"Some bruised ribs, but I'll manage," Vala replied as she gave Brun a handful of moss.

Crushing it to paste in his hands, the shapeshifter smeared the moss onto a strip of rags and turned Nimbus's head to inspect the wound. Yellow fluid was leaking from the cut and Brun surmised that the eye would lose all vision, but it was still mostly intact. It would not need to be removed, at least for now.

To answer the eagle's questions, Brun flicked Nimbus on the beak and said, "That is for the gods to know, but there is a plan. I've known hints of it for a long time."

Brun turned and gave Vala a meaningful look before returning his attention to the eagle's eye. "Now be still, this will clean the wound and lessen the pain, but it will need to be changed many times."

As Brun applied the poultice, Vala wondered if the shapeshifter knew about her abilities. Certainly he knew of them if he was of the deep north, where seers were still held in very high esteem, but was it possible that he could recognize one by sight?

There was also the possibility that Brun could have the sight as well, but Vala dared not entertain that sort of notion. A shapeshifter was bad enough and seers were feared for their ability to know the unknown, but having both abilities would be like being half a god and the idea of a savage like Brun wielding such power was indigestible.

Looking at Nimbus to distract herself, Vala wondered how fast the effects of the moss were and asked, "Is it feeling any better?"

~~~

"Hmm, this is vexing indeed," Ashnak said as he pondered Naris's words. "It would help to know precisely who is going to support Uldric, then I would know whether he's worth worrying about. Looks like you and the others will have some work to do, Arnolf."

"And here I was thinking we'd drink mead til the moot," Arnolf remarked.

"That's a jarl's privilege, my friend. In any case, I don't plan to ally myself with Uldric if I can help it. He does not strike me as being magnanimous enough to make a good king."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Ashnak continued, "Hmm, at the very least, I believe he was being truthful about Jorgen's killer. It's not the first time a ruler's death was deemed necessary by a seer's visions, though I can't recall one of them ever carrying out the deed themselves. Tell me, Naris, how was it that the killer could get past you and your brother's guard? Sight or no sight, I can't imagine that being a simple task."

Nim was experiencing a lot of pain by now, having her eye cleaned and dressed. Her avian body shuddered. She greatly wished that this didn't make her seem less than fierce, but what else can she expect from being worked upon in this state of injury? Nimbus stayed as still as she could. Brun spoke and she didn't have much to say back at him for her feathers trembled and all she was doing for the time being is keep from yelping. The idea it would have to be changed made her stomach ache.

Once he was finished, Nim felt the strip snug onto her head holding the moss in place. It was a tiny thing, but it was apparent that it didn't improve her sense of balance. Nimbus felt some what angry inside about that. She was a flying beast, and this patch made one side of her head feel funny, making her tilt just slightly to that side.

"I'm feeling hopeful." Nimbus said to Vala. Now she was free to poke at Brun too. "Hints eh? Is that their way of saying they don't fully trust you? Why give hints when you an just be told? OR is it your imagination instead?" she cocked the brow of the only eye there. Nim shook her head. "In any case, we should get going."

=

The question made Naris downcast his eyes. He didn't like the subject and he wasn't fond of the explanation. "It was at the break of dawn when it happened." he sighed. "It was during transition, between Cirian and I. It's hard to describe what we go through, but we're definitely not easy or functional enough to fight back. We thought we were in a safe place though..."

To break off an uncomfortable subject, Naris struck a grin up at Ashnak. "I think you should be King, Ashy. I know you, I know you're honest. I know you'd never let us down." He patted his green friends broad shoulder.

Brun's mouth twisted up in a look of consternation as he replied, "Hm, I can't read their minds, brave bird. It's hard enough for me to understand the hearts of other people, let alone the gods. All I know is that we were fated to meet."

"Do you have the sight?" Vala asked immediately.

"No."

That was a relief.

"But I know you do."

Vala's entire body went stiff upon hearing that.

"I was told by the seer back in my old home," Brun continued, no longer smiling or laughing. "Before it was... gone."

Silence fell like a snowflake after that. Vala never imagined feeling any sympathy for a man who had just tried to kill her a moment ago, but she could very well understand his kind of loss.

"So how about that pact?" Vala asked to change the subject.

"Yes," Brun replied with a smile as he stood up and went to approach the seer with every manner of supplication. Clearly he was eager.

The shapeshifter kept his eyes down and his arms folded with his hands touching the shoulders as he shuffled across the snow, and still in that manner, he bent down to kneel on both knees in front of Vala.

"In the eyes of the gods, I, Brun," he began. "Swear loyalty eternal to this woman, Vala. From now on my strength is hers and my heart is hers, and may we share life for as long as we both live in this world."

At first, Vala reacted with a dubious squint, which gradually gave way to horror as the meaning of the shapeshifter's words began to dawn on her.

"Brun," she said. "What did the seer in your old home tell you?"

The shapeshifter's grin threatened to escape his face as he replied, "How I will meet my wife."

~~~

"I didn't know you hated me so much," Ashnak replied, heaving a sigh.

Arnolf chuckled as he said to Naris, "Join the party, it's what we've been saying all the way from the north."

"And as I told you many times now, it's hard enough trying to take care of one hold, imagine safekeeping an entire country. No, Naris, I will not put myself forward as a candidate. I was not made for kingship, I am only here to support someone who is."

Standing up to pace around, Ashnak halted at the window as he continued, "And to clean up after you, apparently. Arnolf, you go find out how many jarls Uldric has in his pockets. I'll be waiting here, fixing this mess."

"Busy morning," Arnolf replied as he stood up and returned the chair to where he found it, then departed without further ado.

As the man walked out into the street, Ashnak said to Naris whilst fetching a mop, "By the way, I'm sorry for bringing up that matter earlier. I only wanted to know what really happened that night and not just listen to the rumours. In any case, I am honoured that you think I should be king. I mean no slight for disagreeing with you, I just happen to think otherwise."

The thought that no one can read a mind of a being not actually there, was going to be voiced, but right now the pain in her eye was causing her a little bit of a headache. So, she only huffed at Brun's explanation. Oh so wise minded, wasn't he? Nim didn't seem bothered completely. Maybe it was just the eye that truly irritated her. Somehow Nim wondered why Brun wasn't as upset about his ear. Or why he didn't seem as annoyed with her 'lack of faith' as she was with his belief.


These things were pushed aside as Vala spoke with Brun, about how he knew Vala was a Seer, and when he knelt to swear to her, and watched Vala's expression, Nimbus guessed what this meant before Brun said it out loud.


