"Come on, we have to move!" the crimson girl commanded the steed while pulling the reins, but it was already laying on the ground and refusing to move any further. Even if they were in the middle of a field where they couldn't hide, she clicked her tongue and threw the reins away.
She unfastened the man from the horse and laid him on the ground with a dull thud, and removed his brigandine. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she didn't spot any major wounds, only a few cuts on his arms and face. She moved to the horse, searched through its many satchels, and found a vulnerary.
A small sigh of relief escaped her lips, but once she tilted the bottle, only a small drop came out of the bottle.
She hissed internally. "Did he use the whole bottle on me?"
She whipped her head back at the man still lying motionless on the ground. She laid her hand on his chest, and he was thankfully breathing. Honestly, it should have been the first thing to check, but she didn't have anything to treat him.
She looked up at the horse before pointing at Vlad. "You stay here."
A chortle was her answer, and without further delay, she marched up a hill for a quick search for a camp or anything similar. She did and bolted back down. putting Vlad back on the horse, much to the surprise of the steed. It tilted its head in the girl's direction.
"I found a place. Come on, quickly."
The steed perked up and gave her a nod. It followed her lead and eventually, they came within sight of damaged houses. Even if they looked abandoned from far away, small pillars of smoke were rising from the ground.
Too small for the place to be on fire, and thus they marched forward.
Once they got there, the girl warily tilted her head from side to side, absentmindedly hovering her hand over her sword before she saw a small boy passing by with a bucket in hand. His clothes were ragged and filled with stains. Black marks adorned his features and once he heard their steps, he curiously tilted his head in her direction.
He abruptly stopped. His mouth went agape, and the bucket fell from his hand before he bolted back into one of the houses. "They're here!"
The girl jolted in place and extended her hand. "W-wait!"
It was too late. The boy's cries for help spread through the settlement like wildfire, and rallied its residents into action. One spear after another rose into the air before a dozen soldiers rushed out of their hiding spots. They all leveled their weapons at the girl and she couldn't help but click her tongue.
"What do you think you're doing here? Leave this place," one of the men stated, his hand holding to his weapon too tightly for the girl's liking.
She eventually raised her arms up. "Please, I need your help!"
"And with what?" he gruffly responded.
She took a step back, but still stayed her ground before beckoning the horse forward. The men impatiently stared at the mare slowly coming into view with its still unconscious master carried like a sack of potatoes.
"I don't know how long he can last with the wounds he has. Is there anybody who can—"
"No, leave this place," The leading man interrupted her, gripping his spear even tighter. "We aren't looking for any trouble and you reek of it!"
"What is going on here?" a calm yet commanding voice pierced through the racket. While they weren't in view, it had already stopped the militia in motion. They slowly pushed through the line of soldiers and revealed themselves to the girl.
With long blonde, almost green, hair flowing down their back and a respectable beard adorning their face, the man looked down at the girl with an assessing eye. Even if his clothes weren't pristine, he emanated an aura of honor and royalty. He glanced at the leveled spears before he raised his hand.
"Lower them," he said, catching off-guard the entire squad.
"But, sir… they could be one of the Corrupted!" the leader argued, but all he got was a disapproving look.
"If they were, then what would stop them from attacking outright? Those beasts aren't that intelligent unless somebody leads them." He looked back at the crimson girl with a questioning brow. "Explain yourself."
She took a deep calming breath through her nose. "I need to treat this person and I have nothing left. This was the first place I came by and I didn't have much choice."
He let out a hum, bringing his arms behind his back. He turned his back to the girl, eyeing her with only one eye. "What's your name?"
"It's—" she involuntarily flinched and hissed. "It's Alear."
He gave her a nod. "Mine's Ethelwulf. Now, come inside."
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
While the man was finally being treated inside one of many tents occupying the place, Alear was under Ethelwulf's scrutinizing green eyes. They both were sitting next to a makeshift table, surrounded by charred wood and stone, accentuated by a set of lit candles. It barely formed a house with no roof, replaced by a draped cloth large enough to cover the entire building.
Alear had her hands on her thighs, wrinkling her skirt with her grip alone. Ethelwulf breathed a sigh while bringing a pot of tea alongside two cups to the table. "Please, excuse the gruff introduction from before. We are slightly on edge with the Corrupted running amok everywhere."
She gave him a careful nod, but an idle bead of sweat formed on her forehead. "It's fine. I've had worse."
"That is troubling to hear, Alear," he said before taking hold of the pot. "Would you like a cup?"
