"Slings..in that pic of you in WLJ's BR, it looked as if you had a life, is that true?"
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| Chapter 6: The Village Chief and the White Maiden | | | Author: | | | IP: | ip68-230XXXX | | Date: | 11/07/04 10:11 | | Game Type: | Other | | Labels: | none | | Report Rating: , # of Ratings: 1, Max: 8, Min: 8
Lifetime Rating for Keanu_Reaver: 7.9200 |  | The Village Chief and The White Maiden
Jarius still felt slightly dizzy, and his body tingled empty and malnourished. He contemplated staying and partaking of their hospitality, but he had far more important matters to attend too. He and Zacharim still had a mission to do; the elves of shadow forest must be made aware of the situation without delay.
Jarius calmly yet quietly approached the front door, though near enough to hear the conversation between mother and daughter only a wall away.
“I was so embarrassed! What do I do mom?!” The cheery voice of Deina carried a bit of anxiety in it.
“Now you look here, no girl of mine is going to be planting no seeds before the season, you hear?!” Her mother carried the usual uptight and angry tone.
“Mother! He’s nice and all but he’s so pale! And those arms, he’s probably never touched a sprout ling in his life! My man better be able to at least plant seeds before I let him plant seeds.”
“That’s my girl! But he’s still a guest of ours, and we should treat him as such, I don’t think he’d be able to handle harvesting or blacksmithing but he’s still going to have to do something to earn his keep, at least until that other one is healthy again. I’ll have to talk to Timeo about it and work something out, until then, let’s not worry about it, Lucia said he had a rough go out in the forest.”
“Ok mom, I’ll take his soup in to him.”
Hearing that, Jarius quickly darted out the front door not wanting to be caught. The town outside appeared to be a very humble and isolated village, not at all like the stories of great kingdoms clashing from Byrtum. It featured a large open space in the middle with houses circling the outside, and huge fields of vegetation beyond that. The houses were tightly packed, showing that the village consisted of close and friendly people. Of all the houses, he was only able to recognize a smithery as being of any significance, two other houses looked somewhat suspicious, and he soon concluded one was a tavern, and it was likely the other housed the village chief. Beyond the chiefs house were a few rolling hills, then nothing but open valley as far as he could see, it seemed all farming stopped at those hills. Many people were outside attending their business, some were plowing fields, others delivering milk, others collecting eggs; it soon became apparent this village had to work together to survive. Jarius smiled at that thought.
Jarius quickly darted into the shadows as once again Deina’s high-pitched voice bellowed from inside, obviously wondering where he could have went. He deftly darted from shadow to shadow of the houses unknown to the few villagers nearest to him as he neared the large house at the end of the village.
It was not long until he was able to eavesdrop on a couple talking about an injured child, which had to be Zacharim. He was apparently kept in the building Jarius mistakenly took for the village chief’s house, when it was in fact an inn. Jarius wasted no time and sprinted to the building.
Jarius scoured the area around the inn for any way to gain entry, but soon settled for a tree near the inn. Silently, he leapt from branch to branch, occasionally pausing when rustling up one too many leaves, until he reached a half open window three stories high. He peered inside and, upon seeing no one there, briskly leapt in.
The inn, like the rest of the town, was humble yet clean. Jarius could easily think of far greater places to stay, but he could think of just as many far worse places to lay his head. Nothing fancy, but definitely comfortable, it appealed to the soldier in Jarius.
Not surprisingly, the inn seemed empty, as Jarius had long since determined that this village receives very few visitors, in fact the whole town was probably in an uproar about him and his brother. Jarius exited the room and nonchalantly examined a few others, hunting for his little brother. Soon he realized his initial suspicion might have been correct that this was the chief’s home as it became apparent that someone had made permanent residence in this inn.
