Not everything is Dark and Light

On the Run

II

Vuren awoke to the sun blazing into his eyes and the smell of morning dew filling his lungs. He looked round and saw Nifeerein, curled up in a ball some ten feet from him covered in blanket he had dung out of his satchel the night before. Agro was awake surprisingly after her long day of running the and was grazing on the grass that lay outside the cave they were sleeping in.

Vuren rolled over and tired to shake his legs into action but they stiffened and went numb. The thin sheet he had used to stave off the cold last night had little affect and he shivered as he sat up. Vuren saw his stirrup and satchel tossed to the side of the cave entrance as he recalled fumbling around in the dark trying to take them off. He tired to smile at his lack of subtly but then thoughts of the village burning flooded his mind and any attempt at a smile was wiped clean from his face. He felt a burning in his heart as he dwelled on what had happened. He was uncertain of Nifeerein’s reaction to it for last night he could not see her face all too well as it had been obscured by darkness but he knew she felt the same sorrow as him, he just knew how to hid it better.

He stretched out his legs and began wiggling his toes to try and shake some feeling back into his frozen legs. As he wriggled his digits he looked around at the landscape for any signs of danger. The morning sun seemed so calming and tranquil but Vuren knew differently as he surveyed the horizon for any light elves. Seeing none, and desperately for none as he was hardly in a position to defend himself, he stood up and began to bob his knees to try and awaken them. He did it silently making sure Nifeerein got as much sleep as she could however he was preparing himself for waking her as the two needed to be off fast as any delay could mean another light elf attack.

Nifeerein was awake for all of this. She had not slept. Her eyes were trained on the cave wall as whenever she closed her eyes she saw the faces of those she had seen in the village the day before. She remembered the barmaid who was clearly a woman of hard work that he seen better days. The drunken squabblers that despite being loud and ignorant of all others around them still were fun and lively to themselves. She remembered the farmer she spoke with earlier in the morning whose face told a tale of harsh punishment from the elements over the years. The little girl, barley three years old, who stomped around in the mud completely unaware of any issues in the world besides her own. The parents of the child so happy to see her waddle about freely and safely. The couple at the tavern. The old man sitting on his porch. The teenage boy begrudging doing his mother’s assigned chores. All were dead and Nifeerein could pin them on only herself. She could not sleep for every time her eyes closed she saw their faces and heard their screams. She was so tired she could barely move her arms but she was wide awake as whenever her eyelids closed over they rocketed open near instantly with the fear and guilt over what she had done.

Vuren walked over to his horse as she continued to graze on the loose grass below. Tearing at the ground and chewing loudly Vuren mustered up a half smile as his horse barely passed a second glance at him.

“Ready for rough day girl?” he asked her as he clapped her side and smoothed out her rough hair. He found some dried grass stuck to her underside which he picked off in quick succession and pushed the out of place strands of hair back into position. He stayed there for a second longer than necessary just breathing with her before he turned and resided himself to the fun tasks of waking Nifeerein.

He walked slowly over to her letting Agro continue with her breakfast. He tired to avoid any loose stones or twins to keep the sound to a minimum but as he edged closer and the sound of Agro chewing got quieter got quieter he realised she was awake. Vuren had been forced into lessons in breathing when he was training in the school. They were mostly about self-breathing and how to get maximum airflow when fighting but one was one sleeping individuals and how they breath differently from when they are awake. When in sleep breath is somewhat shallower. It is marginal but it’s something Vuren was trained on as a sleeping creature is much easier to kill that a conscious one. Vuren contemplated saying something to Nifeerein but he stuttered and mumbled his words before coughing to clear his confused windpipe.

Walking off and back to Agro Vuren pressed his head against the stern and warm body of his horse and sighed heavily. He could not decide what the main reason for not wanting to wake her was. Fear over how distraught she will be over the destruction of the village. Worry over what she will say or how she will react to him. Or anxiety over his feelings for her. He knew that it was no where near their top concern and should not even factor into any decision he made but Vuren could not hid the warmth his heart felt every time he saw Nifeerein. She was the definition of perfection in Vuren’s eyes with her skin so smooth and eyes so radiant and bright. He hesitant to say anything when she spoke as he just wanted to keep listening to her soft yet commanding voice. One could tell she was a social leader just by the way she carried herself and when she was pressed in the tavern she switched into her commanding tone that demanded authority. Vuren knew there was other more vital concerns but he still felt this sense of attractive whenever Nifeerein was in eyesight. It was wrong and he understood that but it does not mean it was not there.

“Nifeerein.” Vuren called as softly as he could from outside the cave.

