LadyAnnaLee

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin nodded, “Good night Ridahne. I will see you tomorrow.” As the warrior left Darin turned to Ravi, “Where do I sleep?”

Ravi sighed, “This way Seed-Bearer.” As they walked, he asked, “Was that necessary Darin?”

She didn’t hesitate, “Yes Ravi, it was. We couldn’t keep running from each other.”

Ravi sighed, “In front of everybody?”

Darin shrugged, “Probably not. But we do not get to pick the location of our battles. We simply fight them when they come.”

Ravi opened a door, “I suppose that is true.” He nodded in the open room, “Here you are.”

Darin smiled, “Thank you. Good night Ravi.”

The Overseer left, “Good night Darin.”

The human placed her fiddle on the small table before falling on the bed. She fell asleep almost instantly. As she slept The Tree reached out to her. It was a continuation of the lessons Darin had learned earlier in the day. The Tree needed to make sure she had all the information before she left The Farm. The Seed-Bearer had been assigned an impossible task. She would not be sent out unprepared. She was loved and she needed to know that. The Tree woke the girl just in time for her to hear the first rooster call the rising of the sun. Darin smiled as she looked out the window. Ridahne claimed she wasn’t going to rise early. Darin always knew she would be up with the sun. This was The Farm and she was a farmer. It was inevitable.

Darin looked at the Worker uniform she was wearing. She grabbed the hat on the hook by the door and then snuck out the window. She was going to attempt to simply join the Workers in the day’s labors. She wasn’t sure how well it would work, but she was going to try. There was a group of them gathered together. Darin kept to the edge of the group. She then followed them to weed carrots. He was good work, and Darin found herself smiling as she worked in the dirt. She had no idea if she was hiding properly or if they were just pretending that they didn’t recognized her. Darin wasn’t sure she cared. She just lost herself in the farm work. It felt like home.

Darin worked with the others until lunch. Then she saw Talbot watching her from the edge of the field. He looked towards a spot in the distance and then back towards her. She furrowed her brow in question. It seemed like the horse had something he wanted to tell her. Without speaking to anyone Darin headed towards Talbot. NO one tried to stop her. Well, that answered that question. People were pretended they didn’t know who she was. Talbot bent his knees so Darin could get on. She then let him carry her away from the carrots. They walked for a moment before he stopped. Darin slipped down to see what Talbot was concerned with. Her attention was drawn by a shriek.

Darin smiled, “Why hello there beautiful. What happen?”

It was some type of bird of prey. Darin almost wanted to say it was a hawk. The poor creatures wing was broken. Darin had rehabilitated crows and sparrows before. She wondered how much different healing a hawk would be. She obviously was going to do her best. She didn’t think Talbot brought her to just look at the poor bird. Darin was glad she was wearing thick work gloves. She carefully picked the hawk up. She was not surprised when he lashed out. She managed to avoid terrible injuries, but he did get a talon across her cheekbone.

Darin scowled, “Now that’s not nice! I’m just trying to help you silly!” The bird quieted down, “That’s better. Come on. Let’s go see what Ravi has to set that wing. Maybe he can tell me what you eat too.” She looked at the sun, “And hopefully Ridahne is up now.” She smiled at the hawk, “Maybe we can get her to weed carrots.”

That didn’t actually sound like a half bad idea. Darin had tasted a bit of Ridahne’s warrior lifestyle back in Grey Rock when Mark attacked them. Maybe the Elf could see just a little bit of being what a farmer was all about. Still, Darin couldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to. Darin wrinkled her nose. She could feel blood dripping down her face from the injury the hawk had lashed out. She scowled at the thought of both Ravi and Ridahne freaking out about the minor wound. The most it would do would scar. That was not Darin’s biggest concern. She still had all her fingers. Talbot walked next to her as the headed back towards the Main Farmhouse. She didn’t feel comfortable trying to ride while holding the injured animal. She was glad Talbot understood that.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Okay. Cool. Thank you. I'm away from my computer until the evening, but I should get you a post sometime today.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Okay. Good. No stressing about how often you post. I will survive less frequent posting. And now for a question about the role-play. What does Ridahne mean when she says "all three." I'm probably just tired (You aren't getting a post tonight. I really should be sleeping right now) but I cannot figure it out.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

You do know that posting isn't worth injuring your hands with which you make a living right? I mean I like it when you post, but if it means you can't do your job I understand. I just get paranoid when I don't hear from people I'm in regular contact with. I tend to think the worst.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

This is just me checking to make sure you're okay. Are you okay?