Only a small hum was Alear's answer, and while Ethelwulf didn't know what to do for a moment, he decided to pour the tea into a slightly cracked cup. He set it in front of Alear and indulged himself in one as well. He took a sip, and a satisfied sigh escaped his lips.
"I wish it tasted as good as it did before all of this," he remarked and spotted Alear staring at her cup with a thoughtful look. "By all means, go ahead."
"How is he?" she asked instead, not touching her tea yet.
Ethelwulf breathed through his nose. "He is in stable condition, if that's what you want to hear."
Her grip on her clothes eased. "Good. We will have to move right away."
He let out a curious hum. "And where to, might I ask?"
Alear snapped her head up at the leader, and a frown formed on her face. "That's none of your business."
"Oh, but I think it is," he remarked, putting the tea down with a click. "You are in my territory, Alear, and I deserve to know a few things about the people trying to cross it. Think of it as payment."
She let out a hiss.
"I need something answered," he said before leaning closer with his fingers crossed. "What is one of Sombron's whelps doing here?"
Her irises narrowed and she stood up, knocking the stool over before reaching for her sword. Ethelwulf raised his hands up and a set of spears pierced through the cloth, pinning Alear down. She frantically jolted her head in every direction, but there wasn't one without a pointed end.
She snapped her gaze at Ethelwulf, who still had his hand raised before she noticed a gleaming gold ring on his left hand with a pink gem.
Her eyes went wide. "That's… an Emblem Ring."
Ethelwulf tilted his hand to see the ring for himself before confirming it with a nod. "It indeed is, pried from one of your sibling's hands."
She snarled in his direction, but Ethelwulf wasn't intimidated. In fact, curiosity still filled his green eyes. "It took considerable effort, and we paid a price. Many good men and women died getting this ring, much to the dragon's delight. But do you know what irks me right now?"
"What?" Alear demanded sharply.
"That you went out of your way to help a human," he stated, his hand lowering with each moment. "I thought that was just a ruse, but then you even sought our help to treat him without committing to violence. Quite the contrast to what I normally see."
Boasting about killing one of her many siblings made Alear extremely close to brandishing her blade at the leader, but she didn't know what that would accomplish. It would sate her anger, but to what extent? She just wanted to make Mother happy, but what would happen if she found out about this?
Reluctantly, she bit her tongue and let her sword hand fall limp. "Your point?"
Ethelwulf raised an eyebrow. "And yet you still refuse to attack?"
He grabbed his cup again and took a longer sip than the first one. "Most peculiar."
With a single wave of his hand, the spears eventually disappeared from her view. He stood up from his spot and fixed Alear's stool before moving back to his own seat.
"My point is that I don't understand you," he stated. "You are a Fell Dragon, but you don't act like one. This entire war I've met many of your kind, but you are the first to ever show compassion to a human. Is he a special case? Is he a close friend?"
Alear eventually sat down but still refused to drink her tea. "I'm not here to be your muse. We will leave once he recovers."
She then pointed at the ring on Ethelwulf's finger. "And I will take that ring as well."
His face immediately darkened, and his eyes narrowed. "You're in no place to make such a demand, Alear. Nor would I ever give it to a Fell Dragon. Those mentioned sacrifices would only be in vain, no matter how differently you act from the norm."
"This isn't a request," she said firmly. "I have to bring them to Mother."
"And I shall say no," Ethelwulf stated. "If this war driven by Sombron continues, there won't be a place for us to call home anymore. This is why we shall offer this ring to Queen Lumera immediately, so she can end this dispute as quickly as possible. It would be foolish of me to bet this ring on one of Sombron's potentially defective children, no matter their ambitions."
Alear's breath hitched. "W-wait—"
"My decision is firm," he declared and stood up before facing Alear with his back. "We will fully treat your friend, or whoever he is, but then I will ask you to leave immediately. Your presence makes the people here uneasy."
"I…" she had her hand extended before touching her chest. "I want to bring the rings to Mother as well."
Ethelwulf suddenly stopped before slowly turning his head back at Alear. "Pardon? Queen Lumera, your mother?"
She retracted her hand, finding the sight of her cup more comforting than Elthelwulf's eyes. "She isn't my actual mother, but she…"
Alear shook her head. "That isn't important. We have the same goal, you can entrust me with the ring."
He didn't answer at first, and switched his gaze to his empty cup. He poured himself some more tea and took a deep breath, swirling it in a practiced motion. "But you don't have my trust, especially not enough to grant you the ring."
