The Return pt.18
The midsummer night air was warm as Lucien looked on the walls of Salver from a nearby patch of forest. After a week of hard riding, dodging patrols of knights along the roads and the occasional encounter with highwaymen or thieves, Morrigan’s rescue was now close at hand. Arcia was standing nearby tending to the horses as she asked, “Lucien should I start a fire?”
Lucien continued looking out towards the city walls as he answered, “No. We’ll camp here tonight without one.”
A sigh could be heard as she finished with the horses before walking over and leaning against the tree next to Lucien. “I’m surprised you haven’t just charged in there already. You’ve been in a rush this entire time, so why slow down now?”
Crossing his arms, Lucien turned his head to face his companion with a smile “While I want to rescue Morrigan now, she can wait one more night. I need to rest before charging into the city and I want to see you off properly in the morning. You have been a faithful companion and come with me this far. It is only right I see you off.”
A small grin held on Arcia’s face as she looked up at Lucien. Her eyes seemed more caring than normal, and her face was soft. She then turned her back to the tree and slowly lowered herself to the ground. As she sat there with her back against the tree her gaze rose up towards the stars high above. “I never thought I’d be camping here in the nobility’s hunting grounds like this. Hells I never thought I’d see Salver again.”
Lucien quietly listens as she continues “I guess I should admit now that I had thought about leaving you and fleeing off on my own after you got me passed the river. But I could never bring myself to do it. Something kept me around you and now I don’t really want to leave you.”
Finally turning from the city, Lucien walked over to the horses and rubbed his hand over the brands on their hindquarters. “I am glad you stayed Arcia. It would have taken me far longer to get here without your aid.” His eyes hovered over the brands as a saddened expression came over his face.
Having now traveled with him long enough Arcia looked at him asking “What’s wrong?”
Turning to face her, Lucien asked “Will you take both horses with you tomorrow?”
Quietly Acia nods her head, agreeing to do so before speaking up “Yes Lucien. I’ll take both with me.”
A strong wave of relief came over Lucien as he heard this, and it was quite obvious even to Arcia. Horses meant a lot to Lucien and having someone he found he could put his trust in to take care of these two was an unexpected weight off his shoulders. He knew Arcia would bring them no harm and treat them well. After all she was the most Dharan-like person he had met outside of his people.
Turning back to the horses Lucien looks over the brands once more. Rubbing his hands over them once more, it hurts Lucien to see such crude branding on Panno’s creations and his thoughts now focus on the brands.
“These brands are going to trouble you. They mark these two as belonging to that damned knightly order. Knights would never give away or sell trained war horses like these.”
Arcia could only sigh loudly in response. Lucien was correct. Those brands would cause her trouble if she was spotted by anyone who recognized them.
Lucien looked at the horses as he spoke to them and Arcia “I can solve this issue in one of two ways, but one would be far more painful than the other.”
Standing up, Arcia walks over to Lucien as he continued “I can use my magic to modify the brands into one of my own or I can cut the branded flesh from you and heal back unbranded flesh in its place.”
Hearing this Arcia wanted to suggest just modifying the brands to be less painful for the horses, but she was disappointed when Lucien spoke up “Arcia we are moving deeper into the forest. We need a small fire for them to be comfortable with what is about to happen.”
With wide eyes Arcia quietly nodded her head before leading the way deeper into the forest. Shock had come over her again because she had no say in what was happening. Instead, the horses made the determination to have their brands painfully cut away from their bodies.
Minutes later they were deeper in the forest with a small campfire lighting the area. Lucien’s sword resting over the fire, slowly heating up. This was unnecessary but Lucien had not been able to properly clean his sword for some time and was not about to cut into two horses without some sort of near proper cleaning. Arcia wondered why he was not heating the sword with his magic but did not need to ask after looking at him. It was clear his mind was currently occupied with keeping the horses calm for what was coming.
“Arcia bring my sword.”
Quickly she stood to her feet with the sword in her hands, surprised by the weight of it. Doing her best to move quickly, she carries the hot sword over to Lucien and hands it over to him as he said, “Hold onto his neck and do not let go under no matter what.” With a quick nod of her head, Arcia moves over and wraps her arms up and over the next of the first horse.
A few moments later Lucien held his sword against the horse’s flesh and spoke in Dharan “Forgive me for the pain I am about to give you.” Then he pressed the sword into the horse’s flesh and with a quick precision, cut the branded flesh from the horse.