There was a momentary pause, with Nim's wide eye switching between the both of their faces. Then...a grin cracked the corner of her beak and then, her feathers shook as she let a laugh burst from her body. Nimbus flopped onto her back with her long legs kicking slightly in the air.


~~~


The elf laughed, hearing Ashnaks first remark. "Oh yeah, sure, I hate you so much, I want you to be my king." He added to the joke.


When the mood became more serious, Naris grabbed his cloak to throw it over his shoulder. "For what it's worth, you'd be a great king. In my mind, I think that the fact that you don't want it says a lot. In my mind, there is no one better."


When Arnolf left, Naris smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Ashy. It's not like I can escape it any time soon. When this is all over, we can all have a mug of ale at a tavern and laugh about the past." He went over to the door, paused, and faced Ashnak again. "What can we do at the moment?"

Vala's face was a mask of astonishment. She could only stare in dumb silence as Brun made his intentions clear and Nimbus laughed her feathers off. This was simply too absurd to be real!

"The marriage is not complete until the other also says the words," Brun went on to explain. "I can say them again if you want to-"

"Do not mock me," Vala interrupted, her voice dripping with contempt. "And say no more if you wish to continue drawing breath. This conversation is over."

Seeming to expect this, Brun simply smiled and nodded, and astonishingly said no more on the matter, to Vala at least.

"An eye I will take and an ear I would give for her hand in union," Brun said to Nimbus, watching as Vala walked off to find the road beyond the woods. "Met in crimson, that's what the old seer told me. I didn't remember until you did this."

Brun gestured to the bodies of the three dead bandits, their blood painting the snow.

"Truly, I am in your debt."

~~~

"How about saying hello to an old friend?" a voice said from outside the house.

Before Ashnak could say a word, the door opened and a female elf let herself inside, lowering her snow dusted hood as she entered with a warm smile on her face.

She had brown hair, brown eyes, a round face and was a head taller than Naris. Beneath her travelling cloak was a hard boiled leather cuirass and sword belt for a long curved blade, and slung across her back was a darkwood bow as well as a quiver of arrows.

Rangers were an uncommon sight in Atamor these days, considering their disassembly as a corps the day Jorgen became high king, but a few would sometimes appear here and there, doing some good or making mischief in whatever ways they could make use of their talents. They had a dubious reputation to say the least.

"Another lady seeking your attention?" Ashnak said to Naris with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, don't even suggest such a thing, my lord," the female elf responded. "I remember when he was still just a green boy, barely old enough to grow his first chin hairs. So how have you been, Nukky... is this a good time to talk?"

The elf cast a wary eye towards Ashnak, who held out his hands and replied, "Oh it's quite alright, we were just finishing, but now I believe introductions are in order here."

"Well you heard the lord, be a gentleman and introduce me already."

Nimbus had to correct herself, turning over to slide back onto her feet. She shook the snow off of her, and looked with her good eye as Vala left. A part of her was not so happy anymore. Brun didn't know Vala's past, but Nim had gotten the sense that this wasn't a welcome addition to her life's story. She turned to Brun and huffed.


"Well, if I can't take it back, then, mores the pity." She frowned. "I'd say you're not so bad, but, I can also say 'so far' too."


Nimbus stretched out her wings in a motion that emphasized her next part. "This is not uncommon. Why would you say it has any significance?" She asked.


=


"Well Hellooo." Naris smiled, seeing Yunawen. He had a habit of being fairly friendly, but not in a forward way. Ultimately Naris was being a tease. He did, however, want to milk the joke as much as he could.


The elf flung his arm around her shoulders, speaking in a sigh and sarcasm, "Well, I am the ladies-man, aren't I, Ashy?" he cocked a grin. "How has my one and only been? It's a long time since we talked, Yuny." He booped her nose with his free hand.


The intro for Yunawen was nothing like what Cirian would have done. It would've been a quick and concise, "This is Yunawen, a former ranger like ourselves. We worked together, she was there when it happened."


For Naris? It was, "The wonderful, the alluring, the graceful- yet occasionally stinky" And it was true, right? People get stinky. He said this with a cats grin. "A former ranger, like us. The old girl was actually there when the curse took place..." He made a suspicious glance at her, with a long stare. "Or did you do it?" He joked, bursting in a laugh when he let her go and bumped her shoulder.

For the rest of the journey along the road, Vala had to endure the verbal sparring between Brun and Nimbus on matters of philosophy. Out of the three, Vala felt like the only adult in the group, but it was not the bickering that bothered her most of all. It was Brun himself and his very presence among them.

Marriage? Fate? What in the world were the gods playing at? On top of finding her son and concealing her identity as a seer, there was enough for Vala to worry about already, and she hadn't forgotten how the shapeshifter was trying to kill her not too long ago.

That seer Brun mentioned must have been having a laugh, if his story was true. There was no way Vala would ever marry such a man, especially a savage.

After half a day's travel, the trio finally came upon a town next to a frozen lake. Bare limbed trees stood here and there like skeletal sentinels, but for the most part, there were only stumps and roots. The town was hungry for firewood it seemed.

"You stay here," Vala said to Brun as they crested a hill. "I don't want you scaring the people."

"As you say, my love," Brun replied with his easy grin.

Vala's face twisted in a grimace, which made the shapeshifter laugh rowdily. "Do not call me that. You stay with him, Nimbus, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'm going to find some lodgings for us."

And with that, Vala made her way into town.

~~~

Yunawen chuckled merrily as she bumped Naris back, nearly knocking him off his feet, and said, "Hey, show a little respect to your old captain, we're in the presence of a jarl here."

"Chief if we're splitting hairs," Ashnak replied. "But I'm not one for semantics. In any case, I can see you two have some catching up to do, so I'll just be outside. It was nice meeting you."

As the orc passed by, producing a smoke pipe from his pocket, he continued in a whisper to Yunawen, "And tell your other friend to stop causing trouble in my hold before he gets himself hanged, understood?"

Yunawen's smile disappeared entirely as she nodded in reply. Satisfied, Ashnak went outside to light his pipe. He had no doubt that the elf would pass on the message, knowing how tight-knit a group the former rangers were.

With Ashnak gone, Yunawen turned to Naris again and forced a smile as she said, "So, speaking of the curse, any luck on that front?"

“Smooth move.” Nimbus teased Brun. “You know she’s not inclined to be with you in that way, right? Gods or not, Vala doesn’t seem to agree.” The Eagle let that linger in the air for a time before adding in a half murmur. “Fortunately for her, that ‘god’ business is a bunch of hooey. If it WAS true, I’d expect she’d be your wife, and if it’s NOT true, well then, I’d expect you’d have to rethink about what ‘gods’ there are, or aren’t, as the case may be.”


The Eagle’s eyes had healed enough to where her bandage wasn’t needed. Maybe a wipe here and there to clear anything sticky, but over all she was good to go without a wrap. The blue of her eye glazed over, making a milky film that looked dead. A thin line crept over it where Brun’s claw had sliced. Nim wouldn’t be able to see out of her left eye anymore, so she was perched on Bruns right shoulder. She couldn’t see him unless she twisted her head, but this was because she'd rather keep her good eye available to see around her.


=


The whisper wasn’t lost on Naris, who watched Ashnak leave with his pipe to smoke. Even though Yunawen had changed the subject back to the curse on him and his brother, he only shook his head at it with a shrug, saying it was still unsolved on how to fix it. “But never mind that though, what are you up to these days? Who’s the ‘friend’ Ashy was talking about?” He asked her, motioning for them to take a walk, “Done with being inside.” he offered as a reason.

"The gods brought us together, but the rest is up to me," Brun replied soberly as he watched Vala leave, and then with confidence, "It will happen! It will take time, but it will happen."

Touching the bandage over his missing ear, Brun smiled optimistically at Nimbus as he continued, "It wouldn't be worth our sacrifice if it didn't, don't you think?"

Meanwhile, as Vala walked over the streets of hard packed dirt, she quickly learned from the general hustle and bustle that all the wood collected from outside was not just for the town alone. Everywhere she looked, Vala saw traders coming and going with long wagons, either empty or loaded with piles of logs.

With the sheer volume of people around, Vala was worried that there wouldn't be any accommodation available, and sure enough, the first inn she checked was packed to the rafters. Even space by the hearth was being charged for a fee.

"You'd have better luck setting up camp outside the town," the innkeeper told her. "There are places where you can buy supplies if you need them."

Accepting his word for it, Vala thanked him for the advice then left to tell Brun and Nimbus about the state of things.