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin paused to think about what Ridahne had said. She raised a good point. It wasn’t like Ridahne should be allowed to wander about unpunished after murdering someone. That wasn’t what Darin had been trying to say at all. Though that still left Darin with a question; a question she had asked before but didn’t receive a proper answer to. She slowly stood from where she was kneeling. She thought she might ask the question again. This Ridahne might just have to answer this time.

Darin slowly moved back to the table with her fiddle on it, “You’re right. Murder cannot go unpunished. So, I’ll ask again. Were you due to be executed for the innocents or the liar? If the answer was the innocents or both than I owe you an apology. I judged the Sols too quickly. But if you if the only answer you can honestly give is the liar, then perhaps you do not know the Sols as well as you might wish you did.” She carefully locked the case, “Then again, I’m sure there is more to this story than more than either of us know; more than anyone but the Sols know.” She turned to smile at the Elf over her shoulder, “You’ll have to forgive me though. I tend to be possessive of what, or rather, who, I consider to belong to me.” She shrugged, “I also tend to not like people who hurt my people.”

From the corner her eye Darin spotted the shattered cup. It felt so good at the time. Now it just felt childish and stupid. Well, Mama did say she needed to learn to clean up her own messes. Darin moved from the table to bend down and start picking up pieces of the broken cup. She waved away the hands of the Worker that came to help her. The Workers were still staring at her in shock. She wasn’t surprised. She was beginning to think that the Workers had built her up to be some sort of idol. Now that she had proven that she wasn’t they didn’t know what to make of her. She was okay with that. She wasn’t sure what to make of most people. Then again, she wasn’t sure people were meant to be understood. At least she hoped that people weren’t meant to make sense. It made her feel better to think that.

As she picked up pieces she spoke, “Life is hard Ridahne. I’m only nineteen and I already know that. Life isn’t meant to be easy. I sincerely doubt your life was any easier than mine, and I doubt my life was any easier than yours; just a bunch of different hardships. I’m not sure I could live the life you’ve lived or make the choices you’ve had to make. Then again, could you say you could make the choices I’ve had to make?” She sighed, “I had a point.” She smiled lightly, “See? I do it too; ramble and hope that something makes sense sooner or later.”

She finished picking up the pieces she could get with her bare hands. She managed to cut herself a few times, but Darin paid no attention to that. It wasn’t the first time she had suffered such minor injuries to her hands from picking things up that she shouldn’t really pick up. She doubted it would be the last. She supposed that there was a metaphor in there somewhere about making choice you knew what hurt you, but she was honestly far too tired to think of them at the moment. She was far too tired in general right now. Her crazed descent down the hill, her interaction with The Tree, the dancing, the fiddle, and now this conversation with Ridahne; they were all exhausting in their own way. Perhaps Ravi was right. Maybe she should have gone to bed. She walked back over to Ridahne with her cupped hands.