A few empty rooms later, Jarius saw his brother lying motionless on a bed. Unlike himself when he awoke, his brother was fully clothed, but the wound was still visible. Jarius softly moved the bottom of his brother’s shirt up to see, to his astonishment, that the wound was almost fully healed! Jarius was amazed at his brother’s resilience, but for a wound of that sort, it would have needed three months at the least to heal to where it’s at now. Jarius could not imagine that it had been three months since they traveled the starlit path, but the wound spoke too loudly, he could not ignore it.
A rustling down at the entrance suddenly snapped Jarius to attention. He lifted his brother onto his shoulder, weary of the wound, and leapt out of the third story window landing gracefully on the ground. His brother let out a low grunt and tensed up slightly on Jarius’ shoulder, but soon was once again like pudding in his brother’s arms. Jovial at his victory, Jarius darted towards open grass and rolling hills north of the house and once again began plotting his plan at guiding him and his brother to the shadow forest.
When they reached the apex of the first hill, Jarius gasped at the sight of a single female in a long flowing white cloak at the bottom. With no shadows to meld with, he decided to try and creep by her using the hills themselves as cover. He crept across the soft grass keeping her back to him, yet with only one hill to go before he was clear, she spoke up.
“Oh, so you’re finally awake hmm? Out to enjoy the sun with me are you? Didn’t look like you have been getting enough sun recently,” the woman said, without once averting her gaze nor physically acknowledging their presence.
“How…did you know I was here?” Jarius asked astonished.
“Well that’s a bit difficult to explain, let’s just say that I didn’t know you were there, just that I knew that everywhere else was where you weren’t,” she said with a slight chuckle.
“What? That makes no sense at all.”
“You sound just like my father!” She said beneath laughs as she turned around.
“Hello, my name is Lucia.”
The woman wore a white cloak that covered her entire body from neck to ankles but could not hide her stunningly beautiful figure. She stood to Jarius’ nose and appeared to be only slightly older than Deina. Her face was stern, but with deep green eyes it was equally as beautiful; her light brown hair was tied in a neat braid, and hung down below her waist. Jarius could not remember seeing or imagining a more perfect picture of beauty than the one before him.
“Oh…I-I’m Jarius,” Jarius said, regaining his composure.
“Well hello Jarius, I thank you for your company, but I must insist you return your partner to his bed, he is not well,” her voiced hinted at sarcasm.
Jarius tilted his head slightly, his brother’s dilemma freeing him from her enchanting beauty. With renewed vigor he once again determined himself to make the trek to the shadow forest, both for his brothers sake and to regain the book.
“I apologize, and I thank you for your village’s hospitality, but I carry a burden far greater than any here, and I would hate to weigh you down with it. I know of a place where my burden can be lifted and my brother could be healed, so I feel it would be best for all if we simply left,” Jarius said placing a single hand on his hip, masking his vigor and determination behind cordiality.
“Far greater burden? Don’t be so presumptuous. When I found you in the forest, it was pretty easy to tell you two weren’t simply victims of wild beasts, perhaps…bandits?” She smiled wryly, with her arms crossed in front of her. Her voice no longer hinted but bellowed sarcasm.
“Yes…I suppose you could call them bandits. None the less, we have to go, and I don’t intend to be stopped!” Jarius anger began slowly rising, knowing precious time was being wasted and that any minute one of the bulkier farmers could sight them.
“There you go being presumptuous again! You talk as if you have a choice in the matter.”
“You talk as if you have the ability to dictate my choices!”
Jarius stubbornly began walking away, while Lucia simply bowed her head and smiled to him. As he ascended atop a hill, he looked down only to see Lucia a few feet in front of him, approaching slowly. Soon the two were within arms reach, Lucia, smiling as would a mother to her child; while Jarius gritted his teeth contemplating how to surpass this nuisance.
“I’m so deeply sorry Jarius, but I can’t let you go,” her sarcasm came off far more stern this time.
“Then it would seem we have a problem, I highly doubt you will be able to stop me,” Jarius said, exasperated.
