Playlist for Blue: The Guide's Path

The Guide's Path – Playlist for Blue

The Guide's Path

I'm sure that I'll make dozens of playlists for Blue before I'm finished writing stories about her. It's safe to say, I've never created a character I felt as much kinship with as Blue. She does reflect me in many ways, but she is very much not me, as well. I've been writing about her for so long now, she feels like an old friend. I still write about her because I guess I want to know how her life is going, sort of like checking in on her from time to time.

This particular playlist is a favorite of mine and it contains several songs that have made me think about Blue for years, but didn't make it onto the Notorious Nelfkin Rebel list for one reason or another. Let Me Touch You for a While has long been one of my favorites to listen to when I'm writing Blue. On the other hand, I found some new tracks for this list, like Lost Dog, that I just adore. I hope y'all enjoy this playlist as much as I do. - Rachel

1. Blessing – Maura O'Connell

“Life isn't easy. No one ever said it was. But if you are lucky, you will love and be loved.”

Notes: Blue is a salt of the earth kind of gal. She comes from an agrarian culture and is used to hard times. As such, it seemed right to include a track like Blessing. She can seem like a pessimistic character at times but she does believe that most people are good and kind, and that if she keeps the faith and works hard, she will be rewarded for her efforts.

2. Poor Man's House – Patty Griffin

“It isn't that he isn't strong or kind or clever. Your daddy's poor today and he will be poor forever.”

Notes: When I created Blue, I was just coming to understand that I, as a poor, rural Appalachian, had a unique experience compared to many other U.S. citizens. I knew that I loved my family and our way of life and I was realizing that other people looked down on us for a variety of things, from the way we spoke to my parents' income. Blue and the nelfkins were my way of writing about the oppression I felt as a poor Appalachian, which I wasn't quite sure how to put into words otherwise. I'm glad for this, because later in life, I have come to understand myself and Blue better as a result. She and I both come from working class families, and her father, like mine, was a hard worker who never could dig himself out of the hole, no matter how he tried. I still have my dad, unlike Blue, and he's still working hard and still firmly a member of the lower class, like myself. This song, to me, is about that struggle, and particularly what it is like from the perspective of a child.

3. Dancing in the Dark – Ruth Moody

“Man, I ain't getting nowhere. I'm just living in a dump like this. There's something happening somewhere. Baby, I just know that there is.”

Notes: I chose this cover because Ruth Moody's version reminds me the most of Blue. I chose this song in general because I like to portray Blue as a sort of cowgirl – not the over the top, pink cowboy boots, paisley shirts kind of cowgirl, but more like a sort of outlaw, like a Jesse James type. There's a touch of romance to this song and it's not the only “cowgirl Blue as a romantic” song on the list. Also, I feel like this song is about trying hard to change your life, which Blue is always working to do, and the desperation one can feel as a result.

4. One More Dollar – Gillian Welch

“One more dime to show for my day, one more dollar and I'm on my way.”

Notes: This song is about leaving home, to work picking fruit in this case, to make money to send back to your family. Blue does exactly this, of course. Leaving home to make money as a guide means that she travels far from her family and works long, stressful hours to provide for the people she left behind. As such, she's very familiar with saving her pennies and hopefully one day making enough money to go back home and settle down in comfort.

5. Miles to Go – Alison Krauss & Union Station

“It's feeling longer now than it ever has before. Another memory is another slamming door. It's getting too dark now to see.”

Notes: I think Blue feels like she's been on a journey for a very long time and she's not sure when it will ever end. Her life has been on the road, and she has been walking that road for years now. In addition, the quest makes her mortality in a more serious manner than she has done before. She's not one to talk about her feelings but she is afraid for herself and her friends, afraid that they won't survive to live happily ever after.

6. Early Morning Light – Sarah Jarosz

“So I'll move on down the line, thinking I'll make it better this time.”

Notes: This one is kind of a sequel to the track before it. Blue does question whether or not the choices that she makes are the right ones, but she pushes forward, even when her doubts weigh heavy on her mind. In the end, she is persistent and stubborn, and these are the saving graces of a person in Blue's line of work. When things are hard for her, she just keeps going, hoping that she's going in the right direction.

7. Miserable – Kacey Musgraves

“You try to tell me you want happiness, but you ain't happy unless you're miserable.”

Notes: This is obviously an Alaster track. Blue has strong feelings for Alaster, both positive and negative. She admires him a lot – she thinks he's intelligent and funny and, despite his attempts to convince people otherwise, very kind. However, it is often frustrating that Alaster cannot see his own positive qualities. His extremely pessimistic attitude about pretty much everything sometimes makes it hard for her to understand him. At the same time, she has similar issues, she just internalizes them instead of vocalizing them like Alaster.

8. Mountains O' Things – The Duhks

“Those who deserve the best in life and know what money's worth, and those whose sole misfortune is having mountains of nothing at birth.”

Notes: As someone who has grown up very poor, Blue has a lot of resentment for people who are rich and wasteful with their resources. In particular, she finds fairy culture abhorrent, not only because of their luxurious lifestyles and tendency to hoard wealth, but also because of their outright hostility toward other races, like nelfkins. Like many people, she does dream of one day being well off enough to settle down in comfort.

9. Take Another Turn – Sarah Jarosz

“What does it mean to be lost? You can't find your way on a map. You took the wrong turn, forgot where you came from and now there ain't no going back.”

Notes: Blue feels alone often, usually because she literally is alone. She travels a lot as a guide, and even when she has a client to travel with, it's not a person she knows or even has much interest in getting to know. Even during the quest, she can't quite move past the loneliness and solitary lifestyle she has developed over the years. She's used to doing things for herself but doing for herself has isolated her from others in many ways.

10. Let Me Touch You For Awhile – Alison Krauss & Union Station

“I don't hardly know you, but I'd be willing to show you I know a way to make you laugh at that cowgirl as she's walking out your door.”

Notes: I've been listening to this track for years and I love it so much that I'm very certain it shaped the way I wrote Blue and her feelings for Alaster. I loved it before TROUF and I loved it even more when I came to associate it with the two of them. Blue is a caretaker by nature. She feels a keen sense of responsibility for people around her. Alaster, by contrast, is a person in need of someone looking after him. Blue empathizes with him and wants to protect him, almost from the beginning, even if it takes her a while to understand how she feels about him. Also, this song goes back to the cowgirl Blue idea, which I can't get enough of.

11. Scattered and Small – Amelia Curan

“I was so afraid. I have traveled so far. Blaming the horizon and shouting at the stars.”

Notes: Let's just call this the Cowgirl Blue playlist. For real though, Blue is the kind of person who seems utterly confident on the outside, but on the inside, she worries a great deal about whether or not she's on the right path. She has a lot of humility, and also a lot of inner turmoil.

12. Whiskey Girl – Gillian Welch

“Nowhere Man and the Whiskey Girl, they loaded up for the weekend in the Underworld.”

Notes: This was a track I'd never taken the time to listen to before I started work on this playlist, but it was just perfect for Blue and Al. Blue can be a bit of an enabler to Alaster's bad habits, as she herself used alcohol as a crutch and sometimes it's too tempting to just join him in getting drunk and ignoring all the world's problems for a while. Despite this being problematic in some ways, I think Blue and Alaster come to understand each other better because of their shared problems with drink and their desire to block out all of the bad things and just relax for a while instead. They are drinking buddies first.

