Paladin the path begins

Tar’vid woke early the next morning, feeling Luna’s smooth skin against him. He ran his fingers across her hip and she stirred a little, nuzzling against him. Last night had been like a dream, and waking up beside her he was surprised it hadn’t been one. Luna blinked her eyes open, staring up at him and smiling. He leant forward kissing her tenderly, Luna pushing him back a moment later.

“I would love nothing more than a repeat performance, but I have to be at the crossroads today. Now get some clothes on!” Luna told him with a smile, giving his rear a little slap as he got up.

Tar’vid began to dress, wondering where this would go... her father would surely never allow them to be together, and more than likely kill him. It soured his mood, making him angry as he tossed his tabard into a sack.

“What is it?” Luna asked him concerned, hugging him from behind.

Tar’vid hadn’t heard her come up behind him and decided not to let his mood ruin last night.

“Just thinking,” he told her, turning his head to look at her.

“About us, my father can never know about this Tar’vid!” Luna told him sternly, he felt her strength as she tensed her arms, nearly crushing him.

“He’d certainly kill you... perhaps me as well” she continued, letting him turn his body towards her.

“Then what becomes of us?” he asked sadly, she looked down at her feet as an answer.

“We’ll figure it out,” Luna told him, looking up again.

She stroked his cheek and smiled, though it felt forced. He felt like she was letting him go, maybe last night meant little to her. When they left the lake behind them finally Luna squeezed his hand gently.

“Are we okay Tar’vid, your very quiet,” she asked him, concern in her voice.

Tar’vid squeezed her hand back, feeling too upset to speak. As they walked on together Luna let go of his hand, running to the side of the road and picking something from the verge, coming back to him with a purple flower in her hands.

“Look Tar’vid” Luna squeaked with delight.

He supposed it was rather beautiful, the purple petals interlaced with white and red made a swirling pattern, it was rather intricate he thought.

“It’s a Keldran rose!” she told him, perhaps seeing the nonplussed look on his face.

“My people believe when a joining happens, a Keldran rose blooms, Tar’vid this is the first time I’ve ever seen one!” she told him happily, smiling the whole time.

Luna lifted the flower for him to smell, it had a beautiful fragrance he had to admit. Tar’vid felt his throat starting to constrict, he gasped for air, collapsing to the ground and feeling his face go numb, his sight started to dim.

“Oh gods, Tar’vid... Tar’vid stay with me, what’s happening!?” he heard Luna cry out as he gasped desperately for air.

“Keep perfectly still,” Luna told him, panic in her voice.

Tar’vid couldn’t breathe, his lungs were empty and he thought this was it, he was going to die. Feeling a sharp pain in his neck he suddenly felt air rush into his lungs once more, hearing Luna let out a sigh of relief.

“You scared the hells out of me!” Luna told him breathlessly, resting her head on his chest.

He reached up to his throat and she snatched his hand away quickly.

“I had to puncture your windpipe, you’re only alive because there was hollow thorn by the roadside, it’s in your neck and letting you breathe” she explained slowly stroking his forehead. Tar’vid thought it was really painful and knew that couldn’t be a good thing.

“Look, I really need to get to the crossroads soon... come on, I have to get you off the road,” Luna said, her voice wavering.

Tar’vid felt her drag him from the roadside and a moment later he felt a soft carpet of grass underneath him.

“You’re out of the way here,” she told him, though he still couldn’t see anything but a blurred mass of colour.

“I’ll come back for you okay... I promise” she said to him softly.

He nodded slightly, hoping she had seen him... he had felt like saying he loved her, but he’d been scared to say it, afraid she would think him a fool. After a moment though everything was quiet and eventually he fell into a deep sleep.