~~~

"I'll just be here then," Ashnak said after the pair of elves as they walked outside.

Yunawen was glad to leave the house, knowing that the orc was deadly serious in what he said earlier, but she was hesitant to tell Naris about it.

"It's Hagen," she sighed as she strode down the cobblestone street, her breath steaming in the misty morning air. "Not sure if you remember him, but he was still little when you left. Little Hagen he used to be called. Well he's not little anymore and... hm, let's just say that some of the rumours about us are true since Jorgen broke us all apart. I swear, if it wasn't for that man, then maybe..."

Catching herself, she stopped in her tracks and turned to face Naris with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that... old grudges, you know. Anyway, you let me worry about Hagen. The only reason why I'm here is to see how you're holding up. When I heard about what happened, I was worried you might do something reckless."

Yunawen glanced towards the broken chair outside the window as they walked past.

"I don't know if it would be worth a sacrifice." Nimbus tilted her head. "I kind of want my eye back...nevermind, I really want my eye back." She added that with certainty.

On the way back to her comrades, a young man wearing tattered clothes and shoes with the heels flopping, sat on the side of the road she had just come up from that lead to Nim and Brun. He was about four-teen, and he had a small burlap sack on his back, with a banged up lute slung around him. His messy black hair were dense tiny ringlets, making it look like spongy peaks poking out of his head at all angles. The dark bronze of his umber skin was warm toned, you could tell that by the sun gracing his epidermis. His lips were fuller than most men, with a pronounced nose, just a bit wide. His black iris were like two onyx stones. In his hand was a rough-knit red beanie. A few of the threads poked out here and there. He outstretched his hand and beamed a smile, showing off a set of pearly-whites, probably the only clean spot on him.

"Morning, Ma'am." He grinned with a bright set of hopeful eyes. "For a coin or two, I can entertain you. I know you won't be disappointed."

=

Naris waved his hand, saying it was fine. Then the elf shot a smile, and put his hands on his hips. "Me? Reckless?" Naris was ready to laugh out loud, but when the chair caught his eye, he paused before one note of mirth escaped his lips. He had to gauge if that act was categorized as reckless.

No, I'm pretty sure it's not. He thought to himself. A voice at the back of his head disagreed. Ok, maybe it was 'intense', but surely not reckless. That was debatable, but Naris pushed those thoughts aside for a later time.

"Well, I have had some irritations." Naris admitted. "But I am fine...why? Is there something more? I haven't seen you in so long, Yunny. What would prompt you to check on me now? How are the others doing? Are they alright?"

Brun gave the eagle a look of commiseration as he replied, "Hm, for it's worth, I don't agree with the gods on the price of our meeting. Very steep, especially for you. Maybe you will be repaid some day, I would like to help if I can."

The fact that Nimbus's eye had been lost to Brun's own claw did not escape him and he felt remorseful about it, even if it was fated. A warrior with one eye was still a warrior, but it was better to have both.

Just outside of town, Vala stood blinking at the young lad with the messy black hair and red cap in his hand. A bard no doubt, judging by the lute he carried, and barely a man, but perhaps one with an adventurous spirit to be travelling on his own.

As a mother, Vala couldn't help comparing the lad with her own son Rorik. He was roughly of the same age when he left home and hearth to roam, and Vala had decided it was for the best at the time. It was hard to let go, but Rorik had that right to leave the nest upon becoming a man.

Vala only hoped that he would return some day, stronger and wiser than before he left, and perhaps with a worthy woman by his side, but now that hope was a smoking ruin. A foolish dream that the sight had failed to foretell of its doom until only just recently, with too little time to act before Rorik had done what he did.

