The Penance.
1138 Words
Alistair treaded heavily on the thick forest ground. Rhineas sided him as he strode through the brambly land enshrouded by thick moss. The crunch of dead leaves muffled as they trampled beneath Rhineas’s footsteps. Even though Alistair stomped his way through he was as quiet as a cat.
The branches rattled amongst each other as the air compelled them to. Patches of serene sunlight dappled through the dense roof of the Stegardian forest. Birds whistled and squirrels squeaked in harmony to the song of the forest. A finely orchestrated chorus merged together and vitally announced its liveliness amidst the dangers lurking deep into the forest.
Rhineas noticed Alistair’s face twisted in his everlasting grim. The creases dispersed on his forehead again. The brief moment of joy on Alistair’s face had blown away with the forest breeze sending him back to his hard shell.
‘You seem good…,’ Rhineas prompted, looking away as if scrutinizing something behind in the woods.
Alistair just kept walking brooding over something Rhineas cannot pick. He didn’t bother to wonder about what Alistair thought?
‘I am never getting on that beast.’ Alistair’s raspy voice grumbled.
Rhineas chuckled. ‘It was most rejoicing episode of my lifetime.’
Alistair stopped abruptly and faced Rhineas with an inexplicable arrogance in his eyes. ‘You Ignysreons are filthy bloodline.’ He barked.
Rhineas’s lips curled halfway into a smile but the creases of frown on his forehead denied his amusement. Alistair had always been an arrogant man, wearing an armor of hostility as a protection from human emotions which threatened him of losing the battle, or so he said. But that never was the whole of Alistair beneath that armor was a man of flesh and bones. Recently Rhineas had seen the crinkle of affection in his eyes, the fatherly love. Rhineas had seen Alistair slaying every of his opponents sparing none, but Sanlysia. He didn’t kill her. Maybe she is too lovely to kill. He thought.
But lovely never worked on Alistair he would look for a more than lovely excuse to spare someone.
‘So, not fond of skies?’ Rhineas mocked, ‘did you get sky-sickness.’
Alistair grabbed Rhineas by the thin neckline of his tunic suddenly. ‘You should keep your mouth shut, or I’ll slit your throat, boy.’ He threatened.
Rhineas clutched Alistair’s wrists by his and freed his tunic. Rhineas grounded his teeth, ‘better watch yourself old man, don’t let the anger take the best of you.’ He warned.
‘Are you threatening me?’
‘No, I would never do that…,’ Rhineas clarified, ‘… I was reminding you, your rules. Don’t break them.’
Alistair eased off and sighed, dryly. He searched for his flask desperately, popped it open and tilted it into his mouth. The flask nearly dripped a drop or two, it was as dry as Alistair’s throat.
‘We need ale, eh.’ Alistair said shakily.
Rhineas noticed that Alistair hands shuddered tremendously, ‘you alright?’ He asked.
‘Move on. Quick!’ Alistair said increasing his pace and, in a moment, his paced turned into strides. Rhineas watched Alistair scampering into the clearing out of the woods. They were at the end of the steep, almost in his village. Rhineas didn't bother to run after Alistair, he knew where Alistair would head to the moment he'd set a foot into the village.
Rhineas strolled down his way to the foothill of Hetra. His patience defied him the closer he got to the village. He was exuberant to tell his mother the city, he was unaware of his mother disapproval but he knew Velina would eventually let her austerity down when she would know how happy her son is.
The village bustled with its little population, still large for its narrow pathways and most of the area occupied by the ports, the rest was inside the city gates. The carts pulled by bullocks and horses hasted from the port to the city market. The farmers loaded their crops and fruits and everything that they had yielded from the long spring this year. This was a daily routine no farmer had ever sold their crops to the merchants at once, because of the constant fluctuation in the prices. They would buy when it was low and sell when it got high. Sometimes the big farmers would deceive the market prices withholding the yielding and making it a shortage so, when the demand would rise so did the prices.
The trade never fits in Rhineas understanding and yet something made him confident he would do a great job at it. He would picture all the scenarios about his father one of which was if his father would be a merchant or a trader. But now he knows who his father is and what he has to do, yet there are plenty of things he was oblivious about.
For now, Rhineas looked forward to just get back home and have a delicious meal, he would then go looking for Alistair. Just as Rhineas entered the village, something had changed. The village markets looked as if there was a storm here. All the vegetables littered around the narrow streets and the tents and few of little huts overturned and set blazed.
People in the village milled around something Rhineas ran towards it to get a closer look at what’s going on? He tore through the crowd nudging between them, people muttering curses at Rhineas. He ignored it and passed through the first line of people. He saw city rangers flocking in a circle, led by a sturdy man in armor with the breastplate of Dragon breathing fire.
Edgard. Rhineas surmised, this is a trouble.
Rhineas slid back into the crowd, to hid himself from the soldiers, and scrutinized the scene.
'The people of Talle...,' the horsemen announced, '... a boy from your village accompanied by a rogue knight had committed treason breaching the Palace inside the city gates with the sea lords.'
A tinge of fear curled Rhineas from the inside his eyes desparately seeked Alistair.
The horseman continued, '... the sea lords had caused the rampage on the fleet and we stopped them before they could enter the village. His majesty king Edgard of the Ignysreon the ward of fire won't protect you if you keep the man and the boy of your village hidden. The boy shall not be harmed. The knight gets the penance of death.'
A hand snatched Rhineas away from the crowd pulling him away. Before Rhineas could react or know, the hand took him away.
- Writer
