Ascending Legends

[BookWyrm]

Dayn shifted faster that had ever done before, swiftly putting his clothes on before walking into the kitchen with a sigh and a slight goofy grimace. "Might have been a little too close for comfort."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn nodded with a smile and then walked to the door. Theodas stood in the early morning light, his boots still wet from the dew. As a rule of manners, he could not enter until she invited him. She only hesitated for a second as she tried to figure it out before she said, "Come on in, we were just having breakfast. Dayn, this is Theodas." Theodas nodded politely to her and walked into the front room. He gave Dayn a quick look over before bowing quickly - it wasn't because of rank, it was what all of his clan just did whenever they met someone new. He was typically tall, about 6'4" with long blonde hair and the typical elven fairness, though he wore human clothing and one of his blades was of dwarven make. "I am terribly sorry to disturb you both, but I thought you should know - Atria, it has gotten around that you're here. Nobody has mentioned Dayn, however, it's known. Nobody has tried anything yet, but... well...." He hesitated a bit, looking at them both before saying, "There've been a few remarks that the accident yesterday happened because you were here."


"But that's ridiculous!" Arryngale said quickly. She'd moved to Dayn's side after Theodas had entered.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn sighed, rubbing his temples gently as he shook his head. "Mining accidents happen all of the time. If it hadn't just timed up perfectly with our arrival no one would have said otherwise." Dayn had wrapped his arm around Arryn when she had walked over to him, and now he squeezed her gently as if to reassure her. "And does it really matter if they know I am here or not?" Dayn wanted to say more but held his tongue. This Northern superstition was starting to irritate him.

 

[Dragongal]

"Of course it is quite ridiculous, however, there isn't truly a cure for idiocy. I strongly doubt anyone will try anything, especially directly, once they see her back in fighting spirits. She's still one of the top fighters, and as long as Inder doesn't try to rile anyone, it should be fine. He daren't say anything while she is here, and the majority in village is still in her favor." Arryn sighed. "We didn't want people to know until you were healthy enough to defend yourself. Especially at night, when some people might get drunk and mix up theories and stories and have some false bravado."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn growled slightly before stopping himself, giving Arryn a slight look of apology. "I've heard just about enough of this Inder for my liking. Give it another day and I might be half tempted to sni-" Dayn caught himself, "pay him a visit." Smooth, idiot. "I have to agree with you Theodas. Ignorance can be cured, or misguided and manipulated, but idiocy is a hopeless endeavor. Still, I'm curious about this priest."

 

[Dragongal]

"He is as my clan thought all humans - self-righteous, arrogant. He seems to think that because he is the priest, he should hold sway over the majority of the village. Of course, this is not so." "He thought that because he was college-taught, and most villages were ignorant, he'd be nigh on revered. When Night's Ascension formed, and people began rallying for our cause, donating money, food, equipment, and they started listening to me more that him, well... he was not too fond of that." "He also has a specific, yet different hatred for me because of my lineage. I once overheard him saying that the elves who'd stayed in the forests were disgusting heathens, praying to spirits and demons. I... corrected him. Politely, of course... in front of many. Which added to people's distrust of him, and unfortunately, his hatred toward Atria. She brought me here, made me part of the guild, so... she was responsible, in his eyes." After a moment, Theodas said, "I merely wanted you to know the most recent news. I will make my departure now," He bowed again, then left, going to Matthias's house to talk over the recent news.


Arryn turned to face Dayn, and put her head against his chest. "Don't do anything rash, love... Inder's just an idiot. He isn't worth the time. I still hold majority favor, with just about all of the dwarves and many of the humans. It'll be okay." Arryn just didn't like seeing Dayn upset, even if it was just his being protective - which wasn't something she minded. She just wanted him to be happy like he was before Theodas brought the update.

 

[BookWyrm]

"An idiot with a big mouth can do more damage than an armed regiment."


Dayn pursed his lips, letting his frustration seethe out for a few more seconds before turning to Arryn with a smile. "Now, lets get back to breakfast." For the remainder of the meal Dayn was his usual jovial self. Or, well, despite his still weakened state that is. "A few winters ago I was back in Riverbend at the pub when some old codger was telling a rumor about a calico stag that had been seen in the woods just north of the city. I ended up giving him a gold coin for the story, another to keep his mouth shut, and I packed up and left that night and made camp in the woods. I didn't tell anyone about it, and I managed to sneak out without running into my family. Knowing my brothers and Hamish if they had heard the story they would have raced out there, and the last thing I wanted was those three ya hoos blundering my chance at the stag.


