But of an odd ball and a different twist of meeting Edér. Have fun ;) I hope it's not overdramatic, but I tried to be realistic. I also like to have some feedback, since this is my first PoE fanfic. Plot bunny's are always welcome haha.

Chapter 03

The Glanfathan tribesman glared at her. His dark face paint was crumbling a bit, beneath it Maryden saw his skin glisten with sweat in the light of the burning caravans. She had her greatsword drawn and was panting. Calisca and she had been running as fast as they could when the horn of Odema had echoed.

Whenever his horn blew, the caravan was in serious danger. In this case the danger was revealed as several Glanfathan tribesmen, who thought that they had violated their sacred ruins and sought respite. Elimination. Around them there were bodies of Glanfathan warriors and caravan members alike. Odema was propped in a bloody mess against one of the caravans that had not been set afire. Still alive but barely.

Heodan took a strained gurgling breath. He was subdued and overpowered by one of the tribesman who had him in a headlock.

"Lay down your weapons or he dies," the tribesman growled, his voice thick with accent.

Maryden glanced around, her heart hammering in her ears and her muscles were tired. There were four warriors, all in the same get-up like the ones that had ambushed her and Calisca just moments before. If she managed to get Heodan free from the headlock there were three of them against four. A more even number.

"LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS!" The tribesman yelled, fury and impatience gleaming in his dark eyes.

"I'll have to think about that," Maryden calmly answered back, her voice holding a slight tremor of the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"I wonder if you still have to think when your friend is bleeding to death on the ground," one of the other warriors hissed between clenched teeth and nodded to the one holding Heodan.

When the tribesman pushed Heodan away from him and started to lash out with his sword, Maryden flung into action. With a few big steps she reached Heodan and pushed him out of the reach of the tribesman sword. She used her greatsword to block it and with a surge of power she pushed, causing the man's grip to falter on the weapon and leaving her an opening to slice open his abdomen.

The man fell onto his side, heaving and bleeding profusely when his guts spilled on the ground as he died.

"Kill them!" The other yelled.

Maryden woke up in a haze, like her head was stuffed. Whispers surrounding her as usual now. She blinked several times, to get the ceiling to focus, it helped just a bit to distinguish the outlines of the support beams holding the roof together.

Her breathing was audible in her ears as she slowly dragged her upper body to a seated position and threw her legs over the edge of the bed she was in. After letting out a shivering breath she noticed that she was only wearing her cloth; a simple linen shirt and pants.

Maryden glanced around, her eyes settling on her brigandine armour and boots near the fire place. The former draped over the back of a chair. After taking in her environment Maryden deduced that it seemed she was inside simple cottage for just one person who was quite self-sufficient. Someone who did not desire much nor materialistic.

As she sat there on the edge of her bed, her vision somehow sharpened slowly until there was just a bare trace of blurriness. The hazed feeling in her head seemed to lessen. Absentmindedly her fingers threaded through the hair close to her scalp, weaving through the knots as she tried to listen.

Her thoughts were interrupted with the opening and closing of the front door, startling her so fiercely that she flung up on her feet and grabbed for her missing greatsword. A man stood in the middle of the small room, a few big strides away from her and the bed, suddenly crowding the cottage with his presence.

It looked like he didn't even notice her, placing down the large leather bag he had on his shoulders down on the small table in front of him. He folded it open, pulling out cheese, bread and smoked meat, judging by the smell of it. In response, even though she didn't want to, Maryden's stomach growled.

The man laughed. His posture was oddly relaxed, as though he did not perceive her as a threat which Maryden was not sure she should take as a compliment. But, she noticed that the pommel of his sword on his belt was free to grab if she should make a move. Judging by the way he carried himself and the fact that he was armoured.. let's say Maryden knew when she was at a disadvantage.

"I figured you were hungry by the moment you'd wake up."