Lucia simply smiled and laid a single soft hand on Jarius’ cheek, her dark green eyes gazing deeply into Jarius’. She rubbed it consolingly and almost instantly Jarius collapsed in a heap at the girls feet. Zacharim, guided by Lucia’s hand, crashed painlessly on top of his now unconscious brother. Lucia closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, then effortlessly carried them back to the village.
“Well, he did carry a sword with him, a very well made sword too. Something clearly beyond Paolo’s making,” a deep male voice spoke in a fairly depressing tone.
“So?” Came Lucia’s voice.
“So…we should let them go. That boy has the body of a swordsman, and the other has been wounded terribly, whatever they’ve gotten themselves into is over our meager heads.”
“Hah! I’ve yet to find a man or a group of men that could hope to defeat me in combat. You know this father, we have nothing to worry about,” her voice came off with stunning confidence.
“You’re young lass, too young to understand.”
“Listen! The War of the North Hills is raging all across this country, and they wish to cross this war torn land all the way to the Shadow Forest?! They have no hope in reaching their destination! They would be murdered as enemy spies, and that’s if they’re lucky!” Jarius had never heard Lucia speak so emphatically.
“What would you have me do? I won’t put the village in unnecessary danger Lucia!”
“Just…give them some time. The little one still isn’t in any shape to be traveling, and he probably won’t be for a few more moons. Galeton is due back here in two moons, maybe I can pull a few strings and have him escort the children closer to the forest, after all he’s stationed up near there anyway, right?”
“So be it…but should our village be put in danger, I will have no other choice but to kick their butts out of here.”
The faint sound of footsteps echoing further and further away signaled one of the two had exited. Jarius figured he would gain nothing more by eavesdropping in on their conversation.
“Mmm…Z-Zach?!” Jarius squeaked out, feigning just waking up.
Lucia, still dressed in her white cloak, appeared in the doorway of what was one of the many rooms in the inn, where Jarius had been put. She gave him her usual warm smile, then calmly sauntered to his side, with a wet cloth in hand. She laid the cloth on his forehead then sat down in a rickety looking chair next to his bed.
“W-What happened?” Jarius said exhausted.
“Didn’t I tell you? I couldn’t let you leave, not yet, wasn’t the right time you know?” Lucia’s usual sarcastic tone was appreciated far more than the serious tone Jarius had overheard just a few moments ago.
“Oh…what about Zach.”
“Your partner? He’s fine! It’s only been two days, I’m a miracle worker, not a god!” Lucia laughed.
Jarius, visibly startled, choked on his own tongue at this news. He could not believe that it had only been two days since arriving at this village, and that Zach had improved so much from being so close to death. Lucia smiled wryly at Jarius, obviously expecting such a reaction, but soon her face took a far more stern appearance.
“I do worry about him though. The infection was easy to remove, but there’s a poison in his body far more devious. I can’t seem to isolate it, so it’s likely it will be a very long time before he’s back to full strength,” she said, tilting her head up in thought.
“I think I understand now…you must be like Byrtum, a sorceress. Thank you for treating my little brother,” Jarius buried his head into his pillow and sighed slightly.
“Oh, yes, yes you’re welcome. But enough of these formalities, how much did you overhear?” Lucia hunched her knees higher, elbows atop them, with her chin resting in her hands as she leaned forward towards Jarius.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh you’re a terrible actor Mr. Jarius! I know you overheard me and father talking, and I’m sure you have questions about it, so I’ll answer to the best of my abilities.”
Jarius sighed heavily as he sat up in the bed, she was far more perceptive than he had hoped. He hadn’t the energy to continue the façade.
“I see…well, I would like to know about this war you mentioned,” Jarius said, a hint of defeat in his voice.
“Oh, the War of the North Hills. It’s little more than a territorial dispute, but everyone is waving righteousness and crying ‘holy’ as if it actually carried any significance. Pretty disgusting if you ask me, but its overtaken much of the land, apparently the North Hills have many valuable resources that people wish to take advantage of. It’s why I can’t let you leave you see,” Lucia sat up in her chair, eyes wandering as she spoke. Her visible look of disdain did not go unnoticed, leading Jarius to believe that she was not very fond of war.
