What are they drinking? What about eating? Do you have a preference or can I choose.
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STATUS: Every time I see an ad for a Ryan Reynolds film I think "That's so dumb." Then I go see said film and am blown away. I highly recommend "IF." 14 days ago
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Every time I see an ad for a Ryan Reynolds film I think "That's so dumb." Then I go see said film and am blown away. I highly recommend "IF."
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Darin wasn’t sure where she was supposed to be holding on to, so she held on to Ridahne’s waist. At first, she kept her grip loose. Then, when the galloping started, she let out a shriek and gripped so tight she couldn’t feel her fingers. When they stopped Darin had to force herself to let go. Even with Ridahne helping her down she still fell more than she dismounted.
She nodded as the Elf told her the plan, “Sounds like a plan.”
Darin was still shaky, so she didn’t make it to the inn right away. Instead she found a place out of the way to sit down for a moment. She put her head between her knees and tried to focus on breathing. She had not liked riding the horse one little bit. She liked horses just fine. Heath, who was Rolland’s plow horse, was a complete sweetheart. Darin had never ridden a horse before. Heath would let riders on his back, but that wasn’t what he was meant for. She was willing to bet that Ridahne’s horse was nice, but Darin preferred walking beside her horse rather than being on top of it.
She muttered to herself, “I can’t walk all of Astra though.”
“No, you can’t. Few people could.”
Darin’s head snapped up to see a man she didn’t reconigize. His clothes were neat, his smile was warm, and he seemed to be a pleasant sort of character. That didn’t change the fact that Darin looked in to his teal blue eyes and want to scream. She didn’t know if she wanted to scream in terror, scream for help, or scream in warning. Something inside of her didn’t like this man. That didn’t make any sense. It was true that she wasn’t trusting anyone, but there was a difference between not trusting someone, and deciding that they were evil just because of some vague reason. She thought he was evil and not evil like the bandits had been. They had just been trying surviving in a less than moral way. Darin thought that the man in front of her of evil for the sake of being evil. She tried not to let it show on her face.
His voice was full of concern, “Are you alright boy? You look kind of shaky.”
She struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn’t raise any alarms, “I’m just not use to riding.”
The man nodded as he smiled at her, “That makes sense.” He held out a hand to her, “You need to keep moving. If you stay still too long you’ll get stiff and riding will be even harder.”
She didn’t want to touch his hand. Especially after what Ridahne said about her hands. She couldn’t see a way out of it. She forced her hand into his so he could help her up. She let go of it as soon as she could. She hoped that her face hadn’t shown the fact that as soon as she touched him her thigh, right under The Seed, had started to burn. What was that? The Seed had never done that. It stopped as soon as she let go. Where was she getting these thoughts from? It wasn’t like she could read the hearts of men. Could she? She needed to get away, quickly.
She forced a smile to her face, “Thank you. I best go find my traveling partner.”
The man nodded, “I’m sure I’ll see you around. Safe travels.”
That sent so many shivers down Darin’s spine that she couldn’t say anything. She just ducked her head in a bob before scurrying away. She wanted to see if he was watching her but didn’t dare look over her shoulder. She needed to find Ridahne. She knew the Elf about as well as she knew the man. Logic dictated she trust the man more. Outwardly he had nothing but charming and his hunting cat hadn’t pin her on his command. That didn’t change the fact, that for some reason that had to be connected to The Seed, she was terrified of him. At least Ridahne hadn’t made The Seed react anymore than it already did.
Since Darin didn’t look back, she didn’t see the dark-haired man stare at her as she hurried towards the inn. The look on his face was calculating; like he was figuring something out. When he did a cruel smirk of triumph graced his features. It didn’t destroy his good looks, but it didn’t enhance them either. He quickly replaced the look with one of bland of indifference.
As soon as Darin found Ridahne she would rush over to her, “Ridahne!” Her eyes were blown wide with terror, “It followed us! It’s not good!” It was clear the human was close to freaking out, “What do we do?”