13. Lost Dog – Sarah Jarosz

“If I open my door, make you my friend, are you gonna run out and get lost again?”

Notes: When I first listened to this track, I decided to make a new playlist for Blue just so this could be on it. She definitely sees Alaster as a sort of stray who needs someone to take care of him, but at the same time, she is wary of getting close to him. Getting to know Alaster is a risk for her, because she feels drawn to him but she also knows that Alaster has a lot of problems, many of which are of his own making. On the one hand, she wants to offer him shelter, but on the other, she knows he might bolt on her at any moment, and she also knows that his self-destructive behavior could very well be the death of him in the long run. She treats him the way she would treat any skittish animal – with calm respect but clear boundaries, letting him decide for himself if he wants to close the distance between them.

14. Restless – Alison Krauss & Union Station

“There's a restless feeling in my bones and I know that at times it just won't go away.”

Notes: By nature, Blue is a wanderer. She has spent a lot of time traveling literal roads and even more time working towards an unspoken goal, a simple life in which she is satisfied. It remains to be seen if she ever could truly settle down, but for her, being restless is a way of life.

At What Cost? - A Sequel to A Strange Town

    This is a sequel to A Strange Town. I would suggest reading it first. That’s entirely your decision, obviously. Don’t let me tell you how to live. I’m not 100% where this takes place in the TROUF timeline, so some things said by characters may need to be edited at a later date to reflect correct timings. I’m terrible at that sort of thing.

The abandoned streets of Transben City were far more sinister in the dead of night than they had been during the light of day. The many banners and posters that had seemed rather humorous to the companions earlier that afternoon now were somehow malevolent and threatening; like the very visage of Detraf was looming over them, poised to attack. The bright colors that had appeared almost cheery, if misguided, were now mocking as the travelers scrambled to get away from the city. Staying here had been a monumentally poor decision. They were paying for their mistake with an unconscious Alaster and a hasty retreat in the small hours of the morning. Artemis somehow found herself in charge of the group, and no one was questioning her orders. They had avoided the small contingent of soldiers, undoubtedly now tearing through their uninhabited rooms, intent upon their capture. Soon, the servants of Detraf would be on their tail, and she had to get them out of Transben City, hopefully never to return.

Artemis looked over her shoulder. This was not a stealthy lot on the best of days, but sleep ridden as the companions were this night, they were even less careful than usual. Gwuryn was perhaps the worst, clanging along in his armor, without a care in the world as to who could possibly hear him.  Zi, for her part, was at least preparing for an altercation. Following directly behind Kniles, she muttered sleepily under her breath some spell that appeared to be gathering wispy tendrils of glowing silver energy in her fingertips. All the while Borli continuously spoke to Clarabelle in a soft soothing voice, which Artemis supposed was acceptable because the little donkey seemed on edge carrying the unconscious Alaster through the city streets. Clara’s uneasiness was due in part to the ministrations of Blue and Fae. Their concern for Alaster had them checking on him constantly, occasionally attempting to shake him awake. Most distracting, and entirely pointless, Artemis thought, but decided not to waste time arguing over it. If Clarabelle did anything foolish as a result, she would take the time to explain the issue, but for now Borli seemed to have it under control. Other than her brother and herself, whose lives among the hunters taught them to conceal their presence whenever necessary, the only people who were careful weren’t people at all, they were wolves. Shadow and Kael were not only stepping softly among the city, they were also on guard, with Kael occasionally scouting ahead to check if the coast was clear. The wolves were a godsend, and their guidance helped the group navigate through the city.

It was during one such scouting trip that Artemis began to feel optimistic. They were making good time. They hadn’t seen anyone out and about on the streets of Transben City, much less any soldiers. Maybe everything would be ok. It was then, of course, that Artemis first spied a returning Kael. Her hackles were up, and she immediately sought out her sister to report. Artemis still didn’t have the hang of judging the emotions of the wolf, but her human-form sister was easy to read. There was trouble ahead. Artemis was careful not to alert the others. “What’s going on?” she asked softly, and Shadow’s yellow eyes flashed in the moonlight.

“There’s a group of soldiers ahead,” Shadow revealed, translating for her sister. “There are only five of them, but Kael thinks they know we are coming.” Artemis took in the information.

“Can we avoid them?” she asked, turning towards their scouting red wolf. Kael shook her head once, and growled something to Shadow.

“Not if we want to leave the city before the other guards catch up to us,” Shadow said carefully. “They block the way to the exit.”

Artemis chewed over this bit of information, before her dark gaze searched over her companions. Their little party had a wizard, two wolves, a swordswoman, two archers, and a knight of the realm.  Yes, Blue and Borli were probably useless in a fight, but somebody had to protect the donkey and sleeping fairy. Gwuryn cleared his throat. “Ambush?” he asked.

“Ambush,” Kniles confirmed, slapping a hand on Artemis’ shoulder. “Luckily, we have excellent scouts.”

Gwuryn nodded, and, taking a dagger from his belt in hand, began to sketch what he remembered of the entryway to the city in the sand. He motioned to Kael to ask her to help draw out the figures. Gwuryn was one of the few members of their party who somehow didn’t have much trouble speaking with the wolf. As detestable as the knight’s personality could be, Kael seemed to appreciate not having to go through her sister to communicate. Artemis tapped her foot impatiently, but she saw the wisdom in the knight’s mapping. Soon they had figured out the locations of the people.

Fae had wandered over to look over the hastily drawn map. “What do you think?” Gwuryn asked, motioning to the figures, but clearly looking to the older more battle-experienced fairy for advice. The fairy’s eyes flashed over their party. Artemis realized with a detached feeling that the fairy’s demeanor had completely changed. Normally she was complacent, but right now she looked dangerous. The fae woman had just gone up another notch in Artemis’ esteem.

“We split up,” Fae decided, all business as she eyed Gwuryn. “You and me, and--” she looked over at Kniles. “You good in a fight?”

“Knocked an elf out with a single punch in school just last year,” Kniles replied calmly.

“Kniles,” Zi squeaked with reproach, “I thought you said he fell.”

“I lied to get us both out of trouble for fighting,” Kniles explained patiently. It seemed to Artemis that Kniles had gotten into dozens of fights in school. She could think of several he had written her about, and wondered in the back of her mind why he would hide something like that from Zi.

Fae nodded. “Ok. Gwuryn, Kniles and I will attack head on while Zi and Artemis act as suppressing fire.” Fae’s demeanor softened slightly when she spoke to a confused looking Zi to say “That means you are going to be hitting the soldiers with whatever long-range arsenal you have to keep them in one space and away from the rest of our group. We do not want them to split away.” Zi nodded, a line of grim determination on her face.

Gwuryn’s face beamed with admiration at the fairy woman. “I see!” he explained, tapping the figures on the map. “Once we have them distracted, we will draw them away from the gate, and everyone will be able to get through.” For once, Artemis noted, he wasn’t being completely horrible. This seemed to be the man’s element.

