Infinite Legends (a onexone)

[top tsundere]

"A greatsword?" He thought aloud. It made some sense, given that he'd seen orcish warriors, and all of them carried large, two-handed weapons, whether they had been greatswords or battle axes, among other things. As a child, he had always been transfixed by them. He felt like something of a child now with a sheepish smile, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing - he was learning.

Had Alanna not told him that his short sword was meant for use with one hand, he would have held it with both. Good thing he didn't make too much a fool of himself. He nodded to her, and did as told, knowing she would correct his awkward handle on the hilt as he struggled to find a comfortable and effective way to hold it.


Energy sourcing in this body is no more of a risk than leaving the safety of the palace. Putting any trust in that debauched sorcerer is a risk, too. A risk, but a necessary one, for now. He didn't need to say any of that, though. Shiera was already aware.

The cat merely purred as Shiera massaged the pads of his tiny feet, reveling in the attention and the soothing effect and scent of the balm itself.

"While they're having a lesson, is there anything worth learning from you that I don't already know?" The sarcasm was laced in her voice.

"Well, you're right that I was young when this happened," Balthasar responded almost proudly. Young, at least in my standards. "I'll really be a hit with women once I get my body back. Just imagine that: a man with an aged mind in a young body." He tilted his head back and cast Shiera a sly, playful grin.

He turned his head back around, and looked into the fire. After another long silence, he said quietly, "I once stumbled across the soul of a dragon, but I was foolish to think I could ever command or summon it. Dead or not, they only bend to the will of the Dragonkin."

[zuisouroku]

"Watch your tongue, or I'll cut it out." Came Shiera's sharp reply, though the glare she tossed his way did little to distract from the slight, embarrassed flush that filled her cheeks. Damn you. Though, just as she was about to goad him in return by asking exactly how he proposed to get his body back, what he said next caught her off-guard. Oh? "Is that so? How much do you know about Dragonkin?" She relaxed her face, in order to hide her amusement. "And what does the soul of a dragon look like, pray tell? Where did you come across it?"


Alanna made her corrections quickly and quietly, fitting her hand over Lee's in order to mold it...before the realization of their physical contact hit her, and she suddenly stepped back as if she'd been struck, clearing her throat. "Like this—" She stammered, holding her own sword out in order to show him, yet her eyes were well and away from his own. "—not so tight as a death-grip, but not so loose as to drop it." A poor explanation, she recognized after a moment, and so she tried another: "Think of the blade as a part of your arm. Can you drop a part of your arm? No." It was something her father's master-at-arms told her, once, and it had stuck with her ever since. It was simplistic, true, but it made the most sense to her, and she hoped it would for Lee, too.

[top tsundere]

To Lee, the physical contact wasn't any cause for alarm himself. In fact, he liked it, but only when Alanna jumped back like she was hit or offended did he look over at her with concern. She did a good job of avoiding his gaze, and he was unable to read much more from her other than her stuttering. For a split moment, he wondered if he had done something terribly wrong and considered asking if she was okay.

"Never thought o' it like that," he mumbled, and admittedly, thinking about it as a part of his own body made it a lot easier to figure out. In fact, he was pretty confident in how he had it, now. "Yer a good teacher."


A string of laughter erupted from Balthasar's little mouth, obviously amused by Shiera's retort, and just as much at her inherent curiosity. "To be honest? Not very much..." His voice trailed off wistfully before he continued on about his own experience.

"To describe what a soul looks like is impossible, even in the many languages of this world. They're feelings, emotions, and memories, not tangible things like flesh, and their appearances often change." And are easily deceiving, if they have the know-how. A bird rustled in the grass and fluttered off nearby, causing him to stop, perk his ears and flex his claws before he forced himself to relax again. He decided not to continue his little speech, and instead focused on asking questions of his own.

"What about you? How much do you know about them?" he asked with genuine interest. I have a feeling you know more about dragons and Dragonkin than you let on to believe, Shiera, since you're just as much of an enigma as I.

[zuisouroku]

Shiera frowned, momentarily overwhelmed with sympathy for the lost soul. They must have been angry, and terribly sad... She could certainly understand their feelings, in that case; it was a difficult thing to think about, and so she just as soon shook her head and feigned a smile.