The horse jumps and fights back as it screams out in pain. Arcia is lifted into the air by the horse and treated like a sack as the horse tries to break free, but she does not let go. No matter how hard the horse struggled for those few moments Arcia held on, until the horse calmed down once Lucien’s magic healed its flesh.
Now that the missing flesh was healed over, the horse calms down and is let go but eyes Lucien carefully. Despite having requested the brand be removed, the horse now held a dislike for Lucien for the pain he caused. But the brand was removed, and the horse was free to leave with Arcia come morning.
Arcia breathed in relief and quickly caught her breath because she knew it was about to happen all over again. And this time was much worse as the second horse was much stronger and more spirited than the first. But that was to be expected of the horse that reared up to test her.
Still Arcia held on tightly despite being treated like a sack once more. And though it was much rougher this time around, Arcia still came out of it unharmed. The horse was much more forgiving of Lucien but still kept his distance from the creature that had just caused him so much pain.
With the horses now brand free and healed perfectly, Lucien sat near the fire with Arcia and began to clean his sword. Silence hung between them for some time before Arcia meekly asked “Lucien, what do you think of me?”
A sigh came from him as he inspected his sword. He stares at it for a moment thinking about how to answer this question. And as he puts away his sword, he looks up answering “Well Arcia you,” only to cease speaking from what he sees.
Being unusually bold, Arcia had pressed herself tightly up against Lucien in the flickering light of the campfire. Her young growing lithe body pressed up against him caused Lucien’s mind to go blank, and he ceased to think about much more. His mind would not return to him until she asked “Lucien would you have me? Be my…first?”
A smile came to his face as he stood from the ground. Towering over the small woman, Lucien looked down at her and gently guided one of her hands up to where he could kiss it. And as he kissed the back of Arcia’s hand, Lucien answered “I would be honored Arcia but I cannot accept such an honor from you at this time.”
Her eyes showed the hurt she felt by what was just said but before she could say anything Lucien continued speaking “I most certainly find you a lovely young woman and myself attracted to you. Under different circumstances I would have until well after the sun rose, but I am unable to this night. My armor will not allow it, and you are not capable of helping me redress if I were to remove it.”
In her eyes Lucien could see a question rising to the surface, so he answered before it could “I would have to tear apart my mail Arcia.” He then kneeled before her and looked up into her eyes saying “Unfortunately I must refuse you this night. But the next time we should meet, if you still wish it, I will gladly have you for as long as you wish.”
Defeated, Arcia sat down next to Lucien and leaned over onto him. For a moment she felt cold from being against his armor but her warmth and that of the fire made it comfortable for her.
“Can I at least hold you tonight while I sleep?”
Without hesitation Lucien laid back and stretched out next to the fire, wrapping his long, armored arm around her body and holding her close. “You know it is likely to be cold on you tonight. My armor does not give warmth to those outside it and my body is cool in comparison to a human’s.”
Wrapping herself around him like a snake, Arcia said back “I don’t care. It’s already warmer than it was seconds ago.”
Lucien could only chuckle before saying “Alright. I will let you have this.”
As they lay there together Lucien’s eyes focused on the stars high above as Arcia held him close and stared at his breastplate. They would quietly remain like that for some time until Arcia caught Lucien off-guard once more with a new question “Do you really think we’ll meet again?”
“Certainly.”
“Do you really believe that Lucien?”
“The gods will guide us back together if we do not find our own ways back to each other’s company.”
Begrudgingly accepting his words, Arcia closed her eyes and tightly pressed herself against his armor, appearing to try and become one with it. Lucien kept his arm around her and held her close as her breathing slowed, and she fell into sleep.
As Arcia slept, Lucien’s mind began to wander once more. This was the first time in his very long life that he had ever turned down a woman such as Arcia before. When he had turned them down because the woman was desperate for something, and he did not want to be part of that. But Arcia seemed to genuinely care for him now after having spent a few months traveling together and he had turned her down, not because of Morrigan or desperation but because of his armor. It was a strange feeling for a creature of such strong proclivities as him.
But soon even his mind stilled and found rest there alongside the campfire with Arcia in his arm.
The next morning Lucien was the first to wake but did not move. He let Arcia lay there wrapped around him until she awoke on her own. Slowly she came to as she stretched while keeping herself wrapped tightly around him. This morning, neither was going to move quicky until they went their separate ways.