“Yes, so when will we be allowed to leave? I can’t waste time, we have a very important mission!”
“Well two moons from now Gaeton returns here for the Festival of the Boar. You’ll love the festival I’m sure! We can probably get him to escort you up north, so I’ll let you go then, unless of course I become too fond of your company,” her teasing smile made Jarius blush.
“Well…I’m sure we don’t have to worry about that…who is Gaeton and how long is two moons?”
“Oh? Hmm…where could you have come from not to know of the waxing and waning of the moon? Once every twenty-five days, on the twenty fifth day, the moon is full, on that day it completes its cycle and does it over again, we refer to those as ‘moons’. Our current moon is only three days in,” she sighed and bowed her head before continuing. “Gaeton was born here, but he decided to become a soldier up north, pretty foolish if you ask me. He’s gained quite a bit of prestige since joining and now commands his own little army. But he loves the festival, and he always attends; sometimes he brings his entire army with him and that can really get annoying,” she looked back up at him and smiled. “You’ll love the festival though, it’s the greatest day of the year you know!”
Jarius detected she had intentionally switched the subject, her relationship with Gaeton goes far deeper than what she’s let on. He was not concerned with that, a far more pressing matter weighed on his mind as he spoke up.
“And what of my brothers poison?”
Lucia wrinkled her nose in thought, the question seemed to stump her as she considered how best to answer.
“I don’t…know. I have never really dealt with anything of its kind before, we are a very simple village you see. It seems to me that a second entity resides within him along with himself…a half entity of sorts, not real, not imaginary. It’s been sapping his strength ever since it took up residence though,” she looked down almost apologetically at Jarius before continuing. “Anyway, get some rest for now. I’ve already talked it over with the Avaril’s and they don’t mind at all if you want to eat with them, their daughter is quite the cook and it would seem you’ve tickled her fancy, lucky you hmm?”
Jarius, grinning slightly, nodded at Lucia and laying down to go back to sleep. Lucia stood up and spun around briskly and, masking a laugh, rushed out of the room. It was not long before Jarius entered slumber, feeling a very odd and new sense of comfort from this village. He was born on the battlefield, with sword and spear in hand, the front lines were his home and ravenous goblin warriors his closest neighbors; yet now he felt that the absolute last place he wished to be was on another battlefield. He envied this village and its simple yet comfortable way of life.
Jarius awoke a few hours later feeling very refreshed. He stood up and stretched his sore body, then gazed around the room instinctively before his eyes fell upon a small stack of spears left next to the doorway. Yawning mightily, he felt his way over to the doorway and examined the spears.
The spears, while not of the greatest quality, were in decent shape. The iron used was sharpened nicely and had a shine to it showing that it held very few impurities. The wood used for the shaft did not feel like wood from any tree from his forest so he knew not of what tree the wood could have originated from, but it had a very nice bend while maintaining a high level of durability. Jarius was sure their blacksmith was well versed in his vocation.
Jarius trudged out the doorway and rubbed his eyes, spying the inn counter where a heavy-set and fairly tall man stood. The man had what seemed to be permanently rosy cheeks, a very thick brown beard, and pale green eyes. He wore a straw hat which, Jarius concluded from how thin the brown curls cascading down the sides to his ears, hid a large bald spot on the top of his head. He wore trousers and a shirt much like the outfit Jarius was wearing, although slightly smaller.
The man looked at Jarius before smiling jovially. He rushed over to the elf’s side, waving a single hand in front of him and laughing heartily.
“Hoho! About time you woke up! Boy do I have some great news for you!” He said as he slapped Jarius on the shoulder. His voice was deep yet very friendly, not at all threatening although Jarius could imagine it would not be much of a feet should this man wish to be so.
“H-Hi, I’m Jarius, I take it you’re Lucia’s father?” Jarius smiled nervously as he spoke.
