[CLASS QUEST] Ethelfleade

[Nilah44]

S O L OXX❅XXO N E
H E RXXD E C I S I O N SXXH A DXXC O N S E Q U E N C E S
Word Count: 1,048

After the war ended, Ethelfleade found herself at a loss for what to do. Where should she go? She had contemplated going home but she didn’t think she was quite ready for that yet. Her family would ask questions; questions she wasn’t sure how to answer. Fleade had also thought to try and seek out the Oban nobles she had helped to capture but figured they wouldn’t be very receptive towards her to even hear her apology out. War drove people to do things they normally wouldn’t, and other times, it drove them to be who they were meant to be. It was a thought she had often contemplated after thinking of all the different decision she had made in the recent past. It was that past that had drawn her in the complete opposite direction of her home and towards the very hot jungles of Juahar. They had somehow become endearing to her. Even though she wasn’t quite as in tune with the trees as the Shifters and Alkidikes were, Fleade found them comforting; even when they made her sweat buckets.

Although she had decided to go back to Juahar, she had no idea where in Juahar she would go. So she decided to just let her feet take her where they wanted. Considering much of Juahar looked exactly the same, tree after tree after tree, with the occasional clearing here and there. As her feet neared their destination, the clearings got more and more frequent, a scar of the Oban’s presence in their land. While she had felt bad about what she had done to the nobles, that didn’t carry over to the rest of the race. Most of them were like that captain, though, she sort of wished she had kept what she had said she would do to her captor, that would be interesting. But he wasn’t much leverage, the nobles had been. Had it been their capture that ended the war? They sure seemed to be more open to peace talks after she and her group had brought back their captives. Thinking of that, she hadn’t even seen any of that group either since the battle ended. Perhaps she should search them out at some point to offer her thanks, especially that alkidike, she had made it all possible. As if her thoughts had directed her feet, or maybe it was her feet that had directed her thoughts, Ethelflead found herself on the outskirts of Neued.

Being back didn’t bring back the memory of her capture or injuring her ankle which had finally healed up, only leaving her mentor, one of her greatest regrets. She hadn’t forgotten; she could never forget. That shout, that man screaming her name at her to get her to come help echoed with every step as she found her way back to Neued. It almost made her cringe with each step, each step replaying the memory. Neued had changed a little, so she was having a little bit of trouble getting used to things. She had been trying to find the blacksmith to get her swords sharpened as practicing and using them for not very battle-y things had dulled them and she couldn’t have that. They were her most prized possession. She had really earned them this time. She had grown up much in captivity, but as fate would have it, it seemed to shove her mistakes back into her face.

"You! It was you! You ran away at the battle of Neued! You left my husband to die!" Ethelfleade was confronted by a shifter woman whose voice seemed to exactly mirror the voice that had been haunting her every step. With just her words, the young ice woman knew exactly who she was. The bucket of water spilled as it was dropped on the ground, the finger pointed accusingly at her. She stood there for a few moments, letting the realization of who was confronting her wash over her. Sure Fleade had known that her mentor, Rhovan, had a family and had seen them maybe once. But for this woman remembered her, and apparently blamed her for much of the trouble she had endured in her life. Fleade stood there, unsure of herself, her hands fidgeted on the pommel of each of her swords. Making up part of her mind, Fleade slowly approached and started towards the small stream where the other woman was standing. She picked up the bucket and dipped it into the water. ”I apologize, Ma’am.” She stood there with the bucket in her hands. The look of disgust on the woman’s face made Fleade feel so much smaller than she was. The woman smacked the bucket out of her hands with surprising force. ”I don’t want your apologies. I want my husband well. I want my husband to be able to teach our children the way of the sword, the teaching that was apparently wasted on you.” The woman’s shouts began to draw notice, not only from the people wandering around Neued, but also the other occupants from a house that wasn’t too far away. That must be where Rhovan lived, she’d never really known where he lived but assumed from the grim faces of those who came out that it had to be. ”You left him! You left him to die!” The woman continued almost in a frantic manner. A young little shifter boy came out and went to his mother’s side and took her hand. His eyes were red and bright against his dark skin. Just the look of him made Fleade want to cry and his words only made her come so much closer. ”Why did you leave my Daddy? Why did you run away? Daddy always said a true swordsman never ran away. Are you a swordsman? You ran away so that’s probably not likely.” The boy’s words hit her hard, her brow furrowed and she once again started fiddling with the pommels of her swords. If she hadn’t of run away, would the others have come up with a plan for escape? Perhaps Chi had made all that stuff happen so that she could save the lives of many more, no matter how much it had hurt to leave her mentor behind. But…could she tell his family that?

 

[Nilah44]

S O L OXX❅XXT W O
H E RXXA D M I T T A N C EXXB R O U G H TXXF O R G I V E N E S S
Word Count: 1,407

More people appeared from she didn’t even know where and would have been glad to see that Neued was once again inhabited had they not been surrounding her. A small bit of surprise rose when she noticed a few Oban faces amidst the crowd. Fleade bit her lip nervously and bent down to pick up the bucket and once more fill it up, instead, leaving it sitting on the ground. ”You’re right, little one. I have no right to try and call myself a swordsman. I was stupid and had thrown the gift of your father’s knowledge in his face when I turned and ran. But it was not without consequences. I didn’t make it far before an Oban caught up with me and I injured my ankle and spent most of the battle in captivity.” Fleade was interrupted by the wife at that point, ”Good. You deserve to have been captured and gotten injured. You should have been sold as a slave and maybe then you would have learned to follow orders!” A mumble of agreement rumbled through the small crowd that had assembled. But one of the girls who appeared to be about the same age as Fleade and who had come out of the same house as the little boy pushed her way up to the wife. ”Mom, let her speak.”

