Scene: I need answers
"Tiernan - Do you know him?" I sneer, as I storm into the office. Thrud and the Elders are gathered here, in the middle a discussion by the look of it. But I don't care - I need answers now, and it's easier if they're all together than finding each of them. They all turn to look at me. The two Àlfs share a glance before they do, and I know who to ask. The Vettir are not impressed with my barging in.
"You forget your manners!" one of them starts scolding, but Thrud cuts her off, and she begrudgingly takes a step back.
"Tiernan, Light Alf, rich smug rapist - Do. You. Know. Him?" I repeat. My eyes jump between the Light Alfs in the room. One more ashamed and guilty-looking than the other, but it is the other that speaks.
"He's not local, but he was here during The Unravelling. When The Great Veil fell he came to us for help. He needed glamour magic, and we needed money - for this." She waves her arms around, and I realize I never knew for certain, how they did afford finansing Evergreen - it came from his filthy pockets! I clench my fists.
"He is an extremist!" The other chimes in. "It is said that he hates all but Feykind. That he wants to rid the world of all others-" The more composed Alf lifts a hand to stop her.
"That's speculation. We don't know that." She explains, "But it's true that there are some who argue humanity's 'squandering' of Earth needs to be halted and only can be done so forcefully." My eyes pass Thrud for a moment, her hands gathered in front of her face, hiding her mouth in a pensive pose, and I can't quite read her. The composed Alf continues: "I sensed his screwdness back then. If he is your adversary, be very very careful!"
"Any chance for legal repercussions?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"He will be untouchable, while you won't be," she warns. "However, we Otherworlders prefer dealing with our problems directly. You can hope that he still honors those ways."
"What did you do to him?" one of the vettir asks.
"Smashed his living room. Didn't hit him, but when I grabbed a sword from his wall, he got very apologetic. Promised to not mess around with anyone from the Grove again." I feel a weird mixture of pride and pity that I didn't get a chance to leave him bashed up too. But for a moment, Iøm sure I notice Thrud smiling behind her hands.
"Then he will honor it." The composed Alf concludes with a sigh of relief, before adding a warning "But know you have made an enemy today. And a powerful one at that."
"How did the sword look?" There's something in her eyes, I can't quite put a finger on. Determination perhaps.
"I can show you," I state with a smile. I leave them shortly and return with my saddlebag, now ruined by the sword tip protruding though the fabric. I place it on the table, and I can tell something is up by their differing grimaces.
"And would you 'unsheathe' it, please" Thrud requests in a calm but insistent tone. I can feel the others are stiffen in anticipation.
"Sure!" I respond curiously, and as i grab the hilt and pulls out the sword, I can sense the Elders holding their breath, focusing in on every detail, as if expecting a chain reaction as it leaves the now torn bag. They ease up as nothing happens. Their tension had gotten to me, and I was half expecting for something to happen to, but nothing does.
"And will you let me hold it?" Thrud asks, as if her every word in that sentence has been carefully chosen.
"Yeah, no problem" I reply friendly. I can't help but feel like they all know something that I don't, and I don't like it. I offer her the sword lying flat between my two hands. The blade slightly warm to the touch, but it had been hanging close to the engine, I reason. Thrud recieves it, taking in every detail, voicing her thoughts and explaining, as she inspects it thoroughly:
"That you offered it freely, could tell something - or it could not." She starts, cryptically before going on to the sword itself. "...not one of ours. Probably from the British Isles. Good weight distribution. The white hilt is interesting. Again, could mean something, could be irrelevant. A sharp blade, not stained by time - which suggests either magical care or magic properties. Even without inscription, it would definitely have been worthy for a king to wield." She turns her attention to me. "Did it have a scabbard - a sheath? And how did you get by it?"
I shake my head. "It was mounted on his wall. There were many other weapons too. And displays full of trinkets. He knocked my bat out of my hand, and I just grabbed whatever I could get my hands on quickly. I swung it at him, and his demeanor changed completely, so after I made him promise to leave us alone, I told him I was gonna keep it."
"Then, by all means, it is yours." She states with a smile, returning the sword to me.
"Dís," one Alf cuts in. "I believe there is no way, he would not have a contingency plan for any of that!"
"Time will tell - or maybe Fate or Destiny is already telling us, what we need to know," Thrud shrugs, tasting her words before again addressing me. "You make use of our fitness facilities, right, Alea?"
"Uhh, yes." I answer bemusedly. "For running mostly. And gymnastics. But I don't see why-"
"Excellent!" she responds with delight. "Then my recommendation is that you mention my name down there, and sign up for proper sword training. I would furthermore offer you that we keep the sword here for safekeeping - at least while we produce a new scabbard for it." Before I answer, she adds: "Regardless of the details, you have done a great deed, and someone will have noticed. The training would be purely for your own protection."
"If owning that sword means it's Alea-hunting season, I don't want it!" I answer coldly. "I just did what had to be done."
"And that is what draws attention," Thrud retorts with an expession of respect - of pride. "You have shown that you have a warrior's heart. It doesn't mean that you are in constant danger. It means that there are people who will want to meet you - opportunities opening. Which in turn means, that I would like for you to be prepared should those opportunities arive. To make sure that you have all options available."
"You forget your manners!" one of them starts scolding, but Thrud cuts her off, and she begrudgingly takes a step back.
"Tiernan, Light Alf, rich smug rapist - Do. You. Know. Him?" I repeat. My eyes jump between the Light Alfs in the room. One more ashamed and guilty-looking than the other, but it is the other that speaks.