"Me? Oh, no... Apart from the stories, I know next to nothing about them." Which wasn't entirely a lie, having been separated from her own dragon and remaining kin so early. Thank the gods. "But, let's not talk of dragons, now. Perhaps some other time." She added after a moment, before returning her attention to the flames, unable to hide her sudden bout of melancholy. "Forgive me for asking."


Alanna nodded in acknowledgement of his compliment, yet her face only continued to redden. "Just keep practicing that, for now," she said. "Get used to the feel of a sword in your hand. A few minutes to an hour everyday, and it shouldn't take you very long. Once you can manage that, we'll move on. Do you have any questions?"

[top tsundere]

"Hm?" Balthasar looked up at her curiously, and with a touch of concern, but decided not to press the subject. "Well then, shall we enjoy the silence together?" he asked it quietly, though it needed no answer. He turned his gaze and looked over to the flames for a time.


Lee nodded back, taking a mental note to practice just holding the sword every day, though he was sorry the lesson was over already. 'S'pose I gotta start somewhere. He let out a small sigh and looked to Alanna, though his eyes drifted to the sword strapped at her hip. He could tell it was important to her, and the question he had definitely wasn't training-related. "Where'd ya get it? Your sword." he asked softly, hoping she'd at least have some story to tell about it. For some reason... he just loved listening to her. She was truly an intriguing person and he hoped his curiosity didn't come off as intrusiveness.

[zuisouroku]

"Oathkeeper." The lady knight corrected quietly. "My sword's name is Oathkeeper. Every great sword has a name." She turned slowly and faced Lee, then, hugging herself momentarily with her free arm lain diagonally across her torso. "Kalas gave it to me the day I was inducted into his personal guard." A sheepish smile rose to her lips, but she didn't try to fight it. Instead, she put down her practice sword momentarily, drew Oathkeeper from its sheath, and laid it flat across her palms for comparison, proudly displaying the expert craftsmanship—something she knew that Lee could also appreciate.

"It's lighter, stronger, and sharper than even the best castle-forged steel. Notice how it's slightly darker than normal steel? See the rippled pattern in the blade?" Alanna's excitement shone in her brilliant blue eyes, even now at dusk, yet her fingers grazed the blade with extreme care. "Dragonsteel," she said, holding Lee's curious gaze. "Forged with real dragon fire." The key element that gave dragonsteel its unparalleled quality; most dragonsteel blades were treated as precious heirlooms, which made it even more precious to her, personally.

"But I don't know of a single smith alive who could reforge it, if something ever should happen." She admitted, somewhat discouraged. "That's why I've refrained from using it, unless I absolutely have to." But if the elves truly had been friends of dragons as Shiera had said, then perhaps they knew how. Perhaps I should ask her, later.

[top tsundere]

"Oathkeeper..." he repeated with a nod as he inspected the blade, noting the details she pointed out so professionally. He didn't know much about blades, but he could tell expert craftsmanship when he saw it. He'd never seen anything like Oathkeeper, actually, but what he admired more than the dragonsteel blade was the gleam in Alanna's bright blue eyes as she talked about it and she sheepish smile she wore when she mentioned her prince. Lee could see that the things she cared for, she cared very passionately about - this sword and Kalas alike.

And what made the blade even more fascinating was that its wielder handled it with skillful precision. He found his thoughts drifting back to memory when she had taken out those guardsmen and saved his life. Bloody as it was, he had been captivated by her then. Only after a few long moments of thinking about Alanna did he realize his gaze had drifted from the sword up to her brilliant blue eyes and he had been staring. He instantly straightened himself and smiled at her. "'Then I owe ya double thanks fer usin' it t' save me, don't I?" he blurted. He actually felt a little unworthy of it, now knowing how much it really meant to her.

[zuisouroku]

"You owe me nothing." If she had told him once, she would tell him a thousand times. Seeing you alive and well is enough. And that queer, but precious smile of his. If but for a moment, it, coupled with his prolonged eye-contact, made her feel strange. Unbidden, Alanna felt her face grow warm again, and so she looked away, moving to return Oathkeeper to its sheath… Only to stop halfway and redraw it, in a sudden change of heart. She held it out, this time towards Lee, hilt first.

