Ascending Legends

[Dragongal]

Arryn laid next to him, wiping off his tears with her free hand. "You're not going to lose me, Dayn, alright?" His weariness worried her slightly. He seemed more tired than when his mana drain had first begun affecting him. She kissed him gently. "It wasn't a memory, no soldier's sickness, it was just a nightmare, okay? I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." She put her head on his chest, being careful of his shoulder, and wrapped her free arm around him, still holding his hand with her other. "Please try to rest, mo chroi, I worry for you. I had to heal you a lot, there may have been some backlash, especially after your mana drain." It hadn't felt to her like any magic backlash had occurred, and she could usually tell....

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn didn't sleep well for the remainder of the night. He kept on waking up due to nightmares. In some he was being hunted in a dark misty forest with the waxing moon shining down on him, in others he would dream about seeing a pair of green eyes staring back at him in the darkness as something growled. When he woke again the sun was peaking into the windows and around the curtains. He sat up only to find Japhet, Hamish, and Geoff, along with Arryn, gathered in his room. Hamish was the first to notice him waking up. "Bless the powers above, Dayn you scared the beard off me!"





"Obviously not, otherwise you would look like a child among men."


That got a rile of laughter from the group gathered together. Hamish walked over and grasped Dayn by his wrist. "Dayn you bugger, it's good to see you again. I'm just glad to see ye whole and alive. We've been plagued by that thing for months now."


Japhet spoke up next. "Hamish is telling the truth. We don't know where it came from, but it has been attacking livestock around the entire fief. We've had men-at-arms ready since the second week of attacks."


"Any idea what it could be?"


"Well if we'd known that little brother we might have been able to track it down by now." Geoff laughed.


Dayn laid back against the headboard of the bed, feeling rather glad to be alive. "Brothers, Hamish, I want you to meet my beloved. Arryn." Japhet, Geoff, and Hamish turned around before bowing and uttering several "how dos" and "at your services". "Dayn, now I see why you left. You didn't for glory or fame. You left to find you a beautiful woman." Hamish laughed his signature good natured laugh. "Yes, but I also think that Dayn owes this woman not only his love, but his life. She hasn't left your side, and if it wasn't for her you may have bled out before we could have got you here."


Dayn looked over at Arryn, their eyes meeting as he realized what she had done for him.


"You humors may be out of balance for a little bit, but your life was saved by her. Our doctor had to do very little in truth."


Dayn looked from Japhet to Arryn before taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. "It would seem I owe you more than just a thank you, love."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn blushed under the tirade of compliments. She nodded to the men in turn as they were introduced, before looking back to Dayn. "You never owe me anything, dearest," she replied with a smile. She looked back to the assembled men, adding, "However, you went into shock. You're lucky they were there to get us here." She turned back to Dayn and looked at his bandages, saying, "We'll have to replace those soon. It was oddly tricky healing you, I healed the deep wounds first, so it may yet bleed if you move too much." She looked back to the assembled men, and added, "I am sorry if I came off as rude earlier, introducing myself was not the first thing in my mind. I have been told that my manners degrade when working, and I shan't deny it." Without looking, she justly rubbed her thumb over Dayn's hand, not even realizing she was doing it. A thought occurred and she said, "Dayn, how are you feeling?"

 

[BookWyrm]

"I'd have loved a full night's rest. My shoulder hurts, and I feel like I've been ran over by a horse. Otherwise I might need breakfast here in a little bit if the doctor will allow it." In truth Dayn was more than just a little disturbed by the dreams he had had the previous night, mostly those involving Arryn or those were he was being hunted and the eyes were staring at him. Something about those dreams unsettled him, but he wasn't about to admit that in front of his brothers or Hamish. Dayn wondered why she had asked about that though. Obviously she knew he had been wounded, she had been the one to save his life after all. What was she getting at?





"Well, we shan't keep you too worked up. You'll need to rest and recover. The harvest festival begins within three days, I'd personally like to see you both there. Oh, and mother and father ought to be coming down sometime today." With that the three left Dayn and Arryn alone. Dayn felt Arryn rubbing her thumb along his hand. It was a simple gesture, but he loved it nonetheless. "Dearest, why did you ask how I felt? Is there something I need to be worried about?"