“Exactly,” agreed Fae. She squared her shoulders, and continued her orders. “Shadow and Kael will be in charge of protecting everyone from any extra circumstances.” The wolves nodded. “Borli and Blue will protect Alaster and Clara. We will attempt to debilitate our foes instead of killing them, but if it comes to it, you know what to do. Any questions?”

The company had no questions. Fae put a hand on Artemis’ arm, and spoke in a calming voice. “This will work,” she promised, “but only because you warned us early enough.” Artemis nodded, and the pair split. Kniles gave Zi a few reassuring words, before giving his sister a shaky smile, and going to meet with Gwuryn and Fae. Artemis watched him from where she stood next to Zi. It was strange to think that her brother, who had always seemed to so worldly and wise, was going into a situation into which he didn’t have much confidence of his abilities. She could see it in his facial expressions, though he was obviously trying to put on a good show of it. Fae appeared to be giving him advice, and Gwuryn was examining Papa’s dagger. Artemis clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth. She didn’t like being separated from her brother, but she would be sure to watch his back.

“He’ll be ok, Zi,” she heard from the lips of the elf beside her. She glanced at the elf girl, and realized she was every bit as on edge as Artemis. Yuna was trying to console her. “You know he can take care of himself.” The elf chattered to herself for a moment, before  shifting closer  to Artemis.

“This is our first real combat experience against people, isn’t it, Artemis?” asked the elf. The human responded with a single solemn nod. Zi bit her lip, and took a moment of contemplation before going on. “So far we haven’t had to kill anyone.”

“Sometimes it’s necessary,” she stated, eyes still centered on her brother, the knight and the swordswoman. They were going through a series of sparring moves to test Kniles’ ability as a brawler. So far, they seemed impressed with his instincts.

Zi pushed into Artemis’ line of sight. “We will try not to kill anyone, won’t we?” she asked, her green eyes big and innocent. “We’re the good guys.”

Artemis blanched. Good guys. She didn’t feel like a good guy. “We will do our best to minimize the loss of life,” she promised her friend. Artemis leaned her head so she could watch Kniles. He was nodding to the more experienced warriors as they talked over their plan. That seemed wise. She looked over to her group. Borli stood stoically next to Clarabelle. He had drawn a small pair of handaxes from somewhere. Artemis had never seen them before, but they looked sharp and well used. She wondered if he used them in his crafting. Blue stood close by holding onto Alaster’s hand, and whispering calming words furtively into the thick mass of dark hair. Artemis wanted to remind the nelfkin that they were about to get into a skirmish, but thought better of it. The red wolf sisters were side by side, eyes moving everywhere.

Artemis walked up to the rag tag group. “We will stay together,” she instructed them. The eyes of everyone in her group were on her, and suddenly Blue’s muttering had gone silent. She wasn’t much for long flowery speeches, but she felt like this needed something. “Alaster gave everything he could to warn us, and now we have to give everything we can and keep him safe.” Blue nodded once, and jutted out her chin in defiance. “We must make it out of this city, or all will be lost.”

Shadow’s eyes flashed in determination, and Kael licked her chops. Artemis imagined it was anticipation on the younger wolf-sister’s part. Borli gripped his axes tightly. “We’re ready, lass,” he stated in his thick accent. He was no longer the jovial little man Artemis had come to know, but instead seemed to radiate confidence. She wondered not for the first time what Borli had done before he decided on becoming a tradesdwarf. Depending on how the escape played out, she may have the chance to ask him. She looked once more to Zi, who flashed her an uneasy smile. Artemis straightened out her shoulders, feeling bolstered by her friends. “Kael and Shadow,” she stated, certain to make eye contact with both wolves, “You will protect our flank.” Both gave a nod. Artemis knew they had picked this motion up from the group. She nodded in return. “Borli, you will guide Clarabelle and protect her and her charge.” Borli’s eyes thinned, and he pulled his beard in a dwarven salute. “You will be in charge of guiding our escape out of this situation. We will trust in your decisions.” Artemis turned to the little nelfkin, who had gone back to whispering calming words into the fairy-man’s ears. “Blue,” Artemis began, and the nelfkin looked up guiltily as though she were doing something wrong. “You must not get distracted. We all worry over Alaster’s well being, but we will not be able to draw him out of this sleep if he falls off the donkey or, gods forbid, manages to get attacked during our escape. You need to be here with us. You need to make sure he stays up there, and you need to protect him if anyone gets past us.” Blue gazed up at Artemis, taking all this in. Artemis wondered briefly if she had been to rough on the woman, but, after a quick glance at the unconscious fairy, she agreed.

A deep sigh escaped from Borli. “Go ‘head an’ climb on,” he ordered, turning his bearded face towards the nelfkin.

“Didn’t you say that could overexert Clara?” Blue asked. Earlier, she and Fae had asked if they sit atop the little donkey to help keep Alaster steady, and Borli had said there was too long a path and he wanted to keep his girl in top shape.

“Oh, aye, Ah did,” Borli said, “bu’ it’ll be fine fer a wee while.” He flashed her his crooked toothy grin. “Besides,” he continued, “this way yeh won’t have t’ keep lookin’ back t’ see if he’s still oop there.” The dwarf tapped his temple to make a point. “Yer mind can be where it needs t’ be.”  Artemis saw the wisdom in this, and wondered again what Borli was even doing with that awful knight. Just what had he done before he decided to become a tradeswarf turned oath-servant to Gwuryn?

They managed to get Blue on top of Clarabelle, and Artemis was impressed by how calm the donkey remained through all this commotion. She did not bray or stamp her feet, but remained stoic, carefully eying everyone. Artemis handed it to the dwarf that he knew what he was doing. Blue, now seated behind Alaster on the saddle, had out her little knife, and Artemis was pleased that she seemed much more alert to their surroundings than earlier. Artemis knew from her experience with her mother that grief could make you do stupid things, but Alaster wasn’t dead… though that could change if they weren’t successful. “I will keep you safe,” she heard Blue whisper to Alaster. Artemis nodded to herself, feeling stupidly pleased about her awkward pep talk.

At last, Artemis looked to Zi, who was now surrounded in a faint silver halo. The wispy tendrils of energy seemed to be focussed around her hands, and the elf had taken on a stiff pose. Artemis realized, after a moment, that the girl was terrified. Perhaps they all were terrified. She looked over the group again, everyone seemed determined.

“We’re going to make it through this,” she heard from the elf, in the voice of Yuna.

“We will,” Zi promised.

“You owe me a body,” Yuna said. “I will be pissed off if your body dies after we finally found that stupid book.”

“I will try not to die.”

Yuna made an exasperated sigh. “Don’t try, lubberwort! Just don’t die.” Artemis could hear Zi gulp.

Artemis shifted her glance towards the other group. She met Fae’s eyes. We are ready. Fae nodded, and motioned for Kael to lead them into the fray. Artemis could hear her heart pounding in her ears, as they slowly and silently followed the red wolf through a jumble of streets, until they came to a corner, where she sat and patiently looked to her sister. Shadow walked over and the two exchanged a few words. She turned back to Fae and Artemis. “My sister suggests your group heads that way, while we walk this way. You should be able to sneak up behind them.”

“Ambush our would-be-ambush!” Gwuryn whispered excitedly. “I like it!”