"But—"
"This isn't negotiable, Alear," Ethelwulf reaffirmed. "I've already stepped far enough to accommodate you and your friend. Doing something like that would make my people doubt my intentions."
He gazed at the cloth surrounding their place, and faint shadows came and went every once in a while, but they always stayed for a couple of seconds, murmuring intangible words. Ethelwulf couldn't help but sigh. "Trust is easily lost with a single action, and I've already bent it here."
He drank the rest of the cup with a single swig before setting it down. "But I have a proposition for you that would benefit us both."
Alear clicked her tongue, tilting her head away. "What do you want?"
Ethelwulf took a deep breath. "I want you to guard this place. We're met with frequent small attacks from the Corrupted and we struggle to repel even those. However, with your help, we could—"
"Save it. I'm not going to become a pawn in your game," she hissed.
He gave her an unamused stare. "Don't interrupt me, Alear. Or do you wish your search for Queen Lumera to become nothing more than a wild goose chase?"
She let out a gasp. "You… know how to get to her?"
Ethelwulf shook his head. "Not necessarily, but she comes here often to check on our situation. Gives us the necessary supplies and, most importantly, hope."
"So you want me to guard this place until she comes back," she said and a firm nod was his answer.
"Yes. I will make sure to give you the supplies you need until Queen Lumera comes. I will send one of my trusted scouts to get you."
"Wait…" Alear paused before she narrowed her eyes. "I won't be staying here?"
He reluctantly shook his head. "You know I can't do that, but I'm sure I and the Queen can make the people here understand—"
Alear slammed both of her hands on the table, interrupting Ethelwulf. "I don't care if your people understand, how can I trust you?"
He closed his eyes and let letting out a sigh. "I'm not forcing you to trust me. In fact, you can leave with your friend right now. But we both have something to gain here, and either you will accept my terms, or your friend dies."
She growled. "You've set me up. You lied to me about him being fine."
"Being in a stable condition and 'fine' are two different things, Alear. He will recover, but a simple vulnerary isn't enough to fully heal him. Blood loss and exhaustion are a deadly combination for us humans."
Alear clicked her tongue before eyeing her teacup. She unruly drank her now lukewarm tea and slammed the cup against the ground, shattering it upon impact. Without sparing any farewells, she left the building. Ethelwulf went outside as well, and once he saw Alear leaving the settlement for the woods, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh.
"You are one unfortunate child," he remarked before going back inside. He accidentally stepped on a piece of porcelain and picked it up. He gazed upon its sharp edges with a contemplating look.
"I guess you were destined to break eventually," he pondered.
He set it aside on the table before he made his way towards a tent that Vlad occupied and spotted a cleric outside. She gave him a bow.
"Sir Ethelwulf."
He raised his hand ever-so-slightly. "How is the patient?"
She nodded. "We did everything we needed to keep him stable without fully committing."
"Good," he said. "You can start his treatment then. The girl complied with my request."
The cleric couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. "She did?"
"Yes, and you better make it swift. I have some questions for him," he explained before breathing a sigh. "At least now we shouldn't have problems with the Corrupted for a while."
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
Swimming.
Vlad's mind was nothing but an endless lake, illuminated by the faintest of lights. The weight of his body came and went as if he was being pushed by the current to an unknown destination. The last thing he could remember was seeing the face of his daughter, yet his mind refused to believe it.
He let out a groan and like a spell being lifted, he was encased in a sheet, coarse and uncomfortable. Once he rubbed his eyes with his fingers, he let them open and was surprised to see a roof above him.
As stable of a roof as a tent could be.
He removed the sheet, only to see himself wearing anything except bandages. A small headache assaulted him, making him groan and search for something to drink. He eventually spotted a waterskin within the dimly lit tent, sitting on a small table. He greedily took it and gave it a shake.
A small reprieve washed over him when he felt the weight of the water in his hands and quickly took a large swig. The cool water was almost like a blessing in his eyes, but he couldn't help but taste some iron in it. He still swallowed it down and let out a sigh.
He wiped his mouth before tilting his head from side to side. Did the girl make a tent?
Vlad slowly stood up from his makeshift bed, finding it slightly difficult to stand on his legs before peeking through the tent flap. He jolted in place when he saw several people on guard holding torches.
He quickly went back inside. What is this place? And where is she?
Through the thin leather tent, Vlad spotted a set of shadows getting closer to his tent, and he widened his stance. He took a step back to his bed and patiently waited for what would come.
