A Dream of Empire Ch. 014

Author's Warning: This chapter starts off bleak, but lightens up fairly quickly.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Lord Talos of Evora

Kingdom of Solais

28^th of First Harvest, 1282 D.f.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The dark, cloud-strewn skies released a relentless and chilling rain onto all those who were unfortunate enough to travel this day. The road had turned to dirt ten hours ago, just outside the grand city of Solais, then to a slick mud just after that when the rains began. Deep ruts in the mud left by wagon wheels made travel just that much more complicated. Fields of grain and other assorted vegetables dominated the landscape as far as the eye could see, and crows enjoying the harvest season endlessly cawed to break up the ceaseless pitter-patter of rain.

A mounted swordsman, leading two riderless horses, didn't particularly care about any of this. His mind had ceased processing what was comfortable and what was not after almost a month on the open seas, and so he calmly cantered along the muddy, puddle-pocked road toward another forgettable destination.

He soon spied four men in peasant's attire up ahead, leading another with a bag over his head and his wrists tied in front of him. The swordsman's mind scrambled to function once more; a citizen's arrest perhaps, or a hangman's posse? He dismounted when he neared the group, and nodded towards the doomed man after looking each one of his four captors in the eye.

"What's his crime?" the swordsman questioned the group.

One of the posse cleared his throat, and pointed at the bagged man. "This fuckin' wanker raped my sister, an' only 'ad to pay six silvers fer the deed!"

The swordsman shrugged. "Well, that is the law of the King."

"Fuck the King! We's stringin' him up, just as he fuckin' deserves!" the peasant crudely replied. The swordsman stepped towards the accused man and lifted the sack from his head, prompting the possible rapist to speak. And spit.

"Ach you blumberin' dolts! I didn' do the damned whore, and you fuckin' knows it!" the doomed man exclaimed.

The swordsman looked past the man's words and glared into his eyes. He couldn't read this one to know if he'd actually done it, what with his enchantress so far away at the moment. He then wondered if the truth mattered at all in this predicament; he hadn't the time to deal with this appropriately, and the posse didn't appear have the patience. He sighed, and pulled the bag back over the man's head despite a sudden plea for mercy.

"Well, don't let me stop you," the swordsman reluctantly said. "The patrol behind me should be here 'round noon."

One of the posse nodded to him, and the swordsman remounted his horse and trode off without any further words. There weren't any to give that would make a difference here.

Justice, you see, always passes in this way in the countryside. Sure, it begins in the town hall with a swinging gavel and of the passing of some sentence of another. But in the end, justice always terminates in the opinions of your fellow townsmen; people who act on emotion, and are dreadfully fearful of criminality. If the ones you live beside aren't convinced of your innocence, then it's in your best interest to move.

This one hadn't done that. Hadn't learned the lesson before it was too late.

The swordsman ventured another quarter-mile down the muddy path before he heard the undeniable crunch of a snapped neck on the wind. He noted that the posse at least had shown mercy in the end. He didn't pay it much more than a thought, though, having heard it all too often in the past. He steeled himself to the road ahead and led his trio of horses through puddle after muddy puddle.

-=-=-

The swordsman's mind wandered as he traveled through the dreary, forgettable landscape, as minds were oft known to do when presented with nothing to distract them. At first he thought of Casiama, then of that elf's homeland, then of the Empire, then of Solais and it's ridiculous methodology of governance.

He didn't entirely understand how it all worked. In the Empire, you see, governance was simple. The lords were represented in the Imperial Senate, which was kept in check by the Emperor; a man with such absolute power that his only check were the gods themselves. Theoretically.

Here in Solais, however, there was no absolute decision-maker; power instead had formulated into a strange amalgamation of feudalism and mercantilism. The sprawling merchant companies ran the day-to-day lives of most commoners, while the King and his lower lords provided a check to, and otherwise taxed, those companies.

Most of the cities along the coast were rife with venture capitalists, beggars who had been venture capitalists, protection rackets, and an ever-present hum of innovation, whilst the towns here in the interior held on to an agrarian, class-based lifestyle to feed said cities. By all accounts, the arrangement should never have worked. Yet, Solais had existed in that same form for almost two-hundred years now, and two-hundred years was practically forev-

A sudden crack of thunder echoed over the forgotten landscape.