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy at the moment," Vala said to the lad as she walked on. She didn't like the memories his presence had provoked.

~~~

"Hey hey, one at a time now," Yunawen replied mirthfully with her hands held up, smiling at how little Naris had changed over the years. He always did have a habit of firing off all his questions at once, him and his brother both.

"The others are fine, it's just Hagen who's been stirring up the most trouble lately. He's been giving hunters a hard time up north; poor folks can't shoot an arrow at a deer without him shooting it back, but no one's died yet and I don't think he'll be caught anytime soon, so I'm not worried about him for now."

Yunawen lapsed into wistful silence for a moment as she remembered hearing about Hagen's activities for the first time. Despite his misguided actions, Yunawen had been and still was proud of the young lad. He never did stop being a ranger.

"As for you," Yunawen continued. "I know how loyal you were to Jorgen, so when I heard how he died, I thought you might have gone after his killer on your own... well, you and your, ah, you know what I mean. I was actually a bit surprised to see you were still here in the city when I saw you last night, so I'm a bit curious now. What's keeping you here?"

"Well, if the gods exist, they have a terrible sense of humor. I don't think I like this 'trade', if you can call it that. Plus, it's non-consensual." Nim frowned. She couldn't see his head, but she was pretty sure she was sitting on the side that no longer had an ear. It was a fight. Things happen in a fight. Brun wasn't so bad though, so, Nimbus found it in her to sigh about having cut his ear off. That might not have been the best intro for the two.

Coming up the way, she spotted Vala and another figure. A boy, perhaps? He was talking to Vala, and very much so. "Please ma'am, I can sing a song, I can do card tricks. I have a few stories. Anything I can't do I can learn. I just need something, even a little something. Can't a guy work for his fortune?"

Whatever he thought he was earning, it wasn't much. The young man was getting discouraged, but then he saw the Eagle on Bruns shoulder and he beamed another smile. "Ah, an Eagle! I've seen those! I know one or two in my traveling." He said, running up to Brun and Nimbus. "Hey there! You're a Shifter right? Well gee, just wait one moment." he sat down in the snow, pulling out a sketchbook and a pencil, scribbling down what he saw and what he so far been through since meeting Vala.

"Who are you?" Nim asked, cocking a feathery brow. "What are you doing?"

"My name is Tommy, and I am gonna be a famous traveling bard of all history." He paused from his writing and looked up with a weak smile. "I know, I don't look like much, but that's gonna change!"

=

"Well, he has passion, that's for sure." Naris chuckled, but it kind of faded as she went along with her speech. "The moot. Apparently we are finding out who could have possibly set up the murder of the King. Maybe it could be the very person who is going to be elected. We aren't sure, but it's an angle, and already we had an interesting visit from Uldric...you saw me last night?"

Vala frowned at the same time Brun smiled as the lad named Tommy spoke.

"I told you I'm busy," Vala said with naked irritation.

"How did you know I was a shifter?" Brun asked.

"Why are you talking to him?"

"He knows I'm a shifter."

"I know, but why are you speaking to him?"

"Because I want to know how he knows about me."

"I know, but- oh forget it. Look, we don't have time for this."

Vala held the lad by the shoulders and looked into his eyes as she said, "I am sorry, Tommy, but we cannot help you, understand? Where we are going, you do not want to follow, trust me on that."

"Where are we going?" Brun piped up.

Vala bit her bottom lip and gripped her staff as she turned towards the shapeshifter with a dagger sharp stare.

~~~

"Yeah, when you were drinking with that jarl," Yunawen replied, jerking her thumb at the house. "I wanted to talk to you then, but I didn't want to interrupt, so I figured I'd wait until the next day. Doesn't seem to have made much difference since you fellows were still at it, but at least we get to take a morning stroll.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're not going after the killer himself. It's one thing to hunt poachers and bandits, but assassins? That's out of our depth by far, even as rangers. Leave it to the bounty hunters I say, and all the other wretches who value life so little."

Passing richly decorated houses and shops, the elves walked towards a wide stone bridge with carved balusters that told of the city's founding. The bridge spanned across a river that flowed from the faraway, flat-headed mountain called Jotenstad, meaning 'Giant's Anvil'.

Despite the mist in the air, the snow clouds from last night had partly abated and the sun was shining through, turning the river into flowing quicksilver. Yunawen was momentarily lost in the beauty of the sight, leaning on the baluster to drink it all in with her dark amber eyes.

It was only until a one-eyed man came running that she noticed a group of people gathered at the other side of the bridge.

"Naris!" Arnolf called out as he stopped before the elves. "It's Uldric, he's dead. No idea how it happened, but he fell in the river and drowned. I got to tell Ashnak about this."

Utterly bemused, Yunawen looked at the commotion happening by the riverside and glimpsed a hooded figure walking away, making for the market square. She didn't know what was going on, but her ranger instincts took over as she touched Naris's hand and said, "Look over there," then began to give chase with bow in hand.

There was a pause, with Tommy looking between them, the journal he was writing in drooped since his focus was elsewhere. Then, he hopped up with a happy ‘hooray!’ and exclaimed. “An adventure! You three are on an adventure! Oh boy, what a way to start my career as a traveling bard!”


“Oh gods, he’s enthusiastic.” Nim grumbled.


The boy with the floppy shoes stuffed his journal and pencil into his burlap sack with a huge smile on his face. The lad was barely as tall as Vala’s shoulder, looking up at Brun with a finger on a tattoo of his arm. “I’ve found more Shifters with tattoos than not, and I have seen a great many of them in my day!” He told him. Tommy went on his tip-toes and reached to stroke Nim’s head feathers. “A talking warrior Eagle! I have seen your kind a lot too.”


“You have?” She titled her head, brushing his fingers away from her feathers.


“Well.” He sighed, slumping his shoulders sheepishly. “Jones did. The things I know, I learned from him actually.”


“So, when you say you have seen a lot of Shifters-“


“I mean Jonesy did. But! He was such a great bard, I FELT like I was there! I want to be able to do that. I want an adventure!” Tommy straightened his belt. The intention was clear. They had a tag along.




=


So then, Yunawen might have seen… Naris glanced back at the chair. Yes, she must know about that. Well, if she would have a say in anything, he guessed there was a possibility that Yunawen might have picked the word ‘reckless’ well.


“Well, I would have liked to go after him. Jorgen was close to me, as you know.” Naris gave a half frown. “Techincally I wouldn’t be by myself either.” he pointed out as they walked.


When they stopped to observe the surroundings, Naris was going to speak, but then Arnolf came running up. Uldric? Dead? His eyes were wide. “When? How?” But there was no time for this to be answered, Yunawen was already racing into the distance. Naris was no slow runner. He caught up with Yunny in a heart beat, unsheathing his sword as he ran with her into the market. There were many people criss crossing their path. There were sights and sounds that threatened to cover the tracks of whoever she had seen.

Vala threw up her hands in surrender as Brun laughed and nodded with approval. "Good, good!" he said. "You have a great spirit! I think you will have many songs to write by our side."

"But he is just a boy," Vala sternly replied.

Brun's laughter was cut short as his face took on the look of one who had just heard something deeply offensive. "Heart of my heart, why would you say such a thing? He is clearly walking the way of the skald, that is a man's path! Who are you to deny him this?"

