Chapter 2- Brand New Day
Cade's POV (Point of View)
I awoke just as the first hints of light were beginning to peek through the early morning fog. The sky was a calming, rather soft shade of dark blue. Sighing deeply, I rolled over on the rough mattress, staring up into the roof-beams of the Blue Moon Inn. My accommodations were a far cry from the luxurious guest rooms I had been raised to expect. There were no servants to wake me cheerily, nor bring me a steaming breakfast. There was only the din of the restaurant below me and my own thoughts to rouse me.
And of course, the ever-present sweet song of freedom and the potential that comes with a brand new day. Ever since my abandonment of the superficial life of charades and petty competition that we call nobility, I'd learned to treat reality with a newfound respect. Not everyone can see past the facades of society and see life and knowledge for what it really is, and want to take full advantage of the opportunities they have as much as they can.
I think that might be what led me to strike the deal with miss Aurora, to help her get on her feet as an adventurer, though I hardly think she's a damsel in distress. Very skilled, intelligent, and certainly brash and independent, she just needs to get her bearings in the world. In that respect, she actually greatly resembles myself as I was making my own start, fresh out of Varrock. Perhaps that is why I feel so led to be her tutor, of sorts, for the meantime.
Birds began to chirp and I was quickly reminded of my obligation, the hour growing late as it was. Preparation for the journey and consumption of breakfast was still in order, after all. I began to don my armor while I let thoughts of Aurora overtake my mind. Still, one undercurrent began to surface and make itself predominant in my thoughts.
I had been nothing short of a solitary wanderer as far as my lifestyle went. Sure enough, a wanderer who was financially well-off and knew the whole of his country in his mind's eye, but a wanderer, a loner no less. I had ignored stragglers and been an ignored straggler, it was just the way of life here and I was used to it. I was content with it and it symbolized normalcy for me.
Would it really be the same with an inexperienced companion -for lack of a better word, seeing as I couldn't rightly refer to her as neither a sidekick nor partner in exploration and combat- by my side day and night as I traversed the land of Runescape from its' farthest corners to its innermost heartlands? What have I gotten myself into?
Aurora's POV
This is it! I wasted no time as I sprang out from under the threadbare blankets, pulling on my fresh new outfit and packing the old one, as well as my extra skirt. No drowsiness plagued me though it was still quite dark out – I was unsure if I had even slept at all, what with all my anticipation of today's events. Whatever provisions and supplies I had left were thrown into the bag as well, most to be banked at the edge of town. I divided my last 250 gold pieces into the hundred I would take on the journey, and the rest to be deposited for further use.
Not knowing what I would encounter on the way to Port Sarim, I pulled on the leather armor as well, finding it fit well enough over my clothes. The cowl looked downright ridiculous though, and I stuffed it in my pack, resolving to take it out only during times of imminent combat or need of a disguise. To complete my morning preparations, I removed a small pitcher and basin from under the table and proceeded to wash my face and shake out my hair a bit.
Though I was afraid someone from Port Sarim might recognize me, it turns out I looked different with my rather quickly-done and dramatic haircut, courtesy of a bronze dagger I had found for free in a nearby shop. My previously long hair had been shortened to shoulder-length, with messy, choppy layers giving it an aesthetically haphazard look that belied a roundabout sort of beauty. There was little I could do with it but simply finger-comb it and shoulder my bow and quiver, tying the cape around my neck.
I took one last look around the hovel I had called home for the few precious months I had been free. Here was where I had pondered over so many books from the Varrock Library, where I first began to craft and learn skills in solitude, where I fashioned my first rudimentary training bow. I slid the door shut and turned the rusted key in the lock, hurrying down the steps and into the alley, towards the bank. There was work to be done before I would embark on my journey with my newfound acquaintance.
I banked my house key, the gold pieces, and my extra crafting items before heading in the direction of the village center. Few were up and about at this time, and I could see only a single shop here and there beginning to open. The smell of cooking fires and restaurants in anticipation of serving morning meals was not even detectable yet. I wandered into the shopping district, the "OPEN" sign of a sword shop catching my eye.
I walked inside, intending to browse, until I caught sight of a most interesting dagger. The hilt was brown and gold, but the blade was pure black – most likely a very durable volcanic material. The shop owner came up to me, and instead of attempting to throw me out as many had done upon my initial arrival in Varrock, simply told me the price. It was more than I carried at the time, though I had managed to hang on to about eight iron longswords I had smithed, and traded them all for the one dagger.
The weapon felt light and versatile in my hand, and it was much less bulky than my scimitar. At least now I would not be defenseless once I ran out of arrows. I then exited the shop, only to come face to face with Cade, who was exiting the inn across from the sword shop. Our eyes locked momentarily and we had a long "awkward silence" moment before I cleared my throat and suggested that perhaps we should get going.
