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Chapter 13

Leland grumbled at the head of the wagon. All around him, he felt forces beyond his control. An unusual feeling as he was mostly accustomed to abiding by his own time and rule. It was almost irritating. Though, he never wanted to refer to it as such. It was more akin to a sense of helplessness. But, even that was not completely accurate.

He got his sweet bread in the end. All two pieces of it. Both of which were cold. He had expected a tedious task when he took on Leonora’s request, but this was simply ridiculous. She would have to pay a little more when the time came. When had he become so easily changed? So easily taken advantage of that he now found himself chauffeuring a pair of ill prepared women to the capital? He especially did not look forward to preparing them both for the trials. If the events in Angoulet did not tell him of their green spirits, then the past several hours definitely had.

From the northern realm, all roads that lead south to Gracewind eventually melded when they came upon the Verani Mountains. There, the fertile lowlands flooded into a web of valleys, all of which were walled in by steep rock faces. While the greenery remained, the land rose into high places where woodland became far more abundant. And, even higher than them was the singular summit that stood over all as a marker, whose peak was tipped with perpetual frost. Now, it is called the Graycliffe, for the clouds that hover around it and bend its snowy color from the air.

Ezabel had always wondered at the extraordinary monolith. Even from her faraway village of Alm, she could see its impossible size in the distance. A point on the horizon whose height could not be matched by the peaks around it. And, even in youth, she imagined the wondrous places that lay on the other side. Since her eyes could not help, only her books could tell her of them. All of which spoke of the magnificent city of Gracewind, and of the cherished heroes that protected its land.

Now, it was all in reach, separated only by a rocky path and several day’s journey. Until then, they moved at a steady pace along the Windroad. The furthest reaches of it at least. In proper places, it would have been paved with white stone and flanked by tall lanterns. They were, of course, not in the proper place. They were barely at the edge.

Fortunately, Ezabel and Dani had not even noticed. Should they have realized they arrived on such a landmark, their eyes would have surely fell out of the wagon. But for now, in the back, they remained enthralled by a map set between them. Leland had hoped that it would keep them quiet, but it only furthered their enthusiasm. It had become apparent that they had only seen maps of the north until now. To have such a detailed depiction of the entire realm of Ardyn only served to run their collective curiosity into a frenzy.

“Hey, the roads get steep around here. Sit tight and don’t go falling out the back!”, Leland shouted.

He hunched forward and rested his cheek against his fist, where the reins dangled lazily. It did not matter what he said then. No words other than their own could reach the two. They shared their stories, more than what they already had until then. Dani had come from a hamlet to the west of Angoulet. It was named Hollowsong and did not stand any different from the other homely places of the northern realm. Though, they were mostly lumberers and not farmers.

Ezabel and Dani looked upon their common home very little when it came to the map, which labeled it ‘Vostia’. In fact, there were four regions that were in bold. The lands directly south of Vostia were named ‘Melle’, where Gracewind stood among clean plains and soft streams. Directly east of the capital, and somewhat in the center of the map, was the region of ‘Caellum’. It was more commonly referred to as the ‘Valley of Lords’ and its numerous cities sat right on the shores of the Amber Sea. The last of the four was merely an entry on the edge of the map that read ‘To Irora’. The words sat right in the middle of the Amber Sea and were accompanied by an arrow that pointed east. - Together, they composed the kingdom of Ardyn, whose borders stretched to the furthest reaches of each of its regions.

It was safe to say, however, that most of their attention was fixed upon Melle. If not for the fact that it was their destination, then for the fact that it was the largest of the four. Being the home of the capital meant that it was busy beyond expectation. Even its rural corners saw an abundance of traffic. To be frank, their eager voices had become a hulk of noise that festered beyond recognition. For Leland, it went in one ear and left out of the other. A constant drone that--.

The wagon suddenly rolled over a large stone and kicked itself a foot into the air. Leland lost his seat and slid over an inch or two, barely an inconvenience. However, the rear whipped high and fell back onto the path. Ezabel and Dani shrieked as they were jumbled about within the confines of the wagon and its cover. Their bags were tossed up and emptied. Everything spilled forth and blanketed the wagon, where they fell in unison.

Leland grinned. He should have paid more attention to the road. Who knows how many rocks he missed before then.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

°°

The steepness of the Verani Mountains came early. Thankfully, having two horses pull their wagon had made the path less of a climb. The real difficulty came in navigating a road that bent often. The farmlands of Vostia were far behind them, still visible, but had been slowly obscured by the woods they passed. It was a thin brush but no less apparent than the rocky slopes beyond them.

