Elyriel drank in the sights of the city as she strolled through it. She could count her visits to Trinsic on one hand, and the place always fascinated her. Stopping by the bank, she worked her way through a crowd of citizens and merchants to ask the town crier about Wraith. He suggested she start at Paladin’s Isle. Nodding and thanking him, she set out south past the city hall. Her trained senses immediately alerted her to a man who discretely followed her out of the crowd. Casually looking up at the hall as she passed, she glanced back quickly to observe him. Tall, light hair, black hat and cloak… She recognized him from Yew, and her mind began searching for a name. Wen? Ah yes, Sundad Wen.
Turning her gaze back to the street, she continued to make her way toward the Isle, her hand resting on the pommel of the mace hanging from her belt. She reminded herself that she was in a city now – and Wen was one of Trinsic’s warriors. Let him follow her if he chose. She’d done nothing wrong.
She made her way to the Isle, noting that Wen stopped on the bridge behind her. Shrugging to herself, she continued to the great hall and asked one of the paladins on duty about Wraith. He politely informed her that the mayor had left in the company of a page, heading south he thought. Thanking him, she retraced her path across the bridge, seeing Wen innocently standing closer to the smithy and making a show of cleaning his fingernails. A quick glance around the area confirmed that others were watching as well. She noted two men nearby who obviously waited on Wen for a signal. Sighing inwardly, she knew they weren’t going to keep tailing her. She stepped off the bridge and turned to her left.
Moving quickly, they accosted her just outside Keg. Elly calmly complied as Wen ordered her to halt, keeping her hands carefully away from her weapons. A tiny voice reprimanded her for stabling Sylvan, but she ignored it. The guards are here to protect, she sternly reminded herself. She focused on Wen’s frowning face and the other warriors as they took up positions to either side of him, cutting off any avenue of escape.
Stepping forward, Wen demanded to know if she were a member of the Covenant. The question made her blink in surprise. Maybe he knew something about her former ties to them. Maintaining a non-threatening pose, Elly sized the three men up, deciding to strike out at the one on the left if it came to a fight. Coolly, she asked him why he wanted to know. Frowning more, he informed her that members of the Brood weren’t permitted in the city.
Elly chuckled quietly and tried to put the men at ease. “I am not of the Covenant, sir. Tis midafternoon, and I don’t even have a hat…”
“Do not mock me!” Wen barked. Elly frowned deeply as her mirth vanished. She shifted her weight slightly, centering her mass over the balls of her feet. This wasn’t good. “I am VERY serious,” he continued. “And you damn well better not be.”
“Since when has Trinsic been so hostile to visitors?” Elly reverted to that same cool voice. She tried to contain her irritation – nothing warranted this kind of treatment!
Wen smirked. “I’m not at all hostile yet.” His hand twitched on the sheathed sword at his hip. The man on the right chimed in, “Since the visitors began to prey upon the innocent.”
Ahh. Someone’s been stirring the pot, she thought to herself. I’d best smooth this over before it gets ugly. She let out a small sigh. “Trouble brews here as well? And I thought Yew was bad.”
“Nay,” Wen answered. “We keep our streets clean, that’s all.” He pointedly shifted the sword sheath. He held her gaze for a minute longer, then declared. “Well, you may go.”
A dismissal? She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Hm. Thank you… I think.” She tilted her head, taking in all three men. “I was looking for the mayor actually.”
A young man in a page’s uniform stopped as he saw the four of them. Hearing her, he stepped closer, looking at the three guards in brief puzzlement. “Who ye looking for, miss?” he addressed her politely.
Thank the gods, she breathed quietly. The three guards all relaxed a bit, seeming to decide that she wasn’t a threat. “John Wraith,” she replied, the ice gone from her tone.
“Oh! The mayor. I just saw him.”
Elly let her gaze meet Sundad’s. “I was hoping to find him. He’s a friend of mine.” Just a slight stress on the word “friend”.
“Ye want I should go fetch him?” the page asked. “He’s over at the Inn. I can go tell him… whom should I say is asking?”