Artemis rolled her eyes. Wasn’t that the whole idea? Fae only nodded, before turning to Artemis. “Wait until you hear fighting before you get out where they can see you,” she ordered. Artemis agreed to the plan, and the groups split. She hated that she wouldn’t have a clear view to her brother for the first moment of battle, but she trusted Fae, if not Gwuryn, to keep him safe. Kael lead them to the corner, and sat just out of sight. They waited. From their location. They could not quite see the gate, but Artemis had a glimpse towards the wall fortification around the city. Their escape was just in reach.

In what must have been moments, but seemed like a century, Artemis heard the beginnings of a skirmish, followed by sounds of shouting and running. She nodded at Zi, and the pair rounded the corner. Artemis had an arrow nocked and ready. What they saw was the two soldier engaged in combat with their party members, while three others were attempting to run towards them to engage. Artemis aimed at the closest retreating form, his back towards her, and loosed an arrow aimed at the back of his leg. She would cripple him. At exactly that moment, Zi speaking a clear rapid stream of words in a language Artemis did not understand, discharged a silvery wisp of a spell that lengthened into a hard line and tripped up one of the other two running soldiers. Both men fell instantly, although Zi had to follow up her first spell with silvery mist that seemed to knock her target out while he was attempting to push himself up. Artemis’ target had drawn his blade, but, she had managed to hit a tendon and he wouldn’t be able to walk anywhere for a while. The third man, almost able to the point where he could join combat with his comrades, distracted by the sounds, turned around swiftly to see the small group making their way towards the gate. He hesitated for a moment, while Artemis nocked another arrow and lined up her sight. Suddenly, he lunged away just as Artemis loosed her arrow. She cursed at her near miss, but the man was not running to join the battle with the others, instead he went the other way towards the gate. Kael snarled at his apparent cowardice, and was going to run him down when her sister barked that she stay her ground. The wolf huffed in indignation, but remained with the group, walking steadily towards the vacant gate. As Artemis kept her eye on the man, she reached into her quiver for another arrow, but Zi was already lunging a white-bright trailing spell at the enemy that Artemis likened to a comet. It hit at his feet, and grew into a bulging mass that seemed to slow him down until he was entirely immobile, but he had reached the gate post, and was now pounding heavily on the door. Artemis didn’t know what to make of this. Behind him, Artemis could see Fae and Kniles had almost completely subdued one foe, while Gwuryn was backing the other against the wall. Their plan was working.

Her head snapped back towards the runner, when she heard the door of the guard station snap open with a sham. “STOP THAT WRETCHED POUNDING,” she heard something bellow from inside, and she trained her eyes on the darkened opening. “YEH WOKE ME UP.”

“I-I had to, L-Lady Brunhilde,” stammered the now shaking guard. “Th-th-the enemies of the realm have arrived.”

Artemis could only raise her eyebrows in alarm when an entire chair came flying out of the little guard station and smashed into the poor unprepared soldier. He couldn’t even dodge it because of Zi’s sticky spellwork, keeping him in place. “YEH COULD HAVE WOKEN ME UP GENTLY YEH GREAT BUFFOON,” came the roar from the darkened doorway.

“Please, Lady Brunhilde,” cried the man, who surely would have dropped to his knees had Zi’s blob not prevented his movement. “I beg of you! Please understand there was no other way. I am trapped!” he motioned to his feet, “Please, Lady Brunhilde!”

“Trapped are yeh?” from the now calm, but no less frightening, voice in the shadows.

The man was nodding repeatedly, his shoulders still quaking in fear. Out of the guards hut stepped a squat figure, behind her trailed a massive war hammer. Artemis didn’t even think she could pick up such a heavy weapon, much less wield one. It was strange to see the taller figure of the guard quivering at such a shorter woman. The woman, a dwarf Artemis guessed, although she didn’t have the false beard hairstyle Artemis had learned to recognize from the lady dwarf traders she had met during her travels. Instead, her hair, which was a strange white blonde also unusual compared to other dwarves, was shorn short on the sides, with a wild mane allowed to grow long down the middle. It held braids and beads like those in dwarf men’s beards. She was in full shining armor, not unlike the armor their knight always seemed to keep handy. She was almost on the man now, and her glare was obvious even from this range.

Artemis heard a low whistle, and turned slightly to look at Borli with a side glance. The party  had completely stopped to watch the spectacle. “Shite,” he breathed, almost in awe, “She’s’n a fine rage.” Artemis returned her focus to the dwarf woman and realized he was right. Her anger was almost palpable, nearly flowing off her in the form of red hot radiating heat. Her eyes, which Artemis just realized held a bright crimson glowing even at this time of night, were trained on the terrified guard.

“All yeh had t’ do was say so, me boyo,” spoke the strange Dwarf woman, taking another step up to the man. “Don’t yeh werry yer bonnie wee head.” Her voice sounded gleeful, and her face had taken on a wicked cheer as she looked up towards the man. “Mama Bruna will set yeh free.” The expression dropped, and the anger was back, while the woman drew her hammer back and slammed it into the guard. An awful clammer sounded as the hammer met his armor, and the force pushed him out of the grip of Zi’s trap, and pushed him flying into the wall, where he sunk down, clearly dazed but alive. She might have broken a rib or two, Artemis thought with a rising feeling of shock. Her eyes drifted towards their trio of allies who had just dispatched their foes. Kniles was bent over them doing the final knots while he attempted to tie the gentlemen up.

“Bravo!” called Gwuryn happily clanking over in his armor to meet the Dwarf, “Good show! I didn’t expect to see another Knight of the Realm!”

“BOY!” Borli hollered, at Gwuryn, waving his arms to get his attention, as the man continued running towards the enraged dwarf woman, “She’s in a Berserker rage!”

But it was too late. Gwuryn was already executing an extravagant bow at the obviously still angry dwarf. “Lady Brunhilde,” the man started, “It is such an honor to finally--” but he didn’t get to finish what surely would have been a disgusting stream of compliments because the lady knight had bashed her war hammer into his chest, throwing him back into a nearby merchant’s stand (quite possibly the very same one where he had foolishly bragged about buying Kebabs only hours ago, Artemis didn’t know). Gwuryn looked back at his attacker, his mouth hanging open, clearly surprised. His armor had easily absorbed the blow. Knights of the Realm were issued top of the line dwarvish rune armor that could take quite the beating without hurting the person inside. “But, you’re a Knight!” he exclaimed, obviously taken completely off guard. “What about the code! We’re not supposed to work against each other.”

“Funny,” came the cold voice of Brunhilde, “I wuz informed last nigh’ that one Sir Gwuryn ‘ad forsaken ‘is vows as a Knight an’ taken up with th’ enemies o’ th’ realm. Yeh’re Sir Gwuryn, and I’m ‘ere t’ take yeh in.” Gwuryn looked simply flabbergasted, he would never forsake his vows because they were all he had. “But, first I have to take care of a wee number of undesirables,” stated the Lady Knight cooly, before turning slowly towards Artemis and her group. The enemy knight’s eyes a piercing blood red, and she took a slow step towards them. It was at this moment that Fae came running up from behind, her sword ready to strike. She aimed for the arm holding the warhammer, and the lady knight turned to engage. Weapons flashes as the pair dueled. These women were two masters. Each flashing strike from Fae was blocked by the handle of the massive warhammer, and each swinging blow from the Knight was dodged easily by the quick footwork of the swordswoman.  