 

[Dragongal]

Alone, Arryn looked to Dayn. She shook her head, wearing a rather befuddled look on her face. "It's just... I know you were upset by the nightmares last night, and you didn't sleep well - you didn't think I actually let myself sleep after you woke up, did you? - and, it was odd... you were so exhausted when you woke last night, it seemed worse than your mana burn. You went into shock oddly quickly, and - and I didn't get a good look at the beast, they don't know what it is.... I don't know, I'm sure it's a bunch of coincidences, but I am concerned about your feeling so tired." Arryn shook her head and then kissed Dayn. "I'm sure it's nothing. I'm glad you said you were hungry, you need to eat. I'll get you food, and be right back."


Arryn left Dayn, turning things over in her mind. What did this all remind her of? Some story from her childhood, about giant dogs at night, biting men.... Arryn shook her head again, walking to the kitchens. She paused in the doorway, seeing the innkeep's wife cooking. She tapped quietly on the doorframe. "Pardon me, ma'am, I'm afraid we weren't introduced, but I'm Arryngale. I was wondering if I could get some food for Dayn?"


Brunhilde introduced herself and of course set to making Arryn a very large platter of food to bring to Dayn. Arryn was tempted to ask her certain questions, but decided against it, yawning. Brunhilde paused and poured Arryn a mug of hot liquid, making Arryn pause. It smellt good. Brunhilde promised that it'd keep her awake, so Arryn took a sip before deciding that the bitter drink was disgusting and that she'd just leave the cup on the counter. The platter of food prepared, Arryn carefully brought it back to Dayn, hiding her concern. What was the memory nagging at the back of her mind?


Arryn sat on the edge of the bed, placing the tray of food on the bed next to Dayn before taking an apple slice and moving to his other side and sitting next to him with her back against the headboard, popping the bit of apple into her mouth. "Eat up, mo chroi. So, apparently a common drink around here is called, coffee. Quite disgusting, honestly, you can thank me for not bringing any up with me," she said with a laugh that she tired to hide her concern behind.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn stopped himself before he said anything. I forgot about the coffee. But she couldn't have known. I could go for a cup right now though.....Dayn looked down at the enormous platter of food that sat before him. "I hope you plan on helping with more than an apple love. I know I can't finish everything here. But thank you." Dayn leaned in and kissed Arryn before grabbing a small serving of oatmeal and a rasher of bacon. Something stirred in his stomach. Maybe he didn't think about before because of the injury, but he found that suddenly the smell of food caused his stomach to grumble. It felt like a void had opened up within him.


By the time he realized what he had just consumed he had finished the bowl of oatmeal and the rasher of bacon. The taste of the fried meat though, something about that was more delicious than he remembered. Had it been that long since he had eaten bacon? He'd had sausage recently, but he didn't recall it tasting so good. He suddenly realized that he was chewing on another mouthful of food, this time sausage. What had come over him? Was I that hungry?


He finished off the sausage and slowed down, purposefully drinking some water to keep from over eating. Then again, at this moment, he almost didn't feel like he could over eat. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't think I'd be that hungry."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn ate mostly fruits, simply trying to help her mana with the high sugar content. She was surprised at Dayn, especially since he seemed so perplexed by it himself. Initially she'd been happy that he was eating, he hadn't been hungry after the mana burn, but the fact that he was eating so fast and didn't even seem to realize it? Maybe it was a delay from the mana drain.... Perhaps? She didn't believe it, but she wanted to.