Elly smiled at him. “Elyriel Winters. And thank you.”
He nodded and trotted off down the road. Folding her arms, Elly backed a step and leaned against the tavern wall, watching the three guards standing around her. They all seemed a little uncertain about what to do next. Finally, Wen turned to the man on his left and asked about another comrade of theirs. Listening to them idly, Elly tried to control the sudden pounding of her heart. The guards’ reaction to her had only made her alert and ready – the realization that she was about to see Wraith again filled her with an odd nervousness. What would she say to him?
She didn’t have time to answer that. A moment later, he came around the corner and walked steadily up the street toward them. Elly pushed off the wall and stood up straight, the sight of his dark hair and polished armor sending a warm flush through her. She couldn’t help but smile when his face lit up at seeing her. He nodded to the guards as he passed, and Elly only distantly noted them disappearing back into the city.
“Good eve, John,” she said quietly. She wondered at the way her hands shook, and she clasped them behind her back, falling into a soldier’s “at ease”.
He smiled warmly. “Finally made it south, have ye?” His eyes never left hers. “Tis good to see ye.”
She chuckled softly, trying to ignore the feelings stirred by that look. “Aye. I’m glad you were about. I fear I riled the local guard when I arrived.”
“Oh?” He seemed genuinely surprised, looking up the road where the three had vanished. “Well I shall have to have them beaten.” He looked back to her and grinned.
Again, that sense of humor, she thought. Her smile grew. She decided she liked that about him. It was an interesting change from their days in Winterfell – she wasn’t his squire anymore, she was a peer. “Beatings aren’t really your style,” she replied with a hint of teasing. A little light banter wasn’t a bad idea.
Wraith shrugged some. “They likely just saw ye in Yew and were uncertain what to make of ye here.” He smiled again. “But ye’re in my ‘custody’ now. Care to step inside for a drink with me?” Fidgeting some, she nodded and followed him inside.
He waved her to a table at the back of the room. “Over by the fire is nice.” While she made her way past the other patrons, he stopped by the bar and purchased a bottle of wine and a plate of various breads and cheeses. Elly watched him cross to the table and returned his smile as he sat across from her. She ran a hand through her hair and tried to steady herself as he pried at the bottle’s cork with his belt-knife.
“I’d forgotten how long the ride was from Britain, ” she managed to say in idle conversation. So many words crowded her head, but where to start?
He smiled as the cork popped free. “Aye, it can be a daunting one.” Pouring two glasses, he slid one across the table to her. He picked up a small chunk of cheese and gestured to the plate as he sipped his wine. “So… how are ye?”
She took a small drink, savoring the flavor and buying herself a moment to organize her jumbled thoughts. “Hm. Well enough some days… Others?” She shrugged a little.
He considered that for a moment, watching her. A very quiet thought popped up in the back of her mind. He knows something is wrong already. She took another sip of wine, trying to mask the trembling of her hand.
“The city suits ye well,” he remarked quietly. “Though I must admit, ye do outshine it.”
Her gaze flickered to his and found only sincerity there. A blush warmed her face. How did he always find a way to do that to her? She forced a chuckle. “I’m just one warrior amongst many here… and most better than me.” She grinned.
“Considering who trained ye,” he paused, taking a sip of wine while watching her over the rim of the glass. “… I doubt that.”
She chuckled again. “I’ve learned a few tricks since our last sparring session. You might be surprised.”
“Pleasantly, I’m certain,” he answered with a smile. “But I fear old dogs like myself and Xavier are due for the retirement home.” His smile turned self-mocking.
Elly laughed lightly. “Neither of you are ready for retirement.”
His smile faded. Leaning forward, he brushed his hair back, revealing the grey that was creeping into the dark around his temples. “These are different times now,” he said quietly, a sudden melancholy coloring his tone. “With many different rules.” He looked down into his wineglass. “Though tis a shame, I fear we may have outlived our usefulness.” Lifting the glass, he took a long swallow.
