Just something i threw together a while ago...
The encounter - A short story
- Thread starter Arrou
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Arrou
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- Øknabo hundaræ, Swerike
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Just something i threw together a while ago.
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In the forests, above the marshlands, on a mountain, there is a rock. Under the Rock, a great mighty boulder, there is a windbreak tucked away. There came a storm, a grand force that whipped the trees and tore the peace asunder. The rock stood unmoved, defiant. No storm would push IT away.
In the darkness under the rock, there was a light, a fire. The glow showed two weary faces in the dark.
"The fire looks like it might soon die" spoke one of the faces, with deep lines and rough old hair and beard.
"The firewood lies by you, Peacebreaker" spoke the other one, with the same lines, though they were more shallow, less pronounced. The first face smiled faintly and put a stick in the fire.
"You do not seem to find it hard to ignore my title, tell me, brother, what happened to 'Master of the winter fire?" Thunder struck.
"He was killed by you, Tol, the same day, the same moment you killed Ina and left her to the crows" responded Tol's brother with a resentful glare.
"I have told you, Ak, the poor girl asked for it every time we met. She loathed her own life and she loathed her father, the cheiftain, for forcing her to continue it." Lightning struck again. Tol lied down on his back, the grimy face retiring from the light.
"She was only thirteen summers old, she might have wished to leave this world, but she was not old enough to have the sense to make that judgement!" The rain intesified. Tol spoke again.
"Ak, speak to me with all your honesty, do you think she would have lived until she had?"
"No." Ak conceded "but why did you confess? Why implicate yourself?"
"You know well what happened to Oul. How she followed Bek into the far forest because she thought he truly loved her only to be led to the lower river where the Ikka took her for their 'marriage to the gods'" Ak's face had too left the light and heavy breathing could be heard from where he was sitting.
"And when you, who had witnessed the events, testified against him before the court of Elders, it was your words against Bek's and he spoke decietfully and because he was the son of the old cheiftain they believed him and judged that you exploited the tragedy of Oul to carry out a personal grudge against Bek" thunder struck again, Tol spoke again.
"Do you think i could bear to lie after that?" Ak responded, his voice nearly cracked. "Merely because lies killed my sister does not mean i wish for truth to kill my brother! Tol, you are all that i have left." Sounds of sorrow and sadness could be heard from where Ak was sitting. They halted abruptly and Ak's face returned to the light.
"Tol, come with me, let us leave the valley, there is nothing left for us here. I was to escort you for your Last Hunt because i was trusted, no one has followed us." Ak seemed to be trembling with exitement. "No. Breaking the bonds of trust between you and the Cheiftain will only bring harm in the future" "Tol, they will not give you a quick death, they will make you suffer and i will not let that stand" Tol spoke loudly from the darkness:
"I said no and that is the end of it!" Lightning struck and the flash projected a shape on the windbreak's hide wall. "The Stormer!" Ak shouted and pulled his knife out of its scabbard. The doorflap was pulled open and a wet, weathered man stepped through. He spoke:
"Hail. I humbly request to be granted the dignity of being your guest." Ak stood down and Tol spoke: "Your wish has been granted. Come sit here where its dry. What is your name and where do you hail from?" The guest sat down.
"Fren is my name and i come from the great Birchwood."
"I do not know of any Great birchwood." spoke Tol and gave the guest some dried salmon. "It lies just on the other side of this mountain" Fren gestured.
"I know of no thing on the other side of this mountain." replied Ak.
The night went on in silence and smalltalk and they went to sleep soon afterwards.
When dawn came the storm had passed and Tol went outside to inspect the morning. Ak then pulled Fren close to him and spoke quickly:
"Listen, i beg you, I have been falsly accused of a heinous crime and he is the escort for my Last Hunt. Please let me come with you!" they argued for a while and Fren went outside. Tol stood on a natural shelf on a cliff overlooking the forest. The sky was coloured in a shade of blazing amber and Tol spoke:
"It is a beautiful morning, is it not?" He turned to the stranger and smiled warmly.
"It is." said Fren and Tol's smile faded. Ak had sneaked up on him and forced his knife into Tol's back. Tol resisted but Fren grabbed him and they threw him off the cliff. His death was swift. Fren and Ak left quickly and the latter did not look back, for he could not have borne to look his old land in its many eyes.