“Oh, yes yes! I’m not often called that though, most call me Timeo you know! I’m the chief of this village!”
“Chief Timeo it is then. What is this news you wanted to share? Good news about my brother?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah you’re brother is fine, he’s in good hands. But no, the news I wanted to share was that you and I are going to go hunting tonight!”
“What?”
“Yes yes! The stars are just now rising, now is when the valley boars come down the hills and try to feed from our crops, the perfect time to hunt!”
“But why do you need me?”
“Don’t try to fool me boy! I know you got some huntin’ in you, and you have to earn your keep somehow y’know! Now go back to that room of yours and grab them spears I left ya!”
“O-Ok Chief Timeo.”
“That’s just Timeo! Never had much of a taste for formalities you know.”
Jarius chuckled slightly, never a taste for formalities? Would have never guessed. Jarius darted back in his room and picked up the five spears at the doorway and returned. Timeo was already out the door and calling to Jarius to hurry up. Jarius snuck a single warm muffin from a basket on the counter and gobbled it down before rushing out the doorway.
Upon exiting, Jarius was once again captivated by the picturesque starlit sky. He stumbled slightly as he gazed into the sky, amazed at how it contained a pristine brightness capable of making the sun rife with envy. Timeo, baffled by Jarius’ antics, could only stare in bewilderment as he urged the young elf on. The village itself appeared much more akin to his own now, as darkness shaded the houses and fields. He felt more at home here than before, and that struck him as very unsettling.
The two walked twenty paces at most before Timeo urged him to stop. In the distance could be heard faint grunts and snorts, he was sure they had found their first pack of wild boar.
“This is Higgins’ field, he hates boars y’know. Keep quiet, it’s too dark for them to see us so we can sneak up on them and skewer them. Don’t try too hard though, it’s only your first time, let’s just try and nab one,” even at a whisper, Timeo’s voice rang louder than most yells.
Jarius nodded a solemn agreement, and soon the two were creeping along the outside of the outer fence of the field. Before long the boars were in a shadowed yet clear view. While only three, they seemed to be quite confidently and deliberately gobbling down the cabbage of the field. The lead boar was far bigger than Jarius could imagine, it was just as tall as the man beside him, with far more girth. Jarius grinned confidently, that one was his.
Standing only a mere thirty paces from the pack, Timeo readied his first spear. The smell of the boars rank bodies invaded Jarius, and he could faintly see the bits of strewn cabbage tossed about as they greedily chomped down more. Timeo opened his pale green eyes wider, shining like two ponds under this bright night sky, and concentrated on his prey. A single snort from one of the smaller boars signaled the release of his spear deftly from his hand. The spear tore through the air and plunged itself deep into the side of one of the smaller boars, marked by a bone-chilling squeal. The other two boars quickly darted off towards the break in the fence where they had trampled their way in.
“Burn it all! Didn’t hit the sucker high enough! He’s going to bleed all over the place!” Timeo said with a snort as he clumsily scaled the fence and ran to his kill. “Looks like you didn’t get one this time, have to be fast y’know. Oh well, come help me carry this one back, maybe you’ll have more luck tomorrow!”
Jarius had no intentions of dragging that boar around. He dropped the other four spears and confidently readied the fifth. The largest boar was one hundred paces away, and even Jarius’ keen eyes were having trouble keeping up, yet well within his range. Jarius sighed soberly and, with his customary spine-cracking whip of the body, sent the spear hurdling into the moon light.
“Hoho, you’re a crazy lad! But you’ll never hit a boar that far away at this time of night, just hope that you can fetch your—“ Timeo was cut off by a loud squeal coming from the direction of the boars. He snapped his body around, visibly shocked by Jarius’ apparent strike.
“If you’re done with that little piggy, Timeo, perhaps you’d like to help me drag back the big one?” Jarius drunk in his victory like a fine wine.
“The lead boar? Hoho! Well done lad!”
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