Archives: Trials of the Half-Elven
Chapter 9: Rousings in the Night
When Olula went to bed, it was in the room that she had meant to share with Kiran. She prepared for bed and settled under the covers, then laid awake for a little while, wondering whether or not he would come and sleep in the other bed and they might get one last chance to talk. Did she really want him there though? He had been a rapist and she was looking forward to sharing a room with him; it didn’t seem right and it scared her a bit. It only took around fifteen minutes for her to decide to leave, though it felt like an hour of waiting to her.
Olula knocked on the door of the room Flora and Krisatris were sharing after she left her room. Hopefully she could join them; she didn’t mind sharing a bed with another girl. Squeezing into a bed with Kris would be preferable to sharing a room with a man who had raped other women.
* * *
Flora had put away all her belongings and undressed for bed, wearing only her silky white shift. She let down her hair and began to brush it, starting to think about her new friends. She sighed as Olula came to her mind. “I hope she is well. Maybe I will go check on her later,” she said under her breath as a smile appeared on her face. She closed her eyes as she prayed to Falis. Please Falis, if you can hear me, bless us all, and protect us. Please forgive me for whatever sins I have done today. I wish to be cleansed of the evilness that is storing up in me. I wish to be less annoying and more skilled. Please help me with these new people and guide me in the right direction. Please bless all my friends and also the villagers that I have left in Alecrast.
After her prayer, Flora felt much better. She moved to a chair next to the window and began to play her flute. She was good at playing the flute, but she was not as perfect. She continued playing for a few more minutes until her hand started to feel weak, then she placed it down by the window and spoke softly to herself; “Hmm...Can a lovely melody be a lovely soul?” She pondered on that thought for a moment, staring out the window. “Most can be, but some are not,” she added. She started to think about what happened earlier and she became very worried about Kiran.
Flora gave a start whens he heard a knock at the door, and she looked at the door and then at Krisatris . “I will get it Kris,” she said, standing up. Who could that be? she thought as walked over to the door and opened it. “Oh. Olula,” she said, a little shocked. “Is something the matter?” she asked, stepping to the side so that Olula could come in.
“Hi Flora,” Olula greeted the girl, looking a little depressed. “I was just wondering if you two wouldn’t mind if I shared your room? I don’t think Kiran will be rooming with me...and I’m not sure I want him to anyway...” Olula murmured the last part.
Krisatris sat up on her bed as she saw Olula enter. “Yeah, I don’t mind,” she said to Olula. Her friend’s mood was sour. Kris wasn’t surprised at all.
Flora frowned and walk back over to her flute. “I might as well do my own thing,” she said quietly as she packed her stuff away, then she sat on the bed and stared out the window. She picked up her brush and started singing a song in a very low tune while brushing her hair.
Olula came in and sat on the foot of Kris’s bed, dropping her bag on the floor. “Thanks,” she said to Kris. When Flora said she’d ‘do her own thing’ and started packing, Olula looked at her oddly. “You don’t need to go,” she said. “I’ll just share a bed with Kris...if that’s alright,” she looked to the other half-elf questioningly.
“Uhh...sure,” Kris replied. She hadn’t shared a bed with anyone since she was a child. Her foster family was large, and there weren’t enough beds to go around. She was fine with closeness to others back then, but since their death, and her werewolf change, she had become distanced from people.
“I am not leaving,” Flora said, giggling at Olula. “I was just putting my things away,” she said, turning to them. She watched them with her lavender eyes as she continued brushing her long lavender hair.
“Oh, all right,” Olula said with a small bashful smile. She was silent for a moment, but then she spoke on what was troubling her. “Can you believe what they accused Kiran of? He doesn’t seem like that person at all...”
Flora placed her brush aside. “Hmmm...” she sighed, as she pulled her hair up into a bun. “He doesn’t seem like that kind of person,” she agreed and paused for a few seconds. “Anymore.” She blushed a bit. “I can not believe it either,” she said as she looked at Olula. “He is way to nice to be accused of those kind of things,” she said with a frown. “Olula, can I ask you something that may offend you?” she asked, blushing more.
Olula, of course, was now very curious about what may offend her. Something about being half-dark elf? Something about her and Kiran? “Go ahead,” she said to Flora.
Flora moved her hands up to her breast and started fidgeting with her fingers. “Well, I was wondering...” she paused and looked at Olula. “How do you feel about Kiran?” she asked, blushing more as she continued playing with her fingers.
“Oh, he was just a friend,” Olula said. “He was going to teach me shamanism. I don’t know how old he is, but much older than me, so I suppose I saw him as sort of a...father? Or potential father...I never had a real father to raise me after all.”
Flora continued playing with her fingers as she listened to Olula. She smiled a bit. “Oh, I understand,” she said, still having the blush on her face. “But are you sure that you only think about him as a father? Are truly sure?”
“Oh, no! Nothing else!” Olula blushed. “He just seemed to old for me to be attracted too him. Besides, he isn’t exactly my kind of man.”
Flora laughed as she saw the blush on Olula’s face, “Alright then,” she said, smiling at Olula and then looking away.