“Shite,” breathed Borli, his eyes watching Lady Brunhilde, “Wh’t a majestic creature.”

“I’m sorry,” said blue from atop Clarabelle, her voice dripping in indignation, “but you must be crazy. She’s going to kill us.”

“Oh, aye,” agreed Borli, “but not without a fight! I c’n enjoy watchin’ a bonnie woman fer the last moments of me life, c’n’t I?”

“I will never understand bloody dwarves,” wheezed the voice of Alaster from in front of Blue. His head had been down, leaning into Clara’s neck, but he was beginning to sit up on his own. The spell of unconsciousness had broken.

“ALASTER!” Blue exclaimed, unable to contain the joy in her voice despite their predicament. She hugged him from behind, and Alaster stiffened before relaxing into the embrace.

The fairy looked around, noting both the scary Dwarf woman, and the locations of their allies. The idiot Knight seemed to be the only one down, and his sister was taking on the dwarf woman on her own. He noted his closer allies, seemingly in a protective stance around him, and he felt a pang over his own weakness and inability to protect himself. He and Blue were even riding Clarabelle together, something that had not happened since she was seriously injured by the Black Death Beasts. “It seems I’m in the woman’s position atop this brute,” he mused. Clarabelle huffed in resentment, and Blue laughed.

“Well, I think everyone will agree you are the woman in this relationship.”

Alaster responded with a harrumph, but otherwise remained silent as he watched the situation breaking out in front of him. He still felt quite weak, but was happy that the battle waging in his head had finally been won. Now he just had to survive this battle. “The Witch is quite the swordswoman, isn’t she?” he asked as his eyes followed his sister as the fight broke out between her and the lady knight. The dwarf definitely had her on strength, but Fae was just so nimble and fast, she easily dodged the blows. The issue was her armor was too good for Fae to break into.

“Fae is a very talented warrior,” Blue agreed, feeling safe enough for the moment to lie her cheek on Alaster’s shoulder to watch the fight. They may not be safe for always, but in this moment she would enjoy the fact that he was alive and with her.

Fae was beginning to push the Lady Knight back towards the guard wall, away from the gate so maybe the group could sneak back. After a blow, she attempted to make eye contact with Artemis in order to communicate something, when she misstepped and had to jump back or risk serious injury. As good as Fae was, she did not have the armor of a Knight and she had to be careful. Luckily, Gwuryn had recovered from his blow and was ready to engage the dwarf, when she pulled the same maneuver from earlier and threw him back into the cart.

“I TOLD YEH, BOY,” called Borli, with a gruff laugh. “SHE’S INNA RAGE! DAMN HARD T’ FIGHT A BERSERKER INNA RAGE!” Artemis had her bow nocked, and she was carefully following the battle with it. She wouldn’t let an arrow fly if there was a chance of hitting her allies, but she wanted to be ready just the same. Beside her, Zi had seemingly frozen up. She followed the fight with her eyes, but she had stopped all the careful spell mumbling she had been preparing all through their escape.

Gwuryn growled, and began the process of pushing himself up out of the ruins of that market stall to get back into the fray, when Fae was back into the fight herself, pushing forward with everything she had. Gwuryn engaged the woman again, flanking her, and the battle continued. Kniles felt comfortable enough with the battle, to join in on her other flank, and the three warriors began pushing her away from the others.

Artemis nodded to Borli, and the group continued their slow trek towards the gate and escape. Artemis watched as Fae saw an opening, and seemingly took it, weaving under the berserker blows and up close quarters where she attempted to strike at her unarmored neck. “Oh, shite,” Borli said, then, a grumble under his breath, “Fae don’t ken about Berserkers inna rage either.” The sword strike bounced off, and Fae’s eyes widened in disbelief. That was very likely a killing blow. Brunhilde let loose a mighty warwhoop, and she lifted her leg to kick Fae good in her chest. Fae very nearly fluttered across the courtyard, past her two allies and landed with a thump. Alaster’s breath hitched, but his sister was fine. Stunned, certainly, but definitely alive. Gwuryn yelled, and ran towards Brunhilde to strike her back before she took advantage of the one less attacker, but she easily swooped him aside with one hefty swing of a warhammer. Again, he found himself in that same crumpled merchant stand. Kniles, seeing this as his only chance, tackled the woman while she was distracted with the human knight. He was in too close quarters for her to hit him with her hammer, so she dropped it and the pair grappled for a moment. Then, without warning, and with Kniles pushing his weight onto the smaller, denser dwarf, she saw an opening and head butted him right above his pointed ears. Kniles crumpled to the ground immediately.

Artemis’ heart lunged in her chest and she let loose an arrow at the woman’s head. It bounced off and she screamed, throwing down her bow, and drawing her dual pair of daggers from their sheaths at her waist. She was about to run that demon dwarf bitch through, when Borli tackled her and pulled her back. She struggled uselessly, but soon realized she was not the only one screaming. Artemis’ head turned slowly to where Zi had been standing only moments before. Now, Zi was floating, her dress and hair blowing around her in a nonexistent wind. The white halo from before had intensified and Zi was now shining with pure blinding white light, which lit the night area like a torch. Strange trails of energy pushed out from her petite form, pushing the party members back. Clara stamped her feet uncomfortably, and Artemis could only stare. The scream stopped, and Zi jerked her head up to stare down at the lady knight. Her eyes had clouded over, and her skin took on a bluish tone.

“What’s this?” called the dwarf, taking a step towards them, “I’ve never seen this kinda display. Not even from yer ruddy elf Knight wizards.”

“You hurt him,” said Zi, but her voice sounded strange like it was coming from a tunnel and not the little form of the floating elf girl.

“Which one?” asked the dwarf, her walk full of swagger now as she came forward. In her mind, she had already won. “What’re yeh gonna do about it, yeh wee girlie?”

Zi remained silent, floating there a few inches from the ground with her hair flowing and her skin glowing. Artemis felt Borli begin to drag her backwards, and she let him. Their half of the group was backing away, leaving Zi to take over the battle. The Dwarf swung her hammer back and began running, getting ready to take the swing in leap when Zi simply raised her hand and the woman froze in mid air.

Zi paused, and examined her hand, curious. “So this is sorcery,” she said delicately, almost robotically.

“LET MEH DOWN YEH WEE ROTTER!” screamed Lady Brunhilde, clearly no longer feeling that earlier confidence.

Zi jerked her head up, and her eyes thinned as she looked at the woman. “No,” she said simply, and motioned with a finger. The woman flew higher in the air, and just stood there as if there was a great invisible rock to hold her. Zi floated up and down like on water, but her magic held the lady knight in a tight grip.

The dwarf’s bellow devolved into indescribable nonsense, as Z chose a place for her and left here there. “I’LL KILL YEH!” she started screaming at last, over and over and over. Zi clenched her fist, and the woman stopped screaming, then she began to roll her wrist and the form of the dwarf began to twist into an uncomfortable position.