She nodded as the Elf told her the plan, “Sounds like a plan.”
Darin was still shaky, so she didn’t make it to the inn right away. Instead she found a place out of the way to sit down for a moment. She put her head between her knees and tried to focus on breathing. She had not liked riding the horse one little bit. She liked horses just fine. Heath, who was Rolland’s plow horse, was a complete sweetheart. Darin had never ridden a horse before. Heath would let riders on his back, but that wasn’t what he was meant for. She was willing to bet that Ridahne’s horse was nice, but Darin preferred walking beside her horse rather than being on top of it.
She muttered to herself, “I can’t walk all of Astra though.”
“No, you can’t. Few people could.”
Darin’s head snapped up to see a man she didn’t reconigize. His clothes were neat, his smile was warm, and he seemed to be a pleasant sort of character. That didn’t change the fact that Darin looked in to his teal blue eyes and want to scream. She didn’t know if she wanted to scream in terror, scream for help, or scream in warning. Something inside of her didn’t like this man. That didn’t make any sense. It was true that she wasn’t trusting anyone, but there was a difference between not trusting someone, and deciding that they were evil just because of some vague reason. She thought he was evil and not evil like the bandits had been. They had just been trying surviving in a less than moral way. Darin thought that the man in front of her of evil for the sake of being evil. She tried not to let it show on her face.
His voice was full of concern, “Are you alright boy? You look kind of shaky.”
She struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn’t raise any alarms, “I’m just not use to riding.”
The man nodded as he smiled at her, “That makes sense.” He held out a hand to her, “You need to keep moving. If you stay still too long you’ll get stiff and riding will be even harder.”
She didn’t want to touch his hand. Especially after what Ridahne said about her hands. She couldn’t see a way out of it. She forced her hand into his so he could help her up. She let go of it as soon as she could. She hoped that her face hadn’t shown the fact that as soon as she touched him her thigh, right under The Seed, had started to burn. What was that? The Seed had never done that. It stopped as soon as she let go. Where was she getting these thoughts from? It wasn’t like she could read the hearts of men. Could she? She needed to get away, quickly.
She forced a smile to her face, “Thank you. I best go find my traveling partner.”
The man nodded, “I’m sure I’ll see you around. Safe travels.”
That sent so many shivers down Darin’s spine that she couldn’t say anything. She just ducked her head in a bob before scurrying away. She wanted to see if he was watching her but didn’t dare look over her shoulder. She needed to find Ridahne. She knew the Elf about as well as she knew the man. Logic dictated she trust the man more. Outwardly he had nothing but charming and his hunting cat hadn’t pin her on his command. That didn’t change the fact, that for some reason that had to be connected to The Seed, she was terrified of him. At least Ridahne hadn’t made The Seed react anymore than it already did.
Since Darin didn’t look back, she didn’t see the dark-haired man stare at her as she hurried towards the inn. The look on his face was calculating; like he was figuring something out. When he did a cruel smirk of triumph graced his features. It didn’t destroy his good looks, but it didn’t enhance them either. He quickly replaced the look with one of bland of indifference.
As soon as Darin found Ridahne she would rush over to her, “Ridahne!” Her eyes were blown wide with terror, “It followed us! It’s not good!” It was clear the human was close to freaking out, “What do we do?”
Awesome. Thank you for hearing me out.
Yes. I like that. That is brilliant. It may not happen exactly that way bit, I think we have a premise. And premises are a very good start.