He glanced away momentarily before curtly nodding and motioning for me to follow him, proceeding into the city center. I sheathed the dagger and ran behind him, two of my short, quick steps needed to match each of his long strides. He took a left, continuing to walk briskly down the road until we were outside Varrock's walls. No words were said between us the whole time, each of our psyches seemingly determined to keep our thoughts to ourselves, almost as if we refused to believe we were really part of a team and not just separate individuals walking alongside each other indefinitely.
When Cade began to head left again, this time sticking close to the city wall while taking a shortcut through the woods, I realized which direction we were headed in and, without hesitation, breached the chasm between us out of sheer panic. Not Draynor, anywhere but there...I'm not ready to go back, not yet. I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, halting him in his tracks and earning myself a calm and questioning, yet somehow scathingly annoyed look.
"Yes, Aurora?"
"Well you see, I was wondering if there were any alternate routes we could take to Port Sarim...I'd rather not go through Draynor."
He sighed audibly and leaned against the wall, seeming to contemplate something indecipherable before speaking in a much gentler, though still somewhat cold, tone.
"The only other way to the docks is through the Barbarian Village, on through Falador, past an entire farm estate, and entering in through the far side of Port Sarim. It's significantly longer – about half a day's journey or so – and we're likely to miss the ship as it is if we don't hurry. I apologize, but an alternate route is out of the question if you...we...intend to go to Karamja today." I only nodded and stared at the ground as we continued walking.
Third person POV
They emerged from the forest, passed a small mining spot where blacksmiths and crafters alike vied for spots in front of rocks of various color and size, and proceeded to walk through a meadow where a plethora of cows was grazing. Ignoring the gloom that threatened to settle over her mind, Aurora took the time to appreciate the beauty of her surroundings and marvel at the prospect of her beginning journey.
The birds that flitted through the air, the babbling brook behind them that reflected the summer sun's beams like so many glittering stars, it all seemed so alive, almost giddily so. Just like how Aurora was feeling, she noted with a broad smile as she took a deep breath air that was not tainted by the smell of cooking fires and livestock, or by the various acrid scents of a bustling city.
Cade's POV
She scooped up a lily of the valley as she and I trudged down the dirt path, alternating between smelling it deeply and looking up to gaze at the way the sunlight reflected off the edges of clouds. I turned my head ever so slightly to watch how she reacted to her new surroundings, musing, Hm, she really does appreciate what I'm doing for her. Who knows if this is the first time she's even ever been away from her home city? And I helped make it possible for her to come be a part of what's out here...and I'm glad for it too. Maybe living just for myself, making things the way they need to be for me and me aloneto get through the day as comfortably as possible isn't all I thought it to be.
"What are you thinking about?" I came back to reality to find Aurora smiling at me softly, head tilted to the side slightly as her question hung in the air. Quickly I turned my head back to face the direction we were headed before replying nonchalantly, "Just...thinking...about things..." Really, how was I supposed to go about saying I don't know why I ever decided to bring her along yet she makes me glad I did?
Thankfully, Aurora didn't ask questions, just nodded her head slowly and drawled, "Ah, I see. Really, that's not vague at all..."
Quickly enamored by her use of sarcasm, I glanced over to her again. She was wearing an amused smirk on her face now and her eyes twinkled as she continued to watch my floundering for an answer. Not being able to come up with a suitable one, I settled for bringing my hand up to the back of my neck embarrassedly and murmuring just loud enough for her to hear, "I'm not really one for conversation during travel. Usually I don't have anyone to talk to so I'm used to keeping my thoughts to myself, I hope you understand."
I half expected her to become dissuaded and act chastised or demure like most girls would, but to my surprise she never broke her gaze, never let the twinkle out of her eye, never stopped grinning, and just replied, "Well, maybe we can work on that."
I chucked to myself. Darn persistent girl. "All right, but not now. We're going to pick up the pace a bit and you're not going to want to talk at the moment. Follow please." I broke out into a full run, turning right to continue on the path that would lead us to Draynor. Once one got out of the more populated areas, running was really the most efficient way to travel, given one's constitution was strong enough.
My focus was centered on regulating my breathing for a moment to make the running easier, before it returned once again to Aurora. I half-expected her to call out my name any moment, begging for us to be able to slow down and continue walking the rest of the way, but surprisingly she stayed right behind me, red-faced and puffing loudly but keeping up.
"Control your breathing, you'll be able to run longer." She nodded and it didn't take her long to begin to pass me on the beaten dirt road.
Aurora's POV
Timing my breathing with my steps, I soon just let the running become second nature to me and began to enjoy it. My hair flew behind me like an auburn banner, the sun-warmed wind cooled my flushed face, and my own two legs were an armor-encased blur to my own perception. I spread my arms wide to catch more of the wind and could almost feel Cade's smirk as he ran behind me.
