Fantasy Tales From Distant Lands

[Wendigo_]

"I feel fine, really," he said through a smile filled with a false confidence. In reality, he felt quite sick and could tell he was going through the early stages of producing a fever. With Havilah's help, he managed to get out of the tent into the light that blinded his sensitive eyes. "I'll untie the ropes if you can get started on folding up the tent. If we're watchful with our time we should be able to clear the mountains today. From then on it's a straight path to the capital."

Elias made his way to the tree to which the rope was strung and grabbed the end of the knot with his good arm. With a great deal of effort, he managed to undo the first knot before doing the same for the rope on the other side. The boy then collected the ropes so that they would be used to tie their shelter together. However, it would have to be up to Havilah to secure it in place.

Elias whistled to their steed, resulting in him trotting reluctantly to his side. He grabbed the top of the saddle for support as he waited.​

 

[Equusheart]

Hava looked up at the mountain range ahead of them as she worked to pack up the tent. Now that all the excitement and fear from yesterday had subsided somewhat, Hava realized she recognized these foothills.

"I know these mountains," she said softly, almost lost in her memories of them. Her eyes took on a distant look as she worked it over in her mind. "If I can find the right trails it should take us straight through." She thought she recalled a town of sorts lay on the other side, though she couldn't remember where.

When she finished tie the tent to the saddle Hava turned to Elias.

"Come on," she said. "I'll help you on first."

 

[Wendigo_]

Elias rolled his eyes ever-so-slightly as he slid his foot into the stirrup and used his good arm to pull himself upwards. "It's okay, Hava, I'm not that hopele-" he started as Elias's grip on the saddle slipped. Had it not been for Havilah's support, he surely would have fallen flat on his back. Without saying another word and with a thoroughly reddened face, he tried again to get into the saddle, this time with more success.

Looking around, Elias observed, "I guess we really did end up in the foothills. You would know how to get through here better than I would," he said as he extended his good hand down towards Havilah.​

 

[Equusheart]

Hava sighed as she helped Elias up into the saddle. She wished that he wasn't so stubborn and yet part of her admired him for it. Wanting to spare some of his pride, Hava took the hand Elias offered, but used most of her own strength to set on the horse.

Once she was settled in front of him, Shiloh took up the reins and urged the horse forward.

"Let me know if you need to stop to rest," Hava said as she steered the gelding towards the mountains. The trails looked different from horseback and Hava had to pause a couple times to find her bearings again.

 

[Wendigo_]

Once the horse started walking, Elias was surprised to find himself incredibly off balance. Each of the horse's steps threatened to topple him, so he instinctively wrapped the arm he could most easily move around Havilah's waist for extra support. After a moment or two, the forwardness of his action hit him in full, and color filled his face once again. "Sorry," he murmured quietly.

Elias could tell that his condition was worsening. He had never felt so weak before in his life and simply staying awake seemed equal to running a marathon. In an effort to keep himself awake, he slowly used the arm on his wounded side to draw the book he carried out from his pocket. "Maybe if I can keep my mind busy, I can stay awake," the boy thought to himself. He used his fingers to flip to the page he had left off on, holding the book at his side so that he wouldn't distract Havilah.​

 

[Equusheart]

Hava kept the horse going at a steady but slow pace. Every once and while, she would glance back to check on Elias. She didn't like how pale he was getting and he seemed to be getting weaker. Hava hadn't even minded Elias' arm around her waist. Instead she had placed her arm on top of his to help hold him in place and to reassure herself that he was there.

Glancing up at the sun, Hava frowned and inwardly swore. She wished desperately that they could move a little faster, but she feared that would just make Elias' condition worse. Please, Hava prayed silently to whatever deity was listening. Help us.

Hava's prayer was answered in the form of a thin line of smoke in the distance. Hope fluttered inside her chest as she directed the horse towards the smoke.

"Hold on, Elias," Hava said as she stroked his arm. "Just a little longer."

 

[Wendigo_]

After a few minutes or so of attempting to read, Elias quickly gave up due to the strain it exerted on him. He tucked the book away, then rested his head lightly against Havilah and rested his eyes. The movement and constant shifting kept him conscious, but for all intents and purposes he was strictly resting.

