Wayward Children(Selk Mar)

[Yaen]

(OoC:This takes place shortly after the skirmish with the mountain bandits)
While everyone was busy patching eachother up, Yaen made his way over to Selk, and wordlessly sat down next to the younger man. "How are you feeling, Selk?" he asked. "You were in quite a predicament back there."

[Selk Mar]

Selk sighed as he continued to exam the scar where his wound had been not long ago. "Aside from soreness, stress, and a few bruises, I think I'll be alright. Really I'm just tired and stressed. I think I'll feel better after some rest."

He then hears the last bit from his Sacaean acquaintance and replies, "Yeah...If not for the arrival of that knight and that mage I'd have been finished. I guess fate decided today wasn't my time, y'know?" Selk smiles and shrugs as he finishes his words. He stops examining his scars and then begins to size up the damage to his armor.

"It's strange. Until I met up with these people I'd never fought in a life or death battle before. Now I've done so twice, and with more lives than my own depending on my success."

[Yaen]

Yaen nodded. "Yes, I know that feeling all too well." he replied. "I also know what it feels like to have sheer dumb luck." he added with a chuckle and a smile. "...Selk." he said, his smile fading. "Pardon me for asking but...How old are you?" he asked. "You seem rather young to be out here fighting...Then again, so do most of the people in this motley band of ours."

[Selk Mar]

"Well, either way, I'm glad they showed up. I'd have been a goner if they hadn't," He replied to Yaen's comment about dumb luck with a chuckle of his own. He then listened to a swift change in the Sacaean's tone and a seemingly serious question. "I'm seventeen. And yeah, it seems like a large part of our group is young, myself included. What makes you ask, though?"

[Yaen]

The Sacaen looked up at the sky. "...It's a big world, isn't it?" he said, instead of answering the question. "I've seen many things. I've seen the sun peeking over a mountainside. I've seen a field of flowers bright with the first breath of spring. I've seen beautiful things...And yet, what is the point of these wonderful things if we live in a world where the young must fight?" he asked, looking back to Selk. "...Tell me, Selk, what is your reason for being here? Why did you pick up your lance for the first time, and what stopped you from putting it down afterwards?"

[Selk Mar]

Selk was slightly surprised at the way that Yaen was acting. Before it seemed like he was a rather laid back and easy going guy who just wanted to get back at the bandits for capturing him, but it seemed like he was a completely different person now.

"Well...as far back as I can remember, it's been my dream to become a strong warrior like my father. He was away from home a lot, doing some job or mission. He was a mercenary. When I was younger I'd always imagined that I was right there beside him on the battlefield, fighting off the enemies and saving the day. Living on the farm, I never really got to go places with the exception of the city when we needed something that we couldn't make on the farm ourselves." Selk paused for a moment to take a breath and then he continued once more, "The way we lived in solitude on the farm like that, the only thing we had besides each other were our dreams. That's why I picked up a lance. So that one day, when I have my own family, I will have the means to protect them and to keep a roof over their heads and a meal in their stomachs like my father." He paused again, this time to think about why he continued. He'd only used his lance in combat twice now. This most recent fight was obviously the second.

He smiled for a moment and looked at the ground. Then, with that same smile, he raised his stare to Yaen and replied, "I continue to fight because of a promise I made to myself. When I met this group of travelers I knew they were all good people. They, much like myself, were chasing their dreams and making their way. After our first battle with those bandits I realized how much trust you have to put in someone to fight alongside them. They hold your life in their hands and you theirs. It takes an immeasurable amount of trust to do that. That's why I promised myself that I wouldn't betray their trust. That no matter what happened I would protect these people with my life."

[Yaen]

Yaen nodded quietly. "I see." he replied. "I won't judge you for your reasons. However, I commend you for your beliefs. We, the Sacaen, believe the same. When you go into battle, you must have a bond with your fellow soldiers. You must learn to live, fight, and if needed, die together. You have to know that you can count on eachother. That is the only way you can survive in the chaos we call battle." he said, looking back up at the sky.