I didn't care though, this was like flying, like soaring on the wings of an eagle. Somehow the whole scenario suddenly seemed incessantly funny and I couldn't help but let out a peal of laughter. This was all I had wanted my whole life long. Just the freedom, the feeling that the whole world literally lay all around you just waiting to be explored, was utterly beautiful on its own, without the prospect of lifelong friendship presenting itself as well.
My strength suddenly gave out as we came to the crossroads in front of Draynor. Cade slowed to a stop next to me, offering me a canteen and a windblown smile. I really can see us becoming comrades, friends even, in the future. Maybe all he needs is time. I drank deeply from the canteen, surprised at just how tired I had become in the short time we had been running. I didn't quite feel like irking him with the prospect of conversation again, appealing as the idea was, so I just thanked him with an equally big smile.
It took just that moment to turn around and see my home village to erase that smile. While I was running with Cade, I seemed to forget how I was going to pass through Draynor without anyone recognizing me. Cade made a move to continue forward and I blurted out, "Wait! Don't go just yet, I only need to do one thing before we continue."
I rummaged through my bag in search of a disguise. The only kind of covering I could manage was the leather cowl and my cape. My hair would be a dead giveaway as to my identity, so I took out a hair tie and piled it into a messy ponytail, which I covered with the cowl. Adjusting the hat on my head and clutching my cape tight around me so it looked like a cloak, I walked briskly into the village, ignoring the "are you going mental, you look ridiculous" looks from Cade.
We proceeded slowly to the main street before Cade took my arm gently and guided us over to a musician playing in the street corner. I tried to protest but he insisted it was better to rest a bit now so we could continue running the rest of the way to Port Sarim. He began to tap his foot and nod his head in tune with the music, but I barely noticed it as I glanced nervously around the street corner.
People came and went, barely sparing me a second glance. In the sort of small, 'everybody knows everybody' kind of town Draynor was, it seemed like at least someone would recognize me. But, to my simultaneous relief and disappointment, nobody did.
Except for...could it really be her? Tentatively, I got to my feet and left Cade's side, murmuring a clipped "Be right back" as my only explanation. He only nodded politely and turned back to the musician, who was beginning to play a much faster-paced song. As I approached the black-haired woman sitting demurely on a chair in the protected shade of the Draynor library, I couldn't help but spare a long look behind me.
Cade seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. He was, by now, clapping along to the beat of the song with several other music patrons, content with simply enjoying the day, nothing holding him back. I envied him of that luxury. Then again, how could he know I was confronting my past at this very moment, in the form of the individual who had once been like a sister to me but was now just another person woven into the facade of airs and gentility that was Draynor society?
When I approached Elisabeth Schism, she never even recognized me, rather spouting tales of village goings-on as if the very fabric of their existence revolved around mending the breaches in Draynor's clockwork routine. Thinking back on the time I spent living here, it most likely did.
Deciding it would be much too awkward, given her rather...restrained...nature now, I changed my plans of familiarly greeting her as an old friend to simply inquiring to know more about her. She proudly dictated her role as an 'involved citizen' and an 'activist in the community'. I could only shake my head as I walked away without another word, unable to imagine the suntanned farmer girl sprinting through wheat fields with my younger self as the pale, ladylike woman sitting ramrod-straight in a chair all day, shouting unheeded platitudes to passerby.
I was never more relieved in my life as when Cade appeared behind me and, noting my somber expression, gently asked me if I was ready to continue. I nodded my head yes and strode out of the village with him by my side, the brown brick and adobe houses fading into a blur as I tore off the flimsy attempt at a disguise and began to sprint through the marketplace and through the village gate.
Cade took the lead and brought us through a patch of trees, emerging at the entrance to Port Sarim's docks. Though I was a bit disappointed that I would not get to see the bustling streets and shops once more, to take in all of it from the perspective of a legitimate traveler and not just a wistful onlooker astray from home for the afternoon, I contented myself with taking in the exciting prospect of my first sea venture from the sun-baked and salty-smelling surface of the dock.
We proceeded down the wooden platform to a rickety stall near Port Sarim's center, and there we purchased our fare to Karamja. I insisted on paying mine, of course, for though Cade had agreed to escort me here, I really barely knew him, he was by no means my guardian, and I would not allow myself to become dependent on him for any reason whatsoever.
Seeing as there was some time yet before our ship – the last for many days, apparently. We were lucky to have made it in time today – I took the liberty of conversing with some rather interesting characters, or at least characters that my easily amused and ever-knowledge-hungry psyche deemed interesting. Cade just decided to rest lazily against the wood-and-rope railings framing the dock.
I had just finished interrogating a rather well-natured sailor on the benefits and perils of a life at sea when I spotted a pirate, (yes, an authentic pirate!) and hurried over to have a word with him. After all, he looked, though very weathered, friendly enough and strangely, was beckoning to passing travelers to help him. That, if nothing else, was enough to warrant an almost insatiable curiosity within me.