"Hold it." She urged. "Go on. Feel the difference." There had been something in the way that the had looked at her; something she couldn't describe. She didn't know why she was doing this, now, only that she felt the need to. And before long, the words began to spill from her mouth.

"If I could ever find someone to reforge it, I could have them split the steel—make two blades, so that you could have one of your own. We—" Her own voice sounded foreign to her, so innocent, and excited. What am I saying? She sounded like a little girl all over again, in her father's keep with her dreams and her songs and her ideals of knighthood, playing come-into-my-castle and all the other games she used to play with her older brother. "We..." ...share the same cause. She finished, but only in thought, and shook her head.

Griff was dead, now, and Lee was a half-orcish trader, with business of his own that he would no sooner return to, as soon as their journey was over. And this isn't some game. Suddenly, Alanna felt very uncomfortable. She knew her reasons, and why she wanted to fight. For Kalas. For the realm. But, what, or who, did Lee fight for?

"Why do you want fight? Who do you fight for? You… You never did tell me, back at the tavern." I need to know. Only then could she be sure.

[top tsundere]

He watched as she went to sheath her sword and, surprised, held his breath when she took it back out and offered it over to him to hold. Tenderly, almost as if he was afraid, took Oathkeeper from Alanna's hands and held it with his own, first with one hand, then with both. He definitely liked the feel of it better holding it with two hands. Not because it was heavy, because it wasn't, but because he felt steadier and stronger that way.

But he didn't think about the sword long as his breath had caught in his throat again, listening to Alanna. What she suggested - what she offered - he wondered what inclined her to say those things. He didn't even know what to say, and he felt like being grateful just wasn't enough. On top of that, she wanted to know what his cause was, and suddenly he found his thoughts reeling.

"I-" he started, unable to get the words in his head out of his mouth at first. "I jus' never... really belonged anywhere." He had always glorified his talk about his home town and his childhood. In truth, it wasn't as great as he always made it sound. "Never been truly good at anythin', either, jus' a jack-of-all-trades, I s'pose. There's always someone better'n me."

He paused and looked back to Alanna. "That's why I risk my life fer a cause that ain't even my own. I risk my life fer other people because," The same people who would ignore him or worse, "I want t' show 'em I'm worth somethin'." He laughed in spite of himself and shook his head, feeling silly for saying these things. "I use what I know t' help others, an' then..." his voice trailed off and he looked away into the darkness. An' then, when they don't need me, I move on.

"But you, Alanna... yer different," he continued. "I ain't done much for ya, yet here ya are, offerin' me these things like I've done somethin' t' deserve 'em."

[zuisouroku]

Alanna nodded in partial agreement. Someone would always be better, true. "But that's only if you waste time comparing yourself to others," she added, her voice still soft. "You are an individual, with skills all your own, no matter what they are. Instead of focusing on being better than someone else, focus on bettering yourself. Be the best that you can be." The smile on her lips gradually lessened into something much more empathetic. It had been a lesson that she had learned the hard way, like so many others.

I'm no different than you are. She realized that, now. Lee may not have had the same birthrights, heritage, or appearance, but he shared her sentiments all the same. Her eyes never left him for a moment, and when his own eyes drifted back towards her, hers were there to greet them with a smile.

You don't look at me with hate, or disgust, or disdain. She thought. You recognize that I'm a highborn, and a woman, but you don't care. You're willing to fight beside me, and what's more, treat me as an equal, besides. She sheathed her sword finally, and, reaching out, grasped Lee's shoulder ever so gently.

"You've done more for me than you know." And I can't thank you enough for that.

[top tsundere]

He glanced at the hand on his shoulder, then back at Alanna, finally able to breathe again. "Thanks," he offered with that same smile of his. "I'll... try t' remember that." Yer really somethin' else, he thought, which only made his smile wider.

A cool breeze rustled the soft grasses and his smile faded, his body shivering just slightly. There was no voice in that breeze, but Lee was probably unnecessarily wary, besides. It was strange that after that ghostly wind came through earlier, they were soon after attacked by a pack of shadowcats. Disturbingly, it probably wasn't just a coincidence, and the thought of it made him shiver more.