Her patience stretched to its limit, Vala gave an exasperated sigh and turned to Nimbus. "Very well, you will have the final say in this matter. What do you think?"

~~~



"Move out of the way!" Yunawen shouted as she ran, her eyes locked on the hooded figure who was moving to the other side of the market.

The people around either stared or hastened to step aside, alarmed to see two elves on the run with weapons drawn. This also drew the attention of the market guards who came to inspect the ruckus.

"What's going on here?" asked one man armed with a spear.

Yunawen slowed down into a cautious approach, but not because of the guards. The hooded figure had suddenly stopped at the other side of the market and began turning to face the elves, though it seemed to Yunawen that he was looking directly at Naris.

Slowly, deliberately, he pulled his hood down to reveal a thin bearded face with long fair hair, pale skin and sapphire blue eyes that began to shine silver as he drew his rune-etched dagger. As soon as he did that, many things happened at once.

Yunawen picked an arrow from her quiver, the market guards called for everyone to get back, several of the bystanders produced their own weapons, shouting about a bounty, and the fair haired man turned around again and fled into an alleyway.

"Let's go!" Yunawen shouted as she began to pursue in earnest, her elven legs striding effortlessly across the frosted cobblestones.

Nimbus flicked her eye between the three. Did this boy even know what kind of things happened in adventures? Would be be a burden to haggle with, to feed, or worse, to have to protect in a dangerous situation? Another question was, where did he come from? Who are his parents?

"Kid, might as well go home." Nimbus shrugged.

Tommy's mouth downturned. "I don't have one. I am not from here...I'm an orphan."

"Then go back to Jones." She offered.

"I can't." Tommy sighed.

"Why not?" She asked.

"He's dead." he told her. "All I remember are flames of the past. My life began with the shepherd and his oldest son, Jones."

Nimbus frowned. He really was just a young man, suffering through lifes path and it's twisted sense of humor. "Alright." She agreed quietly. "You can come with us, but don't think you can mooch."

"Right!" he beamed.

"No special treatment, you're a man."

"Absolutely!"

"Ok, ok. Simmer down, you bubbly boy." Nimbus turned her eye onto Vala. She knew she probably didn't really understand why she let Tommy in their group, but it was a little too personal to explain at the time. "Looks like we're ready to go."


=

...not even aware until you saw the killer's eyes shining in the darkness, bright as flame and silver as starlight...

Those eyes. It was the first thing Naris saw, and his heart skipped, squeezing the air in his throat. The rune-crested dagger was more than enough to confirm, and so Naris sped off like the life of the King would be saved, if he only ran his sword into the Seers heart. Yunawen had trouble keeping up with Naris, whose nose flared red with hard breathing.

"Stop him! Stop that man!" Naris shouted to anyone near by. He could hear his brother yelling for him to grab the man. This was the killer! This was his opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his brother, and the eyes of the rest of the world. Naris felt his feet beat the ground as fast as his heart bashed against his chest. The figure was coming closer to his grasp, fingers lunged out and he felt the fibers on the tips of his skin.

"Very well then," Vala replied, not quite believing Nimbus's decision.

She had hoped that the eagle would have more sense than to accept travelling companions, much less someone so young as Tommy. Now there would be no way of getting rid of him, not without using force. Vala was well capable of doing that for the boy's own good, but she was tired and sore, and couldn't be bothered to care anymore.

Resigning herself to Tommy's presence, Vala walked on with Brun soon catching up and falling into step at her side. Vala was beyond caring about that too, despite how repugnant the smiling savage was. It was just as well since Nimbus, riding on Brun's shoulder, was brought close enough to speak to.

"We'll talk about this later," Vala said to her and then to everyone else. "Before we enter the town, we should find a spot outside in case all the inns are full. I was told we might be better off setting up camp out here."

"We can make space," Brun chuckled mischievously as he shifted his hand into a claw.

Vala thwacked her staff against Brun's leg. "None of that now. So Nimbus, can you fly up and find an area for us?"

~~~

The elf's fingertips brushed the back of the fugitive's cloak and then closed into a fist, bunching up fabric. Acting quickly, the man unwrapped his cloak, letting it fall from his shoulders, then spun around and leapt to kick Naris full in the chest. Bouncing off, he turned around again to continue running, barely breaking stride.

Yunawen was astonished to see the fervour in Naris's eyes as he dashed by and even more so at the man's agility. His movements were more like that of an elf than a human being, and it was so jarring to see that Yunawen briefly wondered whether she had imagined it. Shaking the thought from her head, she nocked an arrow to her bow and let it fly as she ran.

It was no good. The man dodged the arrow as though he had eyes in the back of his head and a bend in the alleyway defeated the chance for a second shot. With another arrow to her bow, Yunawen rounded the corner and aimed at... nothing. Where was he?

A thud above her answered that question as the man leapt from a rooftop and onto another. Yunawen loosed another arrow at him, but missed and she continued to follow on the ground.

"Get up there!" she shouted to Naris without taking her eyes off the fair haired man.

The idea of talking about it later made Nimbus inwardly sigh. It would be hard to explain to Vala why she decided to bring Tommy along. Maybe it was he poor condition that the boy was in, maybe it was something he said. He didn't mean to be a burden, and he picked up his feet in their company.


Nimbus noticed how often the young lad would pop up with his notebook when he found something interesting to jot down. Tommy didn't even stop when they were looking for a place to bunker down.


"I can." She nodded, shooting off into the sky. Nim circled around a few times, seeing two spots read for the taking. The Golden Eagle saw two clearings, one full of gopher hold, so they other was decided upon. When she went down to them, she perched on Vala's shoulder this time. "To the left, there are two clearings. One was near a stream."


=


Naris didn't look to see what Yunawaen would do, or what she might say. He ignored the possibility that she might, in fact, hit hime.


"NO!" He yelled.


Scrambling up the walls, he latched his fingers onto every crevasse as he went up and over, seeing no way to get this man other than the crazy thought in his mind, Naris sucked in breath, launched himself, and screamed so loud, his voice echoed. His arms outstretched, Naris wanted to grab the figures two legs, where he might hold him down.

"Very good," Vala replied. "Go with Brun to reserve the place by the stream... hm, you better put something on to hide those tattoos. Here."

Removing her cloak and revealing the chainmail covered tunic underneath, Vala tossed it to Brun, who caught it then inhaled deeply as he pressed the garment to his face.

"Mm, I do like your scent very much," he said with a broad smile.

"Ugh... just put it on and keep the hood up as well."

Running a hand through her short silver hair, Vala made a rough effort of tidying it up before removing her chainmail and handing it to Tommy.

