(no subject)
I need a title for this story. Dunno what to call it. This is the first bit. It's going to be a short story. It takes place about a thousand years before Alec was born.
Marlina Tendrath leaned forward on her saddle, looking out over the Lancoon plains, trying to decide why Fate or Fey had let her out near the Troven clan. She could see their brightly colored wagons easily ahead of her. It would take only a short gallop to catch up with them and be with her own kind again; if she could call the Trovens her own kind. She was still iffy on that, though she knew that they would welcome her and give her a good meal and conversation with someone other than her horse, something she hadn’t had in a long time. That might be worth the price… maybe. Gloved fingers tapped a leather armored thigh as she pondered this out. Her horse stamped a foot, tossing its horned head, indicating that it would like to get moving.
“In a minute,” she said, patting its brown neck. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt, could it?” The horse snorted. “Right then, off we go.” She nudged the horse into a walk over the grasses that had started to yellow in the summer’s heat. She wasn’t going to gallop up to them, that would show that she was eager to see them. Something she didn’t want to do. Wouldn’t do them … him… to get any ideas.
Alright, there, she had admitted it to herself. She was worried about seeing him again. He always made things so complicated. She had her life. It wasn’t a great life, but it was a good life, she liked what she did. See new worlds, meet new creatures, kill them sometimes, but that was part of the job. A one person job. Just her and the horse and the rest of the world, or worlds, depending on where she was sent. He would be a complication. No other word for it.
Even if it would be nice to see him.
No. She wasn’t going to think those sorts of thoughts. Those thoughts would lead to problems. They always did.
She approached the wagon train from the side, getting a good view of the multicolored wagons pulled by teams of two or four horses, depending on the wagon’s size. On the sides of the wagons were fanciful designs and paintings though some that clashed with the colors of the wagon. As she closed in, she could hear the train’s bard singing lazily and see one of the train’s scouts spot her. He rode up to her on a dun colored horse, bow knocked and at the ready.
Marlina smiled at him, bringing her horse to a stop. He relaxed as he saw her, recognizing her. Of course anyone would recognize her, or at least the mark she bore on the right side of her face, a blue crescent moon showing that she belonged to the Fey court. Nothing pretty or right about that, it really, in some places, made her a walking target. But, at least, people knew what it meant.
No hostility here though. The scout relaxed his grip on the bow and smiled back, “Mystra, it’s good to see you.”
“It is good to see you too, Scout. Are things well with yours?”
“Well enough for visitors,” the scout said, tucking a strand of that blond hair that almost all the Trovens had behind an ear, his Troven blue eyes sparkling. “Come, people will be glad for news and stories.”
“I doubt I have much news, but stories I have.”
“The children will be delighted,” the scout said, turning his hose so that it would go back to the slow moving caravan.
“Then I shall tell my stories for them to hear.”
She found her self breathing in snatches as she approached, glancing at all the blond heads wondering where he was. Probably up at the head wagon. He did lead them after all and he liked being the first to know and see. Which meant that she could stave off seeing him a little while longer. Even if it were only a few minutes. Gods, why was she doing this? She didn’t need complications. No, there wouldn’t be any complications. She was here for the company of her people and some time to relax. There didn’t need to be any complications, if she didn’t make any for herself. Right.
Marlina relaxed a little as she rode at the caravan’s easy pace, smiling at the various people around her. They all smiled back at her. She was a novelty, someone new after being with the same people for weeks at a time in between cities or villages.
And then she saw him. He was riding back on a rare black horse with a black horn, looking like the quintessential Troven. The crooked nose, the gray eyes set in a square jawed face and the yellow golden hair, every thing about him said Troven. And he was coming right at her. Taking a deep breath she put on a smile.
“Hello Wolf,” she said.
“Hello Marlina,” Wolf said. “You look like you’ve come off a long trail.”
“I have. Found myself near the wagons and decided to come by.”
“I’m glad that you did,” he said sincerely, but staring straight ahead so that she couldn’t see his face. “What news do you have from the worlds beyond?”
“Nothing that can be spoken of and nothing to worry about.”
“I see,” he said, scratching his chin lightly. It was full of fuzz that wasn’t there the last time she had seen him. Was he growing a beard? “We have a guest, besides you.”
“Oh?” she asked, looking at him directly. But he was still staring ahead.
“One of the fair folk, Alasdair is the name he gave.”
If Marlina had been drinking something, she would have choked on it. Instead she gasped in surprise. “The Queen’s brother is here? Whatever for?”
Wolf, now, looked at her with a slightly amused expression on his face. “Do the Fey ever tell you all their reasons?”
“No, they do not. Where is he?”
He shrugged, “In one of the wagons.”
“I should pay my respects,” she said looking down at the line of wagons.
“You can do that later, tonight,” he said. She swung her head back to look at him, but he was back to staring ahead of him. “Come, I could use your eyes on the road. There has been news of bandits on this stretch.”
Marlina wanted to say, “But that’s why you have scouts.” She didn’t though. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t. Instead, she rode up in the front with Wolf, telling herself that he did just want to use her eyes, even though they spent the entire time just talking. She did keep an eye on the road, just so that people couldn’t say that she wasn’t doing her job.
