was plastered on his face as he took in the sight of the two newcomers, his eyes half lidded.
"Thought you'd never come," he drawled, though his voice sounded tight, as if he spoke through gritted teeth.
"Couldn't possibly disappoint you, could we?" Quinn shot back.
"What happened to the rest of your squad?" Gwen asked. She kept her eyes trained on James, afraid of what she might find in Richard's blue ones.
"This guy took them all out singlehandedly." Richard shifted slightly, lowering his arm around James's neck for a heartbeat before lifting it again. "Though he didn't kill anybody. Somehow."
The half-elf beside her relaxed, his shoulders slumping as he let out a low breath. She wanted to kick him in the back of his knee for showing his emotions so freely in front of their enemy.
Before she could finish the thought, however, James had thrown his head back, the loud crunch barely even audible with the music and the shouting in the background. Richard yelled and stumbled back, though before he could fall, James had grabbed him by the shoulder and flipped the soldier's back to his chest, mimicking the pose he had used on him only moments ago.
"Ready to go?" he asked and nodded in the direction of the gate.
To both sides of the blocked path lay a soldier, though no blood accompanied their bodies.
"We takin' him with us?" Quinn tilted his head as he made his way towards the men. Gwen followed, all the while avoiding eye contact with Richard.
"He'll only get more men and you don't want anybody killed." The other raised his shoulders before he dragged his captive towards the gate. "Open it."
Both half-elves sighed as they began to push against the wood of the gate. James occasionally used his back to aid them, but mostly busied himself with keeping Richard in check and pressing a hand to his mouth. Once the gap was large enough for all of them to pass through in single file, they did just that, the forest that surrounded Vengerberg ready to greet them the moment they set foot outside.
Before closing the gate again, Gwen cast one last look upon the city. The place where she had been born, where she had grown up. Where she had fallen in love for the first time, where she had had her heart broken for the first time. Where she had once been happy and naïve and peaceful.
There was no place for her here anymore. The fact that her house no longer existed was proof of that.
And so she pressed against the gate with all her might and listened to its groaning as it settled back into place before turning away from the city's walls for the very last time.