In the wake of DAM

Status
Not open for further replies.

CRivers

Scholar
Calan was Numb. He was confounded why didn’t he run? Had he been alone it’s likely he would have stayed, but he wasn’t alone. He was with her, and he wouldn’t have ever let her stay in danger. His mind raced back to the night he snuck her through the lux to avoid DAM. Why hadn’t he done that again? Why hadn’t he activated an endow the instant the fight broke out and carried her away? Why did he stand there frozen for precious minutes before he was actually paralyzed. He let it play out again the house was less than 500 m away he could have put her behind the many wards. The tavern was twice the distance in that time he could have ran for help and been back. Why did he stand there and do nothing? This was not Calan, Not Calan with someone he cared about at his side.

aware of those who followed Calan continues to walk deeper into the woods hoping they leave him but knowing they won’t.
 
Kai pads silently through the forest, some way behind Calan but still keeping him in sight.
 
Calan stops a moment while walking he doesn’t need to turn around to know who is behind him. He can’t bring himself to look anyone in the eyes particularly Kai. His hand slides down to the belt that holds all of his weapons and pouches. For a moment he considers unbuckling it so that he would be a little lighter. He could perhaps outrun them all. But they deserved better. His rank demanded better, He thought.
“Kai” his voice trails off a moment. “ I am sorry,” he paused as DAMS words finally sunk in. “I don’t know why I didn’t do what I normally would have, but I do know, that he won’t hurt her at least not right away. If what he said is true then it would mean her family is danger and that she is the Heir to the throne.” Calan pauses as he considers this. “If I were him and I was an enemy of the throne, I would use her claim to oust the current queen, and then not only would I have her pardon me, but” his hand moves to the hilt of the sword his fingers tighten around the handle so hard that his knuckles whiten “he will then likely marry her and if that comes to pass, that is when she is in danger.”
 
Kai closes the distance to Calan as he addresses her. She looks about as tired as he does, and the tracks of her tears are just starting to dry. She clears her throat before replying, "things _could_ be worse." She rummages in her shoulder bag, and fishes out two bottles of water. She hands one to Calan.
 
Last edited:
Calan still refusing to lookup nods in agreement with Kai, he accepts her offer taking a sip his body let out a shiver as the liquid passed through his throat. He knew that Cato would support him without having asked. his numbness began to shift into anger. "Thank you" he said, to nobody and everyone at once. he offered Kai back the water bottle. He closed his eyes for a moment listening to the sounds of the forest. without opening them he took about five steps. In the back of his mind faded memories flickered memories he couldn't really visualize. For the faintest moment, he could hear the percussive sound of a blacksmiths hammer. It was brief but it was enough to give him strength. A flash of one of the memories came to focus, and a new idea grew. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly before he started to walk again.
 
Kai watches Calan for a moment, before recapping the open bottle tightly, and returning both to her bag. As Calan starts to walk again, she sighs. Kai lets him get ahead of her a distance, and then resumes trailing him again.
 
Rohnan’s full attention stayed on Calan and his actions watching for any sign that he was about to do something stupid like attack them so he could run off alone to probably get himself killed. She looked at the other two with them and debated weather or not tell them to leave but decided against it. Calan might be more willing to talk if it was just the two of them but she new that she might need the backup if he decided go act foolishly.
 
After walking a a few hours Calan found a clearing in the trees. This would do he thought. Almost exactly like when he and Gareth would travel together. He sat down on the ground his back against a tree and looked up into the sky. He couldn’t dwell on events of this evening. What’s done was done, he would have to focus on the now and figure out what he needed to be doing to ensure the best outcome for everyone in the lux. His thoughts would eventually trail off until he fell asleep.
 
Kai leaves Rohnan to watch over Calan, and returns to the Lux.
 
Rohnan gave Kai a hug as she departed and rushed to catch up with Calan and found him resting. Not wanting to disturb him she went about making a small fire, pulled her cloak tightly about herself and settled down close to calan.
 
Cato noticed Calan resting and decides to join Rohnan at the small fire. "We need to stick together. Calan needs our support during this time."
 