Slowly Arcia unwrapped herself from Lucien before standing up and stretching herself. She did not want to leave after the best night she had experienced but she knew Lucien had someone to rescue and she had a free life ahead of her. Since meeting Lucien, her life had opened up and could become whatever she wanted it to. And she wanted to make the best of this.
Very little is said between the two companions as they continued with their morning. Even after they left the forest Arcia rode her horse quietly, leading the second horse behind her, as Lucien walked beside her. Slowly they made their way towards the main road entering the city where they stopped.
“Thank you Lucien, for everything.”
Lucien lowered his head before relooking into her eyes “You are very welcome Arcia, my dear.”
Hearing this she could not help but smile as she looked ahead to the gatehouse. “So, this where we part ways.”
Now looking ahead himself, Lucien says “For now. We will meet again.”
Quietly she nodded her head unable to tell Lucien that she did not believe him. But Lucien could sense something from her and said to her “Do you know of the Salvien Monestary?”
Arcia stared at him in disbelief for a moment before answering “Everyone knows of it. It’s the only place that survived The Great Terror intact.”
Lucien lets out a brief “heh,” before saying “I had it built, why would I destroy it?”
With her staring at him some more Lucien shakes his head before looking into her eyes and says “Go there and ask for the head priest. If everything is still in place you should be able to find a place for yourself there and help you find out about your family if you wish. Just tell him that the last son of Orias sent you. The head priest should understand the meaning.”
Once more Arcia could only stare at him for some time before tears began to well up in her eyes. “They’d be able to help me find something about my family?”
Nodding his head Lucien answers “Yes if everything is still as I remember. I already suspect I know who you descend from but the priests there should be able to confirm for you who your family is.”
Wiping away her tears Arcia says “Thanks Lucien.” She wanted to say more but could not for the moment. He wanted to know who her family was nearly as much as she did, that was now obvious to her. But as she began to pull the reigns of the horse to turn away, Arcia stopped and asked, “Lucien, you said you could tell me where Karshen’s Tomb was?”
“Give me your map. I will mark the location there for you.”
Quickly Arcia dug through her bags and found the map and handed it over to Lucien. Unfolding it, Lucien bit into his own lip drawing blood before reaching over to Arcia’s hand and pulling it close. Carefully he touches her finger to his lip, staining it in his blood, before pressing her finger to the location on the map where Karshen was entombed.
With the map now marked, Arcia put it away before looking at Lucien with a sad smile. His lip was still bleeding, and it was clear he was not worried about healing it for now. Silently she nodded her head farewell before turning her horse and lightly spurring it forward. But as she silently rode away, she heard Lucien call for her from behind. When she turned in the saddle to face him, she saw him there smiling at her as he said, “May you forever feel a warm breeze and have a swift horse beneath you Arcia, my friend.”
“What that’s mean?”
Lucien’s smile grew a little wider as he answered “The traditional Dharan farewell. You are the first outside of my own people that I have said it to.”
Arcia began to smile herself as she asked, “Not even Kashen?”
“Not even Karshen.”
She looked towards the sky as she asked one last thing “Anything else Lucien?”
“Live freely Arcia.”
Nodding her head Arcia said to Lucien “Live freely Lucien. Farewell for now.”
She then spurred her horse forward into a gallop with the second horse trailing a little behind them and rode off to the north. A smile was on her face, but tears were streaming down it. She was now truly free for the first time in her life, and she did not know just quite what to do with this freedom. What she did know was she was going to find this tomb before heading to the monastery. What she did during her journey, well she would decide whenever something came up. From now on she would live as she pleased and would not let others control her, even if it meant fighting for it.
Lucien watched for some time until Arcia disappeared from his sight. It was then that he turned and faced the eastern gatehouse of Salver once more. For a moment he took in the sight of the large crowd trying to enter through the gatehouse before looking over the gatehouse itself. The guards present would not be able to stop him but once he was inside the city he knew he would have trouble finding what he was looking for.
Changing his gaze back at the crowd, Lucien began walking forward through the muddy road. No number of people would stop him now. No guards. No nobles. No soldiers. No slavers. No Mercenaries. And no walled city would stop him from finding Morrigan, killing the duke and all his people and razing the duke’s estate to the ground. His newest campaign could now finally begin properly.