"Might as well make yourself useful now that you're with us," Vala said. "Put this in your sack and then follow me into town. We're going to buy some supplies, maybe a hot meal too and a room if we can find one."

~~~

The rogue seer had seen the desperate maneuver coming, but Naris managed to hobble him nonetheless, catching one foot in a vice like grip. He struggled for a moment before kicking the elf twice in the head and then crouching down with dagger poised to strike.

"I don't want to kill you," the man said, eerily serene.

In that moment, Yunawen fired another arrow, but the man deflected it with his dagger and then returned his attention to Naris. With his free foot, the man stomped down hard on the elf's wrists then twisted loose, but he didn't continue running just yet.

Looking down calmly into Naris's hateful eyes, the man said, "You will find the answer to your curse in the lands to the south. Travel there some day when you are ready."

Another arrow came flying to the seer, which he caught this time and used to pin Naris's left hand to the ground. Yunawen gave a shocked gasp as she saw it happen, but before she could so much as regret firing that arrow, the man was off and away.

The bounty hunters and market guards had caught up then to continue the chase, but Yunawen slung her bow across her back and climbed swiftly to the roof where Naris was.

"By the gods, I'm so sorry!" Yunawen said as she came running.

"Put this in my sack?" Tommy blinked, feeling the heavy metal shirt in his hands. He held it like he was raising up a bowl of soup. "What? No! These are quills and inks in this sack. My paper is in here, lady!" He turned up his nose and held it out to her.




Nimbus was taken by some surprise. She didn't think Tommy was going to be so fussy about that. He looked so rough-hewn, by the clothes he wore, you would have thought he was less thoughtful when it came to carrying chain mail in a sack.


"I will not break, smudge, or snap any of my precious scribe tools with this manly metal-knit apparel." Tommy stated.


"Put that thing in your sack before you're sent away, Tommy, we mean it." Nim set her eyes firmly onto him. Er, eye.


The boy's shoulders raised, his black eyes fluttering in indigency. "Bu-but."


"Now!"


"....FINE."


Tommy took out his things, shoved the shirt at the bottom and then carefully put his parchment, quills, inks, and such on top of that, with a few odds and ends. "Uncultured" he sighed at them in a mumble.


The Eagle flew ahead with Brun, until she circled around and found a good spot, where they were near a clear flow of water. She swooped down at the side, on the rock that was wedged between the stream and the small clearing there.


Tommy trailed after Vala, working on a song that he was singing in an unattractive voice.


Morning rises, so do we
Masters of our fate,
us the glorious three!

Sing a song of Tommy!
Vala and Brun two!
Nimbus, a great birdy!


If Nim was here to hear that, she'd have cringed.




=


Didn't want to kill him?


"Well I want to kill you!" He made sure that was clear. Naris tried to make a grab for the man, but his words about the South caught his attention. What was he doing? Was this a trap?


"AH!" Naris grit his teeth when the pain of the arrow held him down. He used one hand to grab the shaft, to pull it out. "No, no!" He breathed in a raspy yell, watching the Seer run off. When Yunawen came to his side, he was furious.


"Don't bother with me! RUN! GET HIM!" He pointed in a flurry at the fading figure. "Don't be such a girl, Yunny, get the man!" A few angry tears formed in Naris' eyes.


Did he lose him again?


Oh, brother...don't be angry.

When Tommy blustered with indignation, Vala was half amused to see the lad standing up to her in such a manner... Brun was more so.

As the group split apart before the town, the shapeshifter still howling with laughter, Vala had to admit that Brun was right. The lad had spirit, but singing was probably not his strong point, as the people within earshot made quite clear with their annoyed expressions.

The caterwauling was mercifully brief and Vala sighed with relief as she entered a different inn from before, this one not so full, but just as busy. Wiping snow and dirt from her boots on a mat, Vala stepped up to the counter to speak with the innkeeper, but he was too busy with other customers to notice.

After a while, the innkeeper turned to Vala and just when it seemed he was ready to speak, an assistant in an apron came calling for his attention.

"Sorry boss, but there's something wrong with one of the barrels. The spigot just won't stay on."

"Just a moment," the innkeeper said as he went away with the assistant.

Standing awkwardly at the counter, Vala looked sidelong at Tommy and asked, "So... where do you come from?"

~~~

Yunawen was at first stung by the sheer frustration in Naris's voice, but then her eyes hardened upon remembering that once upon a time, she had been captain of the Ranger Corps and her highest priority had always been the men under her charge. That did not change after the dismantlement of the corps, nor did it now.

"He's gone," Yunawen said brusquely as she crouched beside Naris and dug through her waist bag. "We tried and failed, now shut up and let me bind your wound. This is no mere scratch you can just ignore."

Taking out a paper packet, piece of rope and bandages, Yunawen set them aside on the hem of her cloak as she unscrewed the cap of her water bottle and washed out the blood that was leaking out of Naris's hand.

Ignoring his pain, Yunawen then applied a tourniquet with the rope and emptied the paper packet into wound, filling it with green powder that immediately congealed and turned yellow as it absorbed the blood.

Finally covering the wound with the bandages, Yunawen clapped Naris on the shoulder as she stood up and said, "Let's get out of here. We messed this one up, but at least we're still alive."

"Oh, from-" Tommy stopped, then a grin spread across his face. The lad plopped that sack of his onto the table, but not the lute, which he held firmly in his left hand. The boy hopped to sit beside his sack and crossed a leg. Tommy set the lute on his lap, positioning himself to play. "Any story worth telling, is worth singing!" He insisted.

The patrons of the tavern were not expecting anything less than entertainment. It's up to you, to judge if this was what they got, when Tommy strummed his fingers across those cords. It was obvious he played very well, but when that mouth of his opened, one might as well have clawed a dry chalk board to make a better sound.

"I traveled from the East
Far, far across this land
Father, mother, brother
away from the hot sand

On the snowy shore
We were acttacked!
Fire, steel, and wood
our things were sacked.

Blood stained the paper
I took when I fled
Only to find me alone
My family lost their head

The days were dreary
I couldn't see the sun
Till Jonsey came and
my adventure begun

We went around the land
danced, sang, and joke
Then one day Jonsey died
That's when my heart broke

But I kept on going,
Knowing Jonsey was there
In spirit I will go on,
Till the day I have no air-"

TWANG

More than one pair of hands cupped their ears, and it was only good fortune that a cord snapped, relieving them of his voice. Tommy stopped abruptly, having to fix this snag.

"Oh well damn." He mumbled, rummaging through his sack. "I'll get this fixed and keep going, hold on." Unless distracted, he was the kind of guy who would follow through with that promise.

=

"Yeah, he is still alive too!" Naris lamented, and he kept on with it shortly, until he ended his disquiet with a gruff sigh. His hand was bandaged, but he felt it might as well have stayed to fester. It was deserved. "Again, Yunny." He said, lowly. "It happened twice now." His shoulders stiffened and he walked just as tightly towards the edge of the roof, looking out at line of trees.

He stared, but didn't see a thing that would help him. Shaking his head, Naris walked with Yunawen back towards the market, when he looked at the cloak he had grabbed. Picking it up, he wondered if it might help him in anyway. "Anything else he could have dropped, do you think?" He asked her. Naris swallowed, and then faced Yunawen with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, by the way..." He cast his eyes down in shame.

Where others had grimaced and covered their ears, Vala could only stare in frank fascination as Tommy sang whilst playing the lute. Was there ever a bard with such a horrifically terrible singing voice? And... was he playing with his eyes closed? If so, that would've explained his seeming blindness to the other people's reactions, but could he not hear his own voice? It simply boggled the mind.

By some blessed miracle of luck, one of the strings on the lute broke and Tommy immediately stopped singing, but he was going to continue as soon as he restrung his instrument. Someone had to stop him!

"Don't," Vala said as she seized Tommy's wrist. "Please don't... I think I get the idea. You come from the East."