Something about the memory in the back of her mind recalled silver for some reason. She bit the inside of her lip, the sighed and said, "Dayn, I want to try something. Just-just go with an insane medic for a moment. I'm going to give you a slight cut on the back oh your hand, okay? I'll heal it right up, but just... trust me, ok? Humor me, please. You can go right back to eating right after, ok? Just tell me how this feels." She took her silver-coated dagger off of her belt and gently took his right hand. She always sharpened it when it seemed the slightest bit dull, so the cut was small and precise, and shouldn't have caused much pain at all. She held off on healing him, waiting for his reaction.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn, despite having several questions, let Arryn take his hand and make the cut. It stung, sure, like any small cut would, and it bled a little. Dayn looked down at the knife, never realizing before that it had been silver coated. Interesting, what was she trying to find out? He looked from the cut to Arryn and then back to the cut, almost waiting for something to happen. He thought about saying something but stopped, a slight tingle in his hand catching his attention. There was a slight burning sensation at the cut. Of course, this didn't feel much different from a what he usually felt for a small cut so he didn't pay much attention to it at the moment.


"Nothing special. It just feels like a cut."





At that moment the burning sensation increased, starting to radiate around his hand. It took him by surprise, but he kept his facial expression neutral. He debated as to weather or not he wanted to tell Arryn about the painful burning, only for it to suddenly cease. What, why did it stop? Then it struck him. The blade was silver coated, but not entirely silver. A small fleck of the silver might have come off and into the wound, but the affect would only be temporary.





"What exactly were you trying to do?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn sighed, running her thumb over the cut and healing it. She pulled a rag from her pack on the ground, and cleaned her blade before setting it aside. "It's just... I don't know, there used to be stories of North, and I've heard 'em mentioned down here once or twice, about these... giant dogs, they'd bite men, and... the only way to injure these things was with silver, but anyone they bit would be cursed to become like the dogs, I think the term's lycanthropy but I'm not sure, it sounds insane, honestly, I never put much belief in it. I just...." Arryn sighed and leaned her head on his good shoulder. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to you, love. I want to take care of you, if you'll please allow me. You're mo chroi, my heart and my love, I couldn't stand losing you, much less when there's something I could do." She gently pulled him closer and kissed him lightly, adding, "Just... let me help you as I can."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn felt his heart sink some. This legend, this lycanthropy, it truly bothered Arryn. "Yes, I am yours. And I always will be, no matter what happens." Dayn was worried about Arryn more than he was worried about a Northern legend or the fact that the silver did burn his hand. That still made him wonder. He had heard of some kind of legend like this before, about where men would don the skin's of wolves or bears and gain immense power. Though he believed many legends he had never seen something like this before. It didn't mean he doubted, but for Arryn's sake he didn't want to rouse her emotions by worrying about his own humanity.





"Love, I think it might be time to change out my bandages." Dayn was mostly trying to get her mind off of the dark subject, though he did notice that he had bled through a little further and the bandages were starting to gunk up.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn looked at his shoulder and nodded, moving the tray of food and then getting up to grab her pack and sit on the other side of Dayn's bed, so she could see his wound better. "I should have noticed sooner, not tested for a stupid old story, didn't even amount to anything, I'm sorry." She gently unwrapped the bandages, then looked at the wound. She ran her fingers over it lightly to ease his pain with her magic. Pulling a cloth from her pack and wetting it with the same rinse from last night, she gently cleaned the wound. My, how many teeth that beast had. While the deepest parts were healed, she couldn't fix the upper parts of the punctures. Arryn was not "burning the candle at both ends" with both healing him and staying up all night, she had thrown the candle into a pit of lava. However, she was in healer mode and could run like this, on little food or sleep, for quite some time, given a chance to rest afterward. She re-bandaged the wound, saying, "Much easier to do now that you're conscious." Once she was done, she leaned back against the headboard, holding his hand with a smile. "Tell me if you feel anything off, okay?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn felt a slight sting when the bandages were pulled off, them having begun to adhere to the wounds. But he couldn't help but become enthralled by watching Arryn. Her hands, so soft and delicate, yet they were dexterous and capable. The lightness of her touch as she cleaned and laid clean bandages on him. Dayn suddenly noticed something about her; She smelled different. No, not different. Dayn recognized the familiar smell of his beloved, but it seemed stronger, as if he had become more aware of it. And he noticed he almost seemed more sensitive to her touch. With just the lightest brushing of her fingers against his skin the sensation sent shivers down his body. He couldn't quite explain what was going on, but he liked it.