Elly sat quietly and studied him. First cheerful banter and now this? The shadows in his gaze when his eyes met hers again sent a fearful twinge through her. He has been under a lot of strain lately, she reminded herself. But she couldn’t escape the feeling that this sudden turn was her fault. Something about her presence cheered him as much as it saddened him. “In some ways, aye,” she answered quietly. “But twill always be a need for men like you.” She tried to find a teasing smile again. “The ‘youngsters’ of the world need someone a bit more level-headed.”
He grumbled, but a tiny glint of humor lit his eyes again. “They need someone to make decisions for them. Bunch of ‘em couldn’t think their way out of a Jhelom whore-house.” He flashed a quick smile. “Here at least there is still a bastion of sanity.”
Elly nodded. “Aye, Trinsic always seems to hold strong.” She looked down to the glass in her hands, twisting the stem and watching the glimmer of candlelight off the dark red liquid. A good city, she thought to herself. Good people… A sharp pain made her bite her lip. I don’t belong here.
“Good foundations, I think,” Wraith broke into her thoughts, popping a piece of bread into his mouth. After swallowing he added, “Not to mention she’s been burned before… literally.” He set his wineglass down and folded his arms on the tabletop. Ducking his head slightly, he caught her gaze and brought her chin up again. “What is it, Elly? Ye can be straight with me.”
She sighed. “I DID come for a reason…” She watched as he refilled their glasses and then sat back to listen to her again. She wrestled briefly with uncertainty, but the emptiness tore at her again. Softly, she began to speak, her eyes down on the tabletop between them. “Tis few people I know and trust anymore, John… Especially when I need advice.” She took a slow sip of wine, considering her next words. Setting the glass down, she looked at him directly again. “You know what knighthood meant to me, aye?” He nodded, and she couldn’t mistake the understanding in his eyes. She nodded slightly herself. “… Twas a driving force in my life. A dream… a goal.” Sighing, she let her gaze drop to the table. “I don’t know. But since leaving Winterfell… I’ve just… well… drifted.” Drawing a breath, she met his eyes again. “I still try to follow the path of a knight, but I lack a direction. A purpose.” Frowning in frustration, she asked, “Does that make any sense?”
Wraith smiled faintly and nodded. “Many good people have found themselves on that road. Myself included.” Folding his arms on the table again, he leaned onto them. “Being a knight at its very core, is about being a good and decent person. I always told ye there was more to it than just hacking and slashing down enemies.”
Nodding some, Elly thought that over a moment. “I try to follow the things I was taught.” She fiddled with her glass, cradling it in her hands. “And those that I know are right. Tis the only comfort I have anymore.” She took another sip.
“There will be others,” he said with soft encouragement. “The life of a knight is a rough road indeed. The combination of a man who rides into battle, the taste of blood on his lips… and the warrior poet, lost in his thoughts over right and wrong. Just hoping when all is said and done, there is still a place for him in the world.”
She looked up at him, catching that melancholic undertone again. Her breath caught quietly at the countless stories shining in his eyes just then. A life that extended back so much further than the time she had known him. Her heart warmed a little, knowing he understood her confusion completely. “Tis never easy, is it?”
“Nay. But if it were easy, everyone would be a knight,” he replied with a slight smile. He trailed off, his gaze drifting to the fire as his thoughts turned to his own inner turmoil. Elly just watched him quietly for a moment. Something tugged at her heart, seeing him like this. She watched the play of the firelight over his cheeks and brow, the reddish tint reflecting off the black mirror of his hair. How similar they were…
He shook his head slightly and looked back to her with a little smile. The sadness had left his voice and only lingered faintly in his eyes. “So, what are yer plans?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t made any plans yet. After escorting caravans, I’m certainly ready for something new.” A slight grin.
His smile turned soft. “Ye know, ye could always stay here with me… erm, in Trinsic.” He blushed a little at the slip.
Elly caught her breath. Gods, she breathed quietly, his mind really WAS drifting! She answered with a small smile. “Tis always an option.” And she had to admit to herself that the thought was rather pleasant.
