2: Unwavering Wills and Uncertain Paths

Rayann walked along beside Myth as they headed out from the make shift breakfast camp. Tanjee was leading them on at a rather good pace and Rayann saw how light she was on her feet. What amazed her even more was how light Kwinn was as well. Even with his raucous song he didn’t leave much of a trail to follow, if he even left one at all.

As they walked on, Rayann talked to Myth with her mind and he did the same. They discussed what to possibly expect from the Elves with his return to their world after such a long absence and knowing his history. Of course they knew it wouldn’t be easy for either of them but with any luck and with blessing from Solinari, it wouldn’t be as difficult as the worse case scenario.

Just prior to Tanjee calling the group to a sudden halt, Rayann felt a strange buzzing in her head. It was like listening to a thousand voices talk at once. The sound was so deafening that she couldn’t hear anything else. As soon as Tanjee yelled and the bolt whizzed by the Elf and the Dretches showed themselves, that buzzing sound became louder and Rayann pulled her hands to her ears and bent over to try and stop the sound.

It was maddening. The voices were all talking at once about everything they were doing to the group and how they were going to round them all up and kill them all expect for the white robe. The voices were talking so quickly that Rayann couldn’t put her guards up fast enough to block out the sound. And it was so much information at once, her mind was trying to process it all so she could make sense of it only to find she simply couldn’t keep up with it all.

”By the Gods! Make them stop!”

She wanted to run. To get away from them as fast as she could but she didn’t dare leave Myth and the others. She HAD to find a way to stop them from getting into her mind herself. Concentrate, Rayann, she told herself. Concentrate. Force them out. Make them leave.

Kwinn had only just finished his raunchy song when Tanjee stopped walking and held up her hand. She watched the woods with her bright eyes and sniffed the air like a wild thing, her instincts seemed razor sharp.

Kwinn was lost for a second in admiration, this beautiful elf woman was a wild thing was she not? She was indeed a Sylvan elf, a member of a people that Kwinn held in the highest regard. Kwinn was again admiring her fine clothing (and it's close to the body fit) and her long shiny hair. He was imagining what her hair would smell like up close when her shouting brought him back to earth.

As the bolt struck a nearby tree Kwinn grabbed his fighting stick, he was ready for combat. Bolts, arrows and projectiles whizzed at them. A small arrow struck Kwinn in his thick leather knuckle guards, it pierced the cured leather and cut into his hand just breaking the skin. The ranger pulled the weapon from his glove and threw it to the ground. Another flew by his ear, pulling some of his knotted hair hair out as it just missed his head.

Kwinn was not yet close enough for hand to hand with the small creatures and their small ranged weapons were currently giving them a sizable advantage. This did not please the ranger at all, he gripped his stick with both hands and began to dig at the earth with the end of the tall staff like weapon. Kwinn then spoke a few quiet Elvish words and the soil he had just turned up was picked up in a small burst of wind and blew into the eyes and faces of some of the Dretch.

The dirt and sand irritated the small creatures, 3 or 4 of them clawed at their eyes and grunted in anger. Kwinn used this to get closer to the small beastlings. He gingerly sprinted closer to them and brought his heavy oak stick onto one of the thing's head.

Myth kept himself as they packed camp and made the preparations to move out. Already the day had been looking up as he and Rayann had come acro two new companions. At least the human he knew would be ready if a fight popped up. His mind focused on a myriad of subjects from the thoughts of brigands down to running into an elven patrol party. Hopefully they would be able to persuade whoever they met with words before swords. However he was not overly hopeful about the matter and kept it to himself.

Their presence cleared up Myth could only smile appreciating Tanjee's forethought in telling Kwinn to hide their presence. Myth was simply going to do it himself but upon observing how the man went about the task Myth once more remained silent and instead paid attention to the sounds around him. He held back a chuckle when Kwinn broke into song and only shook his head sparing Rayann a glance before smiling. She brought up the matter of what to expect as they drew closer and Myth was less than eager to respond but he knew it was necessary. We will definitely encounter a patrol of some kind but I am unsure if it will be the patrol itself we will deal with when we do finally make contact. Both your presence and Kwinn's is enough to warrant the attention of a simple scout. However with me present I can almost but that they will instead get other help. Two humans and the bastard prince is enough cause for concern considering the past few years..."

He eventually shifted thigns to a lighter tone and was regaling Rayann with tails of his youth when he became distracted. He smelled the beasts about the same time as Tanjee. He knew that smell all to well and was reaching for his dagger when Tanjee called for them to drop. Myth simply shifted to the side feeling the breezeof an arrow breaking the wind close to his face. On instinct he had drawn a dagger and flung it int he general direction the arrow had come. Twenty of the beasts appeared and that fast one dropped with a dagger in its head.

He saw Rayann grasp her head and go down but did not hesitate. He knew how these beasts spoke to one another and knew what was wrong he could do nothing save for call out to her hoping his voice would drown out theirs as he and his companions worked to dispatch their foe. His hand went to his sword hilt and he dashed like a bullet past Kwinn as the human engaged their foes. There was a flash as Myth drew his blade cleaving through his first Dretch and he planted his feat With his sword out and at the ready.

Tanjee had never been in a fight before. At least, not like this. The closest she ever came to such a thing was back in her youth with a bunch of other kids her age. It had something to do with the supposed affection of one of the males their age, Tanjee and another female her age. But this….this was life or death. Not some jealousy fueled confrontation.

When the Elf saw the way these creatures came out from hiding, she quickly got to her hands and knees and scrambled behind the tree that had the arrow protruding out of it as quickly as she could. She saw the way Kwinn quickly set to fighting the creatures, but not before she saw the bolt protrude from his hand and a cry of alarm slipped past her lips.