She spoke simply, “Though, like it or not, we are in this honorless task, and I do promise that it is a task without honor, together now. If we do not learn how to at least not end every night without a fight we are in for a very long tip that might just end up with one or both of us dead and Astra doomed. So, for the sake of both our sanity, I promise not to insult, scoff at, belittle, or imply I don’t like, the Sols. I will do my best to not make light of the things that are important to you, and to take the things you take seriously, seriously. In return I need you to think about the fact that I told you I needed you to treat me like Darin and, at least from my point of view, you treat me as incapable, a child, or some sort of royalty. I may not know how to survive on the road, but I do know how to take care of myself. I may not be an adult, but I stopped being a child long ago. I maybe the Seed-Bearer, but I will always be a farmer; not a queen, not a princess, a farmer, and by The Tree, a stubborn one.” She smiled lightly, “Maybe that’s why it really bothered me; not me thinking they are dishonorable, which may or may not be true, I do not know for sure. But because I am not a ruler. I will never be a ruler. Even The Gardener was not a ruler.” She moved back to the table and let the shards fall on the table, “At this point I have nothing left to say. Do you?”

Darin didn’t think there was anything more to say. She desperately just wanted to sleep. She might sneak away from the table to go sleep with Talbot. She couldn’t do that yet though. She needed to give Ridahne a chance to answer what she had to say. Communication had to go both ways. Darin had done her best to express her points of view clearly. Now she had to listen carefully. If she didn’t, she might miss something, and that was the last thing she wanted. They had to figure out how to live together. If things went the way they were supposed to they would be living together for a very, very long time.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Hello! I read your post (Loved it BTW) and my mind immediately went in a million different directions. I have to think about what direction to go in because I want to write Darin a a growing source of wisdom and as a petty teenage girl because, at this point in her life, she is both. If that makes sense. Unfortunately finding the right balance is proving harder than I thought. In addition, because my lying boss (Not really my boss. He's filling in while my boss is out on medical leave. My real boss is awesome.) is a liar who lies, I have to work tonight which I never planned to do and usually NEVER have to do. So, I'm not sure when I'll get you a post. The earliest will be Saturday night. The latest will be super early Monday morning. I'm kindly asking for your forgiveness for this delay. I love this story and don't want to stop. Just FYI.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Suddenly, without warning, Darin slammed the lid of her case closed. In an effort to remain calm she took several deep breathes. The human was unsuccessful. Suddenly, without warning, Darin had grabbed a cup of something and sent it hurling across the room. Thankfully the girl was uncoordinated, had terrible aim, and wasn’t really aiming at anyone in particular to begin with. Everybody in the way managed to get out of the say to have the cup bounce off the floor to chatter as it hit the way. There were pieces of ceramic everywhere. The Workers all stared at The Seed Bearer in pure shock; alarmed that she could even get that angry.

Ravi started, “Well, you girls, have had a long couple of days, perhaps,”

Darin’s voice was cold, “No.” Her voice was not elevated, just cold and relentless, “This time I don’t run. This time we settle this.” She turned to look Ridahne dead in the eye, “I can recall saying I know you meant me no insult. Do you recall that?” It was rhetorical and the human continued without waiting for an answer, “As for one person damaging the word, I count five!” Her hand was up to count. Her thumb went up, “One who abused her power for selfish and evil reasons, and.” The rest of her fingers came up, “Four who would have killed you for doing the right thing simply because it was dishonorable! And the fact that you were willing to die for doing it is more telling than you know! It means a whole culture chooses honor over what’s right.” She was earnest, “There was evil in Azurei, and The Tree.”

Ravi tried to cut in, “Darin you shouldn’t.”

For the first time Darin yelled as her head snapped around to glare at the Overseer, “NO!” Her voice returned to being cold, “I made a mistake. I Chained Ridahne to The Seed and that was a mistake; a mistake I cannot undo! So, I will tell her this truth, even if I never tell her what else I have learned today!”

Darin turned her gaze back to Ridahne. In a few swift steps she was in front of where the Elf was sitting. In another movement she was kneeling to look up to make eye contact with eh warrior. Her hands reached up to take her companion’s. Her voice went from cold to earnest.