He looked at her, not at her face, but directly into her eyes. It made Maryden's insides churn with discomfort but she did not break the contact. He suddenly seemed familiar.

"Who are you?"

Her intonation was sharp, but he did not seem to be hurt by it. The man chuckled instead and gestured to the chair opposite of him as he pulled out his.

"Why don't we discuss that as we eat, hmm?"

She stared at him warily, not ready yet to move from her spot. He chuckled, shaking his head and sat down in his seat and dug in. He did not remove the sword from his belt, but placed his shield against the nearest leg of the table in arms reach.

If he did not trust her, she would not trust him.

'But my stuff are near him,' Maryden thought, her eyes flicking to her greatsword that was placed against the fireplace mantel behind the chair that he had gestured to. Slowly, the patter of her feet on the hard wooden floor muffled by the woolen socks she wore, she made her way to the table. Despite that the man was eating and that he seemed relaxed in her presence, Maryden knew he eyed her.

When she was at her chair, her hands curled around the back as if she was contemplating to pull it back and sit down opposite of him or remain standing and reach for her greatsword. Before she could decide she felt that odd sensation again that had only occurred twice now. The same pulling at the back of her skull.

Images of masses of people flashed before her eyes. All of them armed, most were men, some women. They all marched, here and there a banner with a simple was held up high in pride. But she somehow knew that it would all turn downhill. A mixture of dread and betrayal welled up inside of her. This wasn't the forgiving God she knew, this was-

"I suggest you sit down, you look kind of pale."

Maryden looked at the man opposite of her, noticing that she had been staring in the beyond. The nobs on the brigandine duck in the palms of her hands due to her vice grip on it and the wood of the chair beneath, knuckles white. As if on automatic she sat down, letting go of her initial feelings of distrust and wariness and buried her face in her hands, taking it all in.

'I am going insane.'

She felt the man staring at her, but frankly Maryden did not care. She was too tired to care. The sound of something dropping on her wooden plat before her made her look; it was a piece of smoke meat and a chunk of cheese. The man nodded at her.

"Eat."

Silently she did, her stomach thanking her with a single soft growl, and ate the meat and cheese with taste. As she consumed some more bread, meat and cheese questions bubbled up, but were not outspoken. Maryden looked up to investigate the man in front of her.

"Name's Edér, since you asked."

"Maryden," she murmured and straightened up in her chair as she finished her plate. Feeling less weak or 'odd' than before.

Edér seemed just a bit older than her, but not by much. His tanned face had wrinkles on the forehead and crow's-feet, but they were few. The man also sported a short beard, that matched the straw blond hair on his scalp. Right now he had leaned back in a casual way, trying to light a pipe. As the smoke twirled up to the ceiling, vanishing in the air and an earthy but sweet smell entered her nose, it all clicked suddenly.

'He was at the tree earlier.. When I first came to Gilded Vale.'

"How long have I been out? Where's Aloth, the Elf that was with me?"

The man pulled up his shoulders, he had put up his feet on the table now and was balancing on two legs of the chair. Right now his relaxed manner seemed to irritate her. "About a day. It's getting dark outside, now. Your friend is gathering your stuff from the inn."

Maryden thought of trusting him, but then a familiar book on the table caught her eyes. In a flash she stood up and was in two strides at the fireplace, grabbing her greatsword. On her heels she turned, pointing the weapon at the man. Edér had also jumped up from his seat and pulled his sword. The two tips of metal nearly grazed each other. The gentle look he had on his face before, was now replaced with something more serious, but his stance was calm nonetheless.

Up close, she really noticed how tall he was. Close to 6'2 and there she was at 5'8. But she had fought and won from bigger men.

"That is his spellbook. A wizard would never leave that behind," she seethed between teeth, her heart hammering in her chest. She noticed the cottage brighten up just a bit with the raw feeling of anger surging in her veins, making her heritage more known to the man in front him. Normally she would be able to control herself, but now.. after each passing day (even hour) she felt her control slipping.