"It caught sight of it the next morning when I sat out. You see, I had almost not believed the old man when he told the story. White stags are rare, but a calico stag had to be a myth. Well I had been tracking for hours when I caught sight of him cresting over a ridge in front of me. I chased him through the snow for two more days trying to get a shot at him, and the third day I finally had him where I wanted him. I had chased him towards the northern border near the old pass. He had just brought his head up from eating a clump of grass beneath the snow when I managed to get the shot off. It was a clean through and through, but he took off like a bolt. Of course I gave chase, tracking him for hours. But right at the start as I began to follow the blood trail a shadow passed overhead. If I'd been halfway paying attention I might have noticed, but I was too excited to care. I eventually came upon a spot where he had fallen down, blood all over the snow, had gotten up to run again and then suddenly the tracks disappeared. Vanished like it had never existed."





Dayn stopped to chew for a few seconds before continuing his story. "I searched the area for hours trying to find tracks or blood to no avail. Finally after the sun had begun to set I found a small blood spot in the snow. Then another a few feet further out. They were sparse but I was able to track them until I finally found a tree that had blood practically oozing down it's trunk. I looked up into the branches of the old gnarled oak and like to have thought I'd stumbled into a dream. An Owlgriff sat in the branches above me, what was left of the stag hanging a few branches away from it. It looked at me for a second before silently gliding down behind me. I turned, not really sure what to expect from it. It just walked over and looked at me, hooting real quiet like as it sniffed me. And then it just flew away, disappearing into the snow like a ghost."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled and shook her head. "Kind of terrifying. Stay around herelong enough and you'll certainly see some griffins. We can get real close if we're quiet." Arrynset about cleaning their dishes, then said, "Would you like to go into the village or just stay here all day? "

 

[BookWyrm]

"What kind of fiance would I be if I show you my home and not see yours? Of course I want to see the village!" Dayn walked up behind Arryn and wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned around and kissed her neck before whispering in her ear, "But, then again, I could just spend the day alone with you." He chuckled as he kissed her ear before coming around to help her with the dishes. "Then again, we could do both if you like?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled. "Both sounds nice. There's not much to see until the afternoon anyway." Once they were done with the dishes, Arryn kissed him slowly. "One second," she said before going to her pack and sorting through it, pulling out a necklace and putting it on. She walked back over to him and kissed him again. "D'you know, I bought this necklace when we were leaving Low Rock? I believe it was called an... infertility charm? I think I like it. D'you like it?" She smiled before kissing him again.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn wrapped one arm behind Arryn's neck, the other slowly moving down her neck before picking up the necklace and looking it over. He smiled as he shook his head, laughing slightly. "Yes, I think I do like it." Dayn let the necklace fall back against her chest as he gently pulled her into a slow, passionate kiss, his fingers tracing light down her spine. "I always wondered what you went back for. I do believe it was a good investment." Dayn took her hand and led her back into the bedroom before closing the door. He kissed her again as they laid down on the bed. "Yeah, I think the village can wait for a bit."

 

[Dragongal]

A few hours later, Arryn woke up again and pulled the covers up. They'd let the fire die down, and she was still getting used to being back in Northern climes. Of course having no clothing didn't do much to keep her warm either. Her head was on Dayn's chest as per usual. She nuzzled against his neck before kissing him lightly. "Dayn, it's afternoon. It must be near two o'clock. Should we get up?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn looked over at the fire place, noticing some good logs that hadn't burned up yet. He focused for a second, smiling as the embers lit and the fire came back to life. He pulled the covers around them tighter before wrapping his arms around Arryn. "Not before it warms up in here." He laid his head back and smiled. "That was well worth the wait." Dayn ran his hand lightly up and down Arryn's back playfully. "I could always shift and let you snuggle with the fur ball if you're too cold."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn laughed. "It's not that cold, love. I swear you're just looking for an excuse to go wolf." She kissed him softly, then nestled closer against him. "It is sad that this is cold to me, though. But that's why I have you, of course. Besides the fact that you're adorable and don't mind my scars, naturally."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn laughed, hard, when she said that about him going wolf. "Only because I love the way you scratch behind my ears." When Arryn mentioned her scars Dayn looked at her and smiled. "I know the emotion and story behind them, but I don't see you any differently because of them. You are still my beautiful Arryngale, and no one and nothing can take that away."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled and nuzzled against his neck. "I like that. Being yours. Not sure why, but I do." She kissed his neck lightly, then said, "But that makes you mine too, so I can fret over you." She put one arm across his chest, and put her free hand on his arm. "But not right now." She didn't fall asleep, but she just liked being close with him. After a while, she nudged him and said, "If you're ready to go...? We'll want to leave before the sun sets behind the mountains."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn sighed, though the playful smile on his face told a different story. "Oooh, I was just getting comfortable again." Dayn tucked a finger under Arryn's chin and lifted her up to meet his lips as he kissed her. "I think it's finally warm enough to get dressed." Dayn eased up and pulled the covers back. He stopped, kissing Arryn again before standing up and stretching. He looked over his clothing options before turning to Arryn. "My head is still in the clouds. What do you recommend for the evening's dress?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn rolled off her side of the bed and stood, sorting through her own clothing for a green longsleeve shirt and black pants. As she got dressed, she said, "Semi-formal, you'll probably end up meeting Norim or one of the dwarves, you'd best look like you can work, but also have good sense and look classy. It's not ma you should fear so much as them. And no matter what you do, do not drink from their flasks. Some of them carry some extra-strong form or potion or something, it'll knock you flat with a sip, and the next day's worse. In your condition, please don't drink."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn looked through his clothing as he was making his decision. He had an idea and looked through some of his unpacked clothes before finding a nicer shirt, though it had been faded from many uses. It was black, or used to be, and had a slightly more formal design, but it was comfortable and went very well with his well worn sparring pants. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and finished off by strapping on his belt, dagger, and bastard sword. At this point he wasn't worried about people seeing him as a noble, he just wanted to be seen armed.