Her reward for her cry was another bolt sent flying her way that found the trunk of the tree she hid behind again. Daring to peer out from her hiding place, Tanjee watched, between dodging projectiles, at Kwinn and Myth as they took to trying to dispatch the Dretche’s.

But it was Rayann that she saw struggling the most. If the mage didn’t get to cover soon, she would quickly find herself a human pin cushion for the many arrows now sent volleying from the Dretche’s small bows. Looking at the men then darting her eyes to Rayann, Tanjee debated what to do, then, realizing she had to act, the Elf said a quick prayer to her Goddess and quickly got to her feet and took off after Rayann.

Arrows and other things whizzed by her as she ran as fast as she could for the mage. Just as she reached the woman, Tanjee’s feet suddenly quit working and she tumbled forward. Grabbing a hold of Rayann on her way down, the two women found themselves sprawled out on the forest floor.

Tanjee sat up as quickly as she could, brushing the hair from her face, and looked at her ankles. One of the creatures had been successful in using it’s bolo to bring her down like a crumbling statue. Furrowing her brows, she quickly untangled the rope from around her ankles and kicked her feet free.

Looking at the men, she saw how they were handing the creatures before she turned her attention to Rayann. The woman seemed to have snapped out of what ever had been bothering her and was now positioned with her lower legs tucked beneath her. Her lips were moving rapidly but Tanjee couldn’t hear anything coming from them. Blinking, Tanjee glanced at the mage’s hands and saw they were glowing a faint lavender color. Letting her gaze drift to the men, Tanjee saw Myth’s own blade glowing that same lavender color and blinked again. As her eyes darted from Rayann to Myth, Tanjee suddenly knew what they were doing.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of something to her right. Snapping her head in that direction, Tanjee saw a lone Dretch had broken through the line of defense and was headed right for her, holding his pike like weapon threateningly. Without thinking, Tanjee reached down, picked up the discarded bolo she had removed from her ankles and whirled it a few times before throwing it at the hateful creature.

The rope found its mark and quickly wrapped around the creatures throat. The two, round ends of the weapon picked up speed as the roped wrapped around the creatures neck and when they made contact with the things head, Tanjee heard the sickening, soft like thud they made. Quickly feeling remorse for doing what she did, she prayed her Goddess would forgive her for killing the creature.

Rayann knew she had to get a grip on things quickly or she was doomed. The sound in her head was so bad she couldn’t even concentrate to get up any kind of protection spell on her or anyone else for that matter. She was just thinking of turning to seek shelter when she was hit from the right and knocked down to the ground. And it was just what she needed.

As soon as the contact was made with her from Tanjee slamming into her, Rayann stopped hearing the sounds of the other voices in her head when she thought she was in grave danger. Her defenses quickly came up and she was able to push the others from her mind.

Seeing Tanjee was fine, she quickly righted herself to her knees and began working in conjunction with Myth the way they had practiced. Her eyes never left the tall Elf as he began working his way through the evil creatures. All Rayann knew was that they needed to gain the upper hand or they were all going to die and that was simply unacceptable.

Kwinn swung his fighting stick down on the dretch a second time, it's small but thick skull finally gave and it fell dead to the ground. With many arrows flying past Kwinn still pushed forward, he held his stick out longways and caught two more of the creatures at the throat, one was stunned by the blow and went down right away, the other got right back to it's feet and charged the ranger again.

Kwinn punched at the creature as it leaped at him, it sank it's teeth into his thick gloves and refused to let go. Kwinn lowered his arm to the ground, the vicious creature was still gnawing at his glove as Kwinn brought his boot down on it's head killing it.

Kwinn did not waste any time, he charged into the mass of small beasts again. Kwinn was holding his stick like a spear, he threw it with all his might, it struck another dretch in the mid section. The small humanoid fell on it's side clutching it's belly. The thick Oak stick had bounced off of the creature and right back into Kwinn's hands.

Kwinn gripped his weapon tightly and waited for more of the creatures to come at him when he felt a hot flash of pain in his right arm. A small arrow was jutting from the ranger's bicep. Kwinn knew enough about fighting to know that the pulling out of a barbed arrow was not an option.

The ranger glanced at the arrow and prepared to fight on.
It will have to wait... He thought as more of the creatures rushed at him.

Kwinn looked just over his shoulder, Tanjee had gotten to Rayann, a number of the beastlings were approaching the women. Kwinn kept his eyes forward as he tried to make his way closer to the women as the small things closed in.

Myth's mind remained blank and his features calm as he let the beasts close in with him. He remained aware that there were still a couple of the things still wielding bows and he was careful of keeping his gaze leveled in that direction when he could manage it. He stepped to the side, twisted, avoided, parried, and struck out. Every move was like part of a dance with a touch of elven grace that defied his appearance. He remained concerned for the safety of Tanjee and Rayann and worked in their direction. He had heard the feint sound of a body hitting another and it had drawn his attention for a moment. That moment of distraction was enough to let one dretch in through his defenses. A blade skidded across his armored forearm and bit into his bicep. Myth grimaced snapping his attention front and center once more before his free arm snaked out grabbing the creature that drew to close. He smiled noting the surprise and pulled it close to his person and heard the thunk of several arrows puncturing the thing. Its friends had made a calculated move but Myth had seen these things in a fight before and knew their archers were opportunists because their aim was not nearly as acute as an elf's. Grabbing the dead dretch he cast its arrow filled corpse in the direction of the archers.

