Chapter 5.
Traveling on top of a van was an exciting experience for Nelyafinwe. And by exciting he meant that it made him experience a lot of emotions in a very short time, which wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Discovering that the vehicle could move without the need of horses or by the action of a person was something almost unheard of, the most it could be compared to was the boat that his cousin's grandson had used to take to the skies. However, instead of using Manwe's nature, this contraption was powered similarly to a watch, with the operation of all its parts generating the movement.
It was a shame this van stank as much as an Orc camp. The fumes and gases that emanated awakened a nauseating sensation that brought back memories of his torment in Angband. In those days he had become familiar with the aroma of volcanoes and the stench of orcish industry. At least it wasn't as unbreathable as dragon breath. The elf was grateful not to be "inside" the vehicle like his companion, and stayed in the back where the wind hit his face so fast that it relieved the toxic feeling emanated by the metal beast.
"Everything okay there?" her savior asked from inside. Nelyo only nodded looking at the mirror to which the girl responded with a strange gesture, showing a closed fist but with her thumb up. Gesture that the elf imitated.
Focusing again on the exciting journey, there in the distance he could distinguish the silhouettes of the buildings. It was a moderately sized village, nothing compared to the Glory of Tirion, with relatively small buildings of no more than three stories. Still, the architecture surprised him, they were definitely more advanced than the constructions of the Edains and rivaling the Sindar and perhaps some of their Noldor cousins...
Each building was formed of stone with cubic shapes and flat roofs. Separated by black asphalt streets, so wide that an entire army could comfortably march on them. Every few feet there were unlit steel lamps and multiple glowing signs. The prince would have continued observing every detail had it not been for the family unrest. It was as if the experience with the van would be doubled and nausea would hit him.
"The air is very dirty…"
"Did you say something?" While the elf was rambling, Amber had managed to find a parking spot next to a clothing store. When she got out of the car, she noticed how her companion seemed to be struggling to contain the urge to vomit...
"Do you have dizziness problems?"
"It's not transportation, it's the air." She sniffed but found nothing unusual there, it was the typical aroma of a rural town.
"If this bothers you, I'll cross out Vale from the places I would recommend." It was a shame really, the capital was a very beautiful city. The redhead jumped down, clutching his hand on the knee for a moment as he regained his composure. Amber returned to the truck and pulled out a bottle of water to offer, but he declined and stood up as if nothing had happened.
By the time they entered the store all eyes were on them, or more precisely on the redhead. There were many understandable reasons for that, such as his clothing which was obviously not made for him, the fact that he was barefoot didn't help, the other reason would be his monumental height. But perhaps the main cause was…
"Excuse me, do you need anything?" The receptionist was the first to come forward, she arrived so quickly that Amber almost missed her.
"We just came to get some clothes for my friend." Maybe she should have used another term because the smile of the girl and the other women in the store was now wider. However, that didn't seem to faze the silver-eyed guy.
"Yes of course!. Follow me here." She indicated with a gesture of her hand as she guided them towards the men's clothing section.
"This won't take too long."
"This is taking too long." One hour, she sat there waiting for an hour while Nelyafinwe tried on set after set of clothes. He hadn't even had to pay for anything yet, the redhead couldn't choose clothes and had decided to at least try every possible combination until he found the right one.
"Try this darling!"
"You should try this! highlight your eyes."
"Take this, it matches your hair!" One after another the women crowded in front of the changing table, each trying to see the handsome man wear the clothes they suggested for him. Amber just prayed that Nelyafinwe wouldn't decide on each of those outfits or the huntress would have to pay for half the store.
"And I wanted to buy my own car." She silently shed a tear as she imagined the last breath of her wallet. If she survived the experience financially, she would be more empathetic to Oscar when they went shopping.
"Excuse me, I think this will be enough." Amber looked up expecting to see a dozen bags that she had to pay for.
"Wow." He looked like something out of his grandparents' album, like those actors contemporary to the Great War. It was something formal and conservative but far from being something too serious, a long-sleeved, high-necked white T-shirt with buttons at the wrists. On top of this was a simple copper-red vest with gold edges and buttons. His pants were simple, dark red and without much detail held up by a black belt, all accompanied by a pair of leather shoes of the same color.
There was beauty in simplicity. Well, the suit showed off her broad shoulders and slim but defined figure quite a bit. And that didn't show much skin.