Turning to Arryn he eyed her up and down before smiling. "You always look so beautiful in green."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn walked over to him and smiled, taking his hand. "You'd have loved my green eyes then. I must say, this is a nice shirt on you." She kissed him, then pulled on her weapons belt, leaving her sword. "Ready to get threatened by dwarves? "

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn laughed heartily at the thought. "Certainly. But, what if they do offer a drink? I can't exactly turn down a drink offer from a dwarf without offending their great ancestors." All of the dwarves Dayn had met before had always offered him a drink, and no matter what kind of horrible liquid was offered he had choked it down to avoid offending the sometimes short tempered people.

 

[Dragongal]

"These lads work with humans all the time, they'll let you turn it down. They may just want to test your mettle, or see how foolhearty you are. You can drink, not much because you're still healing and that could mess with the medicine Ma gave you, but just not from their flasks." Arryn pulled on her cloak, took his hand, and led him outside. The streets were dirt, muddy on the edges , and Arryn took him down numerous paths between small houses, onto a main street designated by the cobblestone path. The houses were small and old-fashioned, some rather ramshackle. She was excited to take him to the market district, though, especially since today was one of the market days.


The storefronts had small display windows filled with products, and the food vendors had the front of their store cut into to make a counter that they could lean over. This was a similar set-up for some of the smaller stores, and stalls were set up as well. She showed him the street and said, "ometimespeople from other villages in the mountains come on our marketdays, so craftsmen show their work too. There's two streets. But first," Arryn led him to one of the open-fronted stores, ordering two small pastries. She gave one to Dayn and bit into her own. "Pear pastries. They's my personal favorite. Try it, love. Old Madge has been baking these since before I was born, and I swear they still get better each day."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn took the pastry gratefully and bit into it. He smiled, doing his best to not wolf the delicious treat down as quickly as possible. "This is really good." Dayn restrained himself, but even then the pastry was gone within mere bites. The village was truthfully beautiful, the mountains in the background only adding to the scenery. Dayn always enjoyed traveling in the Northern Mountains, even if he wasn't the biggest fan of snow. "Now I'm interested. What's next?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled, taking his hand again. She'd tried to savor her pastry as well, but to no avail. She guided him to a blacksmith's shop, run by a young dwarven lady. Around her was copper, brass, and silver, relatively affordable things. The girl smiled to her, "Dia duit, Atria! Cé hé do fear?" "Dayn, mo chroi." The girl smiled, saying, "Well, then how can I help either of you? You needn't pay of course, no friend of Atria's has to pay me. She did save my life after all."


Arryn smiled up to Dayn, and said, "I figured we could get something for Addy and Lillian. If you like. Gee is the best copper worker in the North. Of course, we'll pay. That is not up for debate."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn looked around the shop as he tried his best to think of something for his sisters. "Addy is by far the easiest of the two to please. She still has a child's wonder of the world, so anything magical or whimsical. Lillian is trying to grow into her adult shoes, so something sensible. Hmm...." Dayn scratched his head as he looked over the wares as he rubbed Arryn's hand with his thumb. "What do you think love?"