So I'm thinking there's a plow horse, or it's supposed to be a plow horse, in Greyrock that's not very well behaved. The badness that Darin is sensing follows them to Greyrock. Darin tells Ridahne what's going on. The person that Darin is feeling has had run in with the pervious Gardener. They know how Darin figured it out. They go to kill her. Ridahne and the misbehaved plow horse save Darin (I'm not sure how on that bit) The horse's owner doesn't understand why the horse decided it liked Darin. It liked Darin because even the animals know that something is wrong with The Tree. Since animals aren't really evil they know what Darin is. That's why she's been lucky enough not to get eaten by wolves or something. Maybe that why Mitaja liked her. And I was thinking the plow horse only looks like a plow horse. I was thinking it would be more like Shadowfaw form LoTR. But not the king of horses. Just really impressive and Ridahne knows what it is really, and knows that he wouldn't pick Darin without a good reason. So she can't deny it anymore. Darin is the Gardener, Darin still tried denying it until Ridahne flats out says it. And Ridahne was right. If she wanted to kill Darin she would have done it already. And Darin is tired of doing it alone so why not. If that makes sense. I'm sorry for all the ands.
Darin would admit to a yelp of panic as the horse started moving a way that was unfamiliar. Ridahne's explanation did nothing to make her feel better. She could feel her heart racing as the Elf calmed the horse down. The human wanted to be off of it. She didn’t want to ride anymore. She tried to resign herself to the fact that she would probably have to. It wasn’t easy.
Darin felt obligated to point out, “I didn’t kill him. I just stabbed him. I suppose he could be dead because of me.” She shrugged. “But I wouldn’t know. He was breathing when I left.”
She watched Ridahne sharpen the knife. The butcher made sure that she knew how to do that. She had done it every time she actually used it. It didn’t seem to want to hold an edge. She was probably not taking care of it properly. She didn’t know how to check if she knew how to take care of it.
Darin shrugged, “I don’t know what you mean. How can one blade suit me better than this one? If you send a plow horse into battle it’s still a plow horse. I don’t know how to use a knife for anymore than cutting things like rope and vegetables. So, a better knife would be pointless. I can use a sickle, but I was told that wasn’t a practical defense for a trip in the wilds of Astra. Not that the person who told me that would know.” Suddenly she had to ask, “Can I use a sickle for defense in the wild?”
She hoped her hope wasn’t apparent in her voice. She knew how to tell if a sickle was in good condition. She knew how to properly swing one as well. Darin had to admit that it probably wasn’t practical. She was hoping the answer was maybe. It would be nice to use a weapon she was used to. She might have to make some adjustments, but it would be better than learning a whole new skill set. Though she probably wouldn’t be able to buy one. Sickles were too important to farm work. It wasn’t like a farmer would just sell her his for the meager amount of coins she had.
She found herself thinking about her farm. Technically it was her mother’s farm, but everyone in the village knew it was actually Darin’s farm. It wasn’t the most impressive farm in the village. There was only one field, and for the most part Darin grew the things that would get her and her mother from one harvest to the next. There were a few chickens, goats, and ducks. There had been one lone pig before it got fat enough to eat. It was a simple life. She hoped Thomas and Milla were keeping up the farm. They had promised that they would. Darin hoped she saw it again. She didn’t think she would. She didn’t even know what direction home was in. That was how lost she was. For all she knew she could have been traveling in circles for who knew how long. She really needed a map.
She found herself asking, “Have you ever heard of a town called Lively? If so, can you tell me how far we are from it and what direction it is?”
Lively was the closet town to the nameless village where Darin had grown up. It was the village where the lord that wanted to marry Milla lived. It was where the market was held. She didn’t have much hope that Ridahne had heard of it. There was still a better chance of her having heard of it than Darin’s home. If the Elf had heard of Lively at least Darin would be able to figure out where home was. Right now, that was all she wanted.
Suddenly Darin thought she saw something in the trees. She was overcome with a feeling a dread. It was the same feeling that she got when the bandits had surround her. She had to give it to Ridahne. The Elf may have been a traitor, but at least Darin didn’t feel a strong urge to run away from her.
Quietly, as not to draw attention to herself, the human asked, “How far to Greyrock?” She knew her eyes were supper wide, “We need to get out of here. Soon.”