His sword was coming down again and them he felt the magic enter into his blade as it cleaved through the dretch before him. A familiar lavender glow was wrapped around the blade and Myth began his assault anew. Rayann had overcome the voices of the dretches mind. He was aware however of the beasts now trying to out maneuver both himself and Kwinn. He shifted his attention to cleaving his way to the women now. Their safety was now his primary concern. He noted the arrow in Kwinn's arm but commended the human's ability to press on. There was a dull ache in his own from the wound he had taken.

Tanjee saw the beasts pressing forward and even breaking through some of the defenses Kwinn and Myth had made. As Rayann continued to aid Myth, Tanjee did what she could to hold the beasties at bay by kicking out at them when she could. Of course her reward was a few cuts and scrapes form their weapons, but nothing like what Kwinn and Myth had suffered thus far.

”OH! Go away you filthy beasts! Back to what ever hole you crawled out of! OW! That hurt!”

As the Dretches kept advancing, Tanjee felt like the walls were closing in on her. Even as Kwinn and Myth were handling them well, she knew they wouldn’t be able to get to all of them before some significant damage was done to her and Rayann. And just when it looked as though they were about to e overcome, she saw several of the beasts fall with large bolts sticking out of their prone bodies.

Snapping her eyes to the forest around them, Tanjee saw movement and knew her kin had arrived just in the knick of time. Some were in trees while others were on the ground. All around her she began to hear the tell tale sound of arrows gliding effortlessly through the air as the Dretches began to fall like leaves from the trees.

”Thank you, Goddess. I knew you wouldn’t let us down.”

As the patrol gathered around the group, the one who appeared to be a leader, a strawberry blond hair male with piercing hazel eyes, regarded the group with suspicion and just a hint of distaste. His eyes settled on Tanjee and he gave her a rather hard look before speaking to her in an authoritative tone using their native language.



”You, of all people, should know better than to be traveling with the likes of these intruders. What have you to say for yourself, sister?”

Tanjee’s cheeks colored brightly but she stood proudly, squaring her shoulders and even raising her chin defiantly. Her eyes settled on the males and she answered his question.

”Who I choose to associate myself with is none of your concern, Aeolis.”

The male furrowed his brow and clenched his jaw as he glanced around at the strangers his sister was traveling with. In particular the mountain of an Elf, Myth. He knew the story behind the Elf and didn’t trust him one bit. Even if he did appear to be traveling with a White Robe. His eyes strayed to Kwinn then and he saw the arrow protruding from his arm. Snapping at Tanjee, he gestured to Myth and Kwinn.

”We shall discuss this later, in private. For now, do your Goddess' bidding and tend to their wounds.”

Tanjee clenched her jaw in kind but she merely nodded. Walking, stiff backed, to Kwinn, she set her pack on the ground next to him then reached out, gently taking his arm in her hands and began to examine the injury. She would have to push it all the way through then after that, she would need to make sure he was bandaged well with a healing salve to insure he didn’t suffer infection.

As Tanjee moved to Kwinn, the male let his hard gaze settle on Myth’s form once more. There was no welcome in his gaze and when he saw how Rayann moved closer to Myth, the Elf quickly deducted the relationship and gave a disapproving snort.

Rayann saw the creatures advancing like Tanjee did. While she knew she could easily dispatch them, to do so would take her concentration away from Myth and right now, he was in the middle of a particular band of Dretches that were giving him a good work out.

Of course she couldn’t ignore the fact Tanjee was doing her best to fight of the little bastards that had broke through the line of defense and were coming for both her and the Elf. She was just getting ready to let Myth handle things on his own and dispatch the whole lot of them when, like Tanjee, she saw several of the beasts fall with well aimed bolts protruding from their hides.

As the beasts began to fall faster than snow flakes during a blizzard, Rayann dropped her spell and blinked as she looked around. All around her the forest seemed to be moving with life. While she couldn’t SEE the Elves, she could sense their presence. Slowly getting to her feet, she kept looking around as she cautiously made her way to Myth.

~I would say we’ve been discovered by a patrol.~

As Rayann stood watching the forest around them, the forms of the patrol began to come more into focus. Dressed in earth tone colors to blend in with their surroundings, the patrol slowly closed ranks around the four travelers.

As the male addressed Tanjee in the Elven tongue, Rayann furrowed her brows. She didn’t like it when they spoke in their native tongue but she knew there was nothing she could do about it. It was, after all, their language and they had every right to speak it freely in their own lands.

As she watched the male after Tanjee moved to Kwinn, she saw the way he regarded Myth and herself and knew this was the first of many trials they were going to face in this land of the Elves.

~Well, no need to ask what he’s thinking. Glad to know he doesn’t hide what’s on his mind.”~

As the Sylvan Elves revealed themselves Kwinn was very grateful, he let his weapons fall from his hands and supported his injured arm with his other. The ranger new what Tanjee had probably figured out, the arrow was going to have to be pushed through to be removed.

Kwinn sat down on some fallen tree trunks and did his best to hold his arm still. Tanjee came to his side and began to prepare her Elvish medicine.

The ranger took a full breath of her fine smelling hair as she took his arm in her hands to examine his injury. It was a rare thing for Kwinn to worry about his bathing habits but in this moment, with an arrow in his arm and the she elf so near he wished he had taken the time to rinse off when he could have.

His arm was aching something fierce as Tanjee straightened it to have a look.

"I do not believe it struck the bone..." He grit his teeth as she examined the wound.

Kwinn looked away from his arm and over at the newly arrived Elves, they seemed very displeased to see Kwinn and the others. The ranger wondered if any of the elves would recognize him from his previous visits although it had been a few seasons and he wondered if it would make a difference if they did.