Midday had gone and Ezabel found herself leaning over the front edge of the wagon, just over the driver bench. The wagon’s cover had encompassed either side of it, making it so that her choice of view was between the cart’s front or rear. Dani had fallen asleep and went unbothered for the last hour, which afforded a rare slice of silence to their troupe. Not that she was wholly responsible for the previous noise. Leland kept at the helm, pleasant and unbothered. Ezabel began to fidget.

“Why did you pick me?”, she asked.

“Hm?”, Leland looked over his shoulder with a perked brow, only to turn back to the road. “I heard about what you did when that thing attacked Angoulet. It sounded like you had some potential to me.”

“How did you hear about it?”

“Same as most, I guess. The candidates who came to the capital from Angoulet. None of them would stop talking about it. - Your name is getting around pretty quickly in Gracewind.”

“W-what?”, she perked up.

“I suppose you have a few expectations to live up to. - You’re not nervous, are you?”

“I think I’m starting to be..”, Ezabel rubbed her head. “I can hardly remember what happened or how I did any of it. Do you think I can really make it all the way through?”

“You have a good sword arm, I’ll admit. But, there’s a lot more to an Attendant than that. - A whole lot of things. And, you lack in most of them.”

“How do you know that? You haven’t seen much of anything from me.”

“Judging by the way you reacted to those guys in the pub? I’d say I know a lot about you already.”

“I handled those guys pretty well on my own!”

“You overreacted to a comment they made to themselves. I’d say you were pretty dumb. - Then there’s the fact that you know almost nothing of the world around you.”

Ezabel opened her mouth to reply, only to realize that for the past hour or two, her entire conversation with Dani had encompassed their very excitement for places they had never even heard of. They pointed across every interesting name on the map, imagining like children about what they believed them to look like. There was no denying her inexperience. If only she listened to Bastion about being learned in history and geography. Maybe she could have saved herself from the embarrassment.

“Should I mention the fact that you also carry around children’s books?”, Leland added. “What’s that about? You better not tell me you believe in them.”

“Should I not? They’re important pieces of the Order’s history!”

“If I’m the first to burst your bubble, then I apologize in advance. - Every single one of those stories are so embellished that it’s funny.”

A part of her knew that Leland was right. Her books were not historical accounts, after all. They were stories to be told by the fire, under the stars, and to easy ears. Yet, she could not forget them so easily. Not when her family had spent so much time swaddled in their comfort. Even in her young adult age, she chose to hold on tight to their sentimental value. They were a piece of home. Was it a mistake? Only time would tell.

“One last thing.”

Ezabel looked his way. His eyes kept forward on the road.

“You let your confidence fall too easily by the words of others. - Just trust in yourself. It’s that simple.”

Again, she could not see his face, but his tone lifted into a pleasant space. At first, she believed he was at the beginning of a scolding. To bring light to all of her faults, and to the very reasons as to why she would not succeed in the capital. Yet, she smiled lightly. There was solace in his last comment. He was not trying to vindicate his place in the conversation, he was starting them down the rest of their path.

“Y’know, I thought you were a creep at first, but you really aren’t! - I’ll be sure to listen well and work hard to fix all of that, captain!”, she responded with a hardy nod.

“I’m not your captain..”, he muttered.

Her words only served to wring a twitch out of his eye. There was something nerve wracking about her enthusiasm. As if it was the calling card of a wild inconvenience, or a full on disaster.

That is when they entered into the shadow of the Graycliffe and the woods beside them began to close in on the trail. The sun may have hung high, but the shade remained strong. Had this route been less traveled, it would have surely been a questionable place to be. Luckily, it was the Windroad, the primary highway that linked every region of Ardyn. Even here in the wilds, its name offered security.

Ezabel knew nothing of the dangers of travel, of course. So, her surprise was well founded when Leland handed a dagger her way. It was unlike those she had seen in the casual days of her village. This one was curved. And, though it was sheathed, she knew then that it had a single edge. It was housed within a thin, dusky scabbard that seemed to be black once before. Faded similarly, were the dark cords that wrapped around the handle of the weapon. It was altogether peculiar.

“Is this the dagger you took from that sellsword?”, she asked.

“It is. - Hold onto it. I don’t expect much to happen out here. But then again, I can’t have you be completely helpless now, can I?”

When she took it, her first glance fell against its striking design. It was not sloppy or hastily made. Even with her lack of understanding, she drew the blade and found it to be surprisingly light. Its edge shone against the sun as she tilted it to and from. Newer parties would believe the dagger to be brand new, fresh off of the forge. There was not a spec of rust or dirt. Not even a dent, nor a chip on its body. - Ezabel nodded and returned the blade to its sheath.

“Fancy lookin’. I wonder where it came from.”, she commented.

“As long as it’s sharp, it doesn’t matter.

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