Darin felt obligated to point out, “I didn’t kill him. I just stabbed him. I suppose he could be dead because of me.” She shrugged. “But I wouldn’t know. He was breathing when I left.”
She watched Ridahne sharpen the knife. The butcher made sure that she knew how to do that. She had done it every time she actually used it. It didn’t seem to want to hold an edge. She was probably not taking care of it properly. She didn’t know how to check if she knew how to take care of it.
Darin shrugged, “I don’t know what you mean. How can one blade suit me better than this one? If you send a plow horse into battle it’s still a plow horse. I don’t know how to use a knife for anymore than cutting things like rope and vegetables. So, a better knife would be pointless. I can use a sickle, but I was told that wasn’t a practical defense for a trip in the wilds of Astra. Not that the person who told me that would know.” Suddenly she had to ask, “Can I use a sickle for defense in the wild?”
She hoped her hope wasn’t apparent in her voice. She knew how to tell if a sickle was in good condition. She knew how to properly swing one as well. Darin had to admit that it probably wasn’t practical. She was hoping the answer was maybe. It would be nice to use a weapon she was used to. She might have to make some adjustments, but it would be better than learning a whole new skill set. Though she probably wouldn’t be able to buy one. Sickles were too important to farm work. It wasn’t like a farmer would just sell her his for the meager amount of coins she had.
She found herself thinking about her farm. Technically it was her mother’s farm, but everyone in the village knew it was actually Darin’s farm. It wasn’t the most impressive farm in the village. There was only one field, and for the most part Darin grew the things that would get her and her mother from one harvest to the next. There were a few chickens, goats, and ducks. There had been one lone pig before it got fat enough to eat. It was a simple life. She hoped Thomas and Milla were keeping up the farm. They had promised that they would. Darin hoped she saw it again. She didn’t think she would. She didn’t even know what direction home was in. That was how lost she was. For all she knew she could have been traveling in circles for who knew how long. She really needed a map.
She found herself asking, “Have you ever heard of a town called Lively? If so, can you tell me how far we are from it and what direction it is?”
Lively was the closet town to the nameless village where Darin had grown up. It was the village where the lord that wanted to marry Milla lived. It was where the market was held. She didn’t have much hope that Ridahne had heard of it. There was still a better chance of her having heard of it than Darin’s home. If the Elf had heard of Lively at least Darin would be able to figure out where home was. Right now, that was all she wanted.
Suddenly Darin thought she saw something in the trees. She was overcome with a feeling a dread. It was the same feeling that she got when the bandits had surround her. She had to give it to Ridahne. The Elf may have been a traitor, but at least Darin didn’t feel a strong urge to run away from her.
Quietly, as not to draw attention to herself, the human asked, “How far to Greyrock?” She knew her eyes were supper wide, “We need to get out of here. Soon.”
I had an idea! I had an idea! It involves horses. And the "knowing the hearts" thing.
You know I have no idea. Even if Ridahne sees the band on Darin's leg there's no way of knowing what's in it. The Gardener does have some powers, but they aren't physical. Darin's already got them, sort of. They are vague "know the hearts of men" type powers. It's why she's trusting Ridahne as much as she is. It's how she knew the bandits weren't planing on anything nice. It was how The Gardener knew Darin was next. Darin attributes them to instincts or gut feelings. If there's a way to use that that would be awesome.
Darin swallowed, but didn’t say anything while she thought. So, the Elf was looking for her. Not only that but she was a traitor. Darin wasn’t sure what to make of that. Apparently, the fact, that the Elf was looking for her was keeping her alive. She wasn’t sure what to make of that. The compassionate part of the human wanted to scream that she was right here. The practically part of her want to run as soon as they reached Greyrock. She wasn’t sure what part would win. The only part that made a lick of sense to Darin was that Ridahne appeared to regret oversharing. The human could relate to that.