Myth had barely noticed the unusual rustling of the trees a moment before the dretch became a mass of pin cushions It was probably the best possible way to encounter an elven patrol. They would be busy with dispatching the foe and checking on Tanjee and Myth would have a moment to prepare himself for the issues there after. He sword swung one last time before he slipped it into the sheath. His face became an straight and serious bringing his arms to fold across his chest. His eyes shifted taking in note of the elves around them and he almost let out a groan when Aoelis presented himself. There were literally only three worse people Myth could think of to run into at this point out here on the outskirts, his father, his brother, or Aeolis' commander.

He listened carefully as the warrior gave Tanjee a lecture on her company. He was a surprised to here them speak of family relation. After some though Myth vaguely recalled something about a sibling but Myth couldn't remember the details. When Aeolis looked his way Myth met his gaze with an iron one of his own, but the look he got on his face after looking upon Rayann made Myth's blood boil ever so slightly. He took in a deep breath as Rayann drew close and nodded his head when she spoke of what was on his mind.

Not wanting to speak he kept their conversation between the two of them with their thoughts. I would wager that one of the reasons we find ourselves in such good company is because of Tanjee... I think there may be a relation. Otherwise I would wager we would be well on our way to being detained in a most uncomfortable fashion."

Myth ignored the snort and took a moment to look to Tanjee as she tended to Kwinn. He detected a small amount of uneases in the man's posture. Myth almost chuckled knowing what reasons could cause such a reaction. He quickly returned his gaze to Aeolis who was now focusing his attention upon Myth. Myth took in a deep breath and quirked an eyebrow. He took the time to speak in human knowing it would rib the elf even more. "Aeolis... by that look upon your face I would wager you are not to happy to see me?"

his voice sounded to Rayann He will most likely respond in elven... in which case I will translate for you dearest.

Tanjee was not concerned with Kwinn’s personal hygiene. Right now she had to get that nasty barb out of his arm and patch him up so he could be well on his way to healing. Her brows furrowed deeply as she studied just how deeply the arrow had penetrated Kwinn’s arm. She hated to think of causing the ranger pain but she HAD to move the bolt to make sure his instincts were right.

Hearing him grunt as she moved the bolt, Tanjee nodded affirmatively. It hadn’t struck the bone, thank the Goddess for that. But it was still going to hurt like hell to get it out. Her eyes finally looked up into Kwinns and she spoke softly to him.

”Sit down, Kwinn. It would be better for both of us.”

As Kwinn sat down, Tanjee glanced over at Aeolis and Myth as they exchanged looks before Myth spoke. Of all the patrols to encounter, it just HAD to be Aeolis’. Why couldn’t it have been someone else’s?

Kneeling next to Kwinn, Tanjee got out some pouches of different herbs along with a small wooden bowl and mortar to mix the herbs with water. Taking a pinch or so from the different pouches, she added some water from her water skin to make a thick paste like poultice. It didn’t smell all that great but it wasn’t totally repugnant either. Once she had the salve ready to go, she pulled out some clean pieces of cloth she was going to use as bandages. With everything ready to go, she looked up to Kwinn once more and pulled her knife from the sheath in her boot.

”I am not strong enough to break the bolt with my hands but my knife is plenty sharp to cut it off so there will be relatively little to pass through your arm.”

With an affirmative nod form the ranger, Tanjee reached up and took a firm but gentle hold of the bolt and closed her eyes reciting a prayer to her Goddess asking for strength, knowledge and a quick end to the rangers pain at her hand. With the prayer uttered, she opened her eyes, looked into Kwinn’s for a brief second then proceeded to easily cut the bolt off distastefully discarding the end she had sliced off.

Looking at Kwinn’s face, Tanjee saw him grow pale. His jaw was clenched tight as he worked through the pain knowing there was more yet to come. Rising slightly on her knees to gain more leverage, Tanjee once more gripped the end of the bolt sticking out of the front of Kwinn’s arm and shoved with all her strength. As tough as the ranger was, he let out a small cry of pain as the bolt passed through his muscle and broke thought his skin on the back of his arm.

Working with the speed and care of a surgeon, Tanjee had the bolt pulled through and out of Kwinn’s arm. If it bothered her that the human was bleeding all over her hands, she didn’t let it show. All she was worried about now was making sure she cleaned the wounds and covered them in the poultice to stop the bleeding and prevent infection as well as ease his pain. Her fingers deftly dipped into the salve she made and expertly covered both wounds the arrow had made as she whispered softly using her powers to help expedite the healing.

Kwinn would feel an instantly cooling sensation as the herbs she had mixed together started working on easing the pain the wound had caused. His bleeding began to slow as well and she kept applying the poultice until the bleeding stopped entirely. Washing her hands clean, she took the clean strips of cloth and began wrapping them around Kwinn’s upper arm making sure they were snug but not too much so. Once she had that done, she fashioned a sling and cradled his forearm in the bottom of it while she secured it around his neck. Settling next to him again, she double checked her work then looked up into his eyes once more.

”The sling is necessary to keep you from using your muscle too much. It needs to mend or it will grow weak and cause you to lose much of your strength from this arm. Something that could be quite devastating for you. I would hate to think of you out in the wilds unable to properly defend yourself. I will wrap the salve up so it can be used once we get to our next stop.”

Standing, Tanjee made her way towards Myth. The conversation between the large, red head and the smaller, light haired elf was strained, at best. Furrowing her brows, Tanjee tried not to let her brother’s words anger her but it was clear she didn’t like what he was saying or how he was saying it.

Reaching forward to take Myth’s wounded arm in her hand, she received a hard glare from the warrior until she explained her motives.

”Do you wish to have it get infected and cause your arm to fall off your body?”