Letting go, she continued, "When you mentioned hot sand, did you mean a desert? There are no such places here in Atamor, so are you a foreigner then?"

Judging by the lad's dark skin, Vala guessed that she should have thought so from the start, but then again orcs and elves weren't native to the land, and yet quite a few were born and raised Atamorians. It might have been the same in Tommy's case.

~~~

"If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me," Yunawen replied. "I'm the one who went after him in the first place, and right after I blathered on about the kind of people we shouldn't chase. Talk about eating my words."

As Yunawen rounded a corner into an alleyway leading towards the market, she glanced up and noticed a triplet of lines scored into the rock of a second storey balcony. Had the fugitive used some kind of tool to climb onto the rooftops so quickly? Yunawen didn't recall seeing one, but she didn't discount the possibility.

"So that was him, wasn't it? The one who killed the king. Gods, I can see how he might have slipped past you. Even I couldn't keep up... anyway, I don't see anything else he might have left behind, other than that cloak. We better take a closer look at it."

Taking the garment from Naris, Yunawen straightened it out and looked down as something shiny fell off. She picked it up for closer inspection and then showed it to Naris.

It was a brooch in the shape of a two headed dragon, the mark of nobility, and on the pin was a sigil that could only be affiliated with Jarl Ericsson, one of the candidates for kingship in the coming moot.

Yunawen looked at Naris as the unspoken meaning of this hung in the air.

"Yes Ma'am, a stranger from the East, where the sand burns the feet." He made one more offer to sing, before she insisted it was very much fine that he didn't, and so the lute was slung on his back when he was finished re-stringing it.

"Eh, off the counter." A waiter eyed Tommy. The lad made an apology and slid onto the stool instead.

"It's been sometime since I have seen its sea of beige and tan." He said poetically. "I was taken here by force, really. One in a handful of young kids. I worked under a harsh man before I escaped that. It's after that when I met Jonesy. He was a really good man. He told me that song was gods food, and to get fat off of it with the money it provided. I haven't made much, but I am guessing it's just because I am starting out."

And of course, it had nothing to do with his voice, right?

=

Elvish eyes blinked, reaching out to pull it to his vision to see if he was crazy or not. He didn't have to. Yunawen could see it, plain as day. Still, apart of him wanted to disconfirm her. This was no good. Besides that, Naris felt a new flash of anger, and one more target made itself in his mind, if this was true. "Ashnak." Naris said sternly. It wasn't even a question.

Ignoring passerby's, and waving off questioners, Naris realized there was a kind of hush here and there, or an increase in murmurs when people saw him. Right then he realized he could be seen. They saw him. Naris, the one who failed to protect the King. He quickly pulled the scarf over his face, blushing in shame or perhaps his cheeks had color from the rush of the chase?

By Yunawens insistence, and because it made sense anyway, Naris stopped by to get his hand fixed before making the rest of the way to Ashnak at the house he and Yunawen had walked away from.

"Ashy!" Naris called out when he opened the door. The brooch in one hand, and his other wrapped in a bandage.

Vala was shocked to hear Tommy's story. To have gone through so much, so young... becoming an orphan was one thing, but being kidnapped into slavery as well was like some cosmic joke. Just how long had the boy been fending for himself, before and after this 'Jonesy' had come into his life?

It was true that slavery sometimes still occurred in Atamor, but it had long been deemed illegal since the land was unified under the sword of the first king, Ors the Great Wolf, and under Jorgen's rule it had been effectively stamped out, though not entirely so if Tommy's past was any kind of proof.

Indeed, there were entire clans here and there that still clung to the old ways of raiding for resources and slaves, their existence tolerated by whatever local jarl had use for them or simply didn't care enough to bother with. Vala had been born into such a clan, but that was a different lifetime ago, a different Vala. She had learned much since then.

Thinking of such thoughts however, Vala became so lost in the dusty memories of the past that she didn't notice the return of the innkeeper, not until he was clicking his fingers in front of her face.

"What's wrong with her?" the man asked Tommy as Vala returned to her senses.

"Sorry, my mind was... somewhere else," she apologized.

"So what do you want?"

"Are there any rooms available?"

"No."

Vala was not surprised. "Then a hot meal at least?"

"Yes, that is possible. Anything in particular?"

"Hm, what would you like, Tommy?"

Perhaps it was the lad's story or his bright spirit, in spite of everything he had been through, but Vala's attitude towards him had softened somewhat. Were it not for his singing, he'd have been more than simply tolerable. For now at least, Vala was interested in his story.

~~~

"Come inside," Ashnak promptly replied as soon as he opened the door. "I heard what happened to Uldric, this is troubling news indeed."

Walking towards the hearth where Arnolf was standing nearby, Ashnak turned to Naris and said, "What happened to your arm?"

"We went after Uldric's killer," Yunawen said.

She went on to recount the pursuit and the orc's eyes widened upon hearing that the killer was a seer.

"It can't be," he said, giving Naris an astonished look. "He was still inside the city the whole time? He was STILL HERE?"

Unsheathing his sword, Ashnak bellowed, "WHERE IS HE?"

"Well, I don't want to impose." Tommy smiled modestly. "But maybe a cut of beef off that cow side turning on the spit?" He asked, feeling his stomach growl. Before the Innkeeper could turn, the boy added. "And if it's not too much trouble, a mug of ale, perhaps a side of fried veggies? If that's what you have. You know, you can cut some cheese for me too, if you have it, maybe a few slices of buttered bread and a spoon or two of gravy, possibly a bowl of mashed potatoes-" He had a pause, but again, he made a gesture for attention.


As thin as Tommy looked, you'd think he was making a joke, but the boy was serious here. He made himself comfortable as he made more demands with that sweet smile of his. The question was, did Vala even have the money? Or the patience?


"Oh, a chicken leg or two would be good as well. Do you have salt and pepper? That always tastes good with corn. Yeah, corn on the cob, a bit of hash, some florets in sauce with noodles, that would be great sir."


