3 Chapter 3 – Mad Man at the Inn

Elain watches as the young man in front of her struggles with himself, or at least an invisible partner as his words sound more like one side of an argument.

"No… this isn't the plan… I can't… no… shut up…quiet… It's not fair!"

His hand tightens in to a fist before slamming it on to the table as he goes silent for several moments, only the sound of his deep breaths can be heard before he continues. "I… am sorry… but please… leave me alone."

Elain frowns feeling annoyed "What?! Just like that? You're not going to even hear me out?"

"I cannot help you… I… I… I have to find… have to find it…"

"You're going north, aren't you? To Erideena? All I want is for you to take us with you; it's hardly out of your way."

Elain leans on the table, her hand on the map blocking his view and making him look up at her.

"It's not… I just… Quiet… let me think… I'm not…"

He is still frustrated, but his tone sounds more tired than angry.

Elain stands there for almost a minute in silence wondering if she should continue to try to talk with him, or leave him be; he clearly doesn't wish to help.

She glances over to his shorter sword, the one she recognises as a guards sword from Ayrisia and spitefully concludes that he must not have earned it;

(No guard of Ayrisia would refuse to help those in need. For a moment I thought he had recognised me as Lord Ronans Champion, when he wondered if I was real… but I guess he has lost his mind, or he stole that sword.)

"I'm sorry to… have bothered you." She almost spits the words out, and for a moment contemplates taking the sword from him, but decides not to as she would have to explain why to others.

Following a simple bow of her head, Elain stands straight and turns, only to see Casia behind her.

"My Lady wha-?"

Casia says nothing, looking between Elain and the young man as he hunches over resting his head in his palms either side of his temple.

She takes a breath and moves around her guardian and moves closer the young man at the table.

"I am afraid he is… unable to help u-"

Before Elain could finish Casia stops and turns her head nodding to silently ask for a moment to try something herself.

In a formal gesture Casia then lifts her skirt slightly and performs a well-practiced curtsy.

"Sir, I… I am not sure why you are unable to help us, but it is not something we wish to force upon you, but I must insis… ask that you take some time to reconsider our request for transport. We are ill-prepared for the coming journey that awaits us and need help to get to where we must go, to getting to a safe place."

Casia's voice is soft and respectful, and though her confidence is betrayed by her shaky voice it is clearly sincere.

She bows her head with respect, noticing the smaller of the two swords behind him, and with just a moment to think she stands straight again and continues to speak "I see a sword that holds the crest of the Ayrisia guard, given to those who swear an oath to defend and to assist those in need; if you took that oath-"

"Oath? Yes… an oath… I… I made an oath… The Oath…" his muttering voices interrupts her for a moment as he turns to glance over to it, rubbing the side of his head. "Quiet… be quiet, quiet, quiet."

"If you truly are from Ayrisia, then I ask you to take up your duty once more, and tell you that I am-"

"Milady…" Elain immediately moves to her side to stop her from giving a formal introduction, she still has no idea who this young man is, and even so he is clearly not stable. "It is not wise to simply announce out your name so-"

"If he knows who I am, then perhaps-"

"Know you… yes… you should not be here… no… not here… neither of you… where is Ronan? Where is his lordship? I know who you are, Lady Reydawn."

The sudden confession and hearing the name of Casia's Father stuns them both; he had known all along who she was and yet had refused to help?! Why would he refuse?

Elain steps forward and slams her hand on the table with a sense of authority.

"If you know who my lady is, and if you have truly taken the oath, then it is your duty to assist us, so why do you refuse to help?"

"They say to… they say not to… a muddle of voices… cries for paths I cannot take… and should take…" he struggles to say, holding his head. "Your presence stirs them, the voices cry out to help… to not help… to protect… to leave. My voice is drowned… I am not myself… I cannot… help anyone."

"What happened to you?"

Casia covers her mouth as the question abruptly blurts out. "I am sorry to pry but you do not appear well."