Jolted from his thoughts, Talos glanced towards the interruption only to find a portal shrinking into nothingness, leaving two familiar sorceresses in it's wake. They unclasped their hands and smiled at him. Talos couldn't help but return it, even if his heart were still pounding.

His entire perspective shifted in an instant. He was now aware of an ever-present sunlight behind every cloud in the sky, and had a gut feeling that today would be far better than the last, just by being so. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed them until he saw their faces.

He grinned with genuine pride as he led his spare horses to the ladies. "Tatiana," he greeted, wrapping an arm around her. "Picked the black mare with you in mind. You look well."

"Unlike you," she aggressively replied, taking the reins of her mare. "Why didn't you remain in Solais as we specifically discussed?"

He shrugged. "Didn't have any business there. Got the horses, got the food."

"You know I wanted to meet you in the city so I could port there in the future," Tatiana illuminated with one hand on the saddle. Her hint of anger met a suddenly-playful wanderer.

"You were late," he smirked.

"No, you were early," she correctly accused. Talos rolled his eyes, and helped Tatiana into the saddle with a sure grip. He noticed her cat Dusk poke his head from her backpack, but he quickly vanished from the daylight once again.

"Well, get a good look around. Solais is only half-a-day away in that direction," he gruffly replied as she settled in, pointing off to the west.

It humored him that Tatiana actually took his advice and scanned her surroundings, although the dejected sigh she uttered a moment later chipped at his heart.

"It's no matter," she murmured. "Did you at least acquire a better map while you were there?"

"No, I-"

"Talos. You know we need one," she chided, tilting her head.

"-I inquired about one, as you said, and was led in the direction of a surveyor out of Sarum. He just returned from a survey to the east and would therefore have the best map. We're halfway there."

"Oh."

"Just let me handle the road, Tatiana. It's what I know best," Talos smirked, stepping away from her horse. "By the way, it's good to see you again."

"And you," she murmured with a faint smile.

Formalities out of the way, Talos now had no idea how he would greet the second sorceress, who had so far been standing patiently to the side. He wasn't mad at her, nor was he disappointed; Alanna had worn modest travel attire today, and appeared to have actually packed appropriately as well.

You have no shame, Talos smirked as he looked her over.

Alanna giggled, and curled a stray lock of her hair around a finger. Hair that was now blonde, changed for one purpose alone. Talos strode towards her, and lifted the grinning enchantress from the ground as he planted his lips on hers. He would then drape her over his shoulder, despite her giggling pleas for mercy, and gently place her in the saddle of the chestnut mare. Talos then removed the enchantress's backpack and strapped it to the saddle.

I love you, Talos knew undeniably as he gazed into her eyes, and secured her pack.

And I love you, she knew in turn. Talos gave her thigh a squeeze, and turned away to remount his own horse without sharing a single word aloud with his mate. Talos, and by extension Alanna, knew they had many miles to cover today and would have to set off immediately.

"How's the babe?" Talos asked of no one in particular after he had mounted.

"He's well," Tatiana replied first. "Good-mannered, and quite observant too I might add. He's well-loved with my family in Redstone, I can assure you of that."

"He even said his first word," Alanna chimed in, bouncing happily in her saddle. "Da da."

Talos grinned. "Aw, honey... that's... not even a word," he chuckled.

"It might as well be. We made such a cute child, love."

"Mm," Talos agreed. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed that little rascal until just now, either. Talos briefly wondered where they would settle down to raise the child after this was all over, before recalling his less-than-ideal status with the Inquisition.

He then told himself to focus on one problem at a time. He set off at a trot through the nearest puddle of mud, and continued his journey east with the sorceresses in tow. As much as he wanted to catch up completely with the girls, he knew that on the road stories were best left untold until the night, where they could be traded beside a fire and with a warm supper.

He glanced left, towards Tatiana, to find that she'd already conjured a gentle, translucent shield above her head to ward off the rains, which allowed Dusk to emerge from his backpack and settle on Tatiana's shoulder as she trode along the damp path atop her black mare. Talos appreciated the sorceress's proper travel attire; dark leather pants, a jacket, a shirt and corset underneath that, a black cloak, and black boots. He thought her attire sort of matched his minus the chain, and wondered if she did it on purpose. Tatiana smiled at him, letting him know she was aware of his approving gaze, and he guiltily returned it before looking away.