In fact, she could relate right now, “I’m the bastard child of a farmer.” She shrugged her shoulder’s “Not that that makes you feel better, but I figured it would be less uncomfortable if I shared as well.” Darin continued, “I mean I’m a bastard, but that doesn’t really matter. Marriage isn’t really a thing in my village, so my parents weren’t wedded, but two people do make promises of devotion and fidelity to each other. That’s what my parents did. Then, when I was fourteen, my father just left. He didn’t give a reason. He didn’t say goodbye. He disappeared in the middle of the note. He took the farm horse, half the supplies, and both our hearts. Everyone in the village looked down on my mother for not being able to keep him happy enough to stay. They figured that she had done something to drive him away. So, no one was willing to help on the farm. That meant I had to step up. I taught myself though trial and error and have been doing it practically single handily ever since. My mother worries over me because you can’t work a plow in skirts, and I cut my hair on my sixteenth birthday. She’s worried I’ll never find someone to start a family with.” Darin sighed as she stared off in the distance, “There was no one else to do the job that needed doing to I kissed my mother goodbye, and started this journey knowing I was unprepared. But it’s got to be done. SO, I’m going to do the best I can.”
Not for the first time Darin wondered if that was true. Was she the only person for the job, or had The Gardener run out of time? Maybe she was just the first candidate he had found. He had died literally two seconds after giving her The Seed, and Thomas and Milla wouldn’t tell her what their conversation with The Gardener had been about. They said that she would know when she needed to know. Needless to say, the human felt woefully unprepared for the task she had been given. She didn’t feel like she would ever know why it had been given to her. She just knew that it was. So, she had to do it the best she knew how.
Darin gave her head a shake, “Enough about personal history.” She held up her knife, “This is my knife. I know it’s not meant for fighting, but I have stabbed a man with it.” She shrugged, “That was an experience.”
She didn’t think the man was dead. She had stabbed him in the chest, but she had stabbed him on the wrong side to get his heart. She wasn’t trying to kill a man. She just wanted to get herself and The Seed away from him and his group of ne’er-do-wells. Was that the right word, or was bandits better? Darin didn’t know and she didn’t want to know. She just wanted a few lessons on how to use her knife better.
In fact, she could relate right now, “I’m the bastard child of a farmer.” She shrugged her shoulder’s “Not that that makes you feel better, but I figured it would be less uncomfortable if I shared as well.” Darin continued, “I mean I’m a bastard, but that doesn’t really matter. Marriage isn’t really a thing in my village, so my parents weren’t wedded, but two people do make promises of devotion and fidelity to each other. That’s what my parents did. Then, when I was fourteen, my father just left. He didn’t give a reason. He didn’t say goodbye. He disappeared in the middle of the note. He took the farm horse, half the supplies, and both our hearts. Everyone in the village looked down on my mother for not being able to keep him happy enough to stay. They figured that she had done something to drive him away. So, no one was willing to help on the farm. That meant I had to step up. I taught myself though trial and error and have been doing it practically single handily ever since. My mother worries over me because you can’t work a plow in skirts, and I cut my hair on my sixteenth birthday. She’s worried I’ll never find someone to start a family with.” Darin sighed as she stared off in the distance, “There was no one else to do the job that needed doing to I kissed my mother goodbye, and started this journey knowing I was unprepared. But it’s got to be done. SO, I’m going to do the best I can.”
Not for the first time Darin wondered if that was true. Was she the only person for the job, or had The Gardener run out of time? Maybe she was just the first candidate he had found. He had died literally two seconds after giving her The Seed, and Thomas and Milla wouldn’t tell her what their conversation with The Gardener had been about. They said that she would know when she needed to know. Needless to say, the human felt woefully unprepared for the task she had been given. She didn’t feel like she would ever know why it had been given to her. She just knew that it was. So, she had to do it the best she knew how.
Darin gave her head a shake, “Enough about personal history.” She held up her knife, “This is my knife. I know it’s not meant for fighting, but I have stabbed a man with it.” She shrugged, “That was an experience.”