“Well, we should get some sleep,” Olula said. As she said it, Krisatris scooted to the far side of the bed and slipped under the blankets. Olula crawled under next to Kris. The two girls laid back to back as they fell asleep. Kris did nothing, having already fallen asleep when Olula’s back pressed against hers. Kris was asleep now, and would sleep somewhat peacefully for awhile.
Flora looked at the two girls as they fell asleep. She then laid back on her bed and turned towards the window, staring outside as slowly fell asleep.
* * *
Dinner had finished and most patrons had gone to bed. That mean that Thiana’s set was done for the night and finally Kiran could speak to her. He had been patiently waiting in his broody dark corner since the confrontation when he arrived. The wait had been frustratingly long. Kiran had thought about his plans and what she could want to think about, but after he had debated that all he could, his mind began to sink into darker thoughts that he tried to avoid most of the time. To keep himself occupied, he had ordered a meal and ate it slowly as he tried to focus on the music. It was hard to keep his mind from drifting back to the past however. Sometimes, it tempted him to just end his life on his own, but he didn’t think that would be fair to the people he had hurt. If Thiana wanted him to meet her son, then he would. He had to stay alive long enough for that.
Thiana placed her flute back in its ornate case. Through everything she had faced getting here she was happy to finally be meeting Kiran once again. Seeing him at a table, she walked over with a goblet of wine and looked at him, wondering what he was thinking.
“I’m sorry for earlier. I had no right to say such harsh words to you. I’m just glad to see you again. May I sit down please?” Thiana asked. She then managed to get the attention of a barmaid and ordered a late meal as well. She was a little exhausted from performing all night.
Kiran was silent as he offered the chair across from him for her to sit in. He was in no mood for smiles and politeness, rather a dark brooding cloud was hanging over his mind.
Sitting down, Thiana motioned to Theros to lie down. Whatever troubled Kiran seemed rather grim. Her meal was brought over rather quickly, and she started to eat as she waited for him to speak.
It was left to Kiran to start the conversation it seemed. “So, you have a son then...” he started off.
Thiana took a sip of her wine before replying. Here she was, talking to her sons father! Hopefully they could return alive, otherwise her trip was in vain. Kiran’s words stirred her from her meal, or perhaps it was the air about him. “Yes, I do. His name is Kailos. My parents are taking care of him while I’m away. He looks a lot like you.”
“On Marmo, I take it?” he asked. Kiran’s dark cloud still hung over him, and he seemed uninterested in the details.
“I couldn’t take him with me, and I am glad I didn’t take him. Had he been with me, he might have been lost when I was tossed into the ocean. We both have to be careful, we have a common enemy right now,” Thiana replied, wondering how she could get them all to Salbad, so that Kiran could meet him.
“Tossed into the ocean?” Kiran asked. Thiana wasn’t giving him much to respond to, and he wasn’t in the mood to do all the talking. He wanted her to get to the point, but the conversation was akin to pulling teeth. “Sounds like a rough trip.” Kiran paused and decided that he would bring the conversation to it’s point. “You want me to see your son then?”
“I do want you to see him, but before that do you need to take care your business first? I would like to accompany you if so. What do you plan on doing?” Thiana replied. Since Kiran was getting to the point then she would as well. She had her reasons, one of them being to help ensure their survival until they could reach Salbad again.
“Taking care of my business may very well mean my death,” Kiran said coldly. “I will go to see your son, though I can’t promise I’ll be able to be a father to him. Too many people are out for my blood, and honestly, with what I’ve done, I deserve to shed that blood.”
“You may have done some terrible things, but it does not mean you have to die. If you just meet him that would be enough, though some of the people after you make that risky. If Mica knew I found you first, and tried to help you, then I too am in danger. I cannot afford to endanger my family by returning so soon. I was lucky to have found you before they did,” Thiana replied with a sigh. This was going to be a messy affair most likely. Though she would do what she had to in order to see Kiran through the worst parts of the coming storm.
“It’s not my place to decide my justice,” Kiran informed her, slightly annoyed. It was hard to get people to understand the fate he had accepted; whether he lived or died was not up to him. His life was in the hands of those he had wronged. “We’ll leave tonight, and head to Raiden. I won’t let Mica find me before I can meet our son,” he said, though calling this child his son felt hollow, but he hoped that that feeling would leave once he saw the boy. “It’ll be harder for Mica to find us if he doesn’t know when or how we’re going to Marmo...assuming he knows your son is there?”
Thiana listened as she finished most her meal, quickly finishing her drink she finally replied, “He doesn’t really know, and if he does not know where the meeting place is then it’ll be harder for him to track us. I’ll send a messenger to my family once we’re back, arranging a spot where it is best for all of us to meet. Do you want to leave soon then? It won’t take me long to change and repack.” She knew that this would be a dangerous journey, then again, they both could slip out under the cover of invisibility spirits. She would trust in Kiran’s judgement as well as her own.
Putting the plate down for Theros, Thiana let him have some choice scraps of meat.