"Sure is a bleak looking place," Alanna murmured to his right, as she scanned the dreary landscape of windswept trees and rain-drenched farms under a chilling black sky.

"I don't know. Kind of reminds me of Evora," Talos dryly jested. "You know, those autumnal rains we'd sometimes get."

"Says the man who never once worked outside in said rains," Alanna giggled.

"Says the girl who never did either," he smirked.

"I had fourteen years when I left home!"

Talos nodded towards a nearby field of grain when he caught Alanna's attention, where kids with even less years than that were helping their parents with the harvest.

Still an excuse, she thought, poking her tongue out at him.

Not a good one, Talos grinned, ever-thankful that this day was indeed going to be better than the last.

-=-=-

The trio journeyed through the farmlands of Solais for the remainder of the day, under a sky that wouldn't cease raining. They made good time though, even with the inclement weather and the lack of proper roads. Talos realized then just how much simpler it was to lead one horse rather than three.

He was, however, more than a bit concerned that every conversation that had transpired during the six hours of travel was either between him and Tatiana, or him and Alanna; the two sorceresses seemed to refuse to speak to one another, even when he perilously attempted to make it happen himself.

They decided on making camp under a grove of oak trees when the rains had decided to let up. After pitching the tent, making the fire, and settling the horses, Talos decided on the sleeping schedule; the tent he'd purchased with Tatiana's coin was only made for two, which he'd deemed appropriate since one of them would have to keep watch at all times.

"Best you two get to sleep. I'll take first watch, and come wake you in six," Talos offered, nodding to Tatiana. It wasn't an entirely selfless offer, of course; taking first watch would give him and Alanna a chance to get reacquainted in the tent later on, and her reappearance in his life had rekindled one specific desire that had laid dormant for far too long.

"No, no, I'll take first," Alanna warmly replied. "You haven't had a proper rest in days, honey."

While disappointing, he couldn't exactly argue with the logic...

"Thanks," he murmured, unstrapping and handing his loaded crossbow to his enchantress. "Remember, wake me if-"

"-anything at all happens. I know. Go on, Talos," she giggled, rolling her head towards the tent.

Oh, and know she still desires you. I love you.

Talos cleared his throat on impulse, and glanced towards Tatiana upon hearing the news. She only waited patiently for him, idly rubbing her neck with a gloved hand.

"Ah, go on and get settled," Talos said to her. "I'll be in in a minute." Tatiana nodded, and stepped away with her cat bounding behind her heels. Talos closed the distance with Alanna and hugged her.

"You're sure of it?" he whispered in her ear.

"She admitted as much," Alanna murmured, nuzzling into his chest. "Look, I'm not telling you what to do, but know that I... overstepped, I suppose, with her."

"You...?"

"No, no. She denied me."

Talos released her and grinned as he gazed into her eyes. If Alanna had ever been turned down once in her life before this, he hadn't yet heard the tale. It certainly explained the lack of banter between the two over the course of the day, however, and he hoped it wouldn't interfere with their mission. Talos kissed his love, hoping to wipe the pout from her lips.

"Goodnight, Alanna."

"Goodnight handsome. We'll tangle under the sheets when we find an inn and a bath, alright?" she softly reassured with a stroke of his arm.

"Mm. Yeah." Talos would have to find both on the 'morrow. For now, he had to get through a suddenly-awkward night of rest. He ambled towards the tent as slowly as he possibly could, and only found the courage to lift the flap when Tatiana's silhouette had calmed down on the opposite side of the linen.

Tatiana's gaze bounced up to meet his as soon as he'd peered inside. She was already snug within her sleeping roll, and her cat was already curled on her chest. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hey." Talos unbuttoned his jacket, but had decided minutes ago that he'd leave most of his gear on.

"I hope you don't mind if I sleep in my small clothes," she playfully whispered to him.

"Nah," he casually answered, tossing his jacket into the grass before settling in as well as he could. He noticed Dusk giving him a feline glare, likely for having disrupted his sleep. Talos rolled Tatiana's way and pet her kitty.