It seemed maybe now he was done, but he had just ONE more thing to say. "After that, we can have desserts! I'd like apple pie, if you have that, with a scoop of ice cream." He beamed. Tommy looked at Vala. "What are you gonna get?" oh so modest indeed.


~~~


"He ran off, after pinning my hand down with an arrow, after I had lunged at him on the roofs." Naris wearily explained what had transpired, gently setting a hand on Ashnaks sword, to lower it. "And we have this..." he showed him the brooch. "Ericsson."


There was one thing on Naris's mind. He wondered how far Vala was, or if Nimbus might come soon to see them. He hoped maybe this news would reach the Seers mother. He didn't like the thought that he was chasing a shadow through the forests and that the man he wanted was RIGHT under his nose this whole time. Naris walked into the home, sat down, and stared at the floor with a cold gaze.


"Something is so off." He sighed. "He didn't kill me. Why didn't he kill me?" He muttered to himself. Naris

Vala had suddenly lost all interest in Tommy's past as she narrowed her eyes in annoyance. All the food he ordered had better be a joke, because there was not a chance in helvete that Vala was going to pay so much for a meal.

"Two bowls of beef stew and that's it," she said to the innkeeper in a tone of finality.

Nodding to her with deference, the innkeeper went to the kitchen to tell the cook of the order then returned to guide Vala and Tommy to their seats, which were uncomfortably close to the drafty front door.

"Your meals will be ready in just a moment, hope you enjoy," he said before returning to the counter.

"Thank you," Vala said as she sat at the rectangular wooden table and then to Tommy, "I don't know if you can tell, but I don't exactly have a lot of money with me, so you'll have to pay for your own meal. As Nimbus said, you must provide for yourself if you wish to travel with us... You do have money, don't you?"

~~~

Yunawen shrugged as she replied, "Who knows? Just be glad that he didn't."

Ashnak was still boiling with impatient fury as he took the brooch from Naris to examine it more closely. The orc was anxious to go out and hunt for the rogue seer himself, but upon recognizing the mark of Jarl Ericsson on the brooch, he admitted that this finding couldn't be ignored.

"What kind of idiot assassin wears the mark of his employer?" Ashnak snarled. "Hm, no matter, there will be an accounting soon enough. Right now, we must find the killer. We cannot let him get away!"

Pocketing the brooch, Ashnak pointed to Arnolf and said, "Go to the walls with anyone you can find along the way and search every exit. If the bastard's already escaped, I want to know. And you..."

Pointing to Naris this time. "Lead me to where you saw him last. I want to find that cowardly rat myself and strangle him to death with my bare hands."

"But he's in no condition!" Yunawen protested.

Ashnak whirled on the elf and glared at her as though being contradicted was the highest offense at this moment.

"Only because of you," the orc replied in a measured tone of contempt.

The boy slumped his shoulders with a sheepish smile on his face. Two stews was a quaint meal, but fine. You know, if you're not looking to fill up too much. Tommy tapped the toes of his feet together in modest attempt at humility.

"Well, no. I don't have much money." He shrugged. "This morning I was playing a song, but surprisingly, no one paid me for it."

Was it much of a surprise? How much did Tommy really know about his voice? Maybe there was a way to convince him to stick with instrumental. Speaking of which, a child or two had come up to see it closely. One of them wanted to touch it, so, the toddler slapped Vala's knee excitedly. In the fashion of youngsters, she was unaware of how to restrain such blows.

"Miss! Can I touch?" She asked.

=

"Now hold on. She didn't do anything wrong, Ashy." Naris stood up to calm things. "I might have a wounded hand, but I can handle it." He placed the unharmed palm onto Yunawens shoulder to reassure her. "I think Ashnak is right. Lets go lead him back."

He insisted on bringing the Orc to the very spot that he and Yunawen had their little encounter. Along the way, he worried on what this might mean for the moot. What kind of trouble had this Seer done to all of the world that they knew?

Naris took a glance at Ashnak. Would it still be best to stay? Or track the Seer? He wondered how far Nimbus was, and if she would come soon with any news. Apart of him felt this was his fault. If he was better, he might have gotten that murderer.

Completely nonplussed, Vala could only stare down at the child without any idea of what to do. She had never experienced the silliness of toddlers before, having adopted Rorik when he was half a man grown and unusually mature for his age.

Certainly, they were mother and son, but their relationship was also that of master and apprentice, of discipline and respect for life in the cold, hard north. There was never a time when Vala had been badgered by her son for a toy, particularly in the manner of the little toddler currently attacking her knee.

Vala looked up at Tommy with an almost helpless expression as the beef stew came around.

"Hellooooo," the innkeeper crooned as he smiled at the toddler. "Well, here are your meals. Enjoy."

~~~

Ashnak stood looking around the alleyway for all but a second before turning to Yunawen and saying, "Track him."

"What?" the elf replied. "He'd be long gone from here by now."

"Are you not a ranger? Track. Him."

The orc's tone brooked no argument and Yunawen had to admit, it was clever of him to say are instead of were, as though acknowledging that there was no such thing as a former ranger.

Yunawen knew that such an implication would appeal to her sense of pride and it worked more often than not. In this case, it did and the elf only nodded in response before heading off with brisk strides to range ahead.

Ashnak then said to Naris as he followed, "First Jorgen, now Uldric, both by the same hand and twice escaped from you."

Letting out a frustrated roar, Ashnak punched the stone wall of a house and breathed deeply until he was relatively calm again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, but you must understand that I am... vexed. Actually, no, piss on that, I want to see blood. I want to see that rat son of Hel bleed in my own hands as I rip the lungs out from his throat! I still can't believe he was here all along!"

Possessed as he was with violent rage, matters of the moot was the last thing on Ashnak's mind, but he had not forgotten about the assassin's brooch and the sigil it bore.

"And after that, I'll be sure to do the same to Jarl Ericsson, if he is responsible. I have my doubts."

A big grin spread on Tommy's face. The boy was such a sticker for the scrolls in his burlap sack, that it was a surprise he pulled out his lute for the kids to see, warning them not to touch the broken cord. They gleefully strummed the lute, until their parents called them back. Setting his things aside, Tommy's hands fell upon his bowl, but halfway to his mouth with the spoon, he stopped and said, "Grace!", then into his mouth went the heap of stew.


He chowed it down speedily, slurping up water from the wooden mug that was given to him. When the bowl was cleaned of stew, the lad dropped the spoon into it, making a clack, and rested his hand on his belly.


"Whoo, that was good." He sighed with satisfaction. "Do you think Nimbus and Brun would want some, or perhaps they have their own meal going? By the way, where did you guys come from? An Eagle, a lady, and a tattooed man....sounds like a good story, actually." He mused, scatting his bare chin. Not even a single hair poked on his jaw.


=

"Doubts?" Naris looked up at him.

As evening was gaining closer, he could feel his brother coming stronger. Cirian had doubts too, making his feelings clear, but Naris felt differently a bit. Maybe it was stress. It was certainly not easy being himself, with Cirian having another thing to hound the man for. Naris had indeed failed again. Ash pointed it out, and he meant no hard feelings. Naris wanted to say "YES, I know! I'm reminded of it all the time." But he didn't. He forgave Ashnak. It was more than Cirian would do for Naris.

The Elf felt days search weighing on his shoulders. He looked weathered, a bit thin faced. "Ashnak, I'm tired of things tripping up around me. What doubts could you have? It was plain as day..."

There were other questions that Cirian felt needed to be paid attention too, but Naris wasn't talking with him at the moment. Stress was getting too much. Apart of him wished to follow after Yunawen.