Still flushed, he pushed his wineglass back and stood up quickly. “Ahem… Perhaps I could show ye around town?”
Her smile grew. “Please.” Rising from the table, she fell into step beside him.
The city was quiet in the early hours of dusk. A few citizens still flitted through the broad streets, but most of them seemed to be hurrying home. Men tottering over the sandstone cobbles on posts strapped to their feet – Wraith called them stilts – were lighting lanterns as the sun sank below the horizon. He took her by a few of the city’s landmarks, noting their history and current use. They eventually stopped in the yard of the city barracks, and Elly looked around with an impressed nod. Even the training grounds were clean and strictly laid out.
Just beyond the archery range, Wraith beckoned for her to follow him, his monologue ending abruptly. Curious, she trailed after him as he picked his way down a small hill and out onto a jut of land that looked out over the sea. He stooped to pick up a stone and cast it out into the water. Elly whistled softly as she scanned the distant horizon. “A lovely view of the bay,” she said softly, soaking in the sight. The sky was deeply purple with the last rays of daylight fading behind them. Low in the sky, the first stars began to peek out.
“Tis usually a quiet place to think and relax,” Wraith answered quietly. He stood with his back to her, taking in the view as well. Glancing at him, Elly could see the tension in his shoulders. He turned sharply, and she caught the faintest hint of indecision in his eyes. “Well… let us continue.”
He led her back into the city and across the bridge to Paladin’s Isle again. He told her about the building of the great hall and the library, pointing out the gardens and gesturing toward the shrine. Elly looked up at the hall and smiled.
“I love coming here,” she told him. “Twas always a dream of mine to come and see the Hall. Ever since I was a child.”
He made a slow survey of the yard. “Most of my dreams were far from the life that chose me.” He paused quietly then sighed and shrugged a bit.
“Truly so different?”
He started at the sound of her voice. “I always wanted to be a fisherman, actually.” He grinned at her faintly. “Just me and the sea.” His gaze drifted toward the ocean that could be heard crashing against the rocks not too far away. “There just was always something else to do…” He shook his head sharply. “Moving right along…”
Elly watched as he strode past her. The melancholy returned in force, she thought as she fell in behind him again. What makes him so sad? Leaving the war in Yew unfinished? She watched and listened vaguely as he pointed out Lord Cornigan’s home, her thoughts spinning slowly. He’s lonely, she decided. Dreadfully lonely. The realization turned some of her inner doubt to worry for him. But at the same time, it made her heart ache more.
“… he does well for himself – far better than my meager holdings here.”
Elly snapped herself from her thoughts. “Meager?” She tried to jest for both their sakes. “Surely the city takes care of her mayor?”
He only shrugged. “I don’t need much. Come along, I’ll show you.” He led her down a block past the healers and stopped outside a two-story building. Elly looked up at the sign over the door and blinked.
“The jewelers’ shop?”
He smiled faintly. “I rent the apartment upstairs.” Opening the door, he ushered her through and then led her up the stairs. Another door opened off the hallway, and he led her inside. A lamp on the desk was already lit, and it bathed the small chamber in a warm glow. The desk sat beside the door and a small fireplace and sitting area where beyond that on the south wall. To the north, a neatly made bed, an armoire, and a small table made the “bedroom”. Bookshelves and a wash basin stood against the wall opposite the door. “It’s not much,” Wraith said, closing the door behind them and unfastening his cloak. He hung it from a peg on the back of the door and then helped Elly remove hers. “But it’s home.”
She smiled, looking around again. “Tis a very nice home, John.” He managed an answering smile as she walked over to the bookshelf, glancing over the titles. Elly didn’t really register any of them. She simply needed a moment to collect herself. His presence in the room was overwhelming – or her thoughts just made it seem that way. She could sense the shadow that lingered over him, the sadness that he was hiding from her. And at the same time, she knew that his heart was beating just as hard as hers simply with the knowledge that she was in his home.
His heavy sigh made her turn around. He stood near the door still, his eyes down on the floor. “John?” she asked quietly, worry obvious in her voice. “Are you alright?”
