Chapter 13 - Roland

An eerie silence had settled in the Village and yet again Aramis found himself roaming the empty streets of the Lost. The farmhouses had been abandoned long before he'd even been banished here. It was said to belong to a group of hopeful farmers but their careers didn't last very long with how cruel the weather was. No crops would grow in such relenting conditions. 

It didn't take them long to get there. What Aramis hadn't expected was that someone else would be here. As he drew nearer, he noticed that someone else was ahead of him. Immediately, he side-stepped into an alleyway just as the man turned back to see who it was. Aramis wasn't doing anything wrong but at the same time, he just didn't want to be seen. It was only until Kali made sure the coast was clear when he peeked around the corner and continued walking. 

He was more careful this time, keeping enough distance between them for Aramis to follow without getting caught. The guy was going the same way he was! He knew kids usually frequented the area because they thought it was a secluded hideout but at this ungodly hour? Something was up. That was a bit ironic for Aramis to say but no matter. He had a griffin to find. 

The guy wasn't tall but he was taller than Aramis. Most people were, he was still a young teenager. He was thin, he could tell that even through the thick clothing he had wrapped around his. His clothes were very well-worn and they seemed to be several sizes too big for him, which wasn't an uncommon sight here in the Lost. The guy was a shifty fellow which added to the growing suspicion Aramis felt towards him. He kept turning back now and then and Aramis moved out of the way but it was hard considering they were walking on an open street. He didn't give any sign that he'd seen Aramis however and simply kept walking. The weirdest part about the figure was that he seemed almost familiar to him. He just couldn't place where he'd seen him before. 

"Remember, the whole point of this is to find my friend. Not play hero, Aramis." Kali hissed. 

"I know but you have to admit he's really weird. He's walking towards the farmhouses too. I'll bet you good money he's got something to do with your friend." 

"Then you better catch up because he's speeding up." She was right and soon they arrived at their destination. The man looked back one last time before slipping in between the nearest wooden doors and he finally got a good look at his face. That wasn't a man, that was a boy. And the boy was...Roland Miel. His former friend who know hated his guts. What the hell was he doing sneaking around this part of town? It had been a while since they'd been on good terms but he still remembered that his family never lived anywhere near here. He had to find out what was going on here. 

"I can feel it. I can feel her presence. Astoria's here, Aramis. She's here. She's weak!" The usual hesitation in Kali's voice was gone. She was certain. He didn't have time to waste and he decided to throw caution to the wind. Roland wasn't the violent type and confronting him was a risk he had to take if it meant rescuing Kali's friend. 

When he got to the door, he found that it'd been locked from the inside. Without thinking, he braced his shoulder and pushed. With a slight groan, the doors splintered open and he...couldn't really see anything inside very clearly. It was already pretty dark outside but inside there weren't any lights installed. He crept inside carefully, pretending that he hadn't just forcefully busted the door open. It was...pretty empty except for a gigantic stack of hay in the middle of the room. Where had Roland gone? 

"She's close, Aramis. I can feel her. You were right, she is here!" Her voice was filled with a mix of excitement and anxiety. Before he could reply however, a bright light blinded him. A single lamp hung by the rope and its magic crystal gave off just enough light for him to see who stood in front of him. Roland had taken off his coat and was sitting in a stool. Had...he prepared this beforehand? It was kind of ominous, even coming from someone like Roland. He didn't have anything against the guy but he didn't exactly have the confidence to be pulling something like this off. But there was something different about him...there was a ferocity in his eyes Aramis had not really seen before. 

"Why are you following me, Aramis? What do you want from me?" There was a dangerous calm in his voice as if he were teetering on the edge of losing it. 

"You don't live around here Roland, you never have. What are you doing here?"

That ferocity came out in a monstrous way and Roland stood, letting the stool hit the floor. "That's the problem about you Aramis. I get that you lost your magic but you have no idea how lucky you are. You don't give a fuck about anybody else. My family is dead. This is the only place I can go because I have no other home to go to. So leave me the fuck alone and go back to drinking your life away in some bar!" He poked a bony finger into his chest and Aramis could do nothing in response. 

His parents...they were dead? He could have sworn just a year back he'd seen them, happy and healthy.

"Wh-what happened? Why didn't you tell me?! You know I would've done anything to help you, Roland." 

"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP, ARAMIS! YOU CAN'T EVEN HELP YOURSELF! I don't want anything you have to offer. While you waste your life away, I'm trying to build a future for myself. I will become a Rider. I will succeed in the Trials. Whatever it takes." The venom in his voice was thick.

The goliath of a Captain had said something about Roland being his choice of a Prospect. Aramis hadn't understood why he'd choose Roland at first but now he thought it was pretty clear. He meant what he said. Roland had nothing else to lose. But still, Roland didn't strike him as someone who could hold his own in a fight even with such drive empowering him. 

ARAMIS! MOVE! 

The thought distracted him more than it warned him because a powerful strike caught him in the side. He had been fast enough to put up an arm but he was sent to the ground hard. The pain wasn't too bad though but when he looked up, it was the shock that forced him to stay rooted to the ground. What he had thought was a giant pile of hay was in actuality the griffin he'd been looking for. It would seem like he was not the first one to have found her friend. Roland had. 

He only had a second to avoid the next strike. Kali had her face scrunched up again and Aramis knew he was trying to communicate with the Beast, but to no avail. The creature was enormous. It was covered in brown feathers and its talons were razor sharp; whistling as they cut through the air, inches way from his skin. It was not even standing on its hind legs and it already towered above him. What was most noticeable were the wounds across her body. 

The griffin was covered in fresh wounds...they looked like it had been caused by a whip. He'd seen something similar on a war veteran from the South and he'd always grimaced from the sight of it. It seemed weak and its movements were sluggish and it was held down by what seemed to be long metal chains that had been strapped around its wrists and neck. Roland...he was enslaving the creature. That was when he made the connection. Roland was one of the only ones in the Lost who could use magic. His magic...was the one of a tamer. 

"Roland! YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" He roared as he away another strike came his way. 

"And who are you to tell me what is right or wrong?" That was when he felt the familiar feeling of magic being activated and everything changed. Aramis finally realized what was truly wrong with the Beast above all else. Its eyes. What should have been intelligent and knowing eyes had been replaced by soulless puppet, pulled along by the strings of magic. 

Red insignias blossomed across the chains and suddenly the Beast wasn't so sluggish anymore. Its claws lashed out and grabbed him in its vice-like grip. Aramis tried to pry them off but the Beast rose and with one giant flap of its outstretched wings, they flew into the air and through the roof with blistering speeds. The air was even colder up here and he couldn't muster enough strength to free himself. Even if he did, could he really compete with the strength of this Beast? He could hear Kali's sobbing as he struggled helplessly and he could hear Roland's laughter carried by the howling winds of the night. 

"Don't you see Aramis? You can't stop me. I don't need your help. I'm stronger than you." 

"I can stop you. I will stop you. You won't win the Trials, Roland. I will defeat you and you will free this Beast." He wasn't certain of his words but he said it without any doubt in his mind. It wasn't just about saving the Beast in all honesty. He hated it. He hated that Roland said that he was stronger than him. His pride would not allow such a comment to slide. There was nothing he would not do to prove Roland wrong. He would win. "Swear to me. If I defeat you, you will let the Beast go Roland." 

There was a look that flashed across Roland's face for just a moment which Aramis made smile. He had not seen that look in such a long time. It was the look of fear. The confident returned to Roland's face however and he sneered at him. "It's a deal. I'll see you there, Aramis. Safe landing." With that, the griffin let go and he began to fall. Funny guy.