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In the forests, above the marshlands, on a mountain, there is a rock. Under the Rock, a great mighty boulder, there is a windbreak tucked away. There came a storm, a grand force that whipped the trees and tore the peace asunder. The rock stood unmoved, defiant. No storm would push IT away.
In the darkness under the rock, there was a light, a fire. The glow showed two weary faces in the dark.
"The fire looks like it might soon die" spoke one of the faces, with deep lines and rough old hair and beard.
"The firewood lies by you, Peacebreaker" spoke the other one, with the same lines, though they were more shallow, less pronounced. The first face smiled faintly and put a stick in the fire.
"You do not seem to find it hard to ignore my title, tell me, brother, what happened to 'Master of the winter fire?" Thunder struck.
"He was killed by you, Tol, the same day, the same moment you killed Ina and left her to the crows" responded Tol's brother with a resentful glare.
"I have told you, Ak, the poor girl asked for it every time we met. She loathed her own life and she loathed her father, the cheiftain, for forcing her to continue it." Lightning struck again. Tol lied down on his back, the grimy face retiring from the light.
"She was only thirteen summers old, she might have wished to leave this world, but she was not old enough to have the sense to make that judgement!" The rain intesified. Tol spoke again.
"Ak, speak to me with all your honesty, do you think she would have lived until she had?"
"No." Ak conceded "but why did you confess? Why implicate yourself?"
"You know well what happened to Oul. How she followed Bek into the far forest because she thought he truly loved her only to be led to the lower river where the Ikka took her for their 'marriage to the gods'" Ak's face had too left the light and heavy breathing could be heard from where he was sitting.
"And when you, who had witnessed the events, testified against him before the court of Elders, it was your words against Bek's and he spoke decietfully and because he was the son of the old cheiftain they believed him and judged that you exploited the tragedy of Oul to carry out a personal grudge against Bek" thunder struck again, Tol spoke again.
"Do you think i could bear to lie after that?" Ak responded, his voice nearly cracked. "Merely because lies killed my sister does not mean i wish for truth to kill my brother! Tol, you are all that i have left." Sounds of sorrow and sadness could be heard from where Ak was sitting. They halted abruptly and Ak's face returned to the light.
"Tol, come with me, let us leave the valley, there is nothing left for us here. I was to escort you for your Last Hunt because i was trusted, no one has followed us." Ak seemed to be trembling with exitement. "No. Breaking the bonds of trust between you and the Cheiftain will only bring harm in the future" "Tol, they will not give you a quick death, they will make you suffer and i will not let that stand" Tol spoke loudly from the darkness:
"I said no and that is the end of it!" Lightning struck and the flash projected a shape on the windbreak's hide wall. "The Stormer!" Ak shouted and pulled his knife out of its scabbard. The doorflap was pulled open and a wet, weathered man stepped through. He spoke:
"Hail. I humbly request to be granted the dignity of being your guest." Ak stood down and Tol spoke: "Your wish has been granted. Come sit here where its dry. What is your name and where do you hail from?" The guest sat down.
"Fren is my name and i come from the great Birchwood."
"I do not know of any Great birchwood." spoke Tol and gave the guest some dried salmon. "It lies just on the other side of this mountain" Fren gestured.
"I know of no thing on the other side of this mountain." replied Ak.
The night went on in silence and smalltalk and they went to sleep soon afterwards.
When dawn came the storm had passed and Tol went outside to inspect the morning. Ak then pulled Fren close to him and spoke quickly:
"Listen, i beg you, I have been falsly accused of a heinous crime and he is the escort for my Last Hunt. Please let me come with you!" they argued for a while and Fren went outside. Tol stood on a natural shelf on a cliff overlooking the forest. The sky was coloured in a shade of blazing amber and Tol spoke:
"It is a beautiful morning, is it not?" He turned to the stranger and smiled warmly.
"It is." said Fren and Tol's smile faded. Ak had sneaked up on him and forced his knife into Tol's back. Tol resisted but Fren grabbed him and they threw him off the cliff. His death was swift. Fren and Ak left quickly and the latter did not look back, for he could not have borne to look his old land in its many eyes.