He looked up and saw her watching him. “Ye know, I think ye are the first person to ask me that in some time.” His smile was very weak.
She waited a moment before prompting him. “…and? What’s bothering you?”
Their eyes met. “At this moment… nothing.” Blushing, Elly was forced to look away. She hadn’t seen emotion in his eyes like that since the day he’d admitted his feelings to her. Her heart and mind struggled with a wave of guilt – she knew she felt something too, but how could she? After all that she’d been through with him…
“The damnable misery of it all is that it never lasts,” he said softly. “The bits of peace and quiet like this.”
She forced a smile, trying to quell the emotions drowning her. “Tis what makes the quiet times so nice, aye?”
He shrugged and took a step closer, those blue eyes never leaving hers. “I think I have had enough violent times… I am due some extended quiet time.”
Finding it hard to catch her breath, she nodded. “You of all people deserve it,” she answered quietly.
He stopped and tilted his head slightly. “What do ye want, Elyriel?”
She looked at him a moment and then let her gaze drift toward the fireplace. “A little peace… for myself as well as others.” That much was true. How tired she was of the conflict and worry.
His voice came to her softly. “Perhaps ye could find yer peace here? And extend mine as well?” She glanced back to him as he took the last steps to her, taking her hands in his. The closeness made her tremble as a jumble of emotions raged through her. His eyes were begging her – pleading with her – to say yes. “I should have taken ye with me when I left,” he said quietly. “Perhaps ye could let an old man correct the mistakes of his past?”
Trapped by his gaze, she blushed deeply. How could she explain? “I… don’t know how to answer that, John,” she forced the reply. “Tis still so much I’m sorting out…”
He sighed lightly, releasing her hands. “Him?”
A cold chill flashed down her spine when the sadness gathered around him like a cloak again. She clasped her hands together, fighting down a longing to hold his again. “Aye,” she admitted softly. “Him.” She shook her head slightly. “Things will never be the same with him, you should know that… But tis not so easy to just – dismiss – those feelings.” She looked up at him. “I don’t have a place with him anymore. But twill take some time to… accept that. Do you understand?”
He nodded a little and took her hands in his again. “I think so.” He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her gently. “Take the time ye need, Elly. But please… please consider staying here… with me.” He released her slowly, stepping away and breaking the contact. But his eyes shone with tenderness as they held hers. Sparing her the need to answer, he turned toward the bed and picked up a spare blanket folded atop a chest at the foot of the bed. “Tis late, and ye are tired.” He spread the blanket on the floor a respectable distance away. “I offer the comfort of my humble home to ye,” he said, smiling. “The bed is yours if ye want it. I’ll sleep here.” He turned his back and shuffled some papers on the desk.
Still shaking, Elly could only nod. She walked to the bed, kicking her boots off and crawling under the covers. When she looked to him again, he was watching her. “Get some rest,” he said softly. “I’ve some appointments in the morning, but ye are welcome to stay as long as ye like.” Sharing a smile with her, he leaned over and blew out the lantern. In the faint light of the streetlamps coming through the window, she saw him settle back onto the make-shift bed and lie down.
Staring up into the soft gloom near the ceiling, Elly listened to his breathing for a long while. A tiny smile touched her lips – sleep wasn’t coming to him any easier than it was to her. His breath was light and even, but she could tell he was awake. She kept listening, and she realized how comforting it was to know he was nearby.
The little voice inside her head was laughing softly at her. You know he means a great deal to you. Why fight it? She turned onto her side, letting out a frustrated sigh. Because I don’t trust myself in this. I knew him back then, as my knight. My feelings were always tied to that memory. And can I let go of the rest of my past so easily?
Holding her breath, she listened to his even breathing for a moment more. Then she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. Time. I need time. I care for this man, but for him or the memory?
Then make time, the voice answered. And find out. You can’t drift forever.
With the sound of his breathing in her ears, she nodded very slightly as sleep overcame her. Maybe – just maybe – he could help her find a new direction.