Rynnlee

Haven was already two when they stumbled upon the sleepy village.

Sean pulled his cowl tightly over his face as they reached the outskirts in the early morning light. He had decided his face was best kept hidden since the fire over a year prior. 'You never knew when someone will recognize you from the wanted posters,' he thought.

Borit had posted these warnings in every town in the kingdom. Sean worked hard to remain untraced, though it was harder with a child. In an effort to become anonymous, he had even abandoned his name. 'No use dwelling in the past,' he thought resignedly.

The man had come to be known only as Silver by those who saw him in the night, because his eyes often flashed Silver in the light of the moon.

In the beginning Silver had tried to be friendly with the locals as they crossed the countryside. But after being denied honest work and occasionally a dry place to stay at an inn, thieving became his way of life once more. He had to provide for Haven and as much as he did not like it, he was really good at being a criminal.

The village they were looking at now was not more than twenty-five houses sparsely dotted on the landscape. An inn anchored itself in the middle. Silver regarded it with mild interest as he rested with Haven on the outskirts of town.

The silver-eyed man only intended to stay for the day and move on further west, but the words of Hanna came to his mind and rang through his ears.

"You are destined to be a Guardian."

Silver scoffed at the thought, but the words only came back louder. He pinched the bridge of his nose. 'It can't be true. A scoundrel like me could never be a Guardian.'

The Guardians of old were noble and true. They served the Fates with honor. When everything had fallen apart after the Great Rebellion, the remaining Guardians had helped the Fates try to put the world back in order. Or so the story went. Silver mulled these facts over in his mind, noting his own shortcomings.

"Silver, I call you." The voice was a little over a whisper.

"Who said that?" Silver's eyes darted to Haven, who was quietly picking berries. Her chubby legs toddled along in a stiff rhythmic motion, with almost no bend at the knee. She did not seem to hear anything, but Silver was sure that a voice had spoken.

He drew his knife from his well-worn leather belt and circled. The voice didn't seem threatening, but he had to be careful.

The airy voice went on, "I call you, Guardian of Rynnlee. Protect this town."

"No." Silver relaxed a little. If the voice wanted something, it was unlikely that it was going to hurt him. 'What's a Rynnlee?'

"I don't recall asking," the voice responded with a beautiful laugh that faded into the wind.

"Fine. Call me whatever you like. I will protect as I see fit." Silver shrugged.

The voice seemed satisfied at his response and said no more. 'No use arguing with a disembodied voice. Ugh, I must be losing my mind.'

Haven tugged on Silver's cloak, holding up a handful of spherical little berries. Her mouth and teeth were stained red as she smiled at him. Silver chuckled. "I'm glad those weren't poisonous berries," he said, "Now let's go and find some real breakfast."

They were barely seated at the inn's dining hall when a rotund gentleman burst in breathlessly. He looked at Silver, and Silver instinctively reached for the handle of his knife.

The man huffed a few times in the doorway and slowly came to their table, seating himself across from Silver. Silver pulled Haven's chair toward his own. "I don't recall asking you to sit," He said sternly.

The man waved away his question, "I am so glad you have come! We've been, uh, expecting you for some time." When he got no response, he continued, "You are Silver, correct?"

Silver tensed and brought his dagger an inch out of his belt. "That depends on who is asking," he responded, a warning clear in his voice.

"He's here, everyone!" The man popped up and announced to the room with an exuberance that shocked Silver. He recovered quickly and yanked the man back down into his seat.

"What are you doing?" Silver asked angrily. His eyes flashed silver from beneath his hood. In a lower tone he added, "And what do you mean you knew I would come?"

The man ignored his question and pursued his own line of thought. "At first when we were promised a Guardian, I was like, uh 'no'… they are all dead after all. But here you are in the, uh, flesh and we are happy to support you in any way you need."

Silver sheathed his dagger and held up his hand. His head was beginning to hurt. He rubbed his temple to clear his thoughts.

"Who said I was a Guardian?" Silver took two cups of milk from the server and handed one to Haven.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The man said vaguely. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, what are your plans to overthrow the Baron?"

Silver choked. "Excuse me? I don't plan to overthrow anything."

"Ah yes, you want to be more, uh, covert. Very wise, very wise. We can work around the law instead of taking it head on."

'What is going on here? Am I dreaming?'

"Who are you?" Silver asked, not sure what else to say.

"Ah, very sorry. My name's Conall, owner of this fine establishment." Conall raised his arms proudly to include the inn and adjoining tavern. I'm, uh, in charge around here, I guess you could say. That is, until you came along."

"I have no desire to be in charge."

"That's all well and good. No need to complicate things. Wise beyond your years, you are. Though I've no idea how old you might be." Conall gave a questioning look, but received no reply so he turned his attention on the little miss. "And who might you be, sweet one?"

"Ev-an" the girl replied happily.

"Hello Haven. I'm pleased to meet you too. I've my own boy who is newly nine, if my math is right. Gilbert's his name. It's nice to see a Guardian with a paternal side." The last remark was to Silver.

"Oh, she's not my daughter," Silver said flatly. Conall shifted in his chair uncomfortably. His brow furrowed as he puzzled out the strange figure before him. "She's my sister," the hooded figure continued.

"I'm sure she is." Conall responded with a wink. He relaxed once more and called to a waitress, who quickly bought eggs, toast and bacon on plates.

"It's a, uh, lot easier to explain a sister than a daughter anyway. Avoids a lot of the messy questions people can have."

"Well, she is my sister so…"

Conall was already onto a different train of thought. "Yes. Well, on to where you would like to live. Being the mayor, I've plenty of room at my abode. You can, uh, stay with me until we get some lumber ready to build a house…"

"No." Silver crossed his arms, digging his fingers into his tunic. Over the past year, he'd enjoyed the freedom to do as he wished, and most people greeted him with distrust or at best feigned interest.

Now someone was telling him how and where he was going to live. And moreover the man knew he was coming! Silver was overwhelmed and every part of him wanted to bolt. If he rushed out, though, he was sure the large man would follow him. So he held his ground firmly and shook his head.

"Would you rather stay at the, uh, inn?" Conall asked. "It's a little on the run-down side of things and the rooms back up to the barn, making it a little fragrant. Not that I have the funds to fix it!" he added in a louder tone in case any busybody had heard him.

"No." Silver said again. He took a swallow of milk and gathered his thoughts. "I don't know who you are or who told you I was coming. But I have no intention of staying. We'll be moving on after breakfast."

Conall was shocked, but his face only flashed the emotion of a moment. "Have you got a better offer?"

"Well, no." Silver said honestly.

"So where are you headed?" It was a question, but Silver heard it as a challenge.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we are headed west." He responded defensively.

"Sir, we are as far west as you are going to get in Birle. It's less than a day's ride to Lakyle. And, uh, things over there are always a bit dicey, you know."

Silver didn't know, but he nodded anyway.

Whatever was going on, it didn't sound like a place to bring a child. If this was as far west as they could safely go, then they had reached the end of their journey. Silver hadn't really considered what they would do when they reached the elusive 'west'. Now an opportunity had fallen right in his lap. It was too good to be true.

Silver stroked his chin, his hand disappearing beneath his hood. "Let's say I decide to stay. What exactly do you expect to happen?"

Conall nodded. He could see the man was slowly coming around to his way of thinking. It was time to finish what he started. "I only expect good things, both for us and for you. It's a very good deal on both sides, I assure you!"