"I agree." Elain adds, Casia may have asked abruptly, but it was a valid question. "You don't seem…"

He gives out a slight chuckle. "…Sane? No… I… I guess I don't. But I am, just… my mind… too many… voices… too many… thoughts… they hurt…"

The contradiction makes Elain frown, saying he is sane yet admitting he hears voices; but her face relaxes in to a more sympathetic expression.

She has seen soldiers lose their minds before after great and bloody battles, but for one as young as he is it makes her feel sorry for him.

What could he have experienced? What battle had he been in? What shock had he suffered to break him in such a manner.

"Milady?"

Elain speaks up as she watches Casia place her hand gently on the young man's as it remains pressed against his temple.

She feels sympathy, pity for the pain he is under and wishes she had some way, some spell, some medicine to help him; Casia's heart aches from her inability to help, and give some kind of comfort that would ease him.

And as their eyes meet, hers soft deep blue and his grey green, there seems a moment of clarity. He no longer trembles, and a sense of relief came across his face.

"What… what are you… doing?"

He looks as confused with what is happening as she is at his question.

Casia wasn't doing anything; there is no magic involved that she was consciously using, but somehow she can see that there is a moment of clarity in his face; and for the moment he feels at peace.

She slowly removes her hand a moment later, and he remains calm, but confused, and Casia turns to Elain, who is equally curious.

"What did you do?"

"I… I didn't… I didn't do anything, Elain. Really- I just put my hand on his and… he calmed down."

Casia looks to her hand wondering if she had just discovered an as yet unknown talent, magic or blessing to calm the minds of mad men; what a strange and specific power it would be if true, and truly doesn't believe it to be an actual thing.

And then she hears… "…consensus?! It's like… one voice!"

"W-what?"

"The voices… one… one voice… they speak as… one."

"And… what do they say?"

Casia feels a little silly asking what some unknown voices in someone's head are saying, but there is a new feeling emanating from him, one of relief.

He takes a moment to think looking to the map lay before him on the table and then back to Casia.

"I will take you north."

************

The light of the day had now long faded and the Inn begins to quieten down as the traders and their bodyguards leave the main hall for the rooms they have rented for the night.

The Wilders do not stay at the Inn after having finished their drinking for the night and leave for their homes elsewhere beyond the safety of the Inns barrier, while the two Demi-humans remain by the fireplace having established a meditative posture.

Elain and Casia join the young man at his table now that they have established a plan for the morning.

With his mind more relaxed he didn't mutter, but he did take the odd moment of silence to focus himself as if trying to ignore an irritating noise.

He introduces himself as Oryn and reconfirms he had once been an Ayrisian Guard, but remains silent about his time, and what happened to him as the topic makes him uncomfortable, and only that he has not been home in a long time.

From their end, Elain briefly explains the events that had brought them to the inn; the coup- the failed portal- their fall in to the wilds.

Hearing it all over again unpleasant feelings resurface within Casia.

Ignoring the more violent memories, the reality of it is still hard for her to believe, even though she had seen it, and had experienced the events.

"Elain... can I… ask you something? I cannot understand it… Uncle Castus… why did Uncle Castus… come to our home last night to… Why was he fighting with father?"

"It's complicated. You don't know how much your father and Uncles relationship has been strained the last several months… but I never… no one expected… this."

Elain sighs; it isn't something easy to explain for her, even though she knows more than most surrounding these issues between the brothers.

Casia had been sheltered from many family truths not out of any intention of keeping secrets, but in the hopes that the growing tension between brothers would have been resolved without her ever knowing.

Casia though is never the less interested to hear about it, to have some idea behind the events that led to this situation, to help her consolidate the unbelievable events that are running through her mind and so she quietly waits for Elain to begin the story; she needs to know what is going on, and Elain knows this.

"In the short version… it started after her ladyship, your mother, died."

The very mention of her mother sends a twinge through Casia's heart making it ache and her body tense slightly.