The young woman’s words gave her a little bit of confidence to continue on and she sent a soft smile her way. ”I understand your anger. I have to be honest with you, leaving is one of my greatest regrets. I was a coward and I’m sorry. I let my fear rule over doing what was right. But please, listen to me when I say I made up for that during my captivity. Now, I have to believe that my gods, and possibly whatever gods you believe in as well instilled my heart with fear so that I could save the lives of many others. I know that doesn’t make up for what I did. When I was in captivity, just right over there was where they had the pen that I and quite a few other Tendajians were kept in. I had a plan when I got there. My running away from the battle allowed me to help free and save the lives of many others who had been captured. I know that might not justify what I did, and I know it doesn’t. But I tried to right my wrong, and I think Rhovan would forgive me…” What would they say? Would they understand? Or would nothing make it right?

The shifter woman’s eyes were hard as they stared her down as if they were staring right into her very soul. It made her knees weak and Fleade felt like she was being judged by the gods themselves. ”You have no right to say what my Rhovan would do.” She started walking towards Fleade when her daughter put a hand on her shoulder which the woman quickly shrugged off with a ”Don’t!” The wife walked over and picked up the bucket that was still full from when Fleade had filled it. ”But, you can ask him yourself. He’s weak but he deserves to look the one who left him in the eyes and judge you himself.” And with that, she turned her back on Fleade and walked with purpose back to the house. A small walkway had opened up yet people remained on either side of her to let her through and also to make sure she went. Fleade felt her palms start to sweat even more than they normally did in the hot Juaharan forest. All the eyes on her seemed to be pushing her forward even though she was going to go willingly. Her eyes met with others as she passed by them. Some held resentment while a few of them held pity. As she made her way towards the door, each step echoed that shout once more and it succeeded in making the feeling of dread swell up until she tasted acidic bile at the back of her throat and she suddenly felt like she might pass out. Before she knew it though, she was standing in the threshold with eyes upon her yet her vision seemed to be going black. ”Ethelfleade.”

Just her name was enough to snap her out of it and her hands gripped the door way until her knuckles were white. She felt the apprehension of the moment build up inside her like a knot inside her chest. But he didn’t look at her in revulsion or anger or shock as his shout at her leaving had been. He smiled at her and weakly waved her over. Once again, each step echoed but there was something different, with each step and his smile, the noise grew softer and when she was at his bedside and took the final step, she heard nothing at all. ”I knew you’d come back.” He told her softly. He didn’t hate her and that realization caused all the apprehension and regret to flow away in form of tears as she sat in the chair next to the bed that she was offered. ”Rhovan. I’m sorry. I was afraid and I let that cowardice override what I knew was right. But…I think if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to help all the others who had been captured with me escape. I’m just still so sorry. I shouldn’t have left. I know that now, you spent time training me when no one else made things make sense and I just-“ Rhovan broke off her rambling with a gentle hand covering her own trembling ones. ”I was worried for you. None of the others who stayed with me lived. You did the right thing, Fleade.” His speech was slow and filled with pain, every once in a while he would cough. The bandages around his abdomen showed that he still hadn’t completely healed and that worried her. But he had survived this long, which meant surely he would survive, right? ”Ethelfleade, you deserve the rank of swordsman for using your skills to protect as many people as you could, even if it meant giving in to your fear and looking a coward. I believed in you, and I still do. Promise me one thing…” Rhovan’s gaze was strong as he paused and waited for her nod which came quickly. It took him a few moments to gather his breath and the wait of what he would demand of her weighed heavy on her heart. It helped to know that he didn’t hate her and even though he believed she had done the right thing, she would always wish she would have stayed to help him fight, or at least share his fate. ”Promise me that when I’m gone, you’ll train my sons and daughters.” ”Daddy no! I want to be trained by you!!” The little boy interrupted and pushed himself to his father’s side.

”I would do anything to right how I wronged you.” She replied without hesitation. If it was his wish, she would honor it. She heard footsteps behind her and secretly hoped it wasn’t his wife who’s wrath Fleade was sure must equal that of Bergchi herself. But it wasn’t, a strange light green hand placed itself on her shoulder. How she had missed the alkidke to begin with she had no idea. ”I was among those who had been captured and I saw your bravery. You should be proud, and, you also shouldn’t worry for Rhovan. He’s going to be just fine if he will stop stressing himself and relax so he can heal!” The alkidike scolded her patient slightly. Fleade’s head whipped around to look at the alkidike who was trying to assure her. ”You’re positive?” Fleade asked worriedly, not wanting to get her hopes up until she was sure. With a smile and a nod from the alkidike healer a smile finally found its way to her face. ”I’m going to leave you to rest, Rhovan, but I’ll be back to check on you. I promise. Thank you.” She said softly, giving his hand a squeeze and back out of the house as she felt more at ease than she had since before the battle. He didn’t hate her and he was going to be okay. Things had really turned out for the best.

 

[Suhuba]

Class Quest Result

Pass!

Ethelfleade has passed and received a rank of Swordsman!



Congratulations Ethelfleade!

Nilah44