When Tar’vid woke his vision was still blurry, his breathing ragged and painful as the swelling on his throat relaxed a little. He sat up slowly feeling at his face, it was swollen badly and he was tired of the tube in his throat. He reached for it carefully and pulled it free, though it hurt like all hells his breathing came naturally. He tried saying the words of Salnah and a faint amount of power came forth, though he instantly regretted it, feeling blood streaming from his nose and ears as he collapsed backwards. He lay there for what felt an age, though his breathing was back to normal once more. His vision was still poor and his face swollen to a painful degree.

“What a day!” he said to himself, though the words came out disjointed and slurred.

He stayed on his back as the familiar pain of a blackout hit him, he’d tried too much in his weakened condition and the prayer had sapped the last of his strength. He cursed his luck, cast aside by the most beautiful woman he’d ever meet, and poisoned somehow by a flower. He coughed out a mouthful of blood as the world faded away.

Tar’vid woke with a start, Luna was knelt over him, shaking him gently, at least he hoped it was Luna.

“Good, you’re awake” she sighed with relief, her voice shaky.

“If they ask, you’re my friend Arklan, from Dorash... okay?” she said to him quickly, appearing to look over her shoulder nervously.

Tar’vid nodded, still unable to speak coherently as Luna helped him to his feet. He stumbled a little as he walked, though his vision at least was getting better, spotting several groups of armed elven soldiers, their blue washed armour gleaming in the sunlight, spears resting against the ground. He was suitably impressed as Luna helped him over to a small cart loaded with deer carcases. A blonde haired elf offered him a hand, hoisting him onto the cart’s bench.

“Welcome aboard friend, I’m Finn pleased to meet you,” he said happily as Tar’vid sat down beside him.

“A pleasure, I’m Arklan,” he drawled, biting his tongue in the process and drawing blood, his mouth tasting like copper.

Tar’vid could overhear the guards deriding his appearance cruelly, and he wondered if elves were truly that different from the humans. Finn shook the reigns casually, the great shire horse beginning to trot methodically away. The soldiers fell in behind them as Luna leapt up onto the back of the cart, sitting down behind them.

“How are we?” she asked them, looking at Tar’vid with concern.

“I’m fine, though Arklan here probably shouldn’t talk. Cut his tongue pretty bad last time,” Finn told her as he wiped away a trickle of blood from Tar’vid’s face.

Luna held his shoulder gently, perhaps with his injuries they’d take him to Keldran to recover. Tar’vid’s hopes were soon dashed as Luna leant over to speak to him.

“Arklan, Finn here is going to take you to Fernhaven. The deer carcases need selling, so you’re not putting us out at all. Maybe a doctor there can help with your... deformities” she told him loudly as if he were slow.

Tar’vid nodded in response, not wishing to risk cutting his mouth again understanding why Luna had to leave him.

The journey to the crossroads took only a few hours, everyone was strangely silent as they arrived. Tar’vid spotting a group of soldiers at the northern branch, standing at attention like statues. They were dressed in a similar attire as the other soldiers, though their armour was black like ebony, their helmets embossed with bronze dragons. As Tar’vid looked behind him he saw the other soldiers peering around nervously, not wishing to gaze on the dark armoured warriors. On the eastern road stood a large coach of exquisite design, it was made of an expensive looking dark wood, engraved with the infinite symbol of the blue dragon and pulled by several powerfully built horses. Tar’vid had no real experience of the world but knew it smelled of extravagance and power.

“Elldran!” hissed Luna in annoyance, spitting over the side of the cart.

“What’s he doing here, surely he should be at the capitol?” Finn wondered aloud, looking back at Luna in confusion.

Tar’vid was going to ask who Elldran was when the door of the carriage opened, a tall elf stepped out onto the metal step, before dropping to the road gracefully. A look of disdain on his handsome face at having to get his boots dusty. Finn pulled up the cart slowly as they approached the northern pass, the soldiers guarding it unmoving, their gaze firmly ahead.

“What brings you out here uncle?” Luna asked loudly, her voice laced with barely restrained contempt.