"As you know losing her was terrible not only for the kingdom and as you can attest to… for deeply personal reasons. While you secluded yourself in your room to grieve, a lot of things transpired without you knowing. First, your father he… took another approach to his grief. He did what he could to distract himself in his work and oth… he found himself unable to deal with the court and the people of Ayrisia in person. So your uncle Castus was called in to help govern the public side during this period and with his lordship distracted your uncle was left to his own… devices and methods."

Elain recalled those 'methods' with disdain; she had spent most of her time at the side of Ronan but it didn't stop her from keeping an eye on things, or hearing the talk around the estate about the harsh decrees and dealings of Castus, how he dealt out punishments, and used the guards to create a more military presence around the city.

The people had been dissatisfied then, and Elain cannot imagine how he is treating them now, and curses herself for not being there to defend her master and the people; why had she been parted from her master, she should be at his side, fighting alongside him.

Still reaching out for that connection with Ronan, Elain tries to calm her emotions, but not before a wave of pain runs through her ever sore body, her chest burning a little as she wheezes.

"E-ELAIN?!"

Casia immediately becomes concerned for her guardian disliking the sound of her cough.

"I-I'm fine… please… I'm still just a little sore... and coughing just reminded me of that fact."

Elain speaks with a humored tone obviously trying to ease Casia's concern, but in truth Elain is a little concerned herself.

She had not had a chance to really check out her injuries since waking up on the ground in the Wilds, and even then it had just been a moment to register that she ached across her body before focus shifted to the fact they were in the wilds; safety had become the priority above her wellbeing.

Elain quickly continues the story to distract Casia from worrying any further.

"When the Councillors came to Lord Ronan about Castus's cruel behavior your father was obviously dismayed and yet wasn't surprised, after all they had always differed on matters of policy and security. Having realised he no longer had the luxury to neglect his duty for grief, your father relieved Castus and ordered him to return to his previous duties; but of course this led to an argument between them and just brought up the old debates, with the addition that Castus feels that without your mother, Ronan and the kingdom is now seen as weak by our enemies, whoever he believes them to be, and will see this as an opportunity to take advantage. They argued more intensely than I had ever seen them argue before, I should have noticed it then, the jealousy and the desire to rule that had long taken root finally sprouting; but neither of us wanted to believe it."

"I can understand that. But I still cannot believe he would betray us like this."

Despite everything she had had a fondness for her uncle sharing many pleasant memories with him; as a warrior he would entertain her with tales of his adventures outside of the kingdom; he told her jokes, shared memories both pleasant and painful, so it is hard for her to consolidate what had come to pass.

Casia looked down "Perhaps, I too was negligent in seeing his true desires. He had often spoken to me about the choices my father had made. During visit he would come and talk to me about his adventures, but if, and when father would get brought up in to the conversation he would ask me what I thought about the decisions that had been made, leading in to small debates. I actually enjoyed them; very few people ever sought my opinion, so it was nice."

"…tch…"

Elain gritted her teeth wondering if Castus had had an ulterior motive for spending time with his Niece. Perhaps it was the current situation clouding her opinion of him, making her thoughts troubled with dark notions of his true intentions were.

(Has he been trying to sway Casia to his way of thinking? She may not be the next in line, but perhaps he was manipulating her for advantages in years to come, to sway Ronan or her brother-)

Once again Elains thoughts were interrupted by starting to cough, each surge ripples through her body like electricity, every muscle tensing, her back feels like it was cramping up, her lungs feeling tight. She grabs her drink from the table, and downs the remaining liquid as she sits back, eyes closed as she focuses on trying to relax her body, and ignore the pain.

"I… I think that is enough for tonight… We should get some sleep, and then move out at first light."

Elain suggested, still trying to relax her body and hide the pain.

Casia frowns. She knows Elain was not being open about how she is feeling, but she is frustrated that once more she is useless. If only she had studied harder, she could offer to use some form of healing spell, but her skill in such magic is enough to heal only a scrape, maybe a cut at most; It makes Casia just feel useless.

************

The crescent moon is high in the dark and clear star filled sky, the trees of the Wilds blown steadily by a soft breeze, a few animals scurry from cover to cover, while others stalk for prey.