The darker it got, the more dangerous it became to stay out, and it was about high time to return to the safety of camp, and dare he think it, the safety of the two magic users who were there. Besides, they had another long day of traveling ahead of them, and they could both do with some rest.

He looked at Alanna, then gestured to the path back to camp where the warm fire would greet them on their return. Balthasar was asleep on Shiera's lap by that time, and the horses tethered nearby were resting quietly.



By the first light of morning, Lee awoke with a start - the remnants of some strange dream he couldn't quite remember lingered in his mind before he got up and stretched, then shuffled around in one of his packs for something to eat. He noticed that Balthasar was nowhere to be seen, but he did note the cat's paw prints in the ground as evidence that he had left the camp some time in the night. Where to, I wonder? And he also wondered if their feline friend had run into trouble, so he followed the tracks for a minute or two and, to his surprise, the trail just ended cold as if the creature had simply disappeared.

[zuisouroku]

Alanna quickly followed behind Lee, unable to help thinking much of the same as the breeze blew by her and darkness began to set in. She could still see the fire going, and as they neared the campsite, Shiera was there with Balthasar sleeping soundly in her lap, golden eyes intently fixated on the flames.

"I'll keep watch for the night," she told them, quietly, but made no other movements. Alanna found that odd, but decided to take the witch at her word, if only for the fact that she had saved her, earlier, and fell into an uneasy sleep.



When she awoke, Balthasar was gone, and so was Lee, but she found Shiera wide awake and the night's fire smoking slightly, as if it had been put out only very recently. "Have you slept at all?"

"No." Came the smaller woman's answer, though she could tell that Alanna's concern hardly had anything to do with how much sleep she had received or not. What the lady knight truly wanted to know, she could see in those mistrusting eyes of ice. "I kept the fire going merely to keep the nightstalkers away." It was only half a lie. Unfortunately, though, for all her efforts, the flames had told her nothing.

Which led Alanna to her next question. "Where's the cat?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Shiera laughed, yawned, and stretched. "He goes wherever he will, whenever he will. Far be it from me to try and control him."

"But, isn't he your familiar?"

A question at which Shiera only laughed some more, however somewhat wistfully. "He's a stubborn one. But, I did tell him to give your regards to Kalas, should he be seeing him again in the near future." She added with a smile. Another lie. "Hurry and eat. We've got a considerable amount of ground to cover, still, and ships don't wait."

Alanna's eyes widened in surprise, and Shiera didn't fail to notice the hint of genuine delight in her voice as she said, "So we are going to be boarding a ship in Eruna?"

She merely smiled once more, letting the big woman mull that over as she went to retrieve Lee from his small expedition.

"Gone back to Ironvale, most likely, but even I can't say for sure. Either way, you won't find him." She chuckled. "He'll be back, though." Whenever they least expected it, of that much she was sure.

[top tsundere]

Lee pivoted around to face Shiera, for a moment startled at her sudden voice and how quietly she had sneaked up on him. "Ah," he replied, with a small nod. So he was right. Balthasar did just disappear. "I was wonderin' as much." He returned to camp with her and offered a good morning to Alanna, finished his light breakfast, and then packed everything back up on his horse in preparation for the day's traveling.



During the day, Lee decided to practice holding his sword while riding his horse along. The small group wasn't doing much of anything else while on the road except light conversations and maybe another song or two to make the time pass. He wanted to make some good use of the time.

By late afternoon, they'd reached the banks of the North River and followed it down through the wide valley pass between two small mountains. Tomorrow, they'd keep following the North River to where it, and its twin, South River, flowed into Fox River. Then it would be crossed, and they'd be on the outskirts of elf territory - the outskirts of the forests of Hynn. But for now, they were still in Northland, and Lee never thought he'd be so grateful to still be in the country of Men. At least he knew what to expect from humans.

Lee had always heard stories of the Elf realm, especially about the forests changing seasons at their own will, with trees that could somehow communicate with each other, and the deeper one went into the woods, the more treacherous it became to anyone who wasn't traveled in the area... or anyone who wasn't an elf or a friend of the Elves. Among stories of mystical and wondrous places in Hynn, he'd heard his fair share of horror stories about the forests, too: how travelers had often gone missing, and those who returned came back in pieces with scars on their bodies and scars in their minds, changed for the rest of their lives and forever fearing the woods and the darkness.