“Yes,” he replied. “Go ahead and get ready, I’ll wait here.” Thiana was already making plans on how to meet her parents, but it would be a couple weeks before they reached Raiden. Kiran wasn’t looking forward to returning to Marmo, but he would follow this through. He left Thiana pregnant, and though that was the least of his sins, he owed it to their child to at least see him once before he paid for his other mistakes.
“I’ll return quickly, I don’t want to lose too much time,” Thiana replied as she stood up. She patted Theros on the head after taking the licked-clean plate from him. Setting it by her empty cup, she headed upstairs to get changed. Things were moving faster than she had anticipated.
When Thiana went to change, Kiran waited patiently. His room and board had been paid for, even if he enjoyed nothing more than a meal. He was going to share his room, so there was no need to get a refund if Olula was still using it. Thiana had paid with music, so there was no need to bother speaking to the innkeeper. The man had disappeared into the kitchen some time ago, and none of the maids came near their table after Thiana’s meal was delivered. If Mica interrogated them, they would have little to tell him.
Thiana returned a few moments later in her traveling clothes. Theros had been watching quietly, only stirring once she had taken her seat again. “I’ll sleep better knowing we’re not in the same city as Mica. If you need to get ready I’ll be waiting here.”
“I have everything I own on me,” Kiran replied, then stood from his seat. “Let’s go,” he said, then tossed his hood over his head and headed out of the inn. I really am sorry, Olula...for not being able to teach you, and for you learning about that part of my life, he thought to himself, wishing he had a chance to say it to the girl.
“Alright, I’m right behind you. Come Theros, let’s go,” Thiana replied as she stood up and followed Kiran. Once they were outside she put her pack on and double checked her weapon. She would not sleep until they were far enough away from there, so that they could keep a good distance from any who wished Kiran harm.
* * *
Krisatris suddenly sat up. Sweat was dripping down her brow and the side of her cheeks. She had a dream, a dream of the past about what had happened in her life before this. The bandits, being bitten, her transformation; it made her feel sick. The half-elf stood up from her bed and quietly left the room, walked downstairs and went outside. She just sat on the front step of the inn, staring up at the night sky.
Flora twisted and turned, trying to stay asleep, then she open up her eyes and saw Kris getting up and leaving. Sitting up, she looked around the room. “Olula?” she asked, looking at her.
Olula had woken up when Kris moved, and she watched her bedmate leave the room. What was that about? Olula thought. Flora had woken up as well, and Olula shrugged to the other girl. Should they go talk to her, or did she want to be left alone? After a moment, Olula slipped out of bed and decided to go after her friend. “Let’s go see what’s wrong...”
Flora slipped out of her bed as well and looked at Olula as she spoke. “Alright,” she said softly and walked behind her.
Olula led the way out of the room, then looked around the hall. No sign of Krisatris there. They continued downstairs, but saw that the common room was empty. Did Kiran leave with that dark elf woman, perhaps? Olula was half-temped to see if he was in bed, but first she had to find Kris. She headed toward the front door of the inn and peeked out the window to see if Kris was out there, and Olula saw her sitting on the front steps. “Oh, there she is,” she murmured to Flora, then opened the door and stepped out behind Kris.
“Hey, is something wrong?” she asked her half-elf friend.
Flora followed Olula out the room and as they looked around the inn, she began to really worry about Kris. As they looked out the front window and saw Kris on the step, Flora was relieved. She followed Olula outside the inn and looked at Kris, waiting for her to answer.
Kris had been in the process of thinking when Olula and Flora came up. Olula talked so suddenly it caused her to jump in surprise. She looked back, making a half smile to the question. “Nothing of any importance, I just had a dream is all,” she replied. The half-elf looked back to sky and smiled as she leaned back. “It’s nothing to worry about... You guys should go get some sleep,” she said. The smile was fake but she would at least attempt it to not make her friends worry.
“You can talk to me about it,” Olula replied to Kris. She sat down next to Krisatris on the step and put her hand on her shoulder. “Sometimes it makes it easier to deal with when you tell someone instead of bottling it up inside.”
Flora frowned a bit and stayed behind the girls. She was worried about Krisatris. If they wanted her to go, she would happily leave. She sighed a bit and listened.
Krisatris thought for a moment, hesitant to reveal her secret. In the end, she couldn’t find the strength to say it. “It’s nothing, just a bad dream,” she insisted. “Just go back to bed. You need to worry about what to do tomorrow. I’ll be back later.”
Olula frowned. She wanted Kris to open up to her, but apparently there was no chance of getting Kris to talk. Olula could hear an edge of annoyance to Krisatris’s voice. If she pushed the issue, Kris would be upset. “Alright,” Olula said reluctantly and stood back up. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Olula turned to face Flora and gave a defeated shrug, then went back inside and back to bed. Flora followed.
Kris sighed with relief when Olula dropped the subject and went back to bed. She hated to have lied and hid the truth from her and Flora, but it was for the best. One day she could tell them, but not today. Kris didn’t mean to sound like she was annoyed with the half-dark elf, but she could be certain what the reaction would have been to her being a werewolf. After a short time she went back to bed and rested up, hoping the werewolf information wouldn’t ever surface.