A male Wilder walks with confidence through the forest, his head covered in unkempt hair and a braided beard that sways slightly with each step he takes, his tall and muscular form strides with a posture half way similar to that of an ape, swinging his arms back and forth, carrying a very large battle axe in his right hand; he is heading home to his small cabin deep in the Wilds after an evening of drinking at the Midway Inn.

As usual he is wary of his surroundings but walks with a confident stride, no hesitation in his purpose until-

Something on the wind gets his attention, an unfamiliar scent, noises, light, but alien to this area for this time of day.

His sense of familiarity disturbed by intrusion, his instinct for survival kicking in as he raises his axe, and immediately turns on his heal swinging it down and in to the flesh of an enemy.

A spray of blood erupts out of an armored shoulder as the Wilders axes penetrates in to it, the soldier had been about to strike at his target but the Wilders survival instincts were more than a match for the soldiers attempt at being stealthy.

The soldier cries out in pain, blood everywhere, the axe buried deep in to his form, and having not had his arm cleanly cleaved through it is now stuck in his flesh.

The Wilder grunts and raises a leg kicking the soldier in the stomach with enough force to send him back several feet, and pulling the axe from his body.

More blood sprays out as the axe is removed, and the body rolls across the floor, yelps of intense pain screaming out in to the night.

"GAAHH HELP HELP IT HURTS!"

His screams of help and cries of pain emanate in to the night echoing through the forest and falling to the ears of other nearby soldiers, being led by a cloaked female figure; Castus's witch.

They had been watching in amusement at their comrades attempt to slay the Wilder, and now look to him as he rolls around on the ground, a tight grip on his shoulder, but useless as blood continues to pour out from the near severed limb.

The witch walks up to him and looks down from under her hood and he notices a she carries a sweet smile on her purple lips, her expression that of sympathy as she reaches down as if to pet him, only for his eyes to widen a moment before his face is engulfed in intense flame, lighting the area around him, and silencing his screams before he perishes.

The Witch continues to smile down at the charred upper body of the dead soldier at her feet, now looking pleased with herself, as if she has done some great deed to be proud of.

Looking to the wilder, the witch begins to step closer to him, lowering her hood to reveal her red and black hair cascading down her back and her chest.

The Wilder raises his blood stained axe in front of him pointing it towards the witch, both as a warning and to defend himself, grunting "I would leave now if I were you."

She simply continues to smile undaunted by the action, and walks even closer in an alluring fashion, her accentuating dress only making her more appealing to his eyes.

When she finally opens her mouth to speak her voice is confident and erotic.

"My-my, such a strong handsome man; such bulging muscles and strength; and what a large… AXE you have."

The Wilder frowns, trying to ignore her flirtation, and she gets closer every second until the witch stands barely an inch from the blade edge of the held out axe as the blood drips in front of her.

The Wilder frowns more at the woman's insolence, feeling uneasy about her, and tenses when watches her lean in and lick one side of the axe blade in a slow and sensual manner, tasting the thick blood that covered it.

She pulls her head away, licking her purple lips, her eyes closed as she takes pleasure in its taste.

"Mmm… the taste of death is… mmm… so enticing, is it not. Would you like a taste of it too?"

Her flirtatious tone hides her dark intention as the Wilder suddenly feels pain in his chest, looking down he notices a shard of crystallized mana sticking out of it.

He growls and looks to the Witch who just smiles more, the grin now more sinister.

"You… B-BITC-"

He raises his axe as he cries out, before his head suddenly explodes as another shard erupts through him and out in to the darkness as he falls backwards in a spray of blood.

The Witch stands there, hand out reached frowning.

"Wilders are so impolite."

His body trembles as life continues to drain out of his headless corpse, and the Witch turns on her heel and smiles to the soldiers under her command.

"Come now, her young highness awaits us. Her Uncle has need of his precious niece."

And with that, she turns once more, leading the small force of armored men and women through the forest, her senses guiding her towards their goal.

************

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