"He's not local, but he was here during The Unravelling. When The Great Veil fell he came to us for help. He needed glamour magic, and we needed money - for this." She waves her arms around, and I realize I never knew for certain, how they did afford finansing Evergreen - it came from his filthy pockets! I clench my fists.
"He is an extremist!" The other chimes in. "It is said that he hates all but Feykind. That he wants to rid the world of all others-" The more composed Alf lifts a hand to stop her.
"That's speculation. We don't know that." She explains, "But it's true that there are some who argue humanity's 'squandering' of Earth needs to be halted and only can be done so forcefully." My eyes pass Thrud for a moment, her hands gathered in front of her face, hiding her mouth in a pensive pose, and I can't quite read her. The composed Alf continues: "I sensed his screwdness back then. If he is your adversary, be very very careful!"
"Any chance for legal repercussions?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"He will be untouchable, while you won't be," she warns. "However, we Otherworlders prefer dealing with our problems directly. You can hope that he still honors those ways."
"What did you do to him?" one of the vettir asks.
"Smashed his living room. Didn't hit him, but when I grabbed a sword from his wall, he got very apologetic. Promised to not mess around with anyone from the Grove again." I feel a weird mixture of pride and pity that I didn't get a chance to leave him bashed up too. But for a moment, Iøm sure I notice Thrud smiling behind her hands.
"Then he will honor it." The composed Alf concludes with a sigh of relief, before adding a warning "But know you have made an enemy today. And a powerful one at that."
A few seconds go by when nobody knows really what to say from here, and I'm about to excuse myself, when Thrud clears her throat and speaks:
"How did the sword look?" There's something in her eyes, I can't quite put a finger on. Determination perhaps.
"I can show you," I state with a smile. I leave them shortly and return with my saddlebag, now ruined by the sword tip protruding though the fabric. I place it on the table, and I can tell something is up by their differing grimaces.
"And would you 'unsheathe' it, please" Thrud requests in a calm but insistent tone. I can feel the others are stiffen in anticipation.
"Sure!" I respond curiously, and as i grab the hilt and pulls out the sword, I can sense the Elders holding their breath, focusing in on every detail, as if expecting a chain reaction as it leaves the now torn bag. They ease up as nothing happens. Their tension had gotten to me, and I was half expecting for something to happen to, but nothing does.
"And will you let me hold it?" Thrud asks, as if her every word in that sentence has been carefully chosen.
"Yeah, no problem" I reply friendly. I can't help but feel like they all know something that I don't, and I don't like it. I offer her the sword lying flat between my two hands. The blade slightly warm to the touch, but it had been hanging close to the engine, I reason. Thrud recieves it, taking in every detail, voicing her thoughts and explaining, as she inspects it thoroughly:
"That you offered it freely, could tell something - or it could not." She starts, cryptically before going on to the sword itself. "...not one of ours. Probably from the British Isles. Good weight distribution. The white hilt is interesting. Again, could mean something, could be irrelevant. A sharp blade, not stained by time - which suggests either magical care or magic properties. Even without inscription, it would definitely have been worthy for a king to wield." She turns her attention to me. "Did it have a scabbard - a sheath? And how did you get by it?"
I shake my head. "It was mounted on his wall. There were many other weapons too. And displays full of trinkets. He knocked my bat out of my hand, and I just grabbed whatever I could get my hands on quickly. I swung it at him, and his demeanor changed completely, so after I made him promise to leave us alone, I told him I was gonna keep it."
"Then, by all means, it is yours." She states with a smile, returning the sword to me.
"Dís," one Alf cuts in. "I believe there is no way, he would not have a contingency plan for any of that!"
"Time will tell - or maybe Fate or Destiny is already telling us, what we need to know," Thrud shrugs, tasting her words before again addressing me. "You make use of our fitness facilities, right, Alea?"
"Uhh, yes." I answer bemusedly. "For running mostly. And gymnastics. But I don't see why-"
"Excellent!" she responds with delight. "Then my recommendation is that you mention my name down there, and sign up for proper sword training. I would furthermore offer you that we keep the sword here for safekeeping - at least while we produce a new scabbard for it." Before I answer, she adds: "Regardless of the details, you have done a great deed, and someone will have noticed. The training would be purely for your own protection."
I'm not going to argue with improving my means of protecting myself. I just hadn't imaginged sword fighting being a part of it. And if I had just painted a target on my back, I wouldn't decline any help. But was that what I had done? Have I endangered myself indefinitely by standing up for myself against Tiernan? I hadn't thought things through when I came knocking with my bat in hand - I was just so uncontrollably furious. In hindsight, I guess I know to expect that he might retaliate, but others too?
"If owning that sword means it's Alea-hunting season, I don't want it!" I answer coldly. "I just did what had to be done."
"And that is what draws attention," Thrud retorts with an expession of respect - of pride. "You have shown that you have a warrior's heart. It doesn't mean that you are in constant danger. It means that there are people who will want to meet you - opportunities opening. Which in turn means, that I would like for you to be prepared should those opportunities arive. To make sure that you have all options available."
She smiles softly, and I see the wisdom in her words - even if I don't like the ramifications, but it all sounds larger than what my mind can grasp, and I have had one hell of a day. I leave the sword on the table as I politely excuse myself, and by the way each of the Elders looks at me, I can feel that something has shifted.
Themes
The Call answers the Reluctant Hero
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