Looking at Rayann, Tanjee gave an apologetic look before she tended to Myth’s arm after he relented and nodded his permission. Using the same salve she made for Kwinn’s arm, she washed the wound and placed some of the cooling salve over Myth’s arm before wrapping his arm in clean bandages as she whispered soft words as she had with Kwinn to use her power to aid the healing process. Once she had the cloth secure, she walked back to where Kwinn still sat and began packing her things away. Casting a sideways glance at Kwinn after she tucked her hair behind her ear, she gave him a small smile as the tension between the two male elves grew to an almost unbearable amount.

Aeolis heard the common tongue uttered from Myth’s lips and his look turned even more disapproving, if that were even possible. Again his eyes flickered to Rayann before they settled on Myth’s. Myth was right, Aeolis responded in Elven, refusing to use the common tongue in his own lands.

”Not in the least bit, Mythalas. Especially traveling with a human woman. Given your choice in allegiances, I would have expected to see you with something more…..scaly. Is she aware of your lucrative life style? The one you chose, turning your back upon your own people? I cannot imagine her standing so near you looking for……support, if she knew ALL of your discretions.”

Aeolis knew he was treading on very thin ice here, but he was too angry to really care. Myth hadn’t been a part of this life for a long time now and Aeolis had advanced through the ranks to become quite revered. And with the return of the prodigal Prince, his life’s work was about o get washed away.

His eyes flicked to Tanjee as she tended the human ranger. Those eyes took on a softer look for a moment as he saw the way she used her gentle nature and teachings of their mother to tend to the man’s wounded arm. But his look turned hard once more when Aeolis was reminded who she was caught traveling with. As he watched Tanjee make her way to Myth, the light haired male elf was practically boring holes into the female elf.

That hard look was once more leveled on Myth as Tanjee began working on Myths wound as well. It didn’t set well with Aeolis his sister was tending to his sworn enemy but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. His sister was bound by the laws of her Goddess and she must render aid to those in need. And right now, Myth was in need of her services. Even if Aeolis wanted his arm to do exactly what Tanjee had stated it would do if she didn’t tend to it.

Rayann listened to what Myth was saying in her mind. As her lavender eyes drifted from Tanjee to the elf Myth had called Aeolis, she saw the similarities in the two of them. The same color hair. The same color eyes. Even similar facial features. Only where Tanjee’s were softer and Aeolis’ more angular. Rayann’s brows furrowed slightly as she put the information together and spoke to Myth’s mind once again.

~Siblings? There are definite similarities in them.~

As Rayann observed the way Aelois regarded Tanjee and the way he looked to Myth after Myth addressed him in the common language, she actually flinched when she heard the way the male elf spoke to Myth. While she couldn’t understand what was being said, the message was loud and clear as far as body language and facial expressions were concerned.

Rayann’s eyes drifted to Tanjee as the elfess approached to tend to Myth’s arm. Giving Tanjee a small smile and nod in thanks, she felt something from Myth she had never felt before: Rage. As her eyes drifted to Myth’s face, she saw the way his eyes burned and the way he clenched his jaw.

Rayann’s eyes then slid to the patrol still surrounding them. All of the members of the patrol still had arrows knocked and ready to go at a moments notice. While the bows and their deadly ammo was pointed to the ground, fingers still held the deadly bolts secure on the taut string and hands firmly gripped the curved wood. Several sets of eyes viewed the four travelers as intruders and there3 was no doubt that any move seen as hostile from Myth would be dealt with quickly and severely.

Slowly reaching up to rest her hand gently on Myth’s hard bicep, she spoke to his mind as her eyes took in the surrounding patrol.

~Now is the time to practice restraint, my love. Given the disadvantage we find ourselves at, I would be ill advised to give into the urge to strike that look off his face.~

As Rayann’s hand slid down Myth’s arm, it came in contact with his skin and she felt herself gasp as the full extent of his anger was felt without the barriers. Uncontrollably, her fingers clenched around his arm, much like fingers curled when a current passed through ones body as a bolt of energy passed through them. Unable to release her grip on Myth’s arm, Rayann’s eyes grew wide and she did something she never knew she could do, and that was ease his anger by conveying a feeling of calm to him through their mere touch.

With little more than a grumble Myth nodded and let his arm hang loose so that it could be tended to by Tanjee. His emerald gaze never once shifted away from Aeolis. There was an electricity in the air as them two stared each other down. There was a deep stirring in Myth's blood that he could not quite explain. Something about this situation was angering him deep inside. Perhaps it was the elf's posture or maybe his tone of voice. Something just gnawed at Myth's raw edges that made his temper short. It was almost as if Aeolis' tone itself is what was fueling the anger. His gaze grew harder still as the elf brought up Myth's past.

He felt an arm wrap itself around his bicep but he did not look away. Myth felt himself teetering on a knife tip and then the strangest sensation washed over his being. It was a sense of calm that sent his anger into the deepest recess' of his mind. Myth could only blink as Rayann's words touched his mind and then it dawned upon him that the entire patrol had been watching his hand. He reflexively let go of the handle and something dawned upon him in the moment the calm struck. Aeolis was a simple guard when Myth left the forests in search of other things. This elf before him was a lowly guard that dared to speak to him in a manner of disrespect. A calm smile spread from ear to ear as Myth corrected his posture. He nodded his head to Rayann agreeing wiht her assessment of things but the smile remained.

Myth once more spoke in the common tongue for the sake of Rayann and Kwinn. "Now do correct me if I am wrong in this, but I distinctly remember that in dealing with a troupe of mixed company you are required to speak the common tongue." Myth waved a hand to Kwinn and Rayann "Intruders or no you are still in mixed company and it is rude to speak in a manner not understood by all. I would hope this wayward child of the forest need not remind the lord captain of his basic manners." It was one of the oldest laws of the border captains. Unless it was a matter of detention or movement they were required to speak in a manner understood by all. Myth new this would rib the Aeolis to no end and he could see a couple shifty looks amongst the men present. Elves could be as stubborn as a dwarf in regards to laws and traditions at times and Myth had always loved pointing it out as a child.