"You've been quieter than usual today," he softly accused of her. "What's up?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, really. Don't think I'm unhappy."

"Alright, fair enough. But, I'll call you Tanya if you decide to keep it a secret," Talos threatened with a smirk.

"Nuh... you wouldn't."

"Tanya."

"Talooos," she whined in jest. "Really, it's nothing. Just a simple spat between sorceresses. The same event that's transpired since the introduction of magic, mind you, and will likely transpire until the world falls into itself. Don't be troubled by it."

"You know I have the right to be."

"And you know better than to pressure me. Ask Alanna, if you want."

"No. And I don't care if I shouldn't pressure you, Tanya," he smirked. Tatiana huffed, and shifted her gaze to the roof of the tent when she failed to stifle her laughter.

"Stop it," she chuckled.

"Fine," he acquiesced with his own chuckle. He propped his head up on his shoulder, and mindlessly shifted himself closer to her. "I like the name, though. You should let me call you it."

"Definitely not," she huffed again.

He pushed her shoulder through her bedroll. "Don't be like that. Who cares if it reminds you of your childhood?"

She squinted as her smirking gaze returned to him. "It's not that. It makes you sound like my father."

"And some women like that," he shrugged.

"What? Talos, you're - ew!"

"I'm serious. Met one like that a few years back. She even went so far as to call me a dozen variations of 'father' in bed. Made me more than a little uncomfortable, but-"

"Noo! Talos, I swear! One day you will tease me too much, and I'll turn you into a newt."

"Newt?"

"Lizard," she clarified through her grin.

"Why don't you just say lizard?"

"Because you... you don't threaten to turn people into lizards. I don't know," she chuckled.

"Hm. Sounds just like Tanya to follow the rules of empty threats," Talos teased her nevertheless.

"Nuh! This cannot become a thing," Tatiana whined, feigning to wiggle away from him. At this point Dusk bounded from the tent, clearly determined to find a quiet rest that he wouldn't find here.

"You like it," Talos warmly declared as he watched the cat scamper off.

"Don't you tell me what I like, Talos," she replied with a smile, pushing his shoulder.

"I just did, Tanya," he pushed back.

"You really want to be a lizard, huh?"

"Newt."

"Talos!"

"Alright, alright. We needn't speak of it, nor do I need to give you names. It's just good to see you again. Are you doing well otherwise? Keeping up on your magics?"

"Y-yes, I have. Do you... really want to know about them?" she asked with eyes afire.

"Absolutely."

Tatiana grinned brightly then, in the dim candlelight of the tent. "I've been brushing up on my illusion magics to better aid you in combat. Um, if we have need of it. I've been meaning to ever since... well, you know. Up there," she murmured, pointing roughly to the north. "Do you want to hear of them?"

"Of course," Talos smiled.

"Well, there's two different foci that I studied in particular," she hastily explained. "The first, Umbra, focuses on the ability, or lack thereof, of one's adversaries to track the user. It's most commonly used by the shadowdancers of Halloran. You're familiar with them, right?"

"Met one or two in the past," he nodded.

Talos wasn't given another chance to speak for ten minutes. Tatiana continued on with an expansive explanation of magics that went over Talos' head completely, magics that Talos had forgotten about immediately after the sorceress had explained them. But, let him tell you, it was a dazzling array of options, a veritable cornucopia of wondrous ideas; ideas which Talos couldn't make heads or tails from. The words transitive, corporeal, and temporal were used, but he had no idea if they were real words or not.

"So, what do you think I should do?" she breathlessly asked at the end of the barrage. Talos gave her a smirk to hide his lack of understanding, and sought to encourage her as he always did.

"That all sounds great Tatiana, but there's no need to ask my advice. I'm sure you'd be the better judge of which spells to use and when. Gotta say though, I'm impressed by how well prepared you are for the travel."

"Thanks. I do travel a lot. This is the first time I've hoped to support another with my spells, however, and was looking for more feedback than... 'great', I suppose?"

"Sure. Perhaps after I've seen them in action?" Talos quickly suggested. Perhaps he shouldn't have brought this up at all, more like.