"Will that only be it?" Amber looked back for any sign of any extra bags or even boxes.
"Just this and a couple more," he revealed two more bags hanging from his elbow, and the maiden narrowed her eyes.
"But if it's not a bother…" there it was.
"There is one last thing I would like, but I don't think this store has them."
"Okay, say goodbye to your fans, it's time to pay." It had turned out better than expected and her wallet wouldn't bleed.
"Thank you very much for your services, you have been a great help, I will not forget your kindness" The boy said while bowing, something very old-fashioned for Amber, but which seemed to plunge the crowd of women into a dreamlike trance. After paying for the outfits they left the store heading to the other side of the street.
"The car shop?" Amber asked.
"I need a sword." That made sense, but the car shop wasn't exactly the right place for that request. They had to go to…
"The blacksmith, where we should go is the blacksmith shop, fortunately it is not far away." She gestured with a finger for him to follow her as she passed by him. He looked at her, then at the workshop and then at her, like that for a couple of times until he sighed exhaustedly and followed her.
Amber felt a little guilty for finding that attitude very funny.
To a Noldor, the heat of the forge was as mundane as the sunlight would be to all other living creatures that walked Arda. For a Prince of the royal house, and son of the greatest of all children of Iluvatar, The forge was as essential as the air he breathed.
The heat of the embers, the smell of coal, and the shine of metals felt like a soft familiar touch as the elf and maiden entered the smithy. It was a smaller establishment than the clothing store, but for Nelyo it was a suitable size, with multiple rows of weapons hanging on the walls and other shelves.
He immediately recognized swords, axes, spears, hammers, bows, arrows... but there were others, more complex weapons whose operation he could not decipher without having one in hand, but definitely not suitable for hand-to-hand combat.
"You look like a kid in a candy store," said his savior, and Nelyo looked away out of shame. He was worse when he was in a candy store, everyone in the family was.
"If you see something you like, don't hesitate to take it, I'll go talk to the blacksmith." Then the elf scanned the shelves looking for something ideal. Needing a weapon that was easy to carry for a long journey, large spears, halberds and axes were out of the question.
Checking the short weapons section, a sword was the ideal option although he would admit that the short axes were well made. Nothing compared to the work of his relatives, but definitely better than anything made by the hands of men, let alone orcs. He carefully took a long sword, they were generally used with two hands, but thanks to his height, the prince of the Noldor had no problem performing basic movements with only his left arm.
"So pretty boy, will that be it?" A hoarse voice came from behind and the elf turned to find a man with tanned skin and a short, goat-colored beard. He wore simple clothes that exposed his toned arms, a sign of his hard work, as well as an apron and gloves for protection.
He examined the weapon one last time, a white glow reflected against its surface and for a brief moment he could see his eyes on the metal surface.
"It is a good weapon, it will be an honor to wield it."
"Heh, good!, I like that attitude." The blacksmith returned to the counter to discuss prices with Amber. Nelyo focused on the sword, to be made by a man it was definitely something of quality, the old man knew what he was doing. Men had changed a lot since he woke up, there were no automated cars, there were no electric spheres of light, and they didn't have dog tails in those times.
"Are you hungry? "I don't think you've eaten anything since you woke up." She was starving right now, but her companion didn't seem to suffer from that discomfort.
"I'm fine, I'm not in a hurry to have lunch." As he became increasingly fluent in the language, she was curious what it would be like to engage in a functional conversation with him.
"Well I do. I know a good place, and very cheap." Amber needed it, the clothes they had bought plus the sword weren't exactly cheap, at least that's what Dorothy would say, the autumn maiden didn't think prices were a problem.
"Lead the way," Nelyo said while gesturing with his only hand.
"Follow me my prince," he didn't seem very amused by her response. Amber took note of that.
The town's coffee shop was not particularly full, it was normal since most people were working at this time, apart from her and Nelyo, there were only three other customers there. They sat at one of the tables next to the windows that gave a good view of the street, as it was the middle of the afternoon the natural light bathed the entire room with a comforting glow. It fit well with the Mistralian design of the building.
"I don't know much about this… I think a tea will be fine." The fact that he knew how to read the menu caught the maid's attention. He learned quickly for someone who a few hours ago didn't know how to speak her language. A Semblance perhaps? It was not something unheard of.
"I recommend the honey waffles, but don't tell Oscar, he prefers the pancakes."