"Now as for the... indiscretions you spoke so fondly of Aeolis... my companion here probably knows more about what has happened to me than you do. So o not presume that she travels with me under false pretenses. Solinari was kind enough to guide her to me so that she might show me a more righteous path. Whether you choose to believe this is none of my concern. However you WILL treat my companions with every respect allowed to them under the elven laws. While I did choose to leave these forests of my own will I am still a prince of these lands until brought before the elven court and told otherwise, and last time I checked I had not received a summons to appear." He could see Aeolis' face redden and it brought him a small amount of joy. "Now are we done here arguing like a couple of brain addled kender. I assume you sent a runner the moment you knew I was present so I suggest we not keep the elders waiting." Myth did not even wait for a response and simply looked at Rayann and smiled "Get you things dearest" Myth could feel the lot of the men present squirm as they waited for orders. Gods how Myth loved stubborn traditions.

His voice drifted to Rayann's mind and sounded like that of an amused teenager. Well he'll likely have no choice but to escort us to the settlement now. Aeolis nay be angry but I know protocol and should he arrive with bodies Tanjee would be questioned as well... and her being a priestess of Mishkal would be unable to lie about what transpired. Still I agree I think I have ribbed him enough... for now

Kwinn was very grateful for Tanjee's medicine. The She Elf's healing was second to none.

Kwinn was silent as she finished up with him, tying off the sling she had fashioned.

Kwinn grasped Tanjee's arm gently with his other hand and gave her arm a slight squeeze.

"Thank you Tanjee, it feels better already." The ranger grinned.

Kwinn then watched with a great deal of interest as the Captain of the Elves and Myth exchanged some words. The proud elf Captain was trying to intimidate Myth but the Red haired warrior was not buying.

Kwinn had not known Myth for long but he thought that a being would have to bring something heavy to the table in order to get a raise out of Myth, a few stiff words were not going to cut it.

The Ranger sat silently until the Elves were finished slinging their verbal daggers, at the end of it all this Aeolis was clenching his teeth and holding back harsher words. Kwinn could not help but admire Myth in this moment.

Finally Kwinn spoke, he felt that not introducing himself to the Elf hosts would be a terrible breach of conduct.

"Hello friends, my name is Kwinn, I am a ranger and a trader and a friend to the Sylvanestri. I have traveled your lands before although it has been a few seasons. I thank you for your hospitality and hope that we can continue to share a friendship."

Kwinn stood up when he spoke, he wanted the elves to see that although he was wounded that he was not down and out.

Aeolis knew he’d crossed the line and when Myth brought him to task for his actions, he knew there wasn’t much he could do but do exactly as Myth had stated. While it irked him to no end and he wanted nothing more than to see this wayward Prince return to the underside of what ever rock he crawled out of, he knew Myth was right and Aeolis was required to revert to common for all involved.

That didn’t stop him from staring daggers at Myth. In fact, if nothing else, it compounded the whole situation. Aeolis’ lips were thin, white lines and his eyes were boring holes into Myth as he stood, stiff backed, and listened to what the large Elf was saying. His eyes glanced around and saw his patrol was well aware of the protocol Myth had stated and were already easing the grip on their bows and preparing to shoulder the weapons.

”Very well….since I have no choice but to revert to the common tongue, I shall do so for your benefit, Lady of Solinari. Forgive me for making it difficult for you to understand what was being spoken.”

As Kwinn introduced himself, Aeolis recognized the name and the man. It had been a while since Aeolis had seen him and in fact thought he had perished but the reports would drift in from time to time of the human ranger in the Sylvanesti woods.

”Well Met, Kwinn, Ranger of the Woods. As you can see, my sister will help you with your things. Now, if you will all follow me, I will guide you to the city.”

Glancing at Tanjee, he saw the way her cheeks had flushed and was wondering what had caused such a reaction but didn’t have time to think much about it. Bristled by Myth’s words, Aeolis wanted nothing more than to move the group as quickly as he could so he could be free of them. Turning on his heel, he started off walking away from the group followed by a couple of his patrol while the rest of the patrol waited for the group of travelers to fall into place.

Tanjee felt her cheeks color slightly at Kwinn’s praise of her work. She’d received praise in the past but she’d never reacted this way before. So why now? Maybe it was the look in Kwinn’s eyes that made the difference. Either way, she tried not to let it show that his words had affected her, even just a little. Muttering a quick ‘thank you’ she let him address her brother while she picked up some of his things to carry knowing he wouldn’t be able to carry all of them now.

As Kwinn addressed her brother after Myth’s smarting words, Tanjee held her breath and waited to see what Aeolis would do. Knowing her brother, he would stick to dictated protocol, as Myth pointed out, she knew he would speak the common language for every ones benefit. Even if the words weren’t kindly spoken.

With any luck, Aelois would still be feeling the sting of Myth’s words too much to cause a scene, especially with his patrol looking very ill at ease after Myth quoted law to them all. Holding her breath, Tanjee waited to see what Aeolis’ response was going to be only to feel her breath slip out when her brother spoke to Kwinn almost civilly.

Rayann let her eyes drift to Aeolis to Myth then back again. This kept up all the while the two men spoke to each other. She couldn’t believe Aeolis was acting the way he was to Myth but then again, Myth had been gone for a while and it was easy for someone to forget who he was.