Elldran dropped the look of annoyance in an instant, beaming with a smile that seemed as natural as the sunrise, Tar’vid instantly recognised him as dangerous. Tar’son had often warned him of the foe who kills with pleasantries, not weapons.

“What do you mean Luna, I haven’t seen my favourite niece for months!” Elldran replied, happily ignoring Luna’s tone and demeanour, spreading his arms wide.

Luna hopped over the side of the cart without haste, embracing her uncle awkwardly. They exchanged words for some time, though Tar’vid couldn’t hear them from his seat. He was feeling nervous, he’d had an eye fixed on the soldiers in black and they hadn’t moved a muscle since his arrival. He knew their eyes were on him though, the soldiers in blue still shuffled nervously in their presence. Tar’vid expected they were some kind of elite guard, was it strange that he wanted to test his skill against them. Luna came back a while later looking up at Finn with exasperation.

“It seems my uncle has business in Fernhaven, though he’s sending his son and household soldiers as representatives. He suggested they travel with you... as protection. With the increased bandit raids I couldn’t find a reason to refuse him... just be careful and watch your backs. Seems my sister and Jaike had urgent business with my father, you know what it is Finn?”.

“I’m sworn to secrecy, but Kion rode with them so they’ll be plenty safe” her cousin replied jovially, she couldn’t argue with him, Kion had been a fearsome fighter years ago.

She walked away, climbing into Elldran’s carriage without wiping her boots, no doubt annoying her uncle. Tar’vid wondered if that was such a good idea, though they may have been at this for decades, perhaps centuries, he never had asked Luna her age. The soldiers in blue formed up behind the carriage quickly and happily, the ebony armoured soldiers forming up behind the cart. Finn started the cart rolling again and they parted ways with Luna and her uncle, Tar’vid’s eyes stung as he realised he was crying.

Tar’vid tried to get comfortable on the cart as it rumbled along the dirt road, jolting his sore body constantly and wracking him with pain. Finn halted the cart suddenly, the motion nearly throwing Tar’vid off the cart.

“Damn it all!” Finn cursed, jumping off the cart and walking towards a fallen tree.

It completely blocked the road, clearly been cut down recently, the branches had been stripped away leaving easy handles for moving the trunk. Perhaps it was bandits he thought, though no bandit would be stupid enough to attack a column of armed and armoured elven soldiers.

“Eldrin, will your men give me a hand with this please!?” Finn shouted over to the soldiers, even with their elven strength it would require a decent number of them to move the trunk.

Eldrin must be Elldran’s son Tar’vid mused, noticing that one of the soldier’s helmets had more ornate decoration than the others, with gold inlay and a horsehair plume dyed red. Eldrin indicated for four of his men to assist Finn with a gesture. As they started to move the tree trunk with relative ease Eldrin stared up at Tar’vid, with a look of disgust reserved for the lowest form of criminals in Whitecliff.

“That a princess of Keldran would associate with the likes of you, it disgusts me to no end human. I guess your just lucky my father has a use for you” he spat, a cruel smile playing across his face.

Tar’vid contemplated what he meant, then felt a hand on his back as he was thrown from the cart like a child, clearing the horse and hitting the ground heavily, he gasped as the breath was knocked from his lungs, rolling onto his back. Blood ran from his forehead and he found his left arm was numb. He gasped painfully, looking over to Finn as the soldiers dropped the tree trunk and drew their swords. Finn didn’t comprehend what was happening, right up to the moment they ran him through before picking up his body and tossing it into the grassy verge for the animals to dispose of.

Eldrin stepped on Tar’vid’s chest, pressing down hard on his ribs, making him gasp in pain as several cracked.

“You’re a lucky man... Arklan was it, I think not... Tar’vid. My father has great things in store for you Paladin, not that you’ll like any of them” Eldrin told him before nodding to one of his soldiers.

“Wreck the cart and take the horse, we’re heading back!” Eldrin commanded a soldier coming over to him. Tar’vid went limp, losing consciousness as the soldier struck him across the skull with the butt of his spear.