"I said I wasn't hungry," he responded without looking away from the menu. "but I appreciate the suggestion."
When the waitress arrived she took their orders although she failed a few attempts at Amber's, too distracted by her attractive companion. As she left, the poor girl almost tripped because she continued looking at the redhead.
"Someone is becoming popular very quickly." She joked as she leaned back on the seat.
"It's natural, I have always been striking. Even after…" Whatever he was going to say was cut off mid-sentence, there was a brief flicker of silence before he regained his composure and raised the stump where his right hand should reside. She understood instantly.
"It doesn't make you any less, you know that, right?"
"It has made me stronger than I would ever be." His eyes showed a metal cold as he uttered such a sentence. Amber wanted to know more, but it seemed like a sensitive topic.
"Okay, we're killing the atmosphere." She raised her hands in an exaggerated manner.
"There's not much atmosphere" he responded, pointing with his eyes to the rest of the half-empty establishment. There were two old men playing chess at a table, and a guy who smelled of alcohol in the corner.
"At another time this would be full." Amber leaned back with her chin on the table, almost childishly. It was at that moment when the waitress made an appearance, in her hands she was holding a tray with tea, a plate of waffles and a cup of coffee whose smell made Nelyo wrinkle his nose.
"That smells too bitter."
"Do you want to try?" She said as she gently pushed the cup towards him.
"No" The redhead responded flatly and then took a sip of his tea.
"You lose it." A pleasant silence formed at the table while Amber ate quietly. Nelyo's eyes seemed to scan the place to find the smallest detail. The way he looked at the walls, the window that looked into the kitchen, even at the people present, something that did the already nervous waitress no favors. It was kind of cute, at least that's what she thought.
"Do you want to talk about yourself?" she finally asked.
"What do you want to know?". This time he continued observing the drunk on the corner. Amber took a bite before continuing.
"How did you get to the forest? Where are you going? What are you looking for?" He was surprised by the directness of her questions. The Autumn Maiden had enjoyed trying to solve the puzzle that was the man in front of her, but she herself was not the best at playing the subtler games. She wasn't Ozpin.
Nelyo took a deep breath and assumed a straight posture; he had not touched the tea since his first sip.
"I don't know how I got to that forest, but I can assure you that I shouldn't be alive" there was genuine confusion in his words, his gaze was lost in the reflection projected by the liquid in the cup. The frustrated tone of such a statement did not go unnoticed by the woman either.
"Why do you think that?" She saw how strong he was, she saw the destruction and ruin he brought to the grimms, what could threaten the life of someone like that?
"Because that was my intention." He saw himself in the maiden's eyes. Amber could understand immediately, and there was silence for a while between them, with no one moving or saying a word. The maiden then extended her hand towards his, their fingers brushing and the autumn breeze dimming the fire of the steel.
"Where are you going? after… after that." There was clear concern in her words and a tone that sought to be as careful as possible, as if just raising her voice would make the Noldor collapse like a house of cards.
"Home, west." That hit him harder than lightning. The images flashed through his mind. Boat on fire, a room full of corpses, two children huddled in a corner crying their mother's name.
Flames.
Torch flames that consumed a boat with a child inside.
Dragon flames that burned thousands of men, dwarves and Noldor.
Flames of a demon charring the headless corpse of a friend.
Flames of the earth embracing his flesh.
Amber was sure that if Nelyo continued to exert force in his grip he would break the table, and then her hand. The strange stench of beer reached their nostrils and a shadow rose over them as a disheveled looking man with black hair and red eyes stood in front of their table.
"Kid" he said with a hoarse voice and a breath even worse than his smell.
"You won't have much luck if you don't let go of her hand." He then moved the almost torn cloak from his back, revealing the hilt of a huge sword with a gear system, resting behind his hip. Red and silver collided in their gazes but Nelyo did not let himself be intimidated. He stood up in all his glory, that man was not short, but the prince of the Noldor made him look like a child.
"Wait! This is just a misunderst-" Amber tried to lighten the situation, but it was too late. The redhead's finger lightly hit the old crow's chest, who fell backwards unconscious. He was too drunk for that shit, and the elf knew it.
Mae Govannen Eruhini~✨
Salutations!~✨
Well, that was faster than expected. Now that my vacation has started I will have more time to get back to writing... for now. As always, I do not take Oaths.
Any criticism or review is welcome.
Namárië!~✨