As Arryn laid back against the headboard Dayn slid down and laid his head in her lap, still holding her hand as he closed his eyes. "You will be the first to know love." Dayn suddenly realized that he could hear the faint beating of Arryn's heart even as he lay with his head in her lap. What is happening to me?

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn gently ran the backs of her fingers across his cheek. "Glad to hear it. Now, if you don't still need me, I'm going to sleep a bit. Wake me if there's anything wrong." She closed her eyes, slipping into sleep within seconds. In her dreams she woke up, bandaged as before, but she was in her own house, Theodas was keeping watch this time. This has happened before... She couldn't quite hear the words in her dreams, but she did understand what was being said. How had Matthias been injured? That didn't seem possible, but it had happened in reality, but then the dreams began warping the memory. Dayn had been there when he was hurt? No, Dayn was the one who'd hurt him... but why? This all made no sense. Something about a dog, Matthias had been defending her name (as he had in reality) but Dayn was there too, and he'd... lost it? Where did the dog part fit in? The dream shifted, and she was back on a hunt. She casually asked Matthias what they were hunting, he said, "Some warg-ish beast, the villageman said." She nodded and took the lead. There was the beast, its leg was caught in May's trap! She neared carefully, getting ready to kill it. It looked at her, but she knew her job; it had killed people. As she put her sword through its chest, suddenly it wasn't a beast, it was Dayn, laying on the ground, bleeding out with her sword in his chest. She dropped to her knees, pulling out the sword before trying to heal the wound. "Dayn, no, please, no, don't leave me, please, I love you, please Dayn...."


Arryn woke up with a gasp, her heart beating uncontrollably and her breath coming in short gasps. She pulled Dayn close to her, tears running down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn opened his eyes as he felt himself pulled into a rib crushing embrace. He felt dampness, tears, suddenly realizing that he had fallen asleep in Arryn's lap. But now she was holding him and crying. Wait, didn't he just do this? Dayn adjusted himself to where he could hold Arryn as she cried. Why was she apologizing to him? As far as he could remember she had done nothing to him. It must have been a nightmare.


As Dayn held Arryn he gently rubbed her back with his hand as he slowly rocked back and forth. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he instead just held her tightly. He could hear her heat pounding in her chest, her breath coming in short raspy gasps, her sobs pain in his heart. He didn't know why she was crying, but he knew whatever had hurt her was serious. He gently turned his face, nuzzling up against her neck as he held her. There, he could smell it. Fear. What was she scared of? Was it something that she did in the dream? Dayn felt a sudden fire light within him, a protective urge to drive away whatever was plaguing her. "It's okay love. Nothing has happened."





Dayn took a deep breath and slowly let it out, slowly feeling a rumbling in his throat, almost like a low growl, only audible enough for his own ears. Dayn slowly pulled back from Arryn, his hands on either side of her face. "I am here. See," he took her hand and slowly placed it against his chest, "touch me, I am still breathing." Dayn suddenly noticed something very odd as he looked down at his bare chest.


His scars were fading.......

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn's tears blinded her, so she wiped off her tears with her free hand. Her dreams always got terribly confusing after heavy mana burn. She could still see her silver-coated sword in his chest if she closed her eyes. she couldn't help but ramble a bit, "I-I was wounded again and Theodas told me that Matthias had gotten hurt and you had too and I was so confused, and then, then... the dream changed, and I couldn't heal you, I-I tried, your blood was everywhere.... You were this beast and I didn't know it was you, and - and if I'd have known, gods, I wouldn't have done it. It's stupid, I got scared, I mean, May's dead and she was in the dream, but...." She looked at his chest, pausing. Were those the same scars she'd asked about only a few nights ago? They didn't look nearly as bad. "Dayn... your scars...." She tried to use her magic to see if she could find a reason, but for some reason, her magic had little effect, like his body was resisting her magic. "Dayn, my magic... you're resistant all of the sudden...."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn looked down at his chest in confusion. Why would his scars be faded? Better yet, why was he suddenly resistant to magic? His eyes bounced between his chest and Arryn as he tried to understand what was going on. And this dream she had described. She had stabbed him with her sword? She said he was a beast, but why? What was going on? Why was all of this happening? Dayn stood up and walked over to the fire place before propping up on one hand as he stared into the flame. What is happening to me?





