Chapter 8 – Alam

“Ledgends are an important source of information. They always turn out to be far more accurate than History. Listen, and attend carefully if anyone accounts you a Ledgend. The person telling you may be an old Herbwoman, a Bard, a bad King, one of your Companions or just someone in an inn. But no matter how improbable the story, it will always turn out to be the exact truth and only by following it accuritly can you hope to succeed in your Quest. The mangment will never allow someone to tell you a ledgend unless it is going to be important for you to know.”

While Nerrisa searched through the ruins of her former home, Alam was doing his own searching. Dain was as usual sitting at the kitchen table, this time chatting to a man who had recently entered the town to stay the night.

 

“Father?” Dain raised his eyes from the mug of Ale he was holding and turned away from the man with whome he had been discussing the difficulties of rebuilding the forge, and the price of bread like any good Russian peasant.

 

He stood, apoligised to the man who he had been talking to and followed Alam into the sitting room behind the kitchen.

 

“Nerrisa is leaving isn’t she?

 

Dain looked at his son and nodded. “Yes.”

 

“Your not going to stop her?” Alam asked, sounding only a little surprised.

 

“No. I couldn’t stop her if I wanted to, and while I wish she would stay, at least long enough for her to gain mastery, I agree with her reasons for going. She is a free spirit Alam, she doesn’t belong here and she never has. I can’t stop her going, all I am able to do is make sure she is prepared as possible, and hope she will be okay, and that in a few years she will return.” From the way he said it, Alam gathered that this was a very pale hope.

 

“I want to go too.” Alam looked his father in the eye, conscious that he was able to now, just a few years ago he would have looked up into that kind, rough face. Now he was on a level with his father.

 

Dain stood silently, allowing his son to continue.

 

“I don’t think she should go by herself. And I don’t fit here anymore than her. I don’t want to be a blacksmith. I’ve gone along with it all these years because I don’t know what else I want to do, but now I think I do. I’m going with Nerrisa. She’s my best friend, and I can’t let her go off on her own. I want to be with her, for all I know that she can look after herself, she’d be right on her own I –“

 

“I don’t think your right there.” Said Dain Quietly.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Your wrong. She does need someone with her. She can kill yes, she can defend herself, she’s proved that, but she needs someone to look after her after the deed, and to keep her herself.”

 

Alam blinked at his father, “Are you saying?”

 

“What I’m saying is I don’t like her leaving by herself. But it would be wrong for me to let you leave. Your mother would never forgive me. But I can’t be everywhere at once, and there’s a bag under my bed with some supplies in it, tough clothes and the like that I brought to work in while I repair the forge. And being as large as you are they might fit you as well as me. And while I’m busy I might leave me best dagger in it’s leather sheath carelessly hanging on me bed head. And then theres that sword I was making for the merchants guard which I managed to save from the fire. It’s in the hall closet with the rest of the things we recovered. But I’m forbidding you from going with nerrisa. I don’t want you to put yourself in danger, but I know when my children are ready to grow up and events above any of us are moving at the moment, they are sweeping us all up with them, and perhaps you have a part to play Alam. Here or there. You are free to make your own choices, and I will be very disappointed if I ever see you denigh your own heart.”

 

He winked at his son knelt, kissed him on the forehead and returned to his discussion with the merchant.

 

***

 

It was night. Everyone should have been asleep hours ago, but Nerrisa was wide awake. Finaly she judged it was dark enough, and hauld herself out of bed, putting on a dress that had been donated by a kind family quickly, and shouldering a thicker jacket that had been an old one of Dains. It had been with one of the neighbors whives when the fire had started, Dain had given it to her son, and she had given it back to them after the fire.

 

“Nerrisa?” Merris’s voice was slurred with sleep.

 

“Shush Merris. I’m leaving”

 

The other girls eyes opened, shining clear and white in the darkness. But she didn’t say anything, so Nerrisa shouldered her pack  and left the room, pressing the door closed quietly behind her.