"—an update?" he heard from the side. The voice was gruff.
"He should wake up any moment," a much softer tone responded.
As the tent flap slowly opened, a blonde stranger appeared on the other side, his head still turned to someone else. "I hope he will be fine enough to—"
He and Vlad suddenly met eye to eye while the softer voice let out a small gasp. The stranger immediately narrowed his gaze and put his hands behind his back. "I see you're awake."
Vlad widened his stance. "Who are you?"
"My name is Ethelwulf," he said as he touched his chest before extending it towards Vlad. "And yours?"
Vlad looked intensely at Ethelwulf and the woman by his side for a solid second before eventually breathing a sigh. "The name's Vladimir."
"Hmm, a fine name for a young man such as yourself."
"Youn—"
Vlad bit his tongue. Explaining his situation was not worth doubling down on his headache.
He took a deep breath and sat down on his bed. "Where am I?"
"You're within my territory, Vladimir," Ethelwulf stated. "It doesn't have a name yet, but that isn't important. We have a few matters to discuss. How are you faring?"
Vlad experimentally stretched his shoulders before a pop resonated in the tent. He cringed, and didn't dare to move his arms further. "I'll manage."
Ethelwulf nodded. "Good. We will meet at my place with some food and tea. She will see to it you get there."
As quickly as he came, Ethelwulf disappeared from the tent, leaving Vlad and the woman behind. She gave Vlad a small bow before unlocking a small chest with his clothing.
"I'll wait outside," she said breathlessly and left Vlad as well.
Once they were gone, Vlad couldn't help but pinch his nose. Things just keep getting weirder. And I don't like it.
Shaking his head, he didn't waste much time equipping his gear. He noticed just how many small dents it had, even feeling the small bumps on his body. Remembering what happened during the fight with the Corrupted was difficult. Once he put the girl's ring on, everything went by in a flash.
A groan escaped his lips and tightened his gloves and brigandine. His eyes widened for a moment when he dug into his pockets and found them empty. Even the sword was nowhere to be found. Of course, they wouldn't let me keep my things.
Vlad put on his fur coat and carefully stood up from his bed. While the weight of his equipment threw him off balance at first, he quickly adjusted and opened the tent flap with the woman waiting.
She only glanced Vlad's way.
"This way," she said curtly, and marched forward without further delay, prompting Vlad to follow her.
While he appreciated that the woman didn't spare more words, the constant glares sent from the people around him Vlad's way were irking. It was like he had a big red target behind his back, ready for the first knife to hit the bullseye. He tried to ignore them, but it was hard not to when their murmurs weren't quiet, or wholesome for that matter.
Eventually, they reached a burned building and the woman wordlessly beckoned Vlad to go inside. With a slight nod, he pushed the draped cloth away, revealing Ethelwulf sipping tea with a few slices of bread and cooked meat on the table.
Vlad took a step, and an idle crack reached his ears, forcing him to look down at his feet. Pieces of porcelain littered the ground, but not enough to form any specific dish. He looked up at Ethelwulf who breathed a small sigh.
"Pardon the mess. I didn't have the time to clean after my last guest," he said before extending his hand. "Please, sit down. We have much to discuss."
Vlad narrowed his gaze but still took a seat. He saw a single cup in front of him full of hot tea and a single plate for food. Once he adequately filled it, he took a careful bite out of the bread, never taking his eyes off of Ethelwulf.
This isn't going to be a regular conversation, Vlad thought. No, this is a wolf's den.
He was just a piece of meat ready to be chewed on by Ethelwulf's sharp teeth. Choosing his words carefully was going to be essential to make sure he wasn't roped into anything. Just from looks alone, Vlad knew Ethelwulf was a good manipulator.
Now, who is going to start thi—
"Right, I forgot having tea with a meal isn't necessarily ideal," Ethelwulf said, and stood up from his seat before moving to a hidden cellar behind a set of crumbled rocks and wood. With a good shake, the trap doors opened with a snap, revealing several bottles inside.
He picked one up, studying the label a moment before showing it to Vlad. "Have you ever had wine before?"
Vlad couldn't even finish chewing his food when his mouth instinctively went agape. "P-pardon?"
AN: Whoops, almost forgot to post a chapter today. Welp, better late than never, right?
Again, thanks to Cavik, this chapter wouldn't be as polished without them. Also, the usual plug of the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server and here is the link: gg/u89gs745fn
Thanks for reading today's chapter.
God's speed.