Something was happening. Little did Dayn know that the moon phases were playing against him. Within a couple of nights the moon would be full. But this knowledge had been denied him the previous night because of the cloud cover.


Dayn ran his hand through his hair as he tried to comprehend what was going on. He looked over at his arm, noticing that he had used his injured arm without so much as causing any pain in his shoulder. "What is going on?" Dayn turned back to Arryn, his voice wavering. "Arryn, love, I'm scared. Please help me." He walked over and sat down on the bed in front of Arryn. "Please help me, I don't know what is going on. But...." Dayn grew quiet as he looked up at Arryn. "Don't tell my family. They don't need to know about this right now."

 

[Dragongal]

Dayn's pleas nearly brought her to tears again. She pulled him into an embrace, saying quietly, "Of course I'm going to help you. It's alright, mo chroi, we'll figure it out. I promise." She gently pulled away from him and brushed back his hair. "Your parents are coming later. After they leave, we'll go into town. I assume you have a scrivener's in this town, they will certainly have a book of lore. That will help us, alright?" She kissed him gently, then added, "I don't know exactly what's happening, but no matter what, I won't leave you. Promise."

 

[BookWyrm]

In fact his family would have come, but a pressing matter kept them away. Dayn had caught Japhet, along with Geoff and Hamish, down in the dining room as they met with a message runner. "What is going on?"


"Due to last night's attack father has called an emergency meeting of the elders to discuss the situation. Luckily the elders are all in town for the Festival, which is why I think he called it in the first place."


"So,"


"No, brother, they will be detained tonight. Father does send his regrets though, he is very much interested in meeting your dearest Arryn. But I can't linger to long, father will start the meeting the minute everyone has gathered." Japhet reached out and clasped his brother's good shoulder. "Get some rest. Maybe get out and enjoy the city, eh?"





As the group left Dayn walked back to his room and found Arryn. "There has been an emergency meeting called to discuss the beast with the elders. Father and mother will be detained tonight over the discussion. If you wish we can head out to the scribe immediately."





(Feel free to jump to there if you want)

 

[Dragongal]

The walk to the scribe's had passed peacefully, Arryn glancing around the town as the walked, keeping Dayn's hand in hers. She didn't want him to become too worried about what was happening; worry would not solve anything. The scribe's library was huge, with two floors. Arryn sighed; this would take some time, it seemed. She separated from Dayn, telling him to take the upper floor while she took the lower floor. After an hour she returned to him with her finds: a book of Northern lore and one of local lore. She nodded to some tables in an open space, saying, "Let's start looking through these okay? You can start with the local lore, I'll start with the Northern lore."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn sat down and poured over the tome, not really sure what he was looking for or if he would find anything that had to do with what was happening to him. He had heard stories about this thing when he was younger, but the memories eluded him as he sought them out. After pouring through page after page, getting slightly worked up about it, Dayn found a small excrept from an older book that caught his eye. "The man will not fully realize his condition until the next full moon."





Dayn flipped over the pages as he tried to find more information. "He shall possess incredible strength and stamina, his body seemingly impervious to harm. In truth he may seem more animal than man, and it is not uncommon for his animal tendencies to bleed through." Dayn sat back in the chair, his eyes fogging as stray tears rippled down his cheeks. "Am I becoming a monster?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn rose from her seat and walked around the table to put her arms around Dayn's shoulders and kiss him lightly on the cheek. The phrasing of the passage concerned her. Why would this be such an uncommon thing if that's all there was to it? It had too many advantages for someone whose life was devoted to fighting. Where was the downside? Why did it say, "some animal tendencies may bleed through," when that meant that there had to be something... animal... right? "It's alright, beloved, I promise, you're not a monster, ok? And we'll make sure you don't become a beast, ever. Would you like to keep looking, see if we can find out more? I feel like there's more to this than what's mentioned, but it's up to you."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn did want to keep digging, to know the ins and outs of whatever this was that was going to be affecting him. But with the page being halfway burnt and some of the paragraphs unreadable Dayn figured they would have to check out both books to research further. "No....not right now." Dayn reached over and wrapped his arms around Arryn, holding her for a few moments before standing up and kissing her. "Lets check both books out. We can look into it again later."