"What did you do with him!? Tell me!"

"As I said, he was gathering your stuff," Edér explained. "Calm down, you don't want to start a fight."

'Calm down, this isn't like you.'

"I don't trust you," Maryden snapped back. Her anger was somehow flaring, her veins throbbing in her ears, but the whispers were still there.

'Calm down Maryden.'

She itched to start to a fight. To fight this man in front of him and let herself roar, because she could not fight the thing that was happening to her.. whether it was inside her head or real. She knew it was getting worse and figured that the flashes would increase.. but she did not know.

All of her life she had been fighting to survive. And now when she thought she could breathe and pick the life that she wanted it was once again taken from her.

"Calm down."

His deep baritone voice seeped its way through her mind. Maryden blinked and noticed that he had gotten closer than she would've liked. When she wanted to snarl at him to back off he put up his free hand and placed away his sword. Edér was now unarmed.

"Trust me," he said, voice soft.

It caused Maryden's anger to seep away, but she did not want that to happen. She wanted it, needed it. The front door opening and closing startled her, making her flinch and her eyes caught the familiar mop of silky long black hair.

"Hey Edér, I got her things from the inn. How is she-?" Aloth paused mid-sentence when he noticed her standing in front of the fireplace with her weapon drawn to Edér.

Maryden looked from Aloth to Edér and back again. Then she noticed that she was trembling and her greatsword along with it. That never happened. Edér shot her a look, one that was not serious or stern but more akin to sympathy. When she saw that, she down-casted her eyes and felt her cheeks and eyes burn.

"I'm sorry.. I-" she started, but her voice was not working as it should be.

"You had every reason to," Edér said, justifying her actions when he should not. He took the greatsword from her trembling hands and placed it back against the fireplace mantel. "Aloth told me what you have endured before getting to Gilded Vale. That's tough for everyone."

Maryden tried to take in deep breaths and not succumb to the emotions of shame, relief and the lurk of panic. She finally took a hold of herself, levelling everything out but her mind swirled.

"I'm sorry, I need to take a breath of fresh air."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Aloth said, his grey eyes shimmering with worry. Maryden shook her head and as she passed him, she grabbed his shoulder in reassurance giving him a false upturn of her lips at the same time to hopefully quell his thoughts of concern.

"No need, I'll just be outside. It's good to see you, Aloth."

"Likewise, Maryden," he said softly and watched the front door of Edér's home close behind her.

After Maryden had calmed down, setting her mind straight and washed herself with the water from the water barrel, she had been ready to come back inside.

She discovered that Edér had helped Aloth the moment she passed out at the tree. Some villagers and guards had seen her near it, and fearing of the repercussions along with the history of the village, Edér had then decided that they all had to stay with him for the moment, instead to continue their stay at the inn. Sending off Aloth for their stuff, whilst he bought the provisions. Meanwhile, both had been taking care of her. Successfully breaking the fever that had been plaguing her for Gods knew how long.

"Say, what are you going to do about your 'Watcher' thing?" Edér asked. Maryden pursed her lips, her mind drifting back to the dwarven lady.

"I have to talk to some old guy, called Maerwald. He's supposed to be up at Caed Nua, assumingly beyond the Black Meadow. Have you heard of it?"

The man nodded. "I do. It's abandoned, but we can always take a look though."

Aloth looked at the man almost incredulously. "Are you coming with us then?" Edér shrugged at the question.

"I have nothing here except the angry villagers, and I'm now very sure to be number 19 on that tree after they've seen me helping you. I'm game if you will have me," he said with a smirk. "Plus, I've been wanting to ask the Old Watcher some questions."

Aloth and Maryden shared a glance. Just moments ago her mind wouldn't trust him, yet her gut wanted to, but that was before she discovered that Edér was truly a trustworthy man. Aloth nodded firmly.

"Then we'll welcome you aboard."

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