Rohnan responds speaking in hushed tones trying not to disturb Calan’s rest, “He definitely does but we all do. Things are going to get harder here for a bit.” She looked to see if the conversation was bothering him and when he didn’t show signs of waking she continued. “And I’ve been acting stupidly to him over the last few months and owe him an apology or two. I just let my anger get the better of me.... I feel like I’ve not been watching out for him as well as I should have been. My biggest concern is that he’s going to blame himself for this.” She looks over at Cato, “I know that he blames himself for when we died when the mists took us. But it’s actually my fault. There isn’t much that I do remember from back then, but I’ll remember this until my last.”

Rohnan turned to look into the flames of the small fire as she spoke reminding her of that burning battlefield that took place thousands of years ago to her but in reality not one full year had past, “We were in a large battle, I was commanding the right flank. Sometimes things would break through our defences, Calan was destroying the ones that did break through. And then I fell and started to bleed out. A front line healer was able to get me back up enough to get to triage, but when I moved away I saw one of our enemies about to take Calan’s head, and I couldn’t let that happen.” She looked Cato in the eye, “It’s my fault. If I had been better at my job then Calan wouldn’t have been off in the back separated from everyone else. Soon there were more on us then the one that Calan was fighting, without anyone in command more were slipping through the lines and I was overwhelmed.” She looked at the mark on her arm that was the constant reminder of her failures despite the gift that the Lady of Iron had given her.
 
Taken back by what Rohnan said. "I understand how you feel but it seems you were outnumbered and overrun. I don't know if you had more abilities it would have helped. Though I get it we all have decisions that we regret. There is not a day that goes by that I don't blame myself for some of the power DAM has. It was because of me he gained Graznits realm. I willingly let him bite my mark so we could save Evo. I know he probably would've done it if I said no anyways but then we would've probably lost Evo. It has been a major struggle since then for me to goto the reaches. I've only gone once since then and I led people into a trap and lost a friend in Nazrat. It's why I have been afraid to lead again.

Wow you're the first person I've said this information out loud to....."
 
Rohnan poked at the fire as she listened to Cato. “I feel honoured that you feel like you can tell me. I know that it’s not easy living with that weight. But you’re right, we were out numbered and over run, but I had two goals, get out of there alive at any cost and to make sure I brought Calan with me. We came back, but not completely and definitely not the same. Still though, despite everything, going through what we did after.... I gained Calan as a brother and I know that I’m better having him in my life. It’s just hard because I know that he’s struggling right now and this is one struggle that we won’t share, and because I’ve been cold to him over the last few months, I honestly don’t know if he even wants me around to help him through this...” Rohnan trailed off as she got lost in her thoughts.
 
"He know's you care. The two of you act like siblings. Even though you may have been cold to him. The fact you're here to support him shows how much you care. The fact you're giving him space means you respect him. I didn't know you or Calan very well before the last year but I feel like we have become a small family. Our small group will protect each other to the end."
 
“Maybe” Rohnan shrugged, “Sometimes it feels like Calan and I almost share a mind and it doesn’t take anything to know what tge other is thinking so nothing really gets said aloud, there there are other times when I don’t think that we’ve ever really known each other. I don’t doubt that any of us will stop at trying to protect each other though, outside of our household though... It’s just hard, most of the people here still feel like strangers to me, though I feel like I need to change that. It’s hard to trust though. There are too many here that are out for themselves, or others who even if they truly are working for the betterment of all of us it’s easy to feel like we are just pawns on a chessboard. We are all going to need to be open and work together here soon... fighting a war on three fronts and this group of mismatched misfits seem to be at the eye of the storm.”
 
"We do seem to be in the eye of the storm." Cato glances over at Calan. "Calan my friend there is room by this fire to warm you up. If you're not upto talking we'll let you be. I just don't want to see you get a bad chill." Turning back to Rohnan. "These next months/years are going to be painful. I don't know how many of us might fall......."
 
“Shh let him rest” Rohnan continued to speak softly though she did doubt weather Calan was actually asleep or not. “It’ll be hard to say how many of us will make it out of this alive, but I plan on doing what I can to save as many of us as possible.”
 
Calan jumps startled and draws his swords. His head looks back and forth from three points. His breathing slows down and his face shifts from confusion to recognition. as he places the swords back he gives a half hearted smile. “ we should probably head back. I should give a report on my account of events. I am not entirely certain who heard what as I was unable to move.”
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top