Darin spoke and everyone somehow knew it was true, “There was evil in Azurei. The Tree, The Tree cannot actively fight against evil. It never could. The Tree can only encourage good thoughts and send inspiration to encourage righteous choices. Its influence is lessening as it dies, but that’s all it could ever do. No one in power was listening to The Tree’s subtle suggestions. No one, that is, except you. Your power was limited. Who would listen to you when it was your word against a Sol’s? So, you did what you could, and successfully got rid of the evil. Then, instead of admitting there was a stain in their courts, they took the easy route, and sentenced you to die; citing dishonor. Four of them came together to uphold the honor of a dead evil. So, The Tree sent you to me. And while we don’t really get along, I am so glad it’s someone who understands that honor means nothing when compared to doing what’s right. Because I swear to you now; this task never was and never will be about honor. So, please, I beg you Ridahne Torzinei Seed-Chained, do not seek to honor me when I know for fact that you value doing what is right more than honor.” She paused and shook her head once, “And please, do not be afraid to speak you mind. Just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t mean what you have to say is wrong.” She looked down as her hands slowly started to fall, “I make mistakes as well.”

Darin fell silent. She was unaware that the Workers were frozen in place; unsure if they should leave or not. Against Darin’s thigh The Seed burned. In the distance The Tree rustled contrary to the wind. If the human had been paying attention, she might have felt a sense of amused pride coming from The Seed. As it was, she was silent; waiting for Ridahne to speak her mind. They were never going to make it anywhere if they kept fighting with each other or remained silent in fear they offended the other. They were stuck with each other for a long time; longer if Darin truly succeeded. They needed to learn to talk with each other. The sooner the better.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Thanks for letting me know there will be a delay. I look forward to your post. (In a non-pressuring type way.)

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin stared at Ridahne with wide eyes. Her first instinct was to protest; to scream and run as she had the other times she had disagreed with the Azurei warrior. She couldn’t do that now. Darin wanted to move passed the screaming and the yelling. Darin forced herself to take a few deep breathes as she smiled weakly and let Ridahne’s hand fall from hers. Slowly, Darin turned make to her way back to the table with the case and fiddle on it. Carefully she put the bow away, made sure the fiddle was properly detuned, and closed the case.

She surprised herself by speaking in a calm low voice, “Do not call me that again. I am not a Sol. I have no desire to be a woman who values honor above what’s right.” She kept her eyes firmly on the table, “I know you mean no insult, and I have no desire to insult you. But still, this isn’t a journey or honor’s sake, or even a journey for power. This is to do what is right; for all the people of Astra. A such I refused to be compared to a group of women, who as far as I can see, value honor above what is right.” Darin closed her eyes as she slowly shook her head, “If you must use a title to refer to me use the one I already have. I am Seed-Bearer Darin, and quite honestly that is enough. It is more than enough.”

Darin’s eyes were still firmly closed as her fists slowly clenched on top of the table. She wasn’t sure she meant to say that out loud, but she was glad she said it. Even better she didn’t yell so that was a big plus. She was afraid of how Ridahne might react. She knew the Elf had mean no harm, but Ridahne did have a temper. Darin didn’t even think Ridahne could deny that. Darin didn’t mind admitting, at least to herself, that she was worried about how the next part of the conversation went. It’s just she couldn’t be a Sol. She couldn’t be compared to those women that had banished an Agent of The Tree, the only person in all of Azurei capable of listening and acting that listened and acted, simply because of honor. There had been evil in that land. Darin had learned that today. There had been evil, Ridahne had stopped it, she should not have suffered for that. So no, Darin refused to be a Sol.

Darin didn’t mention playing for Ridahne on the road. This piece of the conversation was far to important. Besides, the fiddle had been her father’s Darin didn’t really like to touch it unless her mother asked her to play. Ravi wasn’t going to take no for an answer, but Darin wasn’t sure she could play as often as her traveling companion might request. She didn’t want to make promises that she simply couldn’t keep. Darin was well aware of most of her shortcomings. Her inability to think of her father without wanting to throttle the man was one of them, She supposed that if she was going to one day be Gardener, the very symbol of wisdom, goodness, and righteousness, she might want to get over that sooner rather than later. She had been trying for years. It didn’t look like it was going to happen anytime soon.