She didn’t think the man was dead. She had stabbed him in the chest, but she had stabbed him on the wrong side to get his heart. She wasn’t trying to kill a man. She just wanted to get herself and The Seed away from him and his group of ne’er-do-wells. Was that the right word, or was bandits better? Darin didn’t know and she didn’t want to know. She just wanted a few lessons on how to use her knife better.
Darin tried to relax the way she been told. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded. She constantly felt like she was going to fall off. And every time she did, she tensed up again. Maybe if she found something to distract her. After coming to that conclusion, the human decided to study her companion. Her sword was beautiful, but Darin had to admit that she didn’t know if it was practical. She supposed it was. She couldn’t imagine this warrior having anything that wasn’t.
Darin responded to her offer as politely as she knew how, “Thank you but I have a knife. I just don’t know how to use it, so I keep it in my pack.”
Darin knew it wasn’t an impressive knife, and it certainly wasn’t made for fighting. It was on of the butcher’s knifes. It wasn’t too long, Darin felt powerful using it. She knew it wasn’t much, but she had managed to use it to get away from the people who stole her pack mule. They had been planning to do something horrible to her, and they still thought she was a boy. She shuddered at the thought of what they would do with her if they had found out she was a girl.
Darin continued, “Though if you could teach me how to use it that would be great.”
She supposed she actually had two weapons, but she wasn’t using the second one for anything. It was a seem ripper the seamstress had given her. Darin had accidently poked herself on it just by tapping the end of it. It was sharper than her knife, and Darin wanted to keep it that way. She knew that the sharper it was the easier it would be to get The Seed out. That reminded Darin.
She asked a question she didn’t think would get a straight answer, “Who are you looking for? She must be important if you’re getting visions about her. Is she some sort of Elf princess? Do Elves even have princesses?”
Darin knew she wasn’t going to get a straight answer. Why would she? The mission that Ridahne sounded super important; like hers, and she was doing her best not to talk about it. It was just that an hour was a long time to spend in silence. Darin didn’t want things to get anymore awkward than they already were. After all, she had basically agreed to this woman teaching her some self-defense. Darin looked at the frankly scary looking knifes. She wanted to come out of the training, however brief, in one piece. She knew she was going to get injured at least once, but if she was lucky it would be minor.
Darin responded to her offer as politely as she knew how, “Thank you but I have a knife. I just don’t know how to use it, so I keep it in my pack.”
Darin knew it wasn’t an impressive knife, and it certainly wasn’t made for fighting. It was on of the butcher’s knifes. It wasn’t too long, Darin felt powerful using it. She knew it wasn’t much, but she had managed to use it to get away from the people who stole her pack mule. They had been planning to do something horrible to her, and they still thought she was a boy. She shuddered at the thought of what they would do with her if they had found out she was a girl.
Darin continued, “Though if you could teach me how to use it that would be great.”
She supposed she actually had two weapons, but she wasn’t using the second one for anything. It was a seem ripper the seamstress had given her. Darin had accidently poked herself on it just by tapping the end of it. It was sharper than her knife, and Darin wanted to keep it that way. She knew that the sharper it was the easier it would be to get The Seed out. That reminded Darin.
She asked a question she didn’t think would get a straight answer, “Who are you looking for? She must be important if you’re getting visions about her. Is she some sort of Elf princess? Do Elves even have princesses?”
Darin knew she wasn’t going to get a straight answer. Why would she? The mission that Ridahne sounded super important; like hers, and she was doing her best not to talk about it. It was just that an hour was a long time to spend in silence. Darin didn’t want things to get anymore awkward than they already were. After all, she had basically agreed to this woman teaching her some self-defense. Darin looked at the frankly scary looking knifes. She wanted to come out of the training, however brief, in one piece. She knew she was going to get injured at least once, but if she was lucky it would be minor.
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