Nifeerein did not stir instead continuing to pretend to be asleep. She nudged the blanket further up and trapped it in with her chin. It was the most uncomfortable Nifeerein had ever been as the cold ground sapped her of heat quicker than a vulture snatches at rotten meat. Her legs were stiff and her arms were sore. Her elbows creaked whenever they moved and her fingers moaned in pain as the cold had torn away at them leaving them dry and coarse. She had never experienced anything like it as he night were spent in silk lined beds and robes of warmth indescribable. She had never had a cold night. Even when awaking at night she never needed to touch the cold flooring as she had multiple sets of slip on shoes that kept her from that heat sapping chill. She had never known what it was like to live outside her castle walls but it then dawned on her that this is how Vuren slept every night. Cold. Wet. Uncomfortable most certainly as she could not imagine how this would be comfortable for any person save a snow woman or a wolf.

“Nifeerein.” Vuren again called a little louder this time and a little sterner.

“I am awake.” She replied with a low whimper as her vocal cords adjusted to being used again. “I’ll be up in a moment.”

Vuren did not push her any further knowing full well that if he did it would be liable to start an emotional outburst form them both. He held his tongue as despite wanting to get moving as fast as possible he understood Nifeerein’s fragility and gave her the time necessary. He was fragile too and knew that one good push from Nifeerein or anyone else would send him in a downfall of tears. He blamed himself for the death of the villagers. Who else could he blame? Nifeerein had done nothing and was merely the damsel in need of saving while Vuren was the one who actively chose to fight. He made the first move. If he had not maybe Jult could have been talked down. It was unlikely but Vuren still felt the weight of responsibility crash down on his shoulders as he was the one that instigated everything and he was the one that angered Jult. He knew he was alive and he knew it was his work to destroy the village. Vuren knew how Jult thought and he was always the type to take his anger out on others. If driven enough and committed enough, like he was with Nifeerein, Jult would become violent and Vuren knew that it was his actions and his alone that destroyed that village as he pushed Jult into doing it.

Nifeerein rolled over slowly and winced as all her joints cracked in unison. She tensed up and tried not to move in order to avoid another painful snapping and as she lay there see looked over at Vuren as he rested his head on his horse. Agro, blissfully unaware, continued to eat and Vuren sank his head further into her muscular frame. Nifeerein watched Vuren and she saw the emotional hurt he was going through. She watched him as he breathed in and out with long pauses in-between each breathe and she understood that she was not the only one that blamed herself for the s*******r. She could tell as it was written over Vuren face. He was wearing a brave face but underneath she could tell her was crumbling just like her.

She swung round and stood up grabbing her legs as she did so as the tensed again and became stiff. She rubbed her calves to try and get them working and as she did she saw Vuren in her peripheral vision walked over to her. He was not coming for her though and was instead grabbing the saddle and attaching it to Agro. When Agro saw it she understood and stopped grazing and presented herself to Vuren so he could attach it to her. It was a quick and painless process and one the two had done a hundred times over but as Nifeerein watched on she was amazed by the efficiency of it all. She watched on astonished by how quickly Vuren strapped the belts in place and secured it to Agro and was astounded by how composed Agro was. She had horses of her own but she had never seen such a well mannered and tempered one.

“Make sure to grab the blanket.” Vuren instructed Nifeerein his mask of stoicism now firmly back on. Nifeerein did as instructed and turned to grab the blanket but clutched her lower back as she bend down as it too cracked. Vuren heard it but ignored the queen’s struggles in favour of attaching Agro’s satchel instead. He wanted to go over, rushed over and help her, but he knew he only wanted to do that due to his attraction to her. Any other person or new recruit to the school he would ignore and let them learn the lesson that this life ain’t a glamorous one but with Nifeerein he felt the urge to protect her. Whether it be her beauty or importance to the world Vuren was compelled to keep her safe. He knew it was the right thing morally to do but he had a hard time shaking those off from his more personal feelings towards her.

“We gotta get going. Don’t know who’s about.” Vuren informed Nifeerein as he finished of the last loop in the satchel and tugged on it to make sure it was not going to fall. “We need to get our bearing first of all, I’m not sure what direction we took but if we for now keep the mountains to our right we should hopefully hit a landmark sooner or later.”

Nifeerein nodded in agreement as this area was not one she was an expert in. Her silence was enough of an indication to Vuren to get going and he held out his hand to Nifeerein for the blanket. She gave him it and he quickly stuffed it into its compartment before clambering up Agro and getting comfortable in her saddle. He then extended his arm of for Nifeerein who accepted it and was pulled up till she was behind him. Vuren felt the cold in her hands but was still awed at the softness of them. He rubbed his own hands before he kicked Agro forward and cursed internally at how rough they were. Agro felt the connection of heel on rib and knew it begin the appropriate trot which she did with a fine grace. Nifeerein, without being told, wrapped her arms around Vuren’s waist. Vuren make sure Nifeerein could not see the smile that developed on his face as her touch filled him with a conflicting sense of joy and sadness. He was joyous a beautiful woman such as her was touching him but as she did it reminded him of the circumstances they were in and how his actions to save her doomed other.

The two rode on in silence neither knowing just quite what to say to the other but wanting to say so much.