When Myth mentioned that Solinari had guided her to Myth so she could show him a more righteous path, her hand closed around Myth’s arm and she felt even prouder to be with him. It took a strong man to admit he needed to change but an even stronger man to admit he had a woman helping him do just that. It was then Rayann’s eyes settled on Aeolis’ and she didn’t take them off until the Elf turned on his heel and started to walk away. Even then she had just enough time to glance up at Myth and see the look on his face before they started walking.

~Well, that was…interesting. I hope things go a little smoother for us when we reach the settlement. If not, we’ll just have to prove to them we’re not as unstable as they apparently perceive us to be. Just out of curiosity, do you know what we might come up against when we get there?~

[quote="serredeth"]

Myth wiped the smile from his face returning his face to an emotionless mask. It was quite unsettling for some to look upon a face where you could perceive no emotion. Some fighters relied on reading that aspect of an opponent in an effort to guide the combat down a desired path. Myth knew this well and had practiced for years developing this look. He awaited his companions before settling in among the center of the group which now traveled with the patrol. His voice spoke in a mirthful tone to Rayann at first before edging into something befitting the situation. "As far as the city I am unsure of what we may find. Things have changed and as suc the dwellings may have changed. I'm unsure if the city will be amongst the forest or anchored upon the earth."

Myth walked along every so often his eyes shifted from guard to guard. Nervous eyes watched Myth and his companions. He spoke aloud now not wishing to keep the whole conversation from the others. "We will likely be provided lodging for the evening and on the morrow I will find myself summoned before a council of elders. What that meeting may entail I am not sure of. I could brought to task for crimes against the nation despite never having lifted a hand against the elves themselves, but I did work for the enemy. At the very least I will likely be stripped of my title and be disowned by my family and cast into exile. Either way I recommend we try to determine hy we are here and be on our way quickly. I grew weary of the bickering of old men to attached to tradition and left because of it. I do not wish to stay and deal with it for to long."

Flexing his hand slightly Myth tested out his arm a bit and looked to Tanjee and gave an approving nod of thanks to the priestess before settling his gaze once more on her brother.

Rayann listened to everything Myth told her. Coming back here for him was no picnic and to make matters worse, he was not all that fond of returning. But something told the magi she needed to come here, why she wasn’t sure – yet. But she was determined to find out and do so as quickly as possible. With any luck, the Gods would see the need for haste and reveal to her why she needed to come here before too long.

The guards that surrounded her, Myth and Kwinn seemed to look at them with a mixture of curiosity and mistrust. Obviously things had happened to these people to take away their normally polite, outgoing personalities and caused them to be suspicious and distrusting of anyone who crossed into their borders.

As Myth explained they would be offered lodging, Rayann felt a sign of relief. While she didn’t mind sleeping out in the open and in the wilderness, she had to admit she preferred the comfort of a bed behind a closed door under a secure roof more than anything. But that brought a new crease of concern to her brow. Would she and Myth be permitted to share a room or would they be forced to spend the night in separate ones? How would she be able to adjust, even for one night, to sleeping without him by her side?

”Without a look at the outside world, it makes it difficult to change. But sometimes change isn’t needed so much as looking at things differently. Tradition is needed to remember the ways of the past, but it never hurts to see where that tradition can be used in a whole new way without disrespecting the nature of its intention.”

Casting her gaze around to the Elves that surrounded them as they walked through the forest, Rayann felt there was no place else in all of Krynn that was safer or more secure than right here, right now. Especially with Myth among them. Now, more than ever, she knew they were supposed to be here. She just hoped she would learn out why soon.

~I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now, Myth, but never forget I am here with you and you will not be facing anything alone. I give you my word.~

[quote="serredeth"]
Myth did his best to make small talk with his companions while keeping his mind on events he knew would be coming. He knew Rayann would sense the tension building in him as they traveled closer to the elven settlement. He made no more attempts to make any barbs at their escort's commander knowing full and well any such bravado would work against them in the long run. It was one thing to point out the others mistakes but it was another matter entirely to provoke any heated responses. Myth's energies were best suited towards other activities.

Aeolis was a classic example of the the type of elves Myth found distasteful. Stuck up and full of himself to the point of believing he was a superior being to other mortal races. Tanjee herself had some of that attitude but with the teachings of her goddess she was less prone to the arrogant thinking. One thing Myth had learned outside the forests of the elves was that no race was to be underestimated. This was just one thing in a long list of irritations that had forced Myth to seek his own path in life. As they traveled on he was filled with memories long buried and old fights he wished left behind.

At best it would take several hours to reach the settlement. Mostly because they were traveling at a human's pace. Despite the fact Rayann had boots to help her move like an elf Myth was not sure if the ranger could move at that pace as well. Feeling it would be rude to ask such a thing Myth let Aeolis make the assumption and set their pace. They traveled the paths themselves with only Aeolis in plain view as the rest of the escort moved through the forest and tree tops. They were assured it was to hide their numbers if the group were to be threatened. Myth knew it was so they could keep weapons trained on everyone without being perceived as a threat. It was a the only way for Aeolis to skirt around the rules of engagement baring the group being treated as prisoners. It had brought a smirk to his face when he explained things to them. Myth could only smirk when Aeolis grew irritated by the fact Myth didn't seemed bothered by his explanation and stalked ahead of the party.

The forest was growing more dense and the trees themselves were starting to become quite large and looked to be quite ancient. Myth looked towards the canopy and nodded his head. "I had expected as much... With the main city overrun by the minotaurs they fell back to the ancient forest holdings. We aren't more than a couple candle marks away from the settlement."