“I could kill you, you know,” said Zi, softly, still with that far away voice that was not quite in the moment. “It would be easy. You don’t know how easy it would be. It’s almost a struggle not to kill you.”

The rest of the party stared at Zi in complete silence. They had been relieved a moment ago, but now, now they were worried. This was not the Zi they knew. Artemis had been mesmerized by the magic, how elegant it looked, but when she heard this voice, her eyes widened in disbelief. “You don’t mean that,” she said, carefully, not wanting to set off her ally and friend of many years when she was in this volatile position. Zi’s head twisted ever so slowly until she could look Artemis in the eyes. “Zi,” Artemis pleaded, “We’re the good guys, remember?”

Zi’s eyes softened, and she nodded once. “You’re right, of course, of course,” her voice was still far away, but sounded more like herself. The elven sorceress turned her head back towards the dwarf, who was clearly very much in pain, and slowly rotated her wrist until Brunhilde was more comfortable, then, she slowly motioned downward, and brought Brunhilde down to a better level. The berserker seemed defeated, and Borli heaved a sigh of relief, before explaining it looked like the rage had finally broken. Zi floated towards the dwarf woman, and examined her armor carefully.

“What’re yeh enemies of the realm goin’ t’ do t’ me?” she asked, defeated, “I kent fight like this, yeh’ve got me bested.”

“We’re not enemies of the realm,” said Zi patiently, still examining her armor and reading the runes. “We’re protectors. Someone has mislead you, dear lady.”

Brunhilde spit on the ground. “I wasn’t lyin’ when I said I got me orders yesterday.” She looked around at the party as they began to walk forward. “If yeh aren’t lyin’ and yeh truly are no’ enemies, then somebody in the Knights of the Realm disagrees.”

“No!” exclaimed Gwuryn, “The Knights are pure!”

Brunhilde sighed, and glanced over at Kniles. Her eyelashes fluttered before she looked him full on in the face. “Nothin’ is pure, boyo. Took me a decade o’ service t’ learn that.”

It was then that Zi reached forward, and wrote something with her hand over the runes along the lady knight’s armored arms. The two swiftly fused together, and Zi flashed a brilliant smile at the woman. “As long as my Kniles is safe, I will forgive you for your actions during your rage.”

Brunhilde huffed. “Whatever helps yeh sleep at night, girlie,” she said, with an eyeroll.

A twig snapped, and Zi’s head jerked towards the sound. She floated up above the wall, and gasped. “More soldiers!” She called down, “We must depart.” She waved her hand, and Kniles’ unconscious form floated up alongside her.

“Let’s go then!” called Alaster, leaning forward in the saddle. “I will lead the way!”

“Uh-uh,” said Borli, pulling on Clarabelle’s harness. “Geroff me beauty. Ye’re fine. Yeh can walk.” A couple of the party members laughed, but Artemis had her eyes trained on her brother. He had to be ok. She couldn’t live with herself if something happened to him. He was all that had ever held her together. He had to be ok.

“Go!” Zi shrieked, as Artemis recognized the familiar sounds of a volley of arrows plunging down on them. Artemis could almost make them out as they bounced harmlessly off the light coming from the sorceress. The party ran for the woods and safety, Kniles floating along behind Clarabelle, with Zi staying behind and throwing her new-found magic with everything she had to guard their escape. Something had broken in her, Artemis could tell. She had unlocked her powers at last. Artemis’ eyes drifted to her brother floating just in front of her. But at what cost?

Fate and Friendship

A/N: Takes place between Ways of Coping and Words

“Zi's like a princess,” Blue observed. “Basically, she's her people's chosen one. By contrast, Kniles is like a peasant. The elves resent his humanity. Now, mind you, Zi don't feel that way about it, but Kniles has internalized it. He got used to people thinking of him as inferior and now he thinks he hasn't got a shot with the girl he loves. Zi's too naive about it all to correct him.”

“Two things,” said Alaster, holding up two fingers. “First of all, why do I give a fuck about any of this and how could it possibly affect me? And second, how the bloody hell do you know all of this?”

The nelfkin stoked the campfire with a stick. They were the ones sat closest to it. Kniles and Artemis were hunting this evening and Zi was enthralled by a game Gwuryn, Fae and Shadow were playing with four-sided dice.

“If you don't give a fuck, why do you want to know how I know all of this?” Blue countered with a smirk. “Anyway, I know because I pay attention. I've talked to them both. They don't tell each other a damn thing. Communication is key in personal relations.”

Blue was the sort of person who knew at least a little about nearly everything. She was by no means a master in much of anything, of course, but she had a basic understanding of most things that had practical application. Just because she understood how people should interact with one another, however, did not mean that she employed such methods herself.

“My people have the right of it,” Alaster sneered. “Love is a fantasy. All that matters is position. My fiance, for instance, is from an influential family and our marriage would have been advantageous for both of us.”

“Rather dull way to look at it,” said Blue with a frown. “Anyway, the two of them would be a lot happier if they'd sort this out.”

“The two of who?” Alaster asked as he took a drink from the whiskey flask. He handed it back to the nelfkin.

“Kniles and Zi,” said Blue, yanking the flask from his hand. “Ain't you been listening?”

“Not really,” the fairy replied with very little shame. “Are we still on the Kniles and Zi thing? It's a bit creepy, isn't it? She's, like, twelve years old and he's a grown man.”

“She's seventeen and he's three years older than her,” Blue corrected him.

“Dear gods,” said Alaster. “They're hardly more than babies. Give me the whiskey back.”

“You're an asshole,” said Blue but she handed it back to him anyway.

–

Kniles was a bit embarrassed to admit that Artemis was a better hunter than he was. Beside her in the woods, every noise he made was amplified by her perfect silence. She regarded him with patience but did not hide her amusement at his blundering.

The siblings were trailing fresh deer tracks. Their prey was not far ahead of them, provided that Kniles didn't scare it away with his heavy footsteps. Artemis moved through the underbrush like a deer herself, as fine a tracker as any Kniles had ever seen. He wondered if he'd have been as good at it as her if he hadn't had to split his time between home and Ar.

“Papa's taught you well,” he remarked quietly, careful to keep his voice under a certain volume. “You're every bit the hunter that he is.”

His sister looked uncomfortable with the praise. When she was younger, she might have puffed up with pride at such a compliment from her big brother, but these days, it seemed she could not believe anything positive someone might have to say about her. She was so convinced that the darkness inside of her was inescapable.

“I'm not sure I should be commended for being good at killing things,” Artemis said darkly.

“You're providing food for all of us,” said Kniles. “You're so quick to discount yourself. I wish you could see in yourself what I see in you.”

She scoffed. “You're one to speak of not seeing, Kniles Harcourt. When are you going to admit to the fair Lady Zi that you're hopelessly in love with her? Some time in the next century, I hope.”

“Ah, really, little hawk.” Kniles blushed and turned his eyes to the ground. “I'm not hopelessly in love with her.”

Artemis elbowed him and brought a finger to her lips to shush him. Kniles quieted and followed her gaze. Two deer stood in the clearing just ahead of them and hadn't noticed them yet. While Kniles watched with bated breath, Artemis drew an arrow from her quiver and raised her bow.