Perhaps those were the tricks of the Dark Elves that still roamed the forests. He'd seen a few of them before in Durth, but they were city elves, and he could imagine their culture would be very different from those who still lived in tribes. Jus' like Orcs.

He tried to dismiss the apprehension from his expression as he dismounted his horse at the site of their new camp. "Be back," he announced briefly as he walked down to the nearby riverbank to refill his water stores and splash some of the cold liquid on his face with a sigh. He figured this was a good a time as any to wash his clothes and bathe himself, too. So, he moved off a little further away from the campsite in a more hidden area behind some reeds and started just that.

[zuisouroku]

Despite all that she had told Lee about skinchanging, Shiera rarely followed those age-old conventions, actually preferring cats and birds to dogs or wolves; birds especially. They're more like guidelines than actual rules, anyway. The risk would always be there, regardless of the animal.

But she had seen no birds since the lone hawk of the previous day, apart from the occasional sparrow or thrush, and she had left her own raven behind in the rookery at Ironvale, which left her with no choice but to be resigned to the ground, powerless and saddle-sore. And with an unforgiving travel companion. How Alanna could appear so comfortable riding in full armor was beyond her, though she knew better than to complain, lest the lady knight decided to reach back with a gloved fist and clout her full on the ear for her "insolence." (A scenario she imagined quite frequently, albeit no such thing had happened, yet; it was better not to press her luck.)

The scenery of the deep valley provided some relief, however: a seemingly endless blue sky that neither of the small mountains on either side could ever hope to breach. Idly, she watched the few clouds as they went by, her eyelids growing heavier with every step. She was nearly asleep when Alanna surprised her with a series of questions.

"How much do you know about Hynn? Have you been there, before?"

"Hm?" Shiera's eyes blinked slowly open. "Enough to get us by without much trouble, though I can only remember having been there, once." Came her answer, however at length.

"Where?"

She thought for a moment. "Rendelle, I believe." It had been so long, the memory proved hard to recall.

"Do the forests really change seasons at will, as they say?"

"Yes." Shiera smiled lazily. "They're beautiful." And dangerous. That much she could remember. But the real danger were the tribes of Dark Elves that still inhabited them. She could sense Lee's apprehension, and passed him a sympathetic glance out of the corner of her eye. He was right to be wary. "Have you seen many elves, m'lady?"

Alanna shook her head. "Apart from the occasional wayfarer or emissary, no. I have not." But the few she had seen had been beautiful, too. "Did you know any smiths in Rendelle, per chance?" She added after a moment, hopeful. "Any with skill enough to reforge dragonsteel?"

"Dragonsteel?" Now that was a surprise. "No... I'm afraid not." She had been too young to concern herself with smiths, then, and had rarely been let out into the city itself, besides. "But, it's entirely possible." Once they reached Eruna, they would still have a day, or so she hoped, before having to board the ship. She could try asking around, then.

For now, though, she took Lee's cue and dismounted, giving her cramped legs a well-deserved massage as soon as she touched the ground.

Alanna followed Lee's example and went to refill her water stores and wash her face as well, grateful for how cold and clear the water was. Yet when she looked up again from the river, Lee was gone. "Be back," he had said, and she presumed he had business to take care of...

...but the minutes dragged on, and the half-orc still didn't return.

Curious, Alanna started after him, practice sword in hand. Now would be a good a time as any to squeeze in a quick lesson, she thought, and certainly better than trying to manage at night.

[top tsundere]

The water was crisp and cold on his body, but he didn't mind it. The day had been hot and nothing felt better than a cold bath to escape the heat. Besides, he had grown up in the cold south. The chill of the slow river was actually something of a familiarity and invoked in his mind memories of rushing glacial whitewater... and an endless desert of tall rocky mountains, frigid wind, and blazing white snow.

He bathed and relaxed only for what seemed like a short time until his ears picked up the sound of footsteps. He stayed quiet and listened as the steps came closer, and he could finally tell that the person was wearing armor as evidence by an unmistakable clinking sound.

Alanna, he thought as he scrambled out of the water in an attempt to get to his damp clothes that were laying out drying on a log nearby.