True to his estimate they came to a clearing that opened and at first they could only see forest all around them. After a moment Myth began to point little things out to his companions. The trees were large and very thick. So thick that a lot of dwellings were build in the tree. Myth pointed out what looked like knotholes which were in fact doors. Carefully placed vines were actually the ropes of bridges. One had to look straight up and and even then could almost miss that actually buildings and such were located high in the trees. One could pass right beneath the heart of the sylvanesti people and not even known that they did it. A slight smile spread across Myths lips as he looked upon things.

As the group got closer to the center of the Elven city, Rayann’s senses began to pick up on the current of magic that was ever flowing when Elves were present en mass. If she had to describe it, she would say it was….buzzing. A couple of times Myth had to reach out and remind her to slow her pace for fear she would over run their escort and that would have been all bad for everyone.

When the group of travelers reached the clearing, Kwinn was marveling over the way the elves had made a tree top city while Tanjee felt a sense of pride in her peoples work. Aeolis was smirking slightly as he saw the way the human ranger reacted. Myth was standing as proud as ever but it was difficult to read him. Although, if one had to guess, he still felt a sense of pride for what his race could do.

But Rayann was like a kid in a candy store. She moved a few feet beyond the group and stood with her hands stretched out before her as though she were feeling delicate material. In a way, she was, but not the type the others could feel. Her lavender eyes had taken on the slightest hint of a glow and the smile that eased over her features was one of sheer bliss.

All through her body Rayann could feel the current of magic that surrounded her flowing through her like a gentle tide flows form sea to shore and back again. It tingled. It gave a warm sensation. It revealed itself to her in such subtle ways that her mid was awash with a thousand questions yet her mouth found it difficult to even speak words.

And with each step she took, she felt the flow of the current interrupted by her presence and move around her in other ways. It was like walking into a quick moving stream and feeling the water move around you yet never stop. Finally she turned towards Myth and nodded.

”Here, my love, is where we belong.”

The news she was certain wasn’t exactly what Myth wanted to hear, but there was no doubt in her mind this is where they needed to be. Perhaps not forever, but for now, definitely. When the time for them to move on arrived, they would both know it, but Rayann knew there were things here she needed to learn from those who could teach her what she needed to know. What ever that may be.

Kwinn was wide eyed as they came to the Elf city, the beautiful buildings blended seamlessly into the great trees all around. Kwinn could feel the warmth of their magic, it was in the air like an invisible mist. The ranger's arm tingled, it was almost healed. Between Tanjee's medicine and the power of this place the ranger was almost as good as new.

Kwinn pulled loose the sling on his arm and flexed the wounded limb.

"Near as good as new my lady." Kwinn said to Tanjee with a lusty wink of his eye.

"I have never been this far into the city, I have only been to the garrison at the edge of this place a time or two before. I have dreamed of this day for many seasons." Kwinn was beaming ear to ear as he rambled on.

Kwinn watched Tanjee as she walked, she still seemed very put out, as beautiful as she was to the ranger she seemed just as cranky.

"You carry the world on your pretty shoulders it seems, some time in cot with a good man would set you straight I believe..."

For all his dealings with the elves Kwinn should have known how rude this would come across, but the ranger is a master of speaking first and thinking later.

When Rayann moved apart from the others and held her hands out before her, Tanjee was very curious as to what the magi was doing. While magic users were nothing new to the Elf, seeing one react like this to her surroundings was. When the white haired woman turned to announce this was where she and the Prince needed to be, Tanjee couldn’t help but raise the brow over her left eye. Now this was a very interesting surprise.

Aeolis, like Tanjee, was curious to see what the human mage was doing. But while Tanjee’s curiosity was only natural, Aeolis’ curiosity was born more of suspicion than anything. What was this human woman up to? Why was she acting so strangely? And when Rayann turned to make her announcement to Myth, Aeolis furrowed his brows even more. This was not a good sign.

Tanjee would have been able to relax more if Aeolis wasn’t in the mix. Her brother had the tendency to put her on edge and right now, he was not very happy wit her. Of course he wasn’t overly friendly with her most of the time anyway, but things right now were about as tense as they could get between the two siblings.

Tanjee looked over at Kwinn as he removed the sling and flexed his arm. She was glad to see her healing magic was working and with the arrival in the city, it would have worked much faster so she wasn’t really concerned with him re-injuring the limb. She even smiled when he told her the arm was nearly as good as new and had dreamed of visiting the fair Elvin city.

Of course Tanjee’s smile turned to something less when he made the comment about her spending time in a cot with a man. She should have been angry but she wasn’t. Her cheeks flushed and she felt a strange warm sensation wash over her. She was just about quietly to tell Kwinn not to make comments like that when Aeolis spoke instead.


“Something she will never do with the likes of you, human.”

Tanjee’s cheeks colored even more and while she knew it wasn’t the right thing to do at the moment, she turned to Aeolis and spoke her mind. Without realizing it, she reverted to her native language but there was no doubt the way she delivered the words and her body language she wasn’t being very gentle with her message.

”Enough, Aeolis. I have had enough of you trying to run my life. In case you have not noticed, I am a grown woman and I can see who ever I wish. Even if they are human. At least this human treats me better than you do. And I welcome his attention.”

Aeolis clenched his jaw and took a threatening step forward and spoke to his sister through gritted teeth in Elvin.

“You would be best to hold your tongue, sister. It is not proper for you…”

Tanjee cut him off before he could say anymore.

”What is not proper is your arrogant, pampas attitude. In case you have forgotten, the Prince has returned and he has brought guests with him. Now….if you would like to continue to stand here and insult him further with this squabble, I will be forced to report everything that happened. And you are not my keeper, brother.”

If looks could have killed, Tanjee would have fallen dead right then and there for the look Aeolis was giving her was nothing short of murderous. With a quick turn on his heels, he mumbled as he moved on.

“This way.”