She aimed the arrow with an expert hand and let it fly after a moment's careful consideration. It struck home in shoulder of the closest deer, bringing the creature down soundlessly while its companion fled in fright.

Grinning, Kniles turned to his sister and said, “Now tell me truly, who could track and kill a deer so efficiently as that? Without you, this company would starve.”

“They do seem a spectacularly helpless bunch,” said Artemis with a sneer. They crossed the clearing together to their fallen prey.

The deer was already dead. Artemis' aim had insured it a quick, relatively painless death. Whatever she said about herself, there was mercy in her heart. At least, Kniles chose to believe that there was.

“You should tell Zi how you feel,” said Artemis while she made quick work of gutting her kill. As he watched her work, Kniles had to wonder why he'd even come along, except that his presence would make it easier to carry the deer back to camp.

“Now isn't the right time,” Kniles replied. “She needs to complete her journey first.”

“And what if you are part of her journey?” said Artemis, arching an eyebrow as him. Her hands were painted red with the deer's blood now. She set about skinning it, thinking to leave the hide behind with the guts for some wild animal to find, well away from their camp.

It was a surprisingly optimistic thing for Artemis to say, Kniles thought, but not very likely.

“I suppose that would be for Zi to discover,” he replied. “I support her in her endeavors but it isn't my place to force her hand.”

Artemis rolled her eyes at him. “Well, support me in my endeavors by helping me skin this deer, won't you?”

“Of course, little hawk.” Kniles drew his own knife and set about helping his sister to dress out the deer. Anything for a change of subject, frankly. He knew that his sister was not the only member of their party who thought him a bit cowardly with his feelings for Zi, and he preferred not to think about it.

He observed the dead eyes of the deer and remarked, “Let's cut the head off here too. The less it looks like an actual deer, the less Zi will be upset about it.”

“You're hopeless,” said Artemis, but she obliged.

–

“You are quite good at this game, Lady Fae,” commented Sir Gwuryn. In their dice game, Fae had reached an impressive score, while Shadow, Zi and Sir Gwuryn struggled to keep up with her.

“Oh, it's just dumb luck, I assure you,” answered Fae, who was herself quite surprised by how well she was doing.

It was Zi's turn to roll just them. The young elf had been quietly observing the rules for a while but now she felt she'd gotten the hang of it. When she rolled the dice, the score turned out quite favorably for her and earned her another roll. In two rolls, she gained enough points to surpass everyone's score but Fae's, which was still a bit higher. She'd caught up quick though.

“I've never seen someone with luck quite so remarkable as Zi's,” Fae said.

Zi beamed, pleased with her accomplishment. “I've always had a knack for games like these, but I don't often get to play. I also like the games you play with cards.”

A thoughtful expression crossed Gwuryn's face. “We could, perhaps, play for money at the next tavern we come across. With Miss Zi's remarkable luck, we might be able to improve our funding for this little adventure we're putting on.”

“Gambling?” Fae looked as though she found the suggestion distasteful. “We'd be just as likely to lose the few coppers we've left between us at present.”

Their game was interrupted by the return of Kniles and Artemis, who carried a skinned and gutted deer between them. Zi launched herself up from the ground and called out Kniles' name in delight, waving to the half-elf and smiling her usual blinding smile as she ran to meet him. Fae and Shadow exchanged knowing looks while Gwuryn watched the young sweethearts with an expression of wistfulness.

“Ah, the attentions of so fair a maiden are more valuable than gold,” said Gwuryn. “Young Kniles is a lucky man.”

“They do seem to have a storybook romance,” agreed Fae, with just a touch of longing in her own voice. Kniles and Zi were possessed of an innocence that Fae could not remember ever having. Theirs was a young love, but it was refreshing, even though they both seemed to be in denial about it.

She spared a glance at her brother and Blue, who had struck up some kind of odd friendship as of late. Fae was only a little surprised by this. It seemed like those who carried the strange, magical crystals shared a bond, sometimes without realizing it.

In fact, looking back on it, she thought perhaps it was their crystals that had drawn Shadow to her, and vice versa. Zi and Artemis also seemed to share a connection, though whether that could be chocked up to their crystals or Zi's friendship with Artemis' brother, Fae wasn't sure. However, she did not think that it could be coincidence that the six of them had found each other. It seemed most likely that the crystals sought each other out.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Shadow, drawing Fae out of her musings. She was watching Fae with the sort of perplexed smile that made her look as though she still didn't quite understand the people she now called her friends. “You drifted away for a moment.”

Fae returned her smile, once again reminded of how fond she'd grown of her wolf companion.

“I was thinking about the bonds between friends,” she said. “And if it is truly fate that some people should meet, and if it being fate makes those bonds stronger or if it is by our own hands that we ensure that we do not live our lives alone.”

The former wolf tilted her head a little to one side as she considered this. At last, her mysterious smile spread into that canine grin and she said, “I should think it's a little of both.”

FIN  

A Toast

A/N: Proto-TROUF story that takes place some time after "In the Library of Skye."

“Listen dear, that fellow over there has been checking you out ever since we got here. I don't know how you feel about casual hookups but none of us would blame you if you took the opportunity to engage in some, shall we say, recreational activities this evening.”

Leffi had brought Wyndal an ale, which she offered to him while simultaneously pointing at the man she was referring to, who had indeed been eyeing Wyndal all evening. Wyndal glanced in the man's direction, making eye contact with him on accident, which he recoiled from. Now he couldn't tell what the man's reaction to the eye contact was because he was trying very hard not to do it again, so he was looking in every other possible direction.

“Thanks for the, uh, suggestion,” Wyndal said, licking his dry lips, “but I think I'll pass.”

“What? For real?” Leffi stared at him like she thought he'd lost his mind. “He's totally hot, and totally into you.”

“Okay, be that as it may, it doesn't mean I have to sleep with him,” Wyndal objected, tapping one foot against the bar in agitation. Leffi always meant well but she didn't know when to quit. “I mean, I don't know him at all. Would you sleep with him, if it seemed like he was into you?”

The elf plunked herself on a stool at the bar, then spun it around so she was leaning back against the counter, facing the man in question. She looked him up and down and then spun back around. She took a long drink of her own ale before she responded.

“Well, no. He's not really my type.” She cracked a grin. “I have terrible luck, you know. It would end badly. Would probably still be fun, though.”

Wyndal did not know how a person could be so at peace with having what could only accurately be described as the worst luck. If it could happen to Leffi, it usually did, from tripping over her shoelaces to taking an arrow to the shoulder. And yet she was almost perpetually smiling.

Relaxing a bit, he sipped his own ale and asked her, “If he's not your type, what's your type?”

Leffi responded by shrugging her shoulders, as if she'd never really thought about it before. Wyndal had noticed that Leffi tended to behave in a more childish manner when she was avoiding something. She was very intelligent, despite being an utter goof. It astounded him that such a brilliant mind could be possessed by such an eccentric person.

“Do you like men?” Wyndal prompted. “Do you like women?”

Tapping her lips, Leffi considered the question with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“I like interesting people,” she said at last.