"...I like you, Selk." he commented. "You don't want to die, but you'll lay down your life for something you know is right, no matter how foolish your action may be. Thats a quality a good man should have." he said. "...Just remember this, Selk. There is a difference between being a man and a hero... I once knew a man, and he said something I'll never forget..." With a small exhale, he stood to his feet. "Hero is just another word for monster. I didn't understand it back then, but over time I've come to realise what he meant. A man will stand for his convictions. He will raise a weapon to protect his loved ones, his freedom, and his beliefs. A hero, however, will raise a weapon for personal gain. Wealth, glory, simply to enjoy cutting into another mans flesh. He is no different than the bandits we just fought, save that he is praised for his actions..." The Sacaen shook his head. "And to those who don't praise them, those whose loved ones he kills in war...They realise that he is indeed a monster...and do not realise that their own hero is the same thing..." He then turned to face the recruit. "So promise me Selk. Promise me you'll choose to be a man, and not a hero."

[Selk Mar]

Selk knew now, without a doubt, that there was much more to this rough looking Sacaean than he'd originally thought. It was like a wise man speaking proverbs as he listened to Yaen speak.

"I understand what you mean. In that last fight, although it might be a bad example, a bandit dragged me to the ground and was trying to get up to finish me. I grabbed my lance and impaled him out of fear and out of hate. As I tried to get up after that one of the other bandits gave me a heavy slash to the side and then began to beat my face in with his fists. As he did this he said that it was his brother that I'd just killed. In the heat of battle I didn't really have time to think about that, but now...I promise, Yaen."

"Thanks, Yaen. I had sorely misjudged you when we first met. I apologize. I took you for an aloof and uncaring man who sought revenge. It turns out you were exactly the opposite of who I thought you were. Beneath your rough exterior...There's a wise man."

[Yaen]

Yaen chuckled and shook his head. "Revenge isn't the answer. The man I told you about? Revenge was his drive. He willingly became a hero, knowing full well what it really was, simply to get revenge. I'll admit it, I did want to get even with that bandit, but I didn't, and I'm not all that worked up about it. The point is, he's not around anymore, and the worlds a little better for it, as insensetive as my words are."

Sitting down again, he laughed. "And don't talk about me so admirally! I'm not even twenty five, and your calling me a wise man! Wise men don't come as young as me." he joked, gently shoving the armored man. "I'm just a drifter whose seen a few things. The kinda things that stick with you. If anything, Selk, this rode you chose will teach you about the world and maybe a bit about yourself. Just try not to get killed."

Chuckling once more, the myrmidon shook his head. "But jokes aside, I guess the real reason I'm tagging along is to keep an eye out on you lot." he admitted. "When I left home, I was your age. I was alone and afraid. I was always thinking why did I leave home? I knew I must have gone insane. Then again, you don't have any of the problems I did." he reasoned. "When I was little, I broke my both legs, and well the healer at that time was old and near his end. He made a mistake with the splints, and well...Lets just say about five years ago I was given a very painful lesson on how to w-w-walk." Blinking, he chuckled. "And I had a horrible stutter. Guess its still there."

Without warning, he shoved Selk. "Look what you've made me do!" He scolded. "I'm remenescing like some old man! Shame on you!"

[Selk Mar]

Selk merely listened to Yaens story intently. He was glad to see the man in such high spirits. It made him feel a bit better as well. Taking a life wasn't exactly an easy thing to get off your mind, especially when it was the first life you'd taken. Even with good reason...it was tough.

"Hey!" He scorned as Yaen shoved him and he tripped over his helmet, falling backwards onto the ground. When he raised his head and looked at Yaen over his own feet he broke into laughter, "Hahaha... Not only are you a wise man but you're also quite the joker. You're just full of surprises."

[Yaen]

Yaen grinned in response. "Well, you shouldn't make a young Sacaen reminesce." he replied, holding out his hand to help the armored man back up. "But you certainly won't find many Sacaens like me. We tend to be tight lipped horse riders. I, however, hate riding horses, and I've had to be tight lipped all my life due to my speech impediment, and need to make up for lost time." he chuckled out. "And how about you? How's your first real journey treating you?"