Marlina Tendrath leaned forward on her saddle, looking out over the Lancoon plains, trying to decide why Fate or Fey had let her out near the Troven clan. She could see their brightly colored wagons easily ahead of her. It would take only a short gallop to catch up with them and be with her own kind again; if she could call the Trovens her own kind. She was still iffy on that, though she knew that they would welcome her and give her a good meal and conversation with someone other than her horse, something she hadn’t had in a long time. That might be worth the price… maybe. Gloved fingers tapped a leather armored thigh as she pondered this out. Her horse stamped a foot, tossing its horned head, indicating that it would like to get moving.
“In a minute,” she said, patting its brown neck. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt, could it?” The horse snorted. “Right then, off we go.” She nudged the horse into a walk over the grasses that had started to yellow in the summer’s heat. She wasn’t going to gallop up to them, that would show that she was eager to see them. Something she didn’t want to do. Wouldn’t do them … him… to get any ideas.
Alright, there, she had admitted it to herself. She was worried about seeing him again. He always made things so complicated. She had her life. It wasn’t a great life, but it was a good life, she liked what she did. See new worlds, meet new creatures, kill them sometimes, but that was part of the job. A one person job. Just her and the horse and the rest of the world, or worlds, depending on where she was sent. He would be a complication. No other word for it.
Even if it would be nice to see him.
No. She wasn’t going to think those sorts of thoughts. Those thoughts would lead to problems. They always did.
She approached the wagon train from the side, getting a good view of the multicolored wagons pulled by teams of two or four horses, depending on the wagon’s size. On the sides of the wagons were fanciful designs and paintings though some that clashed with the colors of the wagon. As she closed in, she could hear the train’s bard singing lazily and see one of the train’s scouts spot her. He rode up to her on a dun colored horse, bow knocked and at the ready.
Marlina smiled at him, bringing her horse to a stop. He relaxed as he saw her, recognizing her. Of course anyone would recognize her, or at least the mark she bore on the right side of her face, a blue crescent moon showing that she belonged to the Fey court. Nothing pretty or right about that, it really, in some places, made her a walking target. But, at least, people knew what it meant.
No hostility here though. The scout relaxed his grip on the bow and smiled back, “Mystra, it’s good to see you.”
“It is good to see you too, Scout. Are things well with yours?”
“Well enough for visitors,” the scout said, tucking a strand of that blond hair that almost all the Trovens had behind an ear, his Troven blue eyes sparkling. “Come, people will be glad for news and stories.”
“I doubt I have much news, but stories I have.”
“The children will be delighted,” the scout said, turning his hose so that it would go back to the slow moving caravan.
“Then I shall tell my stories for them to hear.”
She found her self breathing in snatches as she approached, glancing at all the blond heads wondering where he was. Probably up at the head wagon. He did lead them after all and he liked being the first to know and see. Which meant that she could stave off seeing him a little while longer. Even if it were only a few minutes. Gods, why was she doing this? She didn’t need complications. No, there wouldn’t be any complications. She was here for the company of her people and some time to relax. There didn’t need to be any complications, if she didn’t make any for herself. Right.
Marlina relaxed a little as she rode at the caravan’s easy pace, smiling at the various people around her. They all smiled back at her. She was a novelty, someone new after being with the same people for weeks at a time in between cities or villages.
And then she saw him. He was riding back on a rare black horse with a black horn, looking like the quintessential Troven. The crooked nose, the gray eyes set in a square jawed face and the yellow golden hair, every thing about him said Troven. And he was coming right at her. Taking a deep breath she put on a smile.
“Hello Wolf,” she said.
“Hello Marlina,” Wolf said. “You look like you’ve come off a long trail.”
“I have. Found myself near the wagons and decided to come by.”
“I’m glad that you did,” he said sincerely, but staring straight ahead so that she couldn’t see his face. “What news do you have from the worlds beyond?”
“Nothing that can be spoken of and nothing to worry about.”
“I see,” he said, scratching his chin lightly. It was full of fuzz that wasn’t there the last time she had seen him. Was he growing a beard? “We have a guest, besides you.”
“Oh?” she asked, looking at him directly. But he was still staring ahead.
“One of the fair folk, Alasdair is the name he gave.”
If Marlina had been drinking something, she would have choked on it. Instead she gasped in surprise. “The Queen’s brother is here? Whatever for?”
Wolf, now, looked at her with a slightly amused expression on his face. “Do the Fey ever tell you all their reasons?”
“No, they do not. Where is he?”
He shrugged, “In one of the wagons.”
“I should pay my respects,” she said looking down at the line of wagons.
“You can do that later, tonight,” he said. She swung her head back to look at him, but he was back to staring ahead of him. “Come, I could use your eyes on the road. There has been news of bandits on this stretch.”
Marlina wanted to say, “But that’s why you have scouts.” She didn’t though. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t. Instead, she rode up in the front with Wolf, telling herself that he did just want to use her eyes, even though they spent the entire time just talking. She did keep an eye on the road, just so that people couldn’t say that she wasn’t doing her job.