 

***

 

As she traveled along the dark road, nerrisa became frightened. There was too much possibility that the soldiers that had burned the house would be nearby, waiting for a chance to grab her and take the book. And she doubted they would just let her go after they had gotten it. Not after what she had done to their comrades.

 

She had her sword and her aze with her, they felt alien their weight disgusted her. Every step she took she felt awkward because of them. She felt like throwing them away, but knew she couldn’t. And she would grow use to them she supposed. They hadn’t felt awkward like this before she had killed the men, and she supposed she would grow use to them, forget their weight, as she would grow used to the idea that she had murdered five people.

 

She didn’t have a plan realy, apart from that she had to go. She had resigned herself to a few days sleeping outdoors and figured that despite the huge weight they were adding to her pack she would be glad for the tent and water proof sheating when it came time to sleep. It was turning out to be a very cool night. She shivered. Whether from cold or from fear she wasn’t exactly sure, but it was cold, and the night was a frightening place.

 

A twig snapped. Heavy footfalls behind her, slow breathing. She whirled, hand flying to the axe at her side. She was glad she had brought it now. But it wasn’t an enemy soldier coming at her ready to kill her and take the book. It was her cousin.

 

“Alam. What are you doing here?” her curiosity kept her from being angry. He should have called out, let her know he was there. It wasn’t fair for him to sneak up on her like that.

 

“I’m coming with you.” He said, standing tall, proud, daring her to refuse him. She noted the sword at his hip and shivered. Alam, sweet, innocent, kind gentle Alam who wanted to be a farmer. Alam with a sword, a tool not for farming or working metal but for killing. She would have been happier to see him with an axe. Although the more brutal of the two weapons axes didn’t seem to have the same malice. They were homely things, familia things, used every day to chop wood, to belt metal into shape… but swords. There could be no mistaking ones intentions with a sword.

 

“Alam, go back”

 

“No. I’m coming with you. You shouldn’t go on your own and father agrees, you might be able to look after yourself but you need someone.” He glared at her, he was holding himself differently too, he seemed more confident, more adult.

 

“Dain sent you?” she was as shocked by that as by seeing her gentle cousin with a sword.

“Not exactly sent, but I think he knew I was going to go with or without his permission. He had brought me supplies same as you, he just didn’t tell me he was buying them before hand”

 

She stared at him. Dain had spent all that time gathering things together, clothing, proper warm clothing, adventures clothing ith hidden pockets sowed in to keep coins in, and a pack, sleeping roll, thin water proof sheeting that could be tied to a tree to keep the rain off, her had brought bleach for her hair and beads to braid into it. There were letters to old friends in other villages, towns and even letters for a few who lived in the city. They asked them to look after his neice and those who traveled with her. There was money as well. A large amount, enough to buy a horse he said with a nice amount left over to keep her till she found work. She had refused the generosity at first, but he had insisted on giving it all too her.

 

“Besides, it cost no more than your wages for the past eight years, and you are worth far more to me than that. I love you as much as any of my children Nerrisa”

 

She supposed he had spent just as much again on Alam, how he could afftord it with all the repair work to be done she didn’t know, but she couldn’t have refused him, not after he had said that.

 

“I don’t know what I’m doing Alam. The soldiers could find us, thered be more this time and they wouldn’t be so easy to kill, they are not going to underestimate me again. It will be cold, and I don’t know what I’m going to do, how I’ll make a living…”

 

Alam shrugged. “That’s ok, we’ll work it out together. And I don’t think the soldiers will come, no-ones seen them in days.

 

“They might.” She sighed. She would have to put up with his presence for now, and she did feel less frightened with her cousin there. It was too late to argue and he was so stoubourn. She’d try and get him to leave again in the morning. “Come on then. We should go a bit further, then we should get some sleep”

 

He was happy. She could tell. And in her own way she was happier with him being there, although she knew she shouldn’t be.