"I don't mean to intrude, but what is it you need, sir? Perhaps I could be of some help..."
"Aye, that you may. Though it depends – where are you headed?"
"Karamja."
"Ah, just the place, then! Listen, lass, I need you to fetch me a bottle of good old Karamja rum – there's been a restriction on the stuff and I've been wanting some for a while. And in return", he beckoned me forth rather conspiratorially, "I will give you the location of a long-missing map, which will show you the way to my old mentor's treasure trove."
Third person/Aurora's POV
Aurora nearly fell over. She didn't know whether to laugh, walk away slowly, or jump with joy at the news. Her mouth just formed a huge grin as she nodded enthusiastically. I knew I could find some kind of treasure – real treasure! - by coming this way! Though I would have expected to see it on Karamja itself and not in the possession of a rum-obsessed pirate, but you take what life hands you.
She had to keep herself from skipping as she made her way back over to Cade. "What ever could it be that has you even more bubbly than in the grove, especially right after...you know...", he drawled teasingly. motioning to Draynor. Aurora let both anomalies slide, but not before thinking, And what has you teasing me again, especially after your little 'I like to keep to myself because I'm a mysterious, charming loner' session on the way here ?
Deciding it was just the ocean and the good weather responsible for this shift in his attitude, she exulted, "I've agreed to go fetch rum for that pirate over there", pointing to the pirate at the dock entrance, who looked noticeably more relieved now that he had enlisted someone's help, "and in return he's going to give me a treasure map!"
"Uh-huh...", Cade remarked dubiously. "I think it more likely that he's just after the rum and intends to simply hand you parchment with random coordinates on it, but whatever fulfills your hopes for finding treasure on this radical venture..."
Aurora rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, where's your sense of optimism?"
Cade murmured to himself, "I rather think I left it back in my personal chambers in Varrock."
"What was that you said, I didn't quite hear it?"
"Nothing really, erm, either way our ship is here and we're bound to find out whether said map is authentic or not. It couldn't hurt to try, I suppose."
"And there's that optimism." It was Cade's turn to roll his eyes but it went unnoticed as Aurora took her tentative first steps up the gangplank and immediately rushed to the side of the boat, staring out at the open sea dotted by lush, tropical islands on the horizon.
Aurora's POV
The white, billowing sails spread forth and the ship was off. Wind buffeted my face and hair and, as the ship picked up even more speed and islands passed my vantage point, seeming to glitter and teem with untamed emerald beauty in the bright afternoon sun, I let out a whoop into the wide, open air. I felt cold and warm, comforted and daring, alone and secure, all at the same time.
Nobody noticed of course, not even Cade, who was leaning against the mast and chatting to sailors about foreign trade rates or some other topic of the sort. It didn't matter, though. I was here, finally, after all this time. This was truly living, the start of a new life altogether. The opportunities were as limitless as the blue horizons that stretched before me. Nothing, not even the bittersweet experience of returning to my so-called "comfort zone", my home, and being received as not a former captive of its' pretensions but rather a simple outsider, could take away from this moment.
If this is what you do to people, Draynor, goodbye and good riddance. I won't let memories of Lissie's and my childhood, the struggles I had to go through to get where I stand at this moment, taint what I have now. That was the past and this is now. Time to move on.
As I faced the glaring sun head-on and spread my arms wide again, not bothering to shield myself from the elements for once in my life, I felt the sense of closure I needed so desperately after all this time come over me as I whispered the three words that characterized the entirety of my situation and the epoch of my life that was to come. "Brand. New. Day."
Author's Note: I love switching the POV around...it gives so much more dimension to the story! My apologies if it makes the plotline harder to follow. The thing is, I come up with this stuff while I'm actually playing the game, like during the boring moments I'll make up what my PC would be thinking at the moment, then I imagine a background for her, and a name, and a personality, and sometimes even get to doing the same with NPCs...
Essentially this is all stuff that went through my head while I played Runescape, more or less, so it's relatively unstructured in its point-of-view shifts. Aurora is my PC, Cade I just made up to make things interesting, and of course Miss Schism belongs to Jagex. I wanted to include an authentic NPC from the actual game -I think I might have been the first to put her in a fanfic, please let me know if I'm wrong- and she always was my favorite one for some reason. Perhaps because she pretty much epitomizes what Draynor looks like to me when I play Runescape; a small boom-town seeming to be filled with individuals trying to live up to the high-caliber cultural standards of more well known towns like Port Sarim and Lumbridge.
In other words, delusions of grandeur. Draynor always did seem to have a certain air to it that never quite fit the surroundings. Or maybe I just look into things too much when I play a game ;)
Thank you for reading, all reviews are appreciated!