After they had returned to the room Dayn felt restless. He paced back and forth across the room, his hand rubbing the stubble that had grown over the past few days. The man will not fully realize his condition until the next full moon. Those words ran through his mind continually. If his calculations were correct the next full moon was, tomorrow night. Dayn stopped in front of the fire place, his hands behind his head as he stared at the rock chimney. What was going to happen to him tomorrow night? Where could he go that would be safe for Arryn? No, knowing her she wouldn't leave him alone, even if it meant putting herself in danger.


Dayn suddenly felt the urge to get out of the room. "I want to show you something." Dayn led Arryn into the city before turning down an old cobblestone road that headed towards a part of the old town. They had been traveling for some time, even passing through a couple of older gates before coming to a secretive looking gate that led into an old sanctuary of sorts.


Inside the gate the air was cool and damp from a small stream that flowed through what used to be a closed, almost green house like room. "This building has been here long before Riverbend was ever built. It is believed to be the ruin of an old elvish building, but obviously nature has reclaimed it." Dayn jumped down a small ledge before turning and picking up Arryn by her waist before gently setting her down in front of him. He took her hands in his own as he looked into her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to tell her what he had planned for tomorrow night, but he knew if he brought it up she would be there with him. He leaned in and kissed her passionately, savoring the intimacy before slowly pulling away and smiling. "What do you think of it here?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn had been concerned by Dayn's pacing, so she happily went along with him when he said he wanted to show her something. She opened her eyes as he pulled away from their kiss, and looked around. "It's beautiful." She kissed him again, much lighter and quicker, then asked, "It's wonderful... what made you think of bringing me here?" Dayn always had a reason for everything he did, even if it was just for a laugh... it seemed odd that at such a time, he'd bring her to this place, as beautiful as it was. (All I could think of, sorry.)

 

[BookWyrm]

Damn, she knows something. Dayn had to think quick before Arryn had time to think. "Do I need a reason to want to show my beloved one of the most beautiful sights of the city?" He hoped it was a good enough distraction, and that she wouldn't get any ideas. "I used to explore this ruin when I was a kid. Hamish and I had many adventures around this place." Dayn led Arryn around the room, taking time to stop and show her the small things like rare flowers or strange colored frogs, even a herd of deer that moved through the area. Though Dayn wouldn't say anything he took note of the presence of the deer, though he wasn't sure why. He didn't know exactly what was going to happen tomorrow night when the moon rose, but he wanted to be sure that everything was thought of.


Dayn helped Arryn back out of the elvish ruin and returned to Riverbend just as the sun was setting. He decided that it would be a good night to treat her to a traditional dish for the area. Dayn led the way to the docks, looking for a specific river front shop. Finally spotting it Dayn walked up and ordered two fresh baked lemon trout. The fish came out served in the pastry that they were baked in, which hardened into a bowl of sorts and held in the juice. They walked over to the edge of the river and sat down to eat their dinner while watching the sun set across the water. Though Dayn was enjoying himself some, he couldn't forget what was lingering in the back of his mind.....

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn put Dayn's slightly odd behavior out of her mind, reasoning that it was because he was still nervous about what was happening to him, and enjoyed the walk through the mysterious and beautiful building. As they sat at the river with their dinner, she leaned against his good shoulder. He didn't seem to be smiling as much as usual. She watched the crimson and gold streak across the clear water in silence, before saying, "Despite everything, I am glad that we are here. Your fief, what I've seen of it so far, is truly wonderful. I wish we weren't put in the situation we're in, but it is still nice to be here, with you." She couldn't stop herself from yawning, though she tried vainly to hide it. She'd only slept, what, an hour? Two? Add that to mana burn, too. And the fact that she'd intended to try to stay up for Dayn tonight if it seemed to be needed.