What a cop out, Wyndal thought to himself, rolling his eyes. It was true enough, he supposed. Leffi largely ignored people she didn't have much interest in. For such an optimistic person, she was rather rude at times. Wyndal supposed he should count himself lucky that she found him interesting. Then again, if it meant she'd leave him alone, perhaps being uninteresting wasn't so bad.

“Hey, Trey's here!” Leffi sat up straight and smiled, waving her hand in the air. Wyndal followed her gaze to see that the Gwilimen twins and Spencer Spencer had just entered the tavern. He noticed that Leffi referred to them collectively as “Trey,” and also the way her face lit up when she said the name. Well, Wyndal supposed it was true that Trynace Gwilimen was an exceptionally interesting person.

Their friends joined them at the bar. Wyndal was grateful for a bit of reasonable conversation with Alyx, who was not nearly so interested in his love life as Leffi seemed to be. Leffi and Trey were soon trading insults, as per usual. It was a matching of wits, which he knew Leffi took great satisfaction in.

Trynace, of course, was head over heels for Spencer Spencer, which Wyndal could hardly blame her for. The man was attractive. They looked good together, Trey and Spencer. He wasn't sure if they were officially together at the moment or not, but all a person had to do was look at them to know.

Lucky Trey, he thought gloomily. Not that Wyndal was interested in Spencer himself, perish the thought, but he was jealous of the easy relationship the two of them had. He wouldn't mind having someone look at him the way Spencer looked at Trey, or vice versa.

That silly elf really did have the worst of luck, Wyndal thought. What was worse than being in love with someone who'd already met the love of their life?

“Have we found our fifth crystal yet?” Wyndal asked Alyx, though he could assume by the absence of an additional party member that they had not, or at least hadn't managed to recruit said person.

“Not yet,” replied Alyx, shaking his head. “I do think we're on the right trail. Trey thinks maybe the person we're looking for wouldn't be the sort to loiter in human villages. Now would be a nice time for a little guidance from the gods, though. Even if one of them just showed up and pointed us in the right direction, it would be better than nothing.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Wyndal saw the man Leffi had pointed out to him stand from his table and approach the bar. He tried to keep his cool, eyes locked on his mug of ale, but the man walked right up beside him, shoulder almost touching Wyndal's as he called out to the barmaid for another pint. The man was tall and muscular and he smelled like pine trees.

He could make eye contact. He could invite the fellow back to his room for the evening. Or perhaps the man lived nearby himself. It would be easy, if he asked, it was pretty obvious that his admirer would agree. But he couldn't make himself do it.

“I'm Herbert,” the man said suddenly, causing Wyndal to jump a bit in surprise.

He hadn't expected to be spoken to. Daring to look up, he noticed that “Herbert” was looking back at him and Wyndal quickly averted his gaze once more.

“Ah... nice to meet you,” he mumbled, not quite sure what he was supposed to do in this situation. His heart was beating a little faster in his chest.

“And what's your name?” Herbert asked. He sounded amused.

Rubbing the back of his neck and hoping his blush wasn't too visible, Wyndal told the man his name in hardly more than a whisper.

“Wyndal, what a nice name,” said Herbert. “Listen, Wyndal, I hope I'm not being too forward but I wondered if you might like to come back to my room with me this evening?”

Wyndal had, unfortunately, chosen that moment to take a drink of his ale. He choked on the liquid and spat it out all over the bar, much to his embarrassment. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he looked at Herbert with wide eyes. He felt trapped. Did he have a good excuse for the panic that rose in him at the idea of spending the evening with this fellow? It shouldn't be a terrifying notion. He daydreamed about it often enough.

And yet, faced with the reality of it, all he could think about was what might be the easiest way to get out of it.

“Ah, well, th-thank you for the offer,” he said, knowing that his cheeks were bright red. “I'm afraid I have to turn it down.”

Herbert looked disappointed but he nodded and bade Wyndal a good night before wandering back over to his table with the pint of ale the barmaid had just brought to him.

The rest of their little party had grown quiet and Wyndal knew they were all watching him. He could feel their eyes on him. So he looked up at them, meeting Leffi's gaze for a moment. To his surprise, she cracked a smile at him and, patting Trey on the shoulder, she moved to the empty stool beside him.

“Don't,” Wyndal said, trying to preempt any discussion of the huge mistake he'd just made. “I know I chickened out.”

“You don't know what I was going to say,” Leffi replied. “This might surprise you, but I know a little bit about feeling like it's easier to be on your own than to be open with another person. I'm sorry if I put too much pressure on you earlier. Dude's hot, but he's a stranger and if it were me, I'd want to know the person, be comfortable with them first, before I ever even considered sleeping with them.”

On his other side, Alyx nudged his shoulder. “It could be dangerous, at any rate. Not that you shouldn't have done it if you wanted to, but maybe it was wise not to in this case. We don't know who might be looking for us.”

A little of the tension in Wyndal's shoulders eased. They weren't judging him after all. He was still embarrassed that his companions had witnessed his moment of utter panic, but it was good to know that they weren't laughing at him about it. At least, Leffi and Alyx weren't, and Trey and Spencer were back to laughing at one another, so that was something.

Leffi peered around Wyndal at Alyx with an expression of curiosity. “You've got a wife and a kid back home, don't you, Allie?”

Alyx wore a proud smile as he nodded. “I look forward to returning to them. Ando is still quite small. I can only hope this quest doesn't keep me from watching him grow up.”

“I can't imagine having a family like that,” said Leffi. “I don't think I could tolerate staying in one place for the rest of my life. Not interesting enough.”

“I can't either,” Wyndal murmured, hiding behind his ale mug as best he could.

“Really? I could see you settled down, Wyndie,” Leffi remarked. She downed the last of her ale and called for another. “I think it will happen one day. The man of your dreams will sweep you off your feet and you'll live happily ever after. I'm jealous.”

Her gaze landed on Trey again, just for a moment, before she ducked her head.

“Married life is pleasant,” said Alyx, seeming to miss Leffi's glance at his sister. He leaned back in his seat, relaxed. “I suppose it's not for everyone but even Trey seems a likely candidate for it as of late. I'm happy for her, though I'd appreciate if neither of you mentioned it to her.”

Wyndal snorted at that. Trey was the kind of person who did the opposite of whatever it was she thought someone else wanted her to do. If she thought her twin wanted her to get married, that would probably be the one thing that actually kept her from doing it.

With a sigh, Leffi said, “Yes, they do look rather happy together.”

At the moment, Spencer was leaning in to kiss Trey, who pushed him back with a scowl that turned into a sort of fond frown. She said something to him that Wyndal couldn't hear and Spencer laughed nervously.

Trey could be quite terrifying. Spencer was endlessly kind and affectionate, however, seemingly in direct opposition to Trey's nature. Opposites attract, thought Wyndal. Perhaps that was why he and Leffi were friends, despite how annoying the elf could be. Well, in truth, they were friends because Leffi would have it no other way and Wyndal didn't see the point in fighting it.

The barmaid brought Leffi her second ale, as well as a mug for Alyx, and Leffi raised hers to propose a toast.

“To true love,” she said in a cheerful tone, “and to the perseverance of the realm.”

Unsure if he believed in the possibility of either of those things, Wyndal nonetheless raised his mug in solidarity.

He was still a mess, but at least he had friends who didn't seem to mind.

FIN