When Havilah stroked the boys arm, his eyes fluttered as he caught the tail end of her sentence. "Hm...?" he murmured as his eyes struggled to focus what lie on the path ahead of them that Hava may have been referring to. "What's up ahead? I can't see too well right now..."​

 

[Equusheart]

Hava glanced back at Elias with a frown, her worry growing.

"There's smoke up ahead," she said. "Likely from someone's chimney. It's not that far off." Hava's grip tightened on Elias' arm. Please, hold on Elias.

Hava steered their horse carefully over the rocky trail until she saw a couple wooden buildings nestled in a small valley of sorts between the mountains. It was a cottage, not very big, but sturdily built and what looked to be a small barn crossed with a wood shed. There was a garden spread out around the cottage consisting of hardy mountain vegetables and various types of herbs. Light grey smoke lazily curled up from the stone built chimney and drifted on the air along with the sound of wood being chopped.

As they approached the cottage, Hava could see a woman working in the garden. When the woman looked up Hava was surprised at how beautiful she was. The woman appeared to be in her early thirties and was dressed in a simple dress with mixed colors of greens and browns. Her hair was a rich red and hung over one shoulder in a long braid down her front, reaching the start of her hips. Her bright green eyes, while wary as she watched the strangers approach, were soft and kind.

"It's not so often we get visitors out this way," the woman said as Hava pulled the horse to a stop a few feet from her.

"I am sorry to trouble you," Hava said with a sigh. "But, my friend is hurt bad and I'm afraid he might be getting sick." The woman's soft lips turned downwards into a frown as she moved to approach them. She looked over Elias then nodded.

"Let's get him inside," she said as she reached out to Elias. "Karo!" At her shout the sound of chopping wood stopped and a tall man stepped out from the other side of the shed. "Help us get this boy inside."

The man nodded and moved to help them as she carefully pulled Elias from the saddle and hobbled him into the cottage.

 

[Wendigo_]

"Smoke?" Elias thought while his heart felt the slightest hint of hope, "Maybe there will be someone who can help us..." The boy's mind began to trail as he felt the horse come to a slow stop. His vision grew hazy once again, fading in and out for irregular time intervals. His hearing was muffled as if someone had pressed their hands over his ears, so when Havilah spoke he was unable to understand what she was saying. When his vision returned, he was able to make out a cloudy spot of red in his vision that he attributed to a tone of voice that was foreign to him. Suddenly, he found himself being lifted out of the saddle. Elias lacked both the strength and consciousness to resist or assist the grip that he knew did not belong to Havilah.

Elias heard the distorted opening of a latch and the movement of hinges, triggering him to subconsciously say with a weak voice, "Pardon the intrusion." The murmurings of strange voices continued, but among them he caught the instructions of Havilah to lay Elias on his side. He could feel his shirt being lifted off of him, the surrounding air was ice on his skin as he was laid down on some wooden surface.

Without moving the dressings, it was evident his wound had worsened. It had become swollen and red, while the surrounding area was warm to the touch. However, the rest of Elias's skin was white as canvas and frighteningly cool and clammy. The boy laid there, unaware of his surroundings, but trusting that Havilah hadn't abandoned him.​

 

[Equusheart]

The red haired woman, who had introduced herself as Rauzlyn, shook her head as she removed Elias' shirt and inspected the wound. As Rauzlyn gathered together her tools and Karo set to putting a pot of water over the fire to boil, Hava told them about the men and what had happened. Rauzlyn frowned as she listened.

"You're lucky you managed to get this far," Rauzlyn said as she added strips of cloth to the now boiling water. "I doubt he would've lasted another night in his condition." Tears prickled at Hava's eyes as looked back down at Elias, a hand gently stroking his face.

Using metal tongs, Rauzlyn pulled the heated strips of cloth from the pot and placed them in a large bowl. She brought them over to the table where Elias lay. She pulled out a small knife and what looked like a oddly shaped pair of scissors and wipe them down with a cloth before wiping her hands with another.

"Alright, Hava," Rauzlyn said as she handed her a short, smooth stick. "Have him bite down on this. Take his hand and stay by his head where he can see you. Karo hold him down and keep him still. I'm afraid this is going to really hurt." Rauzlyn then picked up the knife and, taking a deep breath, cut into Elias' skin.

Hava thought she had been ready, but Elias' screams of pain sent tears streaming down her face as she held his hand and stroked his hair, cooing to him a telling him she was there, it was alright. Karo seemed to use little effort as he held the boy down, keeping him from thrashing around while Rauzlyn worked at removing the arrowhead.

Rauzlyn made a long incision along the width of the arrowhead. Once the cut was made, Rauzlyn picked up the odd scissors and gently stuck them into the wound. She then opened the levers, the tool spreading Elias' skin open while Rauzlyn carefully tugged on the arrowhead until it finally came free.

"There," she said, sounding tired as she set the arrowhead and the scissors to the side. "The painful part is over." After applying some kind of salve Rauzlyn packed the wound using the rest of the cloth and bandaged him up.

 

[Wendigo_]

Elias could feel his mouth being opened before a some sort of rigid stick was placed between his teeth. When the hazy image of Havilah came into his view and he found himself unable to close his mouth, he attempted to ask her what was going on. However, before he could formulate the words, he felt a strong grip fix him into place as a searing pain took over his entire being. Weak as he was, every ounce of strength he could muster went into the futile task of trying to run away from whatever it was that was cutting through the skin and muscle of his back.

As bad as whatever was occurring had been initially, Elias could only describe what followed as pure and deliberate torture. He cried out as much as the bit between his teeth would allow him to with such intensity that he felt as if the inside of his throat had been shredded. The pain of the wound being pried open caused every muscle in his body to clench as pools of water formed and spilled over in his eyes. The boys sobs only worsened as he could feel the arrowhead being removed, the corners of it catching and tearing his flesh. The few moments that it took for the operation to be complete felt like an eternity of damnation to Elias, and the only thing that kept him from slipping into a potentially perpetual sleep was the touch and quiet comforting of the shepherdess.

Once Elias had felt the arrowhead removed, the pain gradually subsided as he could feel the wound being redressed with fresh dressings. The boy took deep, fast breathes for a long time as he lay on the table with skin white as death. After some time, the boy began to be able to hear Havilah a bit more clearly, and he gradually calmed down as he gripped her hand a bit more firmly. "Hava... Where are we?" he asked with a voice hoarse from his cries.

Fortunately, the pain had generated enough adrenaline to keep the boy conscious, for the time being at least.​

 

[Equusheart]

"It's alright Elias," Hava said softly as she ran a hand over his face, gently brush some of his hair back. "We're safe here." Rauzlyn smiled at them as she gathered up the leftover materials.

"You should heal up better now that the arrow's completely removed," she said as she tidied the area up. "But you're far from out of the woods. You both will stay here for a few days so that we can be sure there's no infection."

Once the everything was cleaned and put away, Rauzlyn mixed some dark colored powder in a cup with some water. As she prepared the drink, Karo helped Elias off the table.

"Easy does it, lad," he said, his voice deep and rich like molasses. He helped Hava guide Elias over to a chair to sit. He handed Hava a blanket to wrap around Elias. "I'll go see to the horse." He gave Hava a reassuring wink before heading out the door.

"Here, drink this," Rauzlyn said as she handed Elias the cup. "It'll help with the pain."

 

[Wendigo_]

Now that Elias was reasonably present, he could attribute the grip that had pulled him off of the horse and held him down to the table to the man that was at present keeping him upright. Elias did his best to help the two of them lower him into the chair and wrap himself in the blanket, but found himself to be of little use now that he could not find himself able to move the arm on his injured side. "Thank you, both," he said as he adjusted himself as best he could before the man exited the cottage.

Elias heard the voice he attached to the spot of red earlier, but this time he saw it with an improved resolution. The red-haired woman extended a cup to the boy which contained an odd looking fluid. Despite his initial hesitation, he found himself unable to refuse the hospitality, and drank it in full despite its bitter taste. It was made more bearable somewhat by the fact that it numbed his tongue and throat as it went down. As a result, the words of thanks he muttered were slightly slurred.

"Thank you, for everything," Elias said with some difficulty. It was evident that speaking was a slightly difficult task for him at the moment. "I was a bit disoriented earlier, so I don't think I caught your name. I'm Elias," he extended his good hand out to her as best he could, "and the one next to me who got me here alive is Havilah. Speaking of which, where exactly are we?" Elias was aware he was immediately directing many questions towards the stranger, but his mind was still racing from the pain in addition to being desperate for some answers.​

 

[Equusheart]

Rauzlyn gave the boy a kind smile as she took back the now empty cup.

"You're very welcome, Elias," she said. She wiped down the cup and put it away before returning her attention to them. "My name is Rauzlyn and you are in my cottage. Your Havilah was lucky enough to stumble upon it. And a good thing too." At that moment the man stepped back inside the cottage. Now that Elias had been taken care of, Hava could look the man over fully.

The man was tall enough he had to duck his head as he stepped through the doorway and Rauzlyn look almost dwarfed by him as he moved to stand at her side. His long jet black hair was tied back by a leather thong. It was his eyes, however, that made Hava's breath catch. They were deep pools of brown that seemed to glint with something when the light hit them just right. Silver? The man seemed to have a quality about him that didn't seem human, but he didn't look like he had Angelian blood.

"This is my husband, Karo," Rauzlyn said, smiling as she introduced the man. Her green eyes shown as she looked up at Karo and Hava could immediately tell that the woman was deeply in love with her husband. Karo gave her a warm smile before turning his attention to Elias and Hava.

"The horse is all settled in and your collie has found bed of hay to rest in," he said. "As my wife has said, you two should stay here a couple nights until Elias is strong enough to travel." Rauzlyn looked to Elias.

"How's your appetite?" she asked him. "I have some stew on the fire and both of you look like you could use a good meal."

 

[Wendigo_]

Elias took in each piece of information the woman offered while utilizing it to deduce precisely what had occurred in addition to committing her name to memory. The boy began to think to himself, "When we encountered those bandits we were nowhere near any village or residence, so Havilah must have covered a lot of ground in only that short time it took to get us here." Even the inexperienced Elias could recognize how difficult such a feat would be. He looked up to see the face of the girl who he owed his life to with eyes shining in admiration. At the same time, the boy realized that something he couldn't quite name tugged at his heart whenever he saw her now.

Elias's attention was wrenched back to the present scene by the entrance of the man who had been responsible for helping him move about. He was a bit embarrassed that he had been so incapable as to not be able to take care of his own horse, so he swore to himself that he would find some way to repay the couple's hospitality.

The look in Rauzlyn's eye when she looked at her husband both alarmed and confused Elias. Even in his ignorance with regards to such things as simple as love, the boy could recognize that it was nearly identical in nature to that of the one he had just given Havilah. Elias forced himself to ignore this for the time, however, as he abruptly turned his attention instead to the man. "Erm, thank you, Karo. I'm sorry to ask so much of you two when we're only just strangers."

Despite his apology for asking so much of their patrons, the mere mention of a warm meal was enough to make Elias's stomach grovel in hunger. "I hate to ask anything more, but we both are a bit desperate for a real meal," he said as he accepted a bowl of steaming stew from Rauzlyn. Elias passed it to Havilah as the woman filled up another serving, keeping an eye on her to ensure that she was eating as much as she needed. Now that he was reasonably aware, it became apparent that Havilah likely was sacrificing attention to her own health on his behalf.

As they tucked into their meal, Elias began to vocalize his concerns with an overly-worried tone. "You should take this blanket, Hava. You went to bed the other night still drenched from the rain, didn't you? You're going to catch a cold. Oh, you can't tell me that you're only going to eat that much. You're not going to go hungry on my watch. Here, have the rest of mine." The boy's pestering continued on for some time.​

 

[Equusheart]

"Oh, for the love of Pete!" Hava exclaimed finally as she batted Elias away. "Honestly, Elias I'm fine!" Hava softened at the look he gave her and sighed. He was simply trying to look out for her was all. Hava gave his hand a squeeze. "You're the one that's hurt."

Rauzlyn and Karo shared a look and a smile as Rauzlyn as she set a plate of bread on the table before pouring each of them a cup of milk.

"So where have you two traveled from?" Rauzlyn asked as she sat down.

 

[Wendigo_]

Elias went quiet at Havila's objection, but his face still portrayed a stubborn concern. He himself quietly objected when she tried to turn the tables, "I'm fine too, really. After a night of rest I'll be back on my feet." Despite his defiant tone, Elias tightened his grip slightly on Havilah's hand in turn.

Elias took a sip out of one of the cups that Rauzlyn had filled for them as he thought of the best way to explain their reason for being away from home. "We're both coming from a small village on the coast named Haven," he said as he returned the cup to its place on the table, "It's about a week long journey from here. We've been trying to get to the capital ever since we had to leave home due to a... pressing situation." Elias paused as he thought of the proper word, inadvertently bringing attention to that detail.​

 

[Equusheart]

Hava raised a skeptical eyebrow at Elias. Still, Hava found his stubbornness and energy reassuring.

"From Haven you say?" Rauzlyn asked. She seemed to look curious about their reason for leaving, but ultimately decided not to press the issue. "That's a long way. You two seemed to have made pretty good time." Karo nodded.

"Indeed," Karo said in agreement. "The capital is just on the other side of these mountains. Maybe about... two days travel maybe."

 

[Wendigo_]

Elias aspirated a small amount of his drink in surprise at the man's words, causing him to cough for moment. "Only two days?" the boy thought aloud, "We're practically there already then, I was under the impression we were still three to four days out from Illium." Considering that they still had plenty of food left, the pair of them would have no issue finishing the final leg of their journey.

However, the realization that they would make it to the capital after all stirred up new and unfamiliar uncertainties. "What exactly are we going to do once we get there? Where will we stay?" Elias had been so focused on simply getting to the capital that he never once stopped to consider how they would manage to make a living there. The boy wore his worries in his expression, but opted not to bring it up. Frankly, the boy was fearful that the couple would attempt to convince them to turn back, an option that Elias would refuse to accept.

Instead, the boy decided to turn the conversation in a tangential direction. "Have you two heard any news coming from the capital recently?"​

 

[Equusheart]

"Yeah, if you had gone around the range," Karo said with a shrug of his shoulder. "Because you found our cottage that means you went straight through." Hava gave Elias' shoulder a nudge.

"I told you I knew these mountains," Hava said with a grin. When Elias asked if there was any word of news from the capital both Rauzlyn and Karo shook their heads.

"Not much I'm afraid," Rauzlyn said. "Karo and I... don't really go into town much. So we hardly get any news."

 

[Wendigo_]

Elias returned the smile, thankful to have someone as knowledgeable as Havilah alongside him.

The boy returned a quiet, “Oh, I see,” to the couple’s response. He had been hoping they would be able to provide some sort of lead for Havilah and him to go off of, but it seemed like it would be up to them to figure things out for themselves.

Taking the lull in the conversation as an opportunity, Elias shifted the focus of the conversation to Rauzlyn and Karo. “So, what about you two? What’s your story?”​

 

[Equusheart]

"Well," Rauzlyn began as finished a bite of her stew. "Karo and I came here to Illia, what, about six or seven years ago?" Karo gave a nod of his head to confirm Rauzlyn was correct. "Things were… no longer safe for us back home so we made the journey here. So far things have fared pretty well since. I make my trade as a healer and Karo picks up the odd job here and there."

 

[Wendigo_]

Elias could tell there was pain in Rauzlyn's recollection of the events that caused them to flee their home, but decided it would be wise not to press the matter. He immediately felt guilty when she expressed that she made her living as a healer. "I'm sorry to tell you this after you've already done so much for us... But I'm afraid we don't have any money to compensate you..." The boy averted his gaze towards his feet, unsure of how the pair's hosts would respond.​

 

[Equusheart]

Rauzlyn gave Elias a warm smile.

"There's no need to worry about that," she said. "Your company is payment enough and I only too happy to help." Karo gave a soft chuckle.

"Did you really think we'd turn you away in your condition?" he said with a mild scoff. "That would've been a death sentence. Abd I've already seen too many die because someone didn't want to do the right thing."

 

[Wendigo_]

"You both are too kind," Elias said as he offered the both of them a grateful smile. "I promise that I'll find a way to repay you both someday, though." His thoughts strayed back again to the future; maybe one day Havilah and he would make it big in the capital, and he would be able to repay them for the service of saving his life. "I'll find a way to make it happen," the boy swore to himself.

Despite all his efforts to not be rude, Elias couldn't help but find himself to be exhausted when a yawn escaped from his lips. He looked over to see how Havilah was fairing, but couldn't deny both his body and mind were in desperate need of rest. "Would you mind if I turned in for the night?" he